The Elusive Joan

The Elusive Joan

          The story of Joan of Arc was considered very important to the history of France and to the Roman Catholic Church, and the boldness of the figure herself sparks the imagination of many, making Joan a popular subject for artists. A great deal can be revealed about an artist’s specific interests and values by inspecting the way they approach a subject. Comparing works with similar subjects can be an aid in highlighting these stylistic features among a group of artists. This can be an especially enlightening exploration when, as with Joan of Arc, there is no definitive information about the particular appearance of the subject. Thus, each artist’s portrayal of Joan’s appearance (not only her clothing, but her physical attributes) can also be investigated in answering questions about the purposes and goals of the artist. The following collection focuses on portraiture of Joan, not on depictions of her life. While these images are also referencing the story of Joan, the primary subject is the woman herself. Historically, the legend of Joan has been interpreted and utilized for religious or political reasons. So also, the imagery associated with Joan is often intended to communicate a particular sociocultural value or to evoke a particular response, rather than purely seeking the depiction of a historical narrative.

Peter Paul Rubens, Joan of Arc, c. 1620 (completed by students after his death), oil on canvas, North Carolina Art Museum

Peter Paul Ruben’s Joan of Arc is a highly constructed, dramatized version of Joan. Joan herself appears attractive and elegant, and Rubens selects to show her both in a position of devotion and in full armor. Joan’s long red hair flows freely halfway down her back (according to documents, the historical Joan kept her hair short), and her body is angled slightly ambiguously, in an almost (but not quite) profile position. The space is not depicted with precise rationality. The red curtain behind Joan serves both to foreshorten the space and to create a more intense frame around her face and upper body, and it contrasts to the statue of Christ which frames the left side of the image. In this work, Rubens portrays Joan as elegant, dramatic, honorable, and admirable. He creates a believable fiction, elevating the historical Joan to a mythological position.

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Joan of Arc on Corronation of Charles VII in the Cathedral of Reims, 1854, oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres moves away from the dramatic and into the rational in his depiction of Joan of Arc. In contrast to Rubens, Ingres uses extremely finished brush-stroke technique and depicts the space in a believable way. Ingres employs the elegant rationality of the image to exalt Joan and to make a nationalist argument. Here, Joan is standing triumphantly, having aided in France’ reclaiming of land from the British. She is now observing and approving of the coronation of a new king, Charles VII. Both the flag imagery and Joan’s posture constitute a familiar language for patriotism (for example, her posture reminds one of the Statue of Liberty). Thus, in this work Joan functions as a symbol rather than as a historical figure. 

Jules Bastien-Lepage, Joan of Arc, 1879, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (89.21.1)

Jules Bastien-Lepage demonstrates an increased interest in a naturalistic—and perhaps a historically accurate—depiction of Joan. Interestingly, Lepage is also among the few to include a visible spiritual element in the picture: namely, the ghostly figures of the saints in the right side of the background. In this work, Joan is wearing simple peasant clothes, and her hair is tied back rather than long and loose. She is depicted in a highly naturalistic (bordering on photorealistic) manner, suggesting that this Joan is a particular person and not a political or mythological symbol. These details indicate that Lepage is interested in making Joan believable and relevant to the viewer rather than elevating her to a point of inaccessibility.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Joan of Arc, 1882, oil on panel, The Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge)

Dante Gabriel Rossetti desires a very strong emotional response from the viewer in his depiction of Joan of Arc. In this work, Joan takes up almost the full space of the picture plane and even emerges out into the viewer’s space. The color palette involves layers of velvety-rich reds and a dramatic lighting that draws attention to her graceful neck, large blue eyes, and full lips. The longer a viewer looks into the eyes of Rossetti’s Joan, the more they might admire her and enter into her emotion. Rossetti is creating a fictional Joan for the purposes of dramatization. Its fictional nature is intended to invite the viewer into an experience rather than elevate the subject.

J. William Fosdick, Adoration of St. Joan of Arc, 1896, fire etched wood relief, The Smithsonian American Art Museum

J. William Fosdick’s Adoration is a departure from naturalism, seeking to create distance between Joan and the viewer. In this woodcut altarpiece, Joan is surrounded by a gold halo and gold rays with worshippers beneath her. She’s wearing rich robes with armor underneath and is levitating, being drawn toward the heavens. Fosdick’s is an emotionally unambiguous depiction. Joan is portrayed as completely separate and above us, and our only response should be to adore her.

Lewis W. Hine, Joan of Arc, 1918-19, photograph (negative: gelatin on glass), George Eastman House

Lewis’ W. Hine’s photo is one of a series of fictitious Joan of Arc negatives, all taken of the same woman in an outdoor setting. The visual effect of this photo becomes reminiscent of Lepage's Joan: the woman appears to be outside among trees, daydreaming with her eyes upward, wearing plain clothing. Taking such a photo series demonstrates, on the part of Hine, an interest in Joan as an individual rather than a symbol. Here, Joan is normalized rather than exalted and distant: she is not only believable because of the medium of photography, but she is also a particular woman. In addition, Hine departs from the wider historical depiction and joins Lepage in showing Joan with peasant-wear and short hair rather than armor and long hair.

Odilon Redon, Joan of Arc, 1900, pastel on paper, Musee d'Orsay

Odilon Redon’s Joan of Arc is, like The Adoration, a departure from naturalism, but here the formal motivation is expressionistic. Redon’s main formal method is his use of soft, blended color and rounded shape. The virulent red communicates drama and tension, the blues and greens an organic motion, and the medium (pastel) adds a lyrical quality. Joan herself is extremely simplified in terms of physical features, emphasizing the non-physical subject of the work. Here, Joan is neither a particular historical figure nor a sociocultural symbol. Rather, Redon explores Joan as a psychological and spiritual being.

by Sarah Geile