It’s hard to imagine that anyone ordered this. Or even just bought it and hung it in the bedroom or dining room.
It’s impossible to look at this painting. This is so sad!
In Thomas Kennington’s painting Homeless People (1890), we see a mother leaning over her child. He is exhausted and is in a near-fainting state, either from hunger or illness.
Despite the rainy weather, he is dressed lightly. Apparently, he and his mother lost their home in the summer.
But it’s already autumn. But they still wander and cannot get out of this black pit of poverty.
Most likely, the woman’s husband died. And she and her child were kicked out of their rented accommodation.
And since then they have been living on the streets, eking out small jobs for pennies.
This was a great social tragedy for England in the mid-19th century.
Penny wages did not allow such families to purchase their own housing. And any adversity made women and children very vulnerable.
At that time, there were about 30 thousand homeless children living on the streets in London!
So, the artist decided to use this painting to draw attention to the existing problem.
And this is the painting he created.
The black and gray coloring, of course, echoes the misfortune that is happening.
But at the same time he is… handsome. Due to the illusion of a wet sidewalk. And also thick fog that blurs the background.
Everything is very concise. No vegetation. Only a dry tree, symbolizing the departure from life.
Not only is the landscape beautiful, but also heroes.
The artist himself believed that the painting should not only be truthful (after all, he was painting a real social phenomenon), but also beautiful.
What can we say, we sympathize more with beautiful people. Cinema takes advantage of this, often choosing pretty actors for the main roles.
Please note that the woman is not only beautiful, but also quite well-groomed! She has neat hair and clothes. Personal degradation has not yet touched her, despite the horror happening in her life.
She hasn’t given up yet. After all, unkemptness is the first sign of the beginning of degradation. When a person humbles himself and gives up.
Thus, the artist leaves hope to the viewer. That this is not the end yet. And the mother will still find the strength to help the child.
Yes, this painting was not intended for private buyers. The artist understood perfectly well that hardly anyone would want to hang such a picture in the bedroom or dining room.
But! At that time, museums and galleries quite readily acquired such paintings. Because they attracted more visitors.
This is what the artist was counting on. In a museum, such work will be available to more people. This means that the social problem will be discussed and, possibly, resolved.
At the same time, he made her as attractive as possible to the eye, which invariably attracts glances to her.
And so it happened. The painting was acquired by a public gallery in Melbourne. And to this day it is one of the most popular paintings in this museum.
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