CHAPTER FIVE: ART AND NARRATIVE
A) NEW LIFE
The subject in this painting is an expecting mother. The
painting which was arranged as a figure painting session
turned into an ironic scene of foreshadowing. The mother lost
her child in a miscarriage only three months after this portrait
took place.
or
B) MELANCHOLIA
The subject of this painting is still debated on to this day. Some
are quick to identify the woman as a mourning Mary Magdalene
and some believe her to be an average woman contemplating
scholarly problems, retreating into meditation.
or
C) DESOLATION
After being banished from her church the artist catches an
intimate and intense moment of despair. The subject of this
painting was in an intimate relationship with the artist which
lent a hand in her banishment.
ANSWER:
born and died The Netherlands, 1588-1629
oil on canvas
HENDRICK TERBRUGGHEN, MELANCHOLIA
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