Page 184 - Beholding Liberty!

184 BEHOLDING LIBERTY!
IΙ.1.22
After Ary Scheffer (1795-1858)
A young Greek boy defends his father oil on canvas, 35 × 27 cm
Michael and Demetra Varkarakis Collection
THE DUTCH-BORN French painter Ary Scheffer, a principal exponent of Romanticism, drew his themes mainly from literature and was inspired by several works by Lord Byron. A liberal, a member of the Carbonari, he supported human liberty in his art and represented the romantic movement and the contemporary trends of his time. Notably, he became perhaps the leading painter of philhellenic art – after Eugène Dela- croix, of course. In his iconic paintings, such as Souliote Women (1823) and Greek Exiles on a Rock (1825), Scheffer captured dramatic events of the Greek War.
This applies also to this painting, a dramatic and at the same time heroic image of a young Greek defending his father; it probably dates from circa 1825-27. The senior warrior, sword in hand, lies
wounded on the ground; his son is defending him against the enemy, decisively firing with his right hand, his left supporting his father by the arm. The two figures fuse into a single one, in a triangular arrangement where the father is the base and the son the top. On a symbolic level, the younger generation advances the Greek cause with undiminished zeal and bravery. The two figures are meticulously depicted in their costumes and weaponry, catering to philhellenic and Orientalist taste. The dramatic sky, in the background, reflects the intensity of the scene.
Ary Scheffer’s original work was enthusiastically received; soon, it was reproduced in print, followed by imitations, variations, and adaptations in various art forms. This painting is a faithful reproduction of the original.
IΙ.1.23
Johannes Frederik Schutz (1817-1888) Greek fugitives upon rafts
oil on panel, 25.5 × 16.5 cm
Michael and Demetra Varkarakis Collection
THE DUTCH PAINTER Johannes (or Jan) Frederik Schutz specialised in landscape and sea- scape painting.
This is a naval scene, showing a raft with a group of human figures, in the centre. They are Greeks trying to flee the sufferings of war and Ottoman revenge, at the
height of the Revolution. The figures are not described individually in detail, but as a group. The night lighting, a practical consideration for providing cover for the attempt to escape, also serves an artistic purpose, for the painter to show his skill in creating a strong lighting contrast, adding drama to this painting.