Past and Present

        Over the course of our visit to Tate Britain, we were tasked with analyzing certain pieces of art by having one person describe the piece while the other blindly draws based on what they hear. My partner and I were assigned to Augustus Leopold series of pieces Egg, Past and Present.  
    My role was describing the piece to my partner which was a challenge. We had discussed the piece in class earlier which helped me illustrate the overall structure of the picture. However, looking closer made me notice aspects i had not picked up the first time. I decided to describe the painting going from left to right which is how I will analyze it here. At first glance at the little girl playing with her sister you can tell she is in a state of shock. Her expression reminded me of a line form Christina Rosetti's Goblin Market. "Laura turned cold as stone, to find her sister that cried alone". This line directly explains what has occurred in the picture. The little girl is Laura, she has just seen something unimaginable and becomes still. Her mother lay, "Crying alone" on the floor, as if she has taken one of the worst beatings of her life. "She say not one word in her hearts sore ache, but peering through the dimness naught discerning" (Goblin Market). The little girls expression suggests that she has lost a great deal of her innocence being exposed to such terror, especially in such an immediate and intimate setting. The piece is covered with the color red, a color which suggests anger, danger and passion. The encapsulating red is a descriptor of the setting and the suggested preceding plot. Each of the three virtues of red had been exhibited and the expression on each characters face can display the purpose each one had. The father stands before all in front of the red suggesting his great power with his demanding fist. He has just committed an act of passion which provoked great danger. Even though he stands by his act, his expression still makes him look hopeless and upset. As the mother lays, she sets the tone for the picture as hopeless not just for her but for all of those involved. They are no longer a complete family. This will live with each one of them and influence their lives from their on out. This picture is essentially "the beginning.


Augustus Leopold Egg, Past and Present, 1858