Assignment_2_post

 by Svetlana Kalashnikova The painter used linear perspective, so the picture makes us think that we are the participants, but not the observers. More over the painter at the picture is standing back from his canvas and glancing at his model. But the place where the model should stay is occupied by us. We see the back side of the canvas, the painter looking at us and more over some other participants who are waiting when the picture will be finished observing us. So we can assume that we are the model, object of the picture and that we are the participants. But when we look more carefully at the picture we can notice that from all the pictures at the walls one of them differs. This picture is bright, flashing and reflecting. Actually, it is not the picture, it is a mirror, which hangs just opposite to model. So this mirror should reflect us, but it doesn’t. It reflects the couple. We don’t know who are they but they should be rich people because of their clothes style. More over, they are the certain picture model. So, I think that this picture is a good trick, because at first this picture makes us think that we are the participants, but actually we are the simple observers.

**__By Ekaterina Gordeyeva__**

At this picture we could see a family, which is held in the evening at home. Here is cozy atmosphere. We see the family as well as portraits behind them. Among the portraits is a mirror in which display some of the family members. But there is nobody, who has such appearance. I mean, this reflection does not belong to the character. Therefore, it is more characters, who reflected in a mirror. We could mention a man’s and woman’s reflections. But the main point is the spectators (we) look straight to the mirror. So, we could understand that it is our reflections. It gives as a possibility to be involved to this scene and this family.

The second reason, which shows our presence in the room, is that, the artist paints a portrait, but he looks straight to us. It means that he makes a portrait of spectators (us). But on the walls only portraits of the members of the family. So we are again involved to the scene and we are the object of artist’s painting, we do communicate with him.

The third reason for our finding is the facial expressions of three ladies in the front. They look at us, it seems that they want to talk to us. The dog is about to bark or growl at us. Once again we are more than involved to this situation. We are taking active part in this scene: we are talking to the ladies, the artist draws a portrait of us, a dog is angry with us. We are a part of this family. Besides, we could see our reflection in the mirror. __Why the author decided to draw this picture this particular way?__ I’m sure, that the author made on purpose to show that we are a part of his reality. We do live at the same time. He knows us quite well. But we are not frighten, on the contrary, we are glad to be a member of this family and to be involved to this scene.

By Akhatova Gulya

====According to this picture we are represented as the participants of the situation shown in the picture. But we are not just the participants, we are the model. It is obvious that the painter and other participants look directly at us, also we can see only the back of canvas ( It is normal position of canvas if to take into that we are the models). So, certainly, we are the model.==== ====In the wall we can see the pictures, but one of them is distinguishing from others. It is mirror, because it has some reflections. This reflection is we. I think this mirror brings additional meaning for the whole meaning of the picture. The mirror helps us to understand that we are not only spectators, participants, we are also the part of family, which is shown in the picture. In the mirror we can see reflection of some woman and man, the reflection of us. According to the picture some other participants of sceen give their kind sight and smile. So they perceive us owns, parents. That's why the mirror gives us to understand that spectators are the member of family.====

Diego Velazquez created a painting full of different interpretations. Looking at this picture, one cannot help wondering how he, the viewer, is involved in it. From the first sight we, the viewers, are met with the gazes of three figures, the girl, the midget and the artist are looking straight at us. It seems as if we interrupted their routine, as if we appeared suddenly, we even notice the dark figure of the man in the background who stopped to look at us wondering who came in. We are the strangers in this picture, the unwanted guests. Once we think so, we start realizing that the artist is standing in front of an easel which we hadn’t noticed before and that the artist himself is looking intently at us. His fixed look, a brush and oils in his hands tell us that he might be drawing us. Since now we are the part of this picture, we are involved in it and we seem to have been standing here, inside of the picture, for quite a long time. Having already accepted that we are the main spectacle of the picture, we notice, first imperceptible, but very important detail – a mirror on an opposite to us wall. What is this? We, the viewers, stand right where the reflected figures should be standing. We are those reflected people who we can see in the mirror. Velazquez makes us be not only involved inside his painting, but also he deprives us of our personality; we are looking at everything in the room through the other people’s eyes. D. Velazquez makes the painting ‘engulf’ the viewers. It actually puts us inside of itself; it gives us the other personalities. Step by step we realize our inclusion in this painting. The mirror reflection creates a lot of different meanings of the picture. It models a new reality in which the boundary between the viewer and the picture is broken; we had already been put inside of the painting before we even looked at it. by Kseniya Makeeva At first, we see a picture with a family, who waiting for there turn (for my opinion). I think the painter used liner perspective that's why the picture makes us to think that we are the participants. We are the participants, because of the models who waiting for there turn looking at us. They have a good look at us as we as the models. Then, the painter standing back from his canvas and looking at us and drawing us. More over, we see in the wall a mirror. It is not a picture, because of the brightness, twinkling and we see that the mirror located behind the canvas and that's why the picture reflect on the mirror. We see that on the mirror there two people and we don't know who are they.May be they are stately because of there clothes.And we see a time when it was drawn. And we should think who we are, the participant or the obsereves. If we are the participant we will see us, but we see only a couple who sit for there portrait. It is very difficult to draw a conclusion, because the picture makes us think differently.  by Masha Dekker At first sight we see an ordinary picture, a family portrait. But when we start to peer into it, we can find some stranges. First, most of the participants are looking straightly at us, plus using linear perspective, practically involves us into the situation. Then, we can see the painter himself on the picture, but what is he drawing? The most expective model (young beautiful girl in the center of the picture) even doesn't looking at him. But at last we notice a mirror, where we can see a reflection of two adults. And only after that the mode of adress changes. We are not the object of attention anymore. Everyone concentrates on the two main subjects: King Philip IV and his wife, Mariana. The composition of the whole picture really changes our perception: we turn out between the king ang his wife and the others. The king at his wife seem to be apart and at the same be involved into the situation. That really changes the mode of adress and makes us observers, not the participants.