visual rhetoric presentation alex bullington. the lovers ii
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Visual Rhetoric Presentation
Alex Bullington
![Page 2: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
The Lovers II
![Page 3: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
The Lovers II• This is a oil on canvas painted by
Rene Magritte in 1928.• It’s said that when Magritte was
13 years old his mother committed suicide by throwing herself in a river and drowning. Apparently, Magritte was there when they retrieved her body from the water but all he saw was the image of his mother with her dress covering her face. It’s said that this is the source of several of Magritte’s painting where there is cloth obscuring people’s faces.
![Page 4: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Questions to Consider
• What do you think is happening in this painting?
• Is there a message behind this image?
• What is Magritte’s (the artist) perspective?
• Who or what is left out of this painting?
• What is the tone/mood of the painting?
![Page 5: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
What’s happening?• There could be many different
stories behind this picture about what’s happening.
• Some of my ideas are:– Their love is a mystery so they hide
their faces with cloth– They aren’t allowed to be together
because of social class or some sort of conflict
– Maybe they’re just really ugly– Maybe they’re being shunned for
decisions they’ve made and the cloth represents that symbolism
– Maybe their relationship is something society or their family just isn’t ready for
![Page 6: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Hidden Message?• I was thinking about whether the
painting had a deeper message to it and concluded that the message could be-love is blind.
• People rush relationships too quickly overwhelmed by their emotions. They are ignorant and naive.
• Also, I was thinking about this whole “love is blind” thing differently. I was thinking that maybe the cloth is protecting them from the people around them who judge and influence their relationship. Maybe their love is blind to the negative factors of what other people tell them and all that matters is how they feel for one another.
![Page 7: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Perspective• Personally, I think the perspective
of this painting depends on the person.
• Someone could relate to this painting more if they’re in a steady “love is blind” relationship rather than someone who hasn’t had the best of luck in the field of love.
• Another perspective could be that someone is looking in on the couple and just discovered their secret love.
• Also, since the view of the couple feels so close up it seems like the viewer is familiar with this couple.
![Page 8: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
What’s missing?
• Where are they?• If they are, who are they
hiding from?• What does it look like
around them?• What is their body language
below their shoulders?• Is someone watching them? • What do they look like
beneath the cloth?
![Page 9: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Tone/Mood• Magritte’s tone or attitude
toward what’s happening in the painting seems to be mysterious and vague. He has a reason why he painted this but isn’t elucidating the reason to the viewer.
• The mood or atmosphere seems to evoke mystery more than anything else. The viewer, like myself, is asking more questions about the painting than finding answers.
![Page 10: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Technique• Magritte uses an interesting
composition. • The ceiling is white and the right
side of the wall is a burgundy/red color. Randomly, behind them there is a stormy colored wall.
• Why did he do this?• Is that wall predicting the future of
this couple or showing the hardship they’re going through to meet each other at this very moment?
• Is the color of the wall on the right representative of their passionate love for each other?
![Page 11: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Technique
• The painting is balanced with a person on each side but it looks like the couple is pushed back in the corner of the room.
• Once again, they could be hiding. It makes the viewer wonder what the rest of the room looks like.
![Page 12: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Technique
• I also want to note the contrast of the woman’s face under the cloth compared to the man.
• The shape of her features are darker and hidden.
• Also, shouldn’t the man have the shorter cloth since he has shorter hair? It seems his cloth is longer.
![Page 13: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
What are your thoughts?
![Page 14: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
The Wise Words of Magritte
“My painting is visual images which conceal nothing…they evoke mystery and
indeed when one sees one of my pictures, one asks
oneself this simple question ‘What does that mean’? It does not mean anything because mystery means
nothing either, it is unknowable.”
-Rene Magritte
![Page 15: Visual Rhetoric Presentation Alex Bullington. The Lovers II](https://reader036.vdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022082411/56649f1a5503460f94c2f820/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Works Cited
• Magritte, Rene. The Lovers II. 1928. Rene Magritte Gallery. Web. 22 Jan. 2013