Introduction
It is hard to disagree that art is one of the humans’ best and most influential achievements. There is a vast number of forms of art, and people still admire the paintings, sculptures, or musical compositions created hundreds of years ago. Genuinely talented artists created incredibly believable pictures, and modern students and researchers study them and consider them a miracle. Different art movements are defined by their purposes and main characteristics. For instance, one aim of surrealism was to move away from reality and plumb the depths of the unconscious mind and imagination. The Long Rain by Yves Tanguy is a great example of surrealism. On the contrary, realism focused on honest reproduction and depiction of the social environment and people’s real lives. Palm Sunday or The Boughs (Les Rameaux), or Eternal Love (Les amours eternelles) by Alfred Stevens is a painting created in realism. Though these two works of art belong to different periods, movements, and artists, and there are many differences between them, the mood they convey to the audience, as well as some other details, are similar.
Background of the Art Pieces
Before talking about the similarities and differences in detail, it is important to discuss the paintings in general and mention their background information. The Long Rain was created by Yves Tanguy in 1942 (Tanguy). The artist belonged to the Surrealists, and this painting may be the primary example of this movement: it has no visual references to the everyday world, and everyone needs to use their imagination to interpret the meaning. The picture is divided into two parts that remind of the ground and the sky, and there are several colorful objects standing on the ground (Tanguy). Further, Palm Sunday was created in 1862 by Alfred Stevens, who was known for his detailed portraiture of fashionable society (Stevens). In this painting, which belongs to realism, the artist depicted a woman placing a sprig above the portraits of her mother and father, thus following a Christian tradition and showing devotion to the memory of her parents (Stevens). Considering these descriptions, one may think that there is unlikely something similar in the paintings, but they are still united by their mood.
Differences Between the Paintings
Generally, the differences between the art pieces are defined by the movements they belong to. First of all, in Palm Sunday, there is a specific character in the center, and all the details in the paintings allow the audience to perceive the plot and the story behind this work of art (Stevens). There are unlikely any varied interpretations precisely thanks to the religious references and all objects depicted in the painting. This is a scene from real life, and people familiar with Christian traditions can even understand the specific day on which the woman’s actions take place.
At the same time, there is no central object or central character in The Long Rain. When looking at the painting, a person needs to interpret the meaning behind it based on their own background, experience, religion, beliefs, or imagination. Two people with varied education or views can see different stories depicted in The Long Rain. Consequently, it is possible to say that another difference between the paintings is the purposes of the artists. Alfred Stevens probably wanted to honor the Christian tradition and depict a scene from reality, making the art piece closer to ordinary people. Simultaneously, the aim of Yves Tanguy was possibly to awaken the imagination of the audience, allow one’s subconscious to reveal its secrets, and put many different meanings into the painting, making The Long Rain relevant forever.
Similarities Between the Art Pieces: Mood and Shades
As mentioned above, the mood these paintings convey is rather similar. The story behind Palm Sunday is religious: the woman is placing a sprig above the portraits of her deceased mother and father, which is certainly sorrowful and sad. The woman’s face shows slight grief as she throws a kiss in the direction of her parents’ portraits. The situation itself, as well as the shades in which the painting is created, make the mood grievous. As for The Long Rain, there may be various interpretations, but one of them allows seeing a burning and melting candle in the left corner of the art piece. Voluminous drops of wax look like tears, and the shadow falling from this candle object resembles a sharp blade. Therefore, it is possible to say that the mood of The Long Rain is also sorrowful, sad, and grievous. Finally, though both paintings have bright colors, white, black, and gray shades prevail over yellow, green, and red ones, creating an atmosphere of hopelessness.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that both paintings deserve to be considered great examples of their movements. They also prove that similarities may be found even in those art pieces that, at first glance, are completely different. Therefore, although The Long Rain belongs to surrealism, and Palm Sunday is an example of realism, the artists managed to convey the same mood of slight sadness, sorrow, and longing for the irretrievably gone. Of course, concerning The Long Rain, the sad mood is just one of countless interpretations of the painting, and everyone can see something of their own in it.
Works Cited
Stevens, Alfred. Palm Sunday. 1862. Everything. Web.
Tanguy, Yves. The Long Rain. 1942. Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu. Travel Photo Base, Web.