Henri Fantin Latour was a French artist from the 19th century. He used music as a way to create most of his lithographs. This lithograph is a visual representation of a piece of music by Wagner. The artist uses certain elements of art and principles of composition in order to convey this very deep and wondrous event. The event in question is a beautiful scene in which a saint is surrounded by angels. Several of these angels are playing trumpets and you get the feeling as if they are appearing to him as time passes. The saint cannot believe what is happening before his eyes. He also notices that the main angel, which is the focal point, is holding the Holy Grail. This is any pious man’s dream. To be surrounded by the elect of God as if being blessed by the Almighty himself. This is a very strong way to characterize a piece of music, and it could only be done by putting together a clever set of elements of art. Of course a very important element of art being used here is line. In this work of art there is a strong use of organic line in order to create the forms of the bodies. The use of contour lines is also used to create the shadows and figures within the piece. We also notice the use of organic shapes. When using line the artist creates these organic shapes, such as the bodies of the angels and the saint. Also form is used in the work in the use of the main angel. It is used to describe the depth, width and length of the surrounding objects. The main angel of course is the focal point of the work. Everything surrounds it. I’d also like to point out that the angels surrounding the tall angel form another organic line, a curved line, and creates the shape of a circle. The use of color also stands out. The artist uses shading teqniques in order to increase and decrease the intensity throughout the piece, for example the saint is shaded darker in order to increase the intensity of the hue. Also the angels are a lighter shade giving them an almost majestic look. This creates a feeling of warmth and magnificence combined. The work is on a piece of china paper so I can only imagine that the texture is very smooth. All of these made me understand the mood of the lithograph, but what further helped me explore this work were the principles of composition. I noticed a certain balance to the piece, but I could not quite put my finger on it. I felt like there was an aspect of symmetrical balance because you could put a line through this work and for the most part the objects on either side are alike. I cannot help but feel like there was also a certain radial balance because the main angel with the Holy Grail is surrounded by the other angels and the saint. I feel like both of these techniques were used quite well. The angel I mention is also the emphasis of the lithograph. It catches my attention by standing out. It is different in size and color from all the other angels. I also love the way the artist uses movement to guide me through the work, where I finally reach the focal point. The movement is the path my eyes take along the angels and the saint leading up to the main angel with the Holy Grail. It is almost musical in nature. I also detected that the artist used the angels and the saint as a pattern and repetition to almost make the lithograph move towards the sky, again leading to the focal point. Another principle of composition the artist uses is proportion. The angels and saints body are very proportionate. This is important when using the human figure in art, and I found the head to be proportionate with the rest of the body in all the figures. I cannot forget the rhythms that I felt throughout the piece, as if the angels were playing for the center angel to rise up to the heavens. This certainly catches my eye. The use of the pattern of angels to create a feeling of organized movement along with music and dancing also created good feelings within. Overall the piece makes me feel enchanted. I get the feeling as if the saint is in a position of tremendous wonderment and feeling of grace and joy. The artist’s use of the elements like line, shape, and space, Along with the principles like balance, movement, proportion, and rhythm helped to create a wonderfully appealing lithograph that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
