Painting analysis of Jean Helion's 1948 painting "Grande Citrouillerie" (Big Pumpkin Event)
Rather than a traditional harvest painting, as its title might suggest, "Grande Citrouillerie," or, in English translation the "Big Pumpkin Event," has the appearance of a poster or advertisement painted in an art deco fashion typical of the 19th century. The painting shows the form of a twisted, half cut open pumpkin with its inner seeds and hanging pulp revealed. The painting's colors are rich and autumnal in tone. The palate of the painting is made up of brilliant oranges, reds, yellows and burnt sienna. These warm tones convey the sense of the pumpkin's fall harvest season as well as form the lines of the fruit itself. The colors create a sense of seasonality and ripeness, as well as suggest the painting's subject of a ripe pumpkin. The colors' warmth, however, stands in contrast to the 'advertised' nature of the setup of the painting and its unnaturally unblended tones. The painting is eye catching much like a brightly painted advertisement.
This advertised quality is not just evident in the bright yet twisted shape of the fruit that dominates not only the frontal perspective, but also the background of the painting. The overall effect of the painting is not realistic, because of the orange background and broad brushstrokes used to render the pumpkin, despite its realistic portrayal of the pumpkin as a fruit with seeds. The overall brightness and starkness of line suggests in style an almost cartoon-like promotion for the large pumpkin. The reference to a 'event' in the paintings title further contributes...
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