The First Thanksgiving, 1621 1915

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris painted ‘The First Thanksgiving, 1621’ some time around the turn of the 20th Century. Ferris goes heavy on the umber and ochre here, setting a rather somber mood for what is ostensibly a celebration, and that rather theatrical lighting suggests a constructed scene, more pageant than party. I’m fascinated by how Ferris builds up this image. The surface is so smooth, the brushstrokes invisible. It’s like he’s trying to disappear as the artist, which is maybe what he thought history demanded of him. Look at the way the light glances off the armour of the pilgrim standing guard on the right of the image. The detail is so precise it’s almost photographic. But what’s so interesting is that, if you look closer, those details flatten out into these simple shapes. The overall effect reminds me of those hyper realistic cakes they make on the internet: technically impressive but ultimately quite unsettling. This feels very much of its time, a conversation with historical painting as it was understood then. You might compare this to the work of someone like N.C. Wyeth, but I think Ferris lacks Wyeth’s sense of drama and storytelling. Ultimately, it's a reminder that history, like art, is always a construction, an interpretation.