Yu Fanny talks on Women at the foot of cross

                                                         Women at the foot of cross
                                                               1538

•What is the title of the drawing?

The title of the drawing is women at the foot of cross.

•What is the name of the artist?

The name of the artist is Daniele Ricciarelli (c. 1509 – April 4, 1566), also known as Daniele da Volterra
He  was an Italian mannerist painter and sculptor.
•What is the year the drawing was done?

The drawing was done on 1538.


•What is the medium? (ie the materials used to produce the picture, for example charcoal on paper, pen and ink etc)

The medium of the picture is oil painting
•What is the subject matter or general theme of the work? (eg is it a figure drawing, a map, a portrait, an autobiographical work, a picture about nature, a drawing of the city etc?)

The subject of the picture  is a fainting women. It is a figure drawing. The fainting women is one of the character  form The Descent from the Cross , which  is about taking Christ from the cross. The theme of the picture is about Christian and the sad feeling.

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•What is the purpose of the drawing? (eg Is it a diagram that explains how something works? Does it record accurately record the appearance of something? Does it express the artist's emotion or memory? )

 
  The fainting women is the Virgin Mary , who saw the burial and was crying
^{The drawing is to describle the  sadness of the crucifixion.}


2) DESCRIBE THE DRAWING IN DETAIL
•How is line used? What does it do/express?

The line is soft and continous in order to express the weak and crying Mary. Moreover, the line used on the upper part of the figure is clear and bright since the light is directly towards her back and hair. On the contrast, the line used on  the lower part of the figure such as the hand, face, leg  is vough and dark. It expresses the shadow created by the leaning forward position. 

•How is tone used? What does it do/express?

The tone is formed by  the shading and monochromatic drawing. The dominant colour is brown;however, there are sevral layers of shading.There is little shading on the head of figure.The lower part of the figure is heavily shaded.

The sad contrasts of  light and dark, falling and supporting between the upper part and lower part of the figure help to make the paintings realism.

 It can form the realistic image of weaknesses and sadness.
•What can you say about shape and/or form in this picture? What is the effect?

There is only one figure in the picture. The shading creates the three-dimensional object. The leaning forward position is constructed by the shading.


The shape of the figure is to lean forward and cover her face by her hands.It can create the feeling of sadness.  The figure's  movement is exaggerated since it is the style of the painter.


The exaggerated form of the drawing is due to the painter's style. The painter's style is a mixture of  realism and exaggeration.


•Is texture a feature of the drawing?

The different layer of shading can reflect the strong movement of the figure. Also, there is smoky effect around the figure.It can reflect the cloth to be soft and light. Also, the wind may blow the cloth due to the smoky effect. 

However, the shading on the lower part of dress is strong and dark. The dress can be reflected as heavy and the leg is supporting the whole leaning body.

From our visual observation, the whole figure is weak and unstable.

•What can you say about the composition of the drawing? What is the effect of this type of composition on the overall drawing?

The composition of the picture is triangle.The compositions of the body which are head, back and the leg with dress in several layers. It can express light in the upper part of the body and heavy in the lower part of the body. Also, the whole figure is supported by the right leg.

•Is rhythm important in this picture? If so, say more about it...

Yes, there is rhythm in the picture.It can be shown on the draperies. There is the steady movement on the drapery.Also, the drapery was depicted in the detailed way and in the same direction.The rthyme is crucial to create the falling movement. 
•Is the picture balanced? Explain...

The drawing is well balanced since there is space on the top right-handed and left-handed corner. The figure is in the middle of the picture and catches the attention of the audience. The audience will naturally focus on her movement.

•Is perspective used in the picture? If so, describe the way that the illusion of three-dimensional space has been created.

The three-dimensional space has been created. Shading is used to reflect the three-dimensional space. The dress in the picture is the example.The cross layer of the dress is reflected by the dark or light shading. Even though the face and neck of the figure cannot be seen clearly, the darker shading can reflect the three-dimensional space. 


•Is the picture harmonious? If so, in what way?

Besides sadness, the picture is harmonious since the hair and hand of the woman make use of soft line.Also, the artist use only one color tone.Also, the color is yellow which is the warm color.Even though the women is crying, it gives the feeling of peaceful crying.
•Are there any strong contrasts in the picture? Say more...

The  strong contrast in the picture is the light and the darkness.The light of the picture is from the reflected light. The hair  and the upper part of the dress , which is round with many layers. The lower part of the dress is heavily shaded and dark since it is covered by the upper part of the body.

3) INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION
•What is the mood of the drawing? Justify your answer using information from your responses above

The mood of the drawing is sadness , with a feeling of hopeless and depressed. The negative feeling comes from figure's movement and the technique, shading. To be more important, the movement of the figure contributes a lot. The figure cover her face with her hands . It seems that she was crying.
Even though the main color in the picture is yellow which is the warm colour, the movement catch our attention and lead us to think pessimistic.

•What does the drawing express? Justify your answer using information from your responses above

The drawing expresses the sadness hopeless of the women.I found some research that this is one of the character from  The Descent from the Cross.There are number of people watching the crucifixion and some helpers would like to save Christ from the cross. However, it is a tough process. It reflects the hopeless and sadness of the Mary who love and care about Christ.

•In your opinion, why is this work interesting/moving/ clever/ imaginative/thought-provoking/......?  Choose the adjective(s) that best fit(s) the work, and then justify your conclusion in terms of specific features and qualities of the drawing.

The work is thought-provoking since it can find out more the feeling of the people watching the crucifixion. Moreover, I can imagine the hopeless feeling through the picture.Also, the cold colour and shading lead me to have a chiily and horrible feeling towards the crucifixion.