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Hana Tabit

Ms. Burakowski

Honors Art II

3 January 2018

MET Reflection

Among the MET’s extensive collection, three pieces stuck out to me. Joan of Arc by Jules

Bastien-Lepage (1879), Pierced Window Screen (second half of the 16th century), and Drawing

for “The Card Game” by Fernand Léger (1917), captured my eye and drove my intentions

towards a large painting, lush with detail, and containing optical illusions or spiritual figures.

Jules Bastien-Lepage, Joan of Arc (100 x 110 in), Oil on Canvas. (“Joan of Arc.”).
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As a child, my biggest role model was Joan of Arc, and so to see a massive canvas dedicated to

her awakening as a soldier of God struck a chord. This two-dimensional painting was created

using oil on canvas. Within the piece, the artist painted teenage Joan of Arc looking towards

heaven with “seemingly-possessed wide-open clear blue eyes, feverishly flushed cheeks, and

[an] upturned gaze [suggesting] that she has been transported into a moment of mystical

communion with the saints,” (“Joan of Arc”). Her grasp on a nearby branch grounds her to the

natural world. Young Joan has abandoned the spinning wheel, which lies on the ground behind

her and to the left, and instead listens to God. The artist covered every part of the canvas in paint,

making the piece full and enveloping. I want to create a similar effect in my final piece by

working on a larger scale and filling the space with incredible detail. The artist has also managed

to impressively capture Joan’s figure and expression. Although she is standing still, there is

movement in her muscles, her clothing, and her expression. The figure has a strong, tangible

presence, in contrast with the angelic figures on the left of the canvas, which the artist has made

“transparent” and painted using gestures and basic features. Joan is grounded in the physical

world while simultaneously convening with the supernatural, a quality I hope to produce in my

own work.
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Pierced Window Screen, (H. 73 in. W. 51 5/16 in. Th. 3 1/4 in.).

Red sandstone; pierced, carved. (“Pierced Window Screen | The Met.”).

This piece, similar to Joan of Arc, the screen is lush with detail and intricate designs. This piece

would surely produce beautiful contrast between light and shadow when in sunlight or other

light. Traditionally used as an exterior window (“Pierced Window Screen | The Met.”), this piece

was pierced and carved from red sandstone. The artist created several patterns throughout the

piece, and it is is three dimensional in that certain aspects are raised higher than others. There is

balance in how the artist has arranged the patterns to fit within an arch, surround the arch, and

frame and harmonize the entire work. This work inspired me to create intricate yet harmonious

detail within my own project.

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Fernand Léger, Drawing for “The Card Game”(20 3/4 x 14 7/8 in.),

graphite and ink on off-white wove paper; subsequently mounted to

paperboard. (“Drawing for "The Card Game.””).

The artist of this piece used graphite and ink on off-white wove paper; subsequently mounted to

paperboard in order to create an abstract cubist work. The artist intended to capture a common

occurrence among the soldiers of World War I; the card game. As the artist had fought in the

trenches, “his claustrophobic cramped quarters is reflected in this drawing of a tubular

machine-man,” (“Drawing for "The Card Game.””). The abstract cubism also fills the page in

this piece, similar to the aforementioned works. The simple lines and shading the artist used

create the illusion of a full canvas. I did not like the piece at first, because there were so many

illusions within the lines and shading that I was confused by the subject. However, through all
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this, I did see a card game. I marveled at the artist’s ability to capture his subject with only basic

lines and shading. Within the piece the artist used alternating curved and straight lines of the

same thickness to create movement.

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Works Cited

“Drawing for "The Card Game.”” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum, The

Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/view?oid=490617.

“Joan of Arc” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum, The Metropolitan

Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435621.

“Pierced Window Screen | The Met.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum,

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/453344?s

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