The sons of Edward IV
The Sons of Edward IV (French: Les Enfants d'Édouard ) is a romanticizing oil painting by the French painter Paul Delaroche , created in 1830 . It measures 181 × 215 cm and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. Delaroche's history painting is based on the story of the princes in the Tower and is one of the most famous paintings by Paul Delaroche.
description
The work shows the frightened prince brothers Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York , children of Edward IV. Both wear black costumes that contrast with the brothers' light faces and blond hair. Richard of Shrewsbury looks dreamily at the viewer. They are huddled together, with Eduard V leaning his back against a bed chair and looking over his back to the door, which is on the left of the picture. Both hold an illustrated study book in their hands, but neither are reading it or have interrupted it because their attention is focused on a shadow on the door. The bed they are sitting on is made of carved dark oak with blue-green curtains and white pillows. King Eduard is carved into the bed on the side . Light penetrates through the gap under the door, in which a shadow of feet can be seen. Since the room is sparsely lit, the light gap is emphasized. Thus, the viewer's gaze is directed towards this. A small white-brown dog, a King Charles Spaniel , is also facing the slit of light, watching the shadow under the door with an attentive look, pricked ears and tilted head.
preparation
Paul Delaroche based his portrayal on William Shakespeare's drama “ Richard III. “, Through which the English tragedy about the princes in the Tower became known at the time and painted the painting from objects and documents that he studied on several trips to London. In order to find out more about English history, he traveled to London for the first time in 1824, where he visited the Meyrick Collection of Arms and Armor , where he surveyed topics from English history. Three years later, from 1827 to 1828, Delaroche traveled again to London. This time he is traveling there specifically in preparation for the painting, visiting the tower and doing research as precisely as possible in order to paint the people and objects based on templates from that time.
background
The painting shows Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, as well as his older brother Edward V, who by Richard III. was held as a prisoner in the Tower. After nothing had been heard from either of the two prince brothers for a long period of time, speculations arose about their murder. At the time Richard was ten years old and Eduard was twelve years old. The theory about their cause of death persists to this day, with no evidence of the actual historical event. Several have been considered as possible suspects, including Richard III. most often accused of murder. In the painting Delaroche takes up the then current historical debate about the existence of the murderers. The story of the Princes in the Tower, one of the most beloved mysteries in English history, is taken up to reveal new ways of interpretation and Richard III. as a usurper and to re-discuss his guilt for the death of his brothers. By taking up the moment immediately before the suspected murder and not the moment of the execution of the murder as a motif and thus stopping time, he leaves the further course of the plot open and prompts the viewer of the painting to find out about possible perpetrators and possible events to speculate. With precise research before the creation of the work, he underlines the new possibilities for interpreting the course of events. Delaroche's research is evident in the attention to detail with which he painted the bedroom of Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, as well as in the precise historical details, such as the decoration of the bed frame. By using the couleur locale , Delaroche gives the work authenticity. He also creates a dramatic tension, which is emphasized and increased by the lighting.
Story of the picture
Delaroche chose the theme of the Princes in the Tower to present his work at the Paris Salon in 1831, where it hung a few rooms next to Eugène Delacroix's work Freedom leads the people .
It received a lot of attention and gained importance as time went on. It was later acquired by King Louis-Philippe I , in connection with which it was also referred to as an allusion to the events of contemporary history. Today it is one of the most famous paintings by Paul Delaroche.
criticism
Despite its success at the Salon in 1831, the work nevertheless attracted criticism. The central point was the painter's relationship to history. The precision and authenticity characterized by the work were also criticisms. This is for the reason that it looks as if Delaroche had painted it directly based on models from that era. The almost pedantic correctness with which Delaroche proceeds, according to critics, lets the liveliness escape from the heads of the princes.
influence
Delaroche's work served as a template for various people. For example, in 1833 Casimir Delavigne staged the play Les enfants d'Édouard, dedicated to Delaroche, in the Théâtre français . It ends with a reenactment of Delaroche's painting as a living image. This caused a political uproar, in which Delaroche denied a connection between political interest and his work. He justifies this statement with the claim that the work was completed before the beginning of the revolution and with the intention of creating something timeless. Delavigne himself was accepted as a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts due to the success . Next was Theodor Hildebrandt his painting . The murder of the sons of Edward IV ajar from 1835 to Delaroche's work. Like Delaroche, he takes up the moment before the child murder, but shows two other people next to the brothers. As a result, the outcome of the presented situation conveys little room for interpretation, but a greater tension.
The Princes in the Tower from 1878 by the painter John Everett Millais is also based on the work of Delaroche. On the work, Edward IV and Richard of Shrewsbury are in the foreground. In contrast to Delaroche, the background is only hinted at and becomes blurred.
literature
- Hans-Werner Schmidt, Jan Nicolaisen, Martin Schieder (eds.): Eugène Delacroix & Paul Delaroche: History as a sensation. Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2015, ISBN 978-3-7319-0271-3 , pp. 225, 226.
Individual evidence
- ↑ July 2014 - Foundation Museum Kunstpalast. Retrieved December 4, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c The Children of Edward. Retrieved December 4, 2017 .
- ^ Paul Delaroche (1797-1856). Retrieved December 4, 2017 .
- ↑ Maik Schnackertz: The Sons of Edward IV, 1837. Retrieved on December 4, 2017 .