Themes of Art

The themes of art are was of approaching the study of art. Its another way of classifying artwork that can be helpful for the understanding of it. One can find more than one theme of art in a piece. For the following painting there is one that I believe is the most important to mention. This them is "Political and Social Order".

Jan Van Der Hayden expresses this theme in his painting "An Architectural Fantasy". The characters how the different lifestyles of societies social order. The men are at a higher social status than the woman that is begging them for money, since they are wealthier than her. Social status is defined by wealth and power in society, those who have more are higher than those who have less. The men are leaving a palace, the palace itself is a major symbol of power. One can see the difference the in attire of the men and that of the woman, she is not in clean clothes unlike them. The outside area of the gates of the palace are not as clean as inside so this suggests that those outside the walls are of a lower status.

Just as Hayden presents different classes of society, Avercamp's, "A Scene on Ice", does the same. This painting ha many wealthy people enjoying the ice skating, while in the lower left corner there is a poor fisherman surveys them. There are women in beautiful dresses riding a sleigh, children playing a sport that is a mix between hockey and golf called "Kolf". The attire of the characters are the main way of identifying a social status. Those who are dresses better have more money and power than those who do not have as nice clothes.

Both paintings have illustrated the Political and Social Order of its characters. And although this is not the only theme of art that one can identify, it is the most noticeable.