Sammy Siada - The Shepherd Faustulus Bringing Romulus and Remus to His Wife

	Selected Piece: The Shepherd Faustulus Bringing Romulus and Remus to His Wife (1654) by Nicholas Mignard (French, 1606-1668)

Mignard’s painting is typical of Roman mythical themes that dominated 17th-century France. The subject of the painting comes from the Roman myth of the twins Romulus and Remus who founded the city of Rome. Mignard’s painting can be broken down into its individual elements, to help understand the meaning behind the beautiful painting.
Line is one of the major elements in this painting. Apart from the obvious lines in the painting, there are more subtle psychological lines. All of the figures; the three women, the she-wolf, and the shepherd; are all gazing at the twins, Romulus and Remus. These psychological lines create emphasis, or a focal point, to draw the viewer’s attention to the twins.
The primary shapes depicted in the painting are the people. The people themselves are depicted as volumetric and organic, to make the image appear as realistic as possible. The figures in the painting are all proportional, as would be in real life. The twins are very small, the women are about the same size, and the man is slightly larger than the women. In addition to the people, there are two doves portrayed at the top of the painting. These are birds of omen, symbolizing peace between the two brothers. This symbol comes from when Romulus and Remus were quarreling and the argument was settled by the flight of birds of omen.
There are also two birds on top of the house in the painting. These birds are recurring symbols in Romulus and Remus myths. They symbolize peace between Romulus and Remus because when the brothers were quarreling, these two birds of omen flew by to settle this argument.
The space of the painting is visually projected into the viewer’s space. This is done by creating depth in the image. Mignard does this through the layering of figures and atmospheric perspective. The woman who appears to be in the shade is placed behind the women in the blue dress, and the woman in the blue dress is behind the women in the red, creating successful layers to give depth to the image. Also, Mignard uses atmospheric perspective to create depth by making the landscape appear less contrasted with the atmosphere.
In Mignard’s painting, the source of light is implied and it is a natural light source. The shadows that are created are true to life and are depicted through color. In addition, Mignard uses different gradations of shadows and highlights to great depth. For example, the woman inside the house has a much darker shade than the women in the foreground, making her appear farther away than the rest of the figures, creating depth. The lighting also creates emphasis. Everything in the background is dark, and the figures in the foreground, including the two white women, the twins, and the shepherd are much lighter, allowing the viewer to focus on these characters.
The dominant colors are blue and red, and these are the most intense colors. For the most part, the colors are very dull, except where Mignard wants the viewers to focus. The twins are enwrapped in an intensely blue sheet. This immediately attracts the viewer’s attention to the twins and uses them as a focal point in the painting. Mignard also uses an intense red color on one of the women to create balance in the painting. That is, the babies on the right are accentuated through a bright blue, and this is balanced out by the woman on the left wearing a bright red sheet. In addition, a cool blue color is used in the foreground to create atmospheric perspective in the landscape.
The selected piece is a two-dimensional oil painting, which was the perfect medium for Mignard to use. Oil paints dry very slowly, allowing the painter to make any necessary changes. They also allow for extreme detail to be depicted creating a very realistic image. Oil paints also last for centuries, so the painting looks the same today as it did in 1654.
To conclude, the selected piece is one that utilizes many elements of art to produce emphasis and balance. This allowed Mignard to successfully portray a very realistic image that encapsulates the beauty of the myth of Romulus and Remus and the founding of the city of Rome.