![]() Qualities that may or may not make sense to us literally as 21 st century viewers could have had symbolic meaning much clearer to 19 th century audiences. Like all artists, Eastman Johnson included meaningful details in his works. Also, it is hard to tell where she is only a few split-rail fences mark the landscape below her and her path narrows before it reaches the edge of the picture. She is out for a walk with books in her hand, but the weather is less than ideal. This girl seems too young to be married, yet she wears a wedding ring. Taking a look at this picture, it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on. ![]() Sunlight breaks through the dark clouds to frame the girl’s face and echo the outline of her windswept hair, but the sky as a whole is dark and foggy. It narrows just a few steps ahead of her. What do you notice about the landscape and the girl’s path? How might you forecast the weather? It’s hard to tell where the girl’s path leads. Thinking of the ring, and the title of the work, who do you think may have left her behind? The girl wears a wedding ring that seems framed by the books she carries. Though her torso faces the viewer, she turns her head and plants her left foot towards a point beyond the picture frame as though she is determined to go forward in spite of the wind and weather. What can we learn about the spirit of the country in 1872 from this image? What clues does Johnson give us? Observing details and analyzing components of the painting, then putting them in historical context, enables the viewer to interpret the overall message of the work of art.Įastman Johnson painted a lone young woman, her clothes and hair are blown back by a harsh wind. The regimental ballad came from an old Irish song, whose lyrics read:Įastman Johnson, painted this work in 1872, seven years after the Civil War had ended, and during the height of Reconstruction. “The Girl I Left Behind Me” was the title of a ballad popular among soldiers during the Civil War. The figure of the young girl, with her windswept hair and contemplative expression, adds a personal face to the war a sobering reminder of the many who had been left behind and, most certainly, a reflection on the mood of the country. Similarly, Eastman Johnson’s canvas of stormy skies and gusty winds conjures up feelings of dread and uncertainty. The artist Frederic Church implies the clash of Union and Confederate troops in the array of blue and red light spread across Northern skies. Perhaps the phenomenon that invoked the most speculation was the aurora borealis, a dazzling display of dancing colored light. Weather phenomena were seen as apocalyptic signs that portended the future. Landscape acted as a metaphor for much of the turmoil in which our nation was engrossed. Aurora Borealis, 1865, Frederic Edwin Churchĭuring one of the darkest chapters of our nation’s history, artists grappled with how to artistically depict and interpret the conflict of the Civil War.
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