Experiencing the Arts Extra Credit

The painting we will be analyzing today is The Staircase Group by Charles Wilson Peale. This piece of artwork is found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and was created in 1795. This is an interesting piece because it literally comes out of the frame. Peale wanted to bring the artwork to life, so he made the first step-and-a-half three-dimensional. The actual painting is of Peale's two songs, which gives the painting a playful yet mysterious vibe. These two young boys seem to be inviting you up the stairs by the way they look at you. The look they give makes you want to follow after them to find out what is really up there. There's multiple questions that need answering in this painting, like the art palette, the staff, and the car left on the ground, which you hope have answers at the top of the steps. The contrast between the sharp lines of the stairs and the circular shapes on the wallpaper, plus the dabs of paint on the palette, help bring out the best in each other. There's a lot of green, brown, white, and black involved in this piece, which create a colonial feel. Towards the bottom of the painting, it is lighter in value, and as you travel up the staircase, it seems to get darker, which adds to one's curiosity about what hides up the stairs. The shadows present in the painting also help bring it to life because of how precise they are. And the bottom and top of the painting are very open, which supports the inviting feel. The texture of the painting is smooth and very detailed, which is another reason this painting is so well recognized.