Looking at Thomas Gainsborough’s “Haymaker and Sleeping Girl,” the viewer is immediately sent to a quiet, tranquil farm that exudes the warmth of that beautiful autumn day. A wealthy adolescent girl is sitting against a fence sleeping. Her red-orange hair compliments her red-orange dress and sun bonnet. Pale, fair skin illustrates that the girl comes from a family with a lot of money. Standing on the other side of the fence is a farm boy. Dirty and tired from a hard days work in the field, he leans against the fence and admires his love napping. He is dressed in khaki colored pants and matching vest with a grungy white buttoned shirt underneath. In his soil-covered hands are a hat and a rake. His appearance and accessories show that he is poor and must work all day in the sun for money. The artist’s attention to detail provides the viewer with the subjects’ social class.
The focal point of the painting is the girl’s chest. The viewer may not be drawn to it immediately, but after scanning the whole painting the eye is attracted to the bare skin. Because her skin is so fair and white, the contrasting color of her dress makes the lightness of her skin stand out drastically. Once the eye is focused on the girl, smaller details begin to stand out. The basket draped on her arm and the dog lying next to her in the corner for instance.
This painting exudes heartache in an unconventional way. The different social classes are projected by the boy and the girl and show that they can not be together. As the boy observes what he wants most, the fence reminds him that he can not have her. The fence symbolizes the separation of social classes and how it is unworthy to love someone outside of your social rank. Although the sleeping beauty will never know of her admirer, the boy will always love her and will always deal with the emotional pain of not being able to be with the one he loves.
The focal point of the painting is the girl’s chest. The viewer may not be drawn to it immediately, but after scanning the whole painting the eye is attracted to the bare skin. Because her skin is so fair and white, the contrasting color of her dress makes the lightness of her skin stand out drastically. Once the eye is focused on the girl, smaller details begin to stand out. The basket draped on her arm and the dog lying next to her in the corner for instance.
This painting exudes heartache in an unconventional way. The different social classes are projected by the boy and the girl and show that they can not be together. As the boy observes what he wants most, the fence reminds him that he can not have her. The fence symbolizes the separation of social classes and how it is unworthy to love someone outside of your social rank. Although the sleeping beauty will never know of her admirer, the boy will always love her and will always deal with the emotional pain of not being able to be with the one he loves.
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