Drapery: A History of Illusions

Painters do not choose colors at random. In religious (as here) or mythological paintings, the characters must be recognizable at first glance by a largely illiterate public. Thus, the Virgin Mary almost always wears a blue cloak.

This color refers to the sky and to Mary's purity. To create this color, a stone that cost as much as gold was ground into powder: lapis lazuli.

These men are in the desert, surprised by the arrival of the "simoom," a violent wind. They have thrown themselves to the ground and wrapped themselves in their long, pointed-hooded garments called burnous to protect themselves from the sand and wind.

Time seems to have stopped. Time seems to have stopped, and the painter chooses a dangerous and dramatic moment: that of a sandstorm. The yellow and orange colors convey an almost fantastic atmosphere. The desert represents a distant, but above all, dangerous place in our imagination.

This head is carved from a block of marble, a hard and very expensive stone. It is covered with a fabric so fine that the face can be seen as if the stone were transparent.

The sculptor demonstrates great talent by bringing forth a face of great finesse from this very hard material. He adds many details such as the flowers on the forehead, the hair delicately resting on the left shoulder, and the embroidery on the edges of the veil.

The composition of this biblical scene rests entirely on the drapery, which occupies about three-quarters of the canvas. Elizabeth and Mary are cousins and are both pregnant. They congratulate each other, and Elizabeth, who is the older, kisses Mary on the forehead.

Their clothes are wide sheets, orange and blue. Elizabeth wears a belt at the waist that holds her garment in place. Their dresses are visible underneath. Generally, artists first draw nude models, and then drape them in a second step.

Clothing is a social indicator. The simpler the clothes and the more modest the fabrics, the more popular the social environment represented. The participants in this celebration are simply dressed: they wear thick, coarse, and sturdy fabrics for work, which are inexpensive.

They sing, laugh, smoke, drink, dance, kiss... The liveliness animates their bodies; a woman removes her shoe in the foreground. The violin in the center of the canvas sets the rhythm, and the man playing it looks at us as if inviting us to join the celebration.

This young girl proudly poses for the painter to create her portrait. We do not know who she is, but we can guess from her outfit and her piano that she is a young girl from a good family.

She wears a pearl-grey velvet evening gown with small, ruffled lace sleeves. The light color highlights the whiteness of her skin, a criterion of beauty at the time. Both summer and winter, wealthy women wore gloves, symbols of elegance.