Research Reports

Center 44
June 2023–May 2024

Elroi Yonatan

The Narrative: Art’s Ability to Tell a Story

Set in a mountainous landscape, a curvy, robust woman wounded with a short slash across her chest reclines into the arms of an older, bearded man as second, cleanshaven man, at the lower left corner, holds an arrow tip to his own chest in this horizontal painting. The people have pale, peachy skin but the older man has a more tan complexion. The reclining woman at the center of the composition, Dorinda, lies back with her left cheek pressed against that shoulder. Her left elbow, on our right, is propped up at shoulder height, perhaps on a rock, and she holds up her other arm alongside her body, her palm facing out at the younger man in the lower left, Silvio. A string of pearls sits like a crown on Dorinda’s blond, curling hair. The skin of her face is pale but her eyelids and cheeks are deeply flushed. She looks down along her body toward Silvio with dark eyes, and her slack lips are parted. Her flowing white blouse falls off her shoulders and bunches up across her chest, almost covering the bleeding wound on the center of her chest. Her wine-red skirt glints in the light, suggesting it is silk, and is bunched up around her bare feet. Silvio has flowing dark brown hair and pointed features. He is shown from the waist up, leaning toward and looking up at the wounded woman. His hair falls loosely over his shoulders, and his pink lips are parted. He holds a brown wrap over a blousy white shirt with his right hand, closer to us, and holds up the point of an arrow to his chest with the other hand. The older man, to our right, has a wiry gray beard and ash-gray hair curling around his ears. Wrinkles line his forehead, the corners of his eyes, and the sides of his mouth. His dark brown robe nearly swallows his body. He looks down toward Silvio as he supports Dorinda. A gold and black quiver of arrows and a silver, crescent-shaped horn with red tassels sit near the lower right corner, near Dorinda’s elbow. A tree grows right behind the man. The rest of the mountainous landscape is hazy in the deep distance. — Louis Vallée, *Silvio with the Wounded Dorinda*, 165(1)?, oil on canvas, Gift of Patricia Bauman and the Honorable John Landrum Bryant, 2000.114.1

During the 17th century in the Dutch Republic, art emerged as a powerful form of cultural expression, encompassing diverse themes. Artists explored emotions and depicted everyday life, landscapes, still lifes, and portraits, contributing to a rich cultural heritage that endures today.

For my gallery tour, I focused on paintings depicting ill-fated love stories, particularly those from the 17th century. Among the highlighted works were Louis Vallée’s Silvio with the Wounded Dorinda and Rembrandt van Rijn’s Lucretia. These works exemplify how art has been utilized to challenge societal norms, or to provoke contemplation on the complex emotions and thought patterns embedded in historical or literary narratives. In my demonstration, I prompted the audience to delve into the paintings, urging them to notice what initially draws their attention. Both artworks feature a personal touch from the artists and underlying themes woven within them.

Strategic, Legal, and Management Communications major with a concentration in Public Relations and Business Administration minor, Howard University
Howard University Undergraduate Intern, 2023–2025

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