Here the man of the house is holding a letter in his hand and under his foot a photo. These clues along with the position of the woman ( his wife no doubt) lying on the ground ,tell us that he has possibly found out that she has committed adultery. The half-eaten apple lying beside her signifies a religious connotation from the story of Adam and Eve; as the apple is half eaten it shows that the woman , once pure has lost her innocence. In the background the two children are building a house of cards which if you look clearly you can see it falling apart- this signifies the real house which is equally falling apart due to the wife's actions. The moral of the story is that an ideal woman ( "angel in the house") is a vital part of a family and household but also shows the sexual double standards in Victorian society concluding that while it is okay for a man to commit adultery, a woman should never allow her carnival instincts to take over in such a manner.
Never been good with understanding paintings. I would have just thought the woman fainted, and everyone just paused to look at her, shocked. Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteFickle Cattle
http://ficklecattle.blogspot.com/
Yeah, I guess you need to know some basics about the era the painting was set and the qualities/views of women but also men in society, other than that paintings can be interpreted pretty much however you see them in your opinion- their are no real boundaries- all depends on how you would think/what you believe it means. Its like a puzzle , you just have to figure out the story behind the painting...
ReplyDelete