Banquet Scene 

Editor: So, this is “Banquet Scene” attributed to Jacopo Bassano. It's an oil painting, and immediately I’m struck by how much is happening in the composition. It's quite chaotic. What formal qualities stand out to you the most in this piece? Curator: The first element demanding attention is certainly the organization of forms. Consider how Bassano uses light and shadow – the dramatic chiaroscuro. Observe how he models the figures: the almost sculptural roundness, yet juxtaposed with passages of flattened, less-defined shapes. This tension creates a dynamic visual field. Do you notice how the light source affects our reading of space? Editor: Yes, I see what you mean about the light. It does create depth, but the areas in shadow seem to recede into an almost indefinite space. It flattens the picture. Curator: Precisely. The interplay of light and shadow works against traditional perspective, creating visual interest, consider also the dynamism between color tones and their value on the surface and how it directs us around the canvas. How does Bassano lead your eye around this crowded scene? Editor: Well, the strong diagonal lines, from the lower left to the upper right, draw my eye across the table and to the figures on the right side. And then the contrast in colours too, the red draws the eyes too Curator: Good, do you note where he deploys color temperature most effectively? Or notice the use of the brush strokes, are they smooth, broken, are there visible gestural applications that affect meaning and value. What about the material use? Is the artist using techniques such as scumbling, blending or layering? What affective element, as Kristeva noted, can you find in the structure, space or medium used that affect value? Editor: I hadn't really thought about it in that way, but now that you mention it, there’s a lot of textural variation in his strokes... like almost a type of visual storytelling using the paint, rather than just the figures represented, its a sensory art work too! Curator: Precisely! I’m delighted to hear you have explored that. It allows you to decode a fuller perspective of the language of his artistry.