MOD.5 - British Avant-Garde 1848-1899

Question 1

Ford Madox Brown - Work
The 4 dogs and their representations

Answer 1

1. Street dog - Belongs to the homeless children
2. Workers Dog - Terrier which was seen as hard working suggesting the owners are earning their living
3. Wealthier Dog - Whippet used for racing also status indicated by clothes
4. Upper Class Dog - Labrador, sport hunting dog, the upper class don’t have to work for what they have

Question 2

Ford Madox Brown - Work
The Workers

Answer 2

• Heavily lit with light coloured clothes: focal point
• Central placement in the composition
• Physique reflects the philosophy of Muscular Christianity
• Working towards the greater good: Fixing poor infrastructure in London that resulted in Cholera

Question 3

Ford Madox Brown - Work
The Orphans

Answer 3

• Orphan status is represented by the black ribbon around the baby’s neck
• The young boy is already straying as he is painted downwards and out of the light cast over the centre
• The girl’s dress indicates she could be using sex work to earn money

Question 4

Ford Madox Brown - Work
The Upper Class

Answer 4

• An MP and his wife are looking on at the roadblock suggesting they are only onlookers and don’t contribute to society
• They are painted higher suggesting status
• Painted in shadow indicating a hostile opinion of this hierarchy

Question 5

Ford Madox Brown - Work
Thomas Carlyle

Answer 5

• Father of the labour movement in England
• Looking directly at the viewer
• Upper class himself
• Working men did not have the vote in Britain as it was still based on property value: Protesters are marching for it

Question 6

Ford Madox Brown - Work
Navvies

Answer 6

• Irish railway workers
• Paid terribly and worked in awful conditions
• Laid off as they are sleeping on the bank

Question 7

Ford Madox Brown - Work
Flower Seller and Women

Answer 7

• The upper class women are handing out leaflets on social mobility
• Chickweed seller associated with Flower and Dean street in Whitechapel: One of the most criminalised areas of London according to Charles Booth’s Poverty Map

Question 8

William Powell Frith - Derby Day
Composition

Answer 8

• Designed to be read from left to right
• 88 Figures crowd the foreground emphasising Frith’s interest in interaction
• Central pyramid structure further crowds the composition
• A halfway horizon line is inspired by photography

Question 9

William Powell Frith - Derby Day
Physiognomy

Answer 9

• Belief that facial features and expressions could be used to identify characteristics
• Frith uses this to distinguish the personalities of subjects in a painting with so many characters
• Technique was used in criminal profiling and later fuelled the belief in eugenics

Question 10

William Powell Frith - Derby Day
LEFT

Answer 10

• Group of men gathered around a thimble rigger(gambling) Country boy is surrounded by rich gentlemen: status indicated by clothing and dogs
  Representation of all classes being tricked out of money
• Men are gathered around the Reform club: frequented by the Whig Liberal elite
• Actual derby takes place in the background

Question 11

William Powell Frith - Derby Day
CENTRE

Answer 11

• Crowd of people gathered around acrobats: Status is represented by height on the canvas and clothing: lack of shoes etc.
• The son of the acrobat appears distracted by food suggesting poverty (PHYSIOGNOMY)

Question 12

William Powell Frith - Derby Day
RIGHT

Answer 12

• Group of gypsies and upper class citizens mingling
• Frith uses physiognomy to show an interaction between a gypsy women and a rich man

Question 13

William Powell Frith - Derby Day
Context

Answer 13

• Highly finished and polished: VICTORIAN ACADEMIC
• Has a photorealistic quality
• Frith was popular with the public
• Exhibited at the Royal summer show at the Academy
• Set at annual Epsom Derby: Britain’s most prestigious horse race

Question 14

William Holman Hunt - The Shadow of Death
Context

Answer 14

• Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Member
• Typical subject matter for PR
• Topographical and hyper-realistic painting
• Used models from the area
• Painted on location in Bethlehem and ‘en plein air’
• Includes the ethos of muscular Christianity introduced by Thomas Carlyle
• Lake Galilee is depicted in the background

Question 15

William Holman Hunt - The Shadow of Death
Typology

Answer 15

• Stretched pose of Christ creates a shadow on the wall which prefigures the crucifixion: Literal use of a shadow for foreshadowing
• Window frame creates a halo
• Pomegranates are a typical symbol of resurrection
• Scroll with passages from the Old testament
• Headdress symbolising crown of thorns
• Plumb hob = Christ’s sacred heart
• Tools of the crucifixion
• Reeds = Sceptre given before crucfixion
• Shadow of Saw = Spear that created side wound
• North star window
• Christ depicted as a carpenter
• Gifts of the Magi