Blog Post #4

      Upon the very first glance, this painting definitely bring ups feelings of romance and love.  The artist uses the subject matter of a simple ferryman navigating what is seemingly a couple through a body of water.  What is interesting to note however, is the massive tree that takes up a majority of the space on the canvas.  The artist also chooses not to paint in the typical landscape style yet opts to display the subject matter in a vertical fashion.  Perhaps the artist choose to display the subject matter in a vertical fashion style to not give attention to things that may extend beyond the tree and the ferryman but to keep the focus of the painting on those items.  Whereas if the artist might have chosen to paint in a “width” orientated fashion, the focus would shift from the ferryman and the tree to objects outside of that field of view.  Once eyes of the viewer are able to gaze past the tree and the ferryman, they might then come across what seems to be a little town way off in the background.  It is interesting to note also that the viewer does not know where the people on the ferry are headed or what is the origin of the ferry.  Why is the boat docked so far away from a town or village? There is something about this painting that gives off a certain sense of mystery or intrigue.  The artist makes a deliberate choice to not include important details about the ferryman and its origins by not painting in a landscape fashion.  This leads me to believe that the artist wants the viewer to not be concerned with questions of origins or destinations but to simply be encompassed by the romantic sentiments that a ferry ride entails.  Another interesting detail that is revealed upon closer inspection is how barren the tree looks.  The tree appears to have had a full bloom of flowers growing out of it, yet those flowers seems to have fallen or are beginning to diminish.  This brings about feelings of a dwindling love or a love that was once bountiful but has slowly begun to decay.  The two passengers heighten the romantic aspect of this painting by holding onto one another.

      The artist of “The Ferryman” is Jean-Baptiste-Camille-Corot.  Corot is a well-known and highly renowned artist from Paris that had a great influence on the Realism, Impressionism and Romanticism movements.  The elements of Romanticism are highly evident in “The Ferryman” due to the connotations that are associated with scenic boat rides.  Corot also did not participate in any long-term relationships with women, which perhaps is alluded to in this painting with the failing of the flowers.  Corot died 10 years after the completion of this painting, but his influences on the Realism and Romanticism movements still resonate with the art world today.