Lyssa museum visit

Lyssa Dennis: Museum Visit
For this project, I visited the Dallas Museum of Art and simply had to analyze this paiting; Thomas Sully’s Cinderella at the Kitchen Fire (1843). I was originally drawn to this piece because of the subject matter; Cinderella. This painting depicts the heroine well. She has a very gentle look about her; and even though she’s dressed very simply, she has a certain unavoidable beauty.
One of the first noticeable characteristics of this painting is the dark line (the edge of the fireplace) separating Cinderella from her step-sisters. This line not only frames Cinderella, but both physically and metaphorically separates Cinderella from her sisters. They’re distant, far away, and looking at themselves while Cinderella is focused on a kitten, something far more dignified. The only shapes are those of the people, the cat, and the belongings around the fireplace. Aside from the edge of the fireplace, however, most everything has a very rounded quality; the pot, the arch of the fireplace’s hearth, and the people. It’s aesthetically easy to look at. There is a relatively large amount of empty space, with the wall of the fireplace particularly, however it is rather dark in contrast to the figure of Cinderella. Depth is easily depicted by the distance of the step-sisters; they’re lighter, smaller, and easily in another room of the estate. Light is an interesting subject in this piece. There is light coming from the fireplace, which gives Cinderella’s frame more contrast, the light for the sisters is coming from another room, but Cinderella is obviously lit as well; most likely from a window in the kitchen. The colors are all mostly browns, beiges, and yellows. These are soothing colors, which falls in line with the characteristics of fairy tales; everything is light, comforting, and easy to look at. The step-sisters have pinkish and reddish tones, which is different from the rest of the scene, another way to separate them. The texture is that of a painting, normal brushstrokes and patterns implied.
The balance of the piece is predominantly of the large blank fireplace wall which matches the large focal point of Cinderella, a curved, diagonal line (the line of Cinderella’s back) separates them, which could almost lend itself to a yin-yang idea; dark and light. Emphasis is on Cinderella. She is the first thing you notice, and for a moment, it’s just a pretty picture of a girl with a kitten, then the artist gives the viewer a surprise as you notice the step-sisters in the background and suddenly the girl goes from normal kitchen girl to classic fairy tale heroine. It’s one of the reasons I like the painting so much. The rhythm of the piece is gentle. The soft edges and soft colors are easy to approach. The most repetitions exists in the flowing lines of Cinderella’s dress, the dresses of the sisters, and the arch of the fireplace.
The painting (as a medium) doesn’t have any characteristics that differentiate it from another painting. The paint doesn’t have any patterns or strange shapes. The painting has most likely lost a bit of its original color and contrast, but that’s what happens overtime. It’s simple, and easy; which falls in line with the personality of fairy tales.