Mad Men and Old Master Paintings
As an art historian, I was struck by the similarities between several scenes in the S3 season finale and some paintings from the Baroque and Modern Periods.
Caravaggio, The Conversion of Saint Paul
The scenes depicting Archibald Whitman’s death and the meeting between the farmer’s cooperative in the S3 finale were to me, quite reminiscent of two paintings by Caravaggio, The Conversion of Saint Paul and The Calling of Saint Matthew, both of which are in the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome. Caravaggio, an Italian painter active during the baroque era, is well-known for his development of tenebrism, the use of sharp contrasts of light and dark. In both works of art, the light adds to the dramatic tension and highlights the figures’ bodies against flat, plain backgrounds.
Caravaggio, The Calling of St Matthew
In The Calling of Saint Matthew, Caravaggio uses the light to allude to the presence of Christ on the right of the canvas as he is pointing towards Matthew in the center. I cannot get stills from the scene, but the use of light and the men gathered around the table discussing the crop prices reminded me of this painting, especially because they are being observed by the child, Dick Whitman. As I recall, Dick was sitting to the right of the men. Like Jesus, Dick would resurrect as Don Draper.
In this scene, the director of the episode uses dramatic light to highlight the tension that leads to Archibald Whitman’s decision to leave the cooperative.
I was extremely taken by the scene in which Archibald is killed by the horse – the lighting and the action really reminded me of The Conversion of Saint Paul. As you can see in the painting, the horse is lit very brightly, as is the figure of the fallen apostle on the ground. This is very similar to how Archibald’s and the horse’s bodies were filmed. Before becoming an Apostle, Paul was called Saul and persecuted Jesus’ followers. The painting represents how Saul/Paul has been blinded by light and sees a vision of the Resurrected Jesus. The fact that Saul eventually converted to Christianity and changed his name to Paul is also a link between this painting and MM. Like Paul, Dick/Don has changed his name and identity. It is possible that seeing the death of his father led him to ‘convert.’
Cézanne, The Cardplayers
The scene in which Dick sees the farmers also brings to mind Paul Cézanne’s paintings featuring peasants. His Cardplayers (1890) shows several humble men playing cards in a dimly lit space. Of interest is the fact that a young boy is witnessing the game. Another similar work is Van Gogh’s The Potato Eaters from 1885. Van Gogh wrote about this painting to his brother, Theo: “I have tried to emphasize that those people, eating their potatoes in the lamp-light have dug the earth with those very hands they put in the dish, and so it speaks of manual labour, and how they have honestly earned their food.” This further connects the painting to the scene, as the American farmers are very worried about how they will sell the crops they had tended to.
Van Gogh, The Potato Eaters
Given Weiner’s use of the Rothko and the Hokusai pieces in previous episodes, I thought it would be interesting to bring these paintings up. This blog has mentioned that several episodes were likely influenced by a particular director, and looking at the paintings also sheds light on these scenes.
Basket of Kisses: The unofficial blog of AMC's Mad Men. Where all the cool kids meet & greet to talk about Don Draper, Janie Bryant, Christina Hendricks, Jon Hamm, Matthew Weiner, & subtexty things.
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December 7th, 2009 at 6:12 am
Great post.
In Have a Seat, I thought the last image of young Dick Whitman, who's weeping over his dead father, was reminiscent of Winslow Homer's The Herring Net–mainly the figure on the right side of the painting.
There's something peculiar about his rain gear and hat.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Peggy in bed after her first encounter with Duck in Seven Twenty Three reminds me a bit of The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David. The textiles, the colors, the Freudian death/little death pun, the trailing arm, etc.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Yes, I was thinking of The Potato Eaters during the co-op meeting scene, too!
December 7th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Terrific post, el presidente!
And I love that you didn't go in the obvious directions (e.g., Edward Hopper). The lighting in Mad Men is so often beautifully specific, it's got definite elements of the Dutch Golden Age. (Gerrit van Honthorst, Vermeer).
I love the way the interior lighting recalls the work of these artists. They often depicted scenes and subjects with double meanings (taverns, women with men, objects like lutes). And their approach, like that of Mad Men, was so delicate: they seem to have approached their subjects in the middle of their days (or evenings), captured a moment, then backed away again.
There's also something reminiscent of these old masters in the way Mad Men sets are composed and lit. They're almost paintings in themselves.
I miss my favorite show so much …
December 7th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Love this post. Just took Art History this past semester, and Caravaggio is one of my favorites. When I saw that painting, it immediately clicked. I think I even have some scribbles about MM in my notes about tenebrism…though of course I was just doodling/daydreaming…love the connection!
December 7th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I cannot begin to express my appreciation for the erudition and insight of our Basketcases. Thank you so much for this, el presidente.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I am glad you guys liked it.
Anne B, for some reason Hopper never crossed my mind, probably because it is the prevalent aesthetic. The scene in which Archie died was very different and really highlighted the similarities to Caravaggio's works.
Now that you mention it, Betty filmed in her kitchen reminds me of Vermeer's paintings of women, such as Woman with a Balance. There is the same attention to light, texture and objects.
As a final reference, I was watching Cocktail about a week ago and noticed that Elizabeth Shue's character, an artist, moved into a loft in New York after dumping Tom Cruise that resembled Midge's loft in MM.
Thanks again, Deborah for this great blog. I'll look out for pictures of Archie's death in case they surface on the web.
December 9th, 2009 at 8:48 am
What a great post! As a long-ago art history major, I also found an art history connection with the depiction of Betty and her fainting couch. It reminded me of the depiction of reclining women, which is a favorite subject in art. References are Manet's "Girl in a Spanish Riding Costume" and Ingres' odalisques. Though not an art history reference, I also wondered if the fainting couch was a reference to the couch in Dr. Wayne's office that Betty occupied in Season 1? It is interesting that in both cases, a man "directed" Betty to the couch (Don to Dr. Wayne's couch, Henry to the fainting couch), though in the case of the fainting couch, Betty made the decision, without consulting Don, that she would purchase the couch and claim it for herself — perhaps a sign of her growing independence over the course of the 3 years we have been watching her.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I love the couch! It looks like a vagina.
Also it clashed with the newly decorated living room…
Could you submit a link to the Manet? I can't find it online…
December 9th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
i just turned some work in and taught my last class!
either MW or someone designing the sets is looking at Jeff Wall:
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/jeffwal...
The psychiatrist has a Mies van der Rohe daybed:
http://www.moderncollections.com/mies-daybed.aspx
I can't think of other references right now…I'll review my dvds.
December 9th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
El Presidente, here is a link to the Manet I was thinking about.
artgallery.yale.edu/../enlarge10.html
Of course, there is another famous Manet odalisque, Olympia,
Featuring a nude young woman reclining on a bed, looking directly at the viewer
December 9th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
I really love this post! El pres, please add some more for us.
The couch is a prevalent theme in Mad Men. How many times have characters slept or were lying horizontal on an office couch? Even in the first episode, Don is lying on the office couch. I remembered the beat up couch in the “taxi cab” goodbye scene with Freddie Rumsen. Ken later tells Peggy to get a new couch for her post-Freddie office. So many others to think about.