"Family Portrait" And "Family Group" - Mirror Of Their Authors' World 

"Family Portrait" and "Family Group" - mirror of their authors' worldHave you ever thought about what art is? Is it always about beautiful things that fascinate us or there is something deeper? Art hides our personality, things that happened to us, affected our lives and shaped our mind. In this way the story of an artist and his perceptions of the world influence his way of painting. However, different authors may have divergent views on a certain topic. Consequently, there will be two similar and at the same time contrasting works of art. As a person interested in fine arts, I find an alike connection between the paintings "Family Portrait", 1665 by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and "Family Group", 1910 by the American William Glackens. They may have one and the same theme but if we look from another angle, we will see that the artists' temperament, movement and way of thinking differ in many aspects.

At first sight, “Family Portrait” and “Family Group” look very similar. In fact, they are both presented with oil paint on canvas. Their color palettes are rich and vibrant. What is more, the pictures seem to be painted with a polished brush instead of a messy one, which gives them a realistic effect. The names of the two paintings reveal their main idea. Both of them present a group of people that seem to be a family. The artists pay attention to the relation between the figures in their works. They tried to express motion through the movements of the hands of the people and the positions of their bodies. Another common thing between the paintings is that the artists dedicated extra time to work over the details in their art works. However, if we look at those details from another angle, we can see many differences between the pictures, which express a deep thought about the temper of the artists and the world in which they lived. "Family Portrait" by Rembrandt was painted in the seventeenth century when the family was the basic unit of society. Probably, it was of great importance to the author, too. His childhood memories might be the reason for him to choose this topic. In fact, the Dutch artist was influenced by the Baroque art movement at that time, which says a lot about the painting and the thinking of its author.

Essential element of this movement is allegory - every paining tells a story and has a message, often encrypted in symbols and allegorical characters. Here Rembrandt portrayed five people - the number of balance. Five symbolizes man, health and love. The people depicted are a man, a woman, and three kids. They are placed near to each other, which shows their close relationship. The warmth between the members of this family is illustrated with a detail in their facial expressions and tender frozen movements. For example, the baby touching its mothers bosom is endearing. To emphasize this lovely gesture, the artist has left the blouse fall open. In this way the infants hand comes into contact with the skin of the mother. Actually, the faces in Baroque paintings clearly express their emotions, and it is the same in Family Portrait. Another feature typical for the time of the author and his respective movement is the use of strong contrasts of light and darkness on central actions or figures. The focus here is on people, and this it why there is a black background and no objects behind them. "Family Group" by the American William Glackens, on the other hand, was painted in 1910 - the century related with matriarchy.

In fact, that might be the reason why three women and one child are portrayed in this painting. However, from another aspect, it can be considered that There had been no male presence in the artist's life. Due to the lack of information for his father in different resources, it is believed that there had been no strong relationship between father and son. In fact, that may have left a permanent mark on the life, temper and work of the artist. The art of William Glackens was influenced by the American Realism. Typical for this movement are the details and a rich palette with vibrant colors. At first sight, the painting seems cheerful because of its warm tints. Here the people are depicted in a colorful and modern living room.

The artist pays attention to every detail in the interior. The paintings of the authors respective movement are usually thematically concerned with subjects from everyday life. The armchairs, the carpet, the window and even the curtains and all decorations in the room and realistically presented in the painting. There is even a vase with red flowers on the table, which also contribute to the bright atmosphere in the room. However, we should not make conclusions based on just what could be seen a first glance. Closer scrutiny reveals that the variegated atmosphere is not enough to bring color and warmth in the eyes of the people. Their faces are not smiling like those in the first painting. While Rembrandt made remarkably tender painting of people who clearly loved one another, Glackens presented a distance between the family members, which shows that there is no intimacy between them.

This might be related with his early years and his own family. The two paintings portray a family in both a similar and contrasting way. While Family Portrait shows happy people in a black atmosphere, Family Group presents a colorful home with dull dwellers. In fact, the life of the authors and their respective movements left a mark in their temper and art works. As my fine arts teacher always says: The painting is a mirror of the world of its artist.