Dimensions: support: 635 x 762 mm frame: 801 x 925 x 85 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: So, this is Augustus Leopold Egg's "Past and Present, No. 1," from about 1858. The dark hues and interior setting create a rather somber mood. What do you see in its composition? Curator: Observe how Egg constructs the scene through a stark division of space. The composition relies on contrasting light and shadow to emphasize emotional fragmentation. What strikes you about the arrangement of figures? Editor: Well, the woman prostrate on the floor is quite striking, and juxtaposed against the husband... What could this signify? Curator: Consider how the stark geometry of the setting contributes to the emotional narrative. The painting's formal elements, such as the mirroring effect and the arrangement of figures, create a fragmented and unsettling visual experience. Does that resonate with you? Editor: It does! I hadn't considered the way the composition itself mirrors the fractured narrative. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. It's through analyzing these elements that we unlock the artwork's intended expression.
Comments
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/egg-past-and-present-no-1-n03278
Join the conversation
Join millions of artists and users on Artera today and experience the ultimate creative platform.
This painting forms part of a series of three which considers the consequences of love outside marriage In Victorian Britain. Past and Present No.1 and Past and Present No. 3 show ‘Present’ five years later, two weeks after the husband has died of despair. Identical moons indicate that they take place at the same moment. The two girls comfort each other. The homeless mother shelters under the Adelphi arches, by the River Thames in London, holding the baby that resulted from her affair. The posters for two plays, ‘Victims’ and ‘A Cure for Love’, and ‘Pleasure Excursions to Paris’, are ironic comments on her situation. Gallery label, May 2023
CollectMore like this
