Allegory - The Concept
In visual arts (painting & sculpture), Allegory is the Symbolic representation of 'beyond' or 'in addition to' the depiction or the obvious. Similar to literary metaphor, artists use one subject to represent another seemingly unrelated subject.
The Details
With Symbolism as its foundation, broad, sweeping, and abstract concepts are the commonest themes of Allegory. Classical, philosophical, & theological virtues and vices, such as faith, hope, charity, courage, greed, lust, wrath, & pride have been the most popular ideas in this genre. Another dominant theme here is 'the arts' to convey a creative concept, such as painting, sculpture, music, dance, and poetry, visually. The viewer often needs to know the broader vision of an artwork to understand its metaphorical components.
The History
The metaphorical mode of storytelling in visual arts was immensely popular in European Arts during the Renaissance (1400-1525) and Baroque (1500-1700) periods. Heavily promoted by Catholic Church, it was a medium to make people aware of Salvation and to emphasize the role of Church in attaining it. The popularity of classical themes was also instrumental in the rise of Allegorical subjects in literature and painting during this period. The gradual collapse of traditional court culture and religious orthodoxy in the 18th century redefined artistic practice. The portrayals shifted from religious, historical, and allegorical subjects to highly individual elevated themes often relating to day-to-day living.
The Artists & the Artworks
• 'Charity' (1520) by Andre del Sarto (Italy, 1486-1530) represents this theological virtue as a woman with several small children.
• 'The Musicians' (1595) by Michelangelo Carravaggio (Italy, 1571-1610) shows Allegory of Music. Four boys are portrayed in classical costumes. They are playing various instruments and singing.
• 'The Art of Painting' (1666) by Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632-75) is based on the Allegory of Painting. It depicts an artist painting a female subject in his studio.
• 'Allegory of Painting' (1765) and 'Allegory of Music' (1764) by Francois Boucher (French, 1703-70).
• 'The Voyage of Life' (1840) series by Thomas Cole (America, 1801-48) is an Allegory on four stages of human life. The paintings, named 'Childhood,' 'Youth,' 'Manhood,' and 'Old Age' depict a voyager travelling in a boat on the River of Life along with a guardian angel.
• 'The Blind Girl' (1856) by John Everett Millais (England, 1829-96) depicts two female beggars. It is an Allegory of the Senses, contrasting the experiences of the blind and sighted sisters.
Conclusion
As a form of rhetoric, the Allegorical stream was a medium to persuade the audience in Classical times. Modern audience does not much relate to these themes due to the absence of such analogies in the contemporary culture. Although some contemporary artists have continued to create work in this genre, their ideology however centers on 'pure aesthetics.' For them the artwork is more important than its associated visual rhetoric.
Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. Please visit the website at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited.
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