“The Balloon”
Back to one of my favorite schools of art, Symbolism…
“The Balloon” is an oil on canvas painting by the French Symbolism artist, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, from 1870. Chavannes came up with the idea for this piece while he was fighting in the Franco-Prussian War.
In this painting, a woman is dressed in mourning, holding a musket with a bayonet, and standing on the ramparts of Paris. She awaits news of the Franco-Prussian war from Fort Mont-Valérien, located in the suburbs west of the city and which can be seen in the background. She reaches out to a balloon which carries news from the front.
The somber monochromatic palette was a purposeful choice by Chavannes. As a symbolist, he wanted to convey his message of hope in a stark and clear manner. Picturesque and romantic paintings with saturated colors were in vogue at the time, and Chavannes wanted the viewers to focus on the figure.
After the painting’s completion, Chavannes had lithographs of the image made, which made the art piece accessible to a much wider audience. It was received so well that Chavannes painted “The Pigeon” in 1871 as a companion piece.
In 1873, Chavannes donated the two companion paintings to the government of France for a benefit to help the victims of the Great Chicago fire of 1871, though it is said that he was loath to part from them.
“The Balloon” is currently on display at Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.
For more on Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
