Cottage in the Dunes by Jean Charles Cazin
Art was the ancient literature that the artist used to communicate with people. For the most part, the writers expressed their inner feelings through art and paintings. The earliest non-paper art products include cylinder seals that were invented around 3500 BC. Besides, the ancient form of printing on paper was woodblock printing, which appeared in China before 220 A.D (Twitchett 23). Jean Charles Cazin is also another significant artist of the 19th Century that deserves credit for his work or print titled “Cottage in the Dunes.” The painting comprises of four stone houses with a new incomplete home on the side. The painting material was of durable fabric, cotton linen, that was better as compared to other paintings of that period. A woman is carrying a porch, probably heading to the market. This article analyzes art based on social and time context. Besides, the report examines Jean’s intentions and reasons for creating the picture.
First of all, Jean Charles Cazin is a French artist who was born in 1841 and died in 1901 (Droba 53). Even though little studies have done about him and his style of art, some of his works have been known to have significant meaning not only to the French but to anyone interested. According to Droba (1931), some of his early works include Landscape with mills (late 19 century), Landscape with Haystacks (1898), and Village street with a rainbow (the 1880s) (pg52). As a result, most of his works imitate Eastern painting styles, such as those used with the Asian painters. When you look at most of his works, you may realize that the artist fancy’s the natural environment. The vegetation in the picture is beautiful, with tall grass and greener vegetation. Probably the audience of this painting is the industrialists who are over-exploiting the natural environment disrupting harmony.
The title “Cottage in the Dunes” probably symbolizes village or rural setup in which people used to build houses on the hills. The reason for building homes in the mountains was perhaps because they felt it was the safest place against floods and any natural calamities. The period between 1841 to 1901 was the period in which most countries were experiencing rapid capitalism and industrialization that was exploiting the natural resources.
Why the artist chose the specific style
Given the description of the cottage of the dunes painting, it is quite affirmative to note that the artist used the Eastern painting style, precisely the Japanese painting style. Ideally, the outlook of the art outlines simplicity and fluency that makes it stand out. The consideration of the Eastern Style, specifically the Japanese painting style, demystifies the world of bewilderment that is founded on the application of ‘suibokuga’ design that majorly uses the black ink. ‘Suibokuga’ design outlines the sense of ecstasy that emanates from the collection of vibrant colors that describes the context of French exhibition and fulham pottery. The Japanese painting style was chosen to contextualize the incontestable glories of contemporaneous French paintings. Besides, the medium of art is oil on canvas. This was a common medium that was also common in most of the Japanese pictures. The eastern painting style outlines the contradictions of the landscape with the attraction of the French Decennial Exhibition. The choice of the specific Japanese painting style is founded on the representation of grandeur French paintings. Hence, the artist’s paintings describe the artist’s position as a curator of the local and village museums (Mauclair). Consequently, the choice of the eastern arts outlines the artist’s interests in the ceramics flourished and the fulham pottery.
The painting material was of durable fabric, cotton linen, that was better as compared to other paintings of that period.
What other things were happening alongside the creation of the painting
The setting at the time of the creation of the paintings proved to be essential historical timelines for Cazin’s development in his artistic skills. Most of Charles Cazin’s works of painting were common between the period, the 1870s to 1900, after his death. The case painting is one of the six paintings that dominated the period between the 1970s to 1900. It is the most famous painting of this period. At the time, particularly in the year 1875, Cazin presented major artistic works that were presented to Salon and were conceptualized as the Boatyard, and his works of art proceeded thorough 1883-1901. At the time of the creation of the paintings in the early 1880s, there was a significant change in the French art community. In this connection, the older artist applied the technique of cementing the works of art in the form of academic traditions. At the same time, the young expressed their talents and artistic competencies (Mauclair). In the late 1890s, there was a rapid shift and divergence with regards to the creation of Beaux-arts that outlined the devotion of the modern French painters that captures the technique of Cazin design and message.
At the period when this painting was made, several historical events taking place all over the globe. The vital global events witnessed during this era the Second Boer War, Franco Prussian war, Civil war, and so forth. In a period before Cazin came up with his painting, several paintings mainly focused on the events of liberty in France. For instance, several paintings were a reflection of the French revolution. Moreover, at the same time, there were several paintings made in various parts of the globe. This was at a time when there were several revolutions. Additionally, there were several wars all over the world. Several paintings were being used at this time by the revolutionists, liberalists, and so on. It is in this era that the use of paintings dramatically rose than any other. Additionally, the period is regarded as the period that made the most significant evolution in the field of art. It gave an open way for the increased use of paintings for social and economic purposes. Lastly, the era saw the increment of the commercialization of arts.
Works Cited
Droba, Daniel D. “Effect of order of presentation on the recall of pictures.” Journal of Educational Psychology 22.9 (1931): 677.
Mauclair, Camille. Henri Le Sidaner. The Obolus Press, 2016.
Twitchett, Denis Crispin. Printing and publishing in medieval China. Frederic C. Beil Publisher, 1983.