Week 5 Wall
Given what you’ve learned this week about the politics of representation, what ideological purposes does the image below fulfill?
Mort du Montcalm, Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, 1902
Given what you’ve learned this week about the politics of representation, what ideological purposes does the image below fulfill?
Mort du Montcalm, Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, 1902
mosachoff, 
alexwickett, and 6 others are discussing.
enorthwood 5:32 pm on October 1, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Given what I’ve learned so far about the politics of representation this week, especially through the painting of wolf is that this painting serves a political purpose to represent the people being portrayed in a certain way. As drawn upon in the lecture, “The Death of Wolfe” is showing Wolfe as making the ultimate sacrifice and they portray “Wolfe as Christ” by the way he is being held like the Virgin Mary held Jesus. This kind of artwork can serve several representations such as the suggestion that Wolfe’s death didn’t really matter and it can be mocked, or it can be seen as a literal painting of the great sacrifice made by Wolfe in the Seven Years War. Moving along to the ideological purposes, I think for Wolfe the political issue is that it can lead us to misinterpret the impact these individuals actually had within the time period. These paintings serve a purpose to portray these people as heroes and people who sacrificed themselves, however this interpretation can lead historians to several interpretations of the past. This idea honestly makes me question sometimes the validity of historical interpretations. Throughout my year here at UBC through taking an Islamic history course, I’ve already learned so much about how language is all interpretation, I’m starting to learn that maybe historians are subjecting us to their interpretations as well- which to me is a foreign idea because I’ve always seen history as a solidified figure.
The ideological purposes that this painting serves seems to make Montcalm almost a martyr in a way, by making it seem that in the battle against Wolfe he too sacrificed something for his people. Ideally, at this time the painting certainly could affect the way that the people of the time reacted. When someone martyr’s them self for a cause, it motivates the people to fight harder in that persons’ sacrifice. I believe that that kind of ideological purpose is being served for the time, especially the way that Montcalm is portrayed in all white, and almost like Wolfe, like he’s a holy figure. That being said, he’s surrounded by what looks like military cavalry waiting on the death of him to plan their next vengeful move.
kenthen 3:14 pm on October 3, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Montcalm was a representative of France and stood the ground in New France as a lieutenant – Governor and led the army into a series of battles through the seven years war. On that fateful day in September during the “Battle of the Plains of Abraham” as the French army retreated Montcalm was shot which would prove to be his demise. The funny thing about looking at this picture is all the glorification that it resonates about Montcalm when it was his decisions that led to the defeat and there is a question as to whether he even wanted to be in Canada in the first place. So the question that one has to ask is why the choice was made for the French government to commission such a glorified painting of a losing commander and why was the inevitable blame put onto the shoulders of Vaudreuil, when in fact it was the decisions of Montcalm that led to the defeat. Thus leads into the politics of representation, what was the French government trying to say with this painting? That Montcalm is truly a man that deserves such high praise to be caste into the light of Godliness with only those of importance to surround him as he is sent away to the heavens to a place that can only befit such a earthly man as he was? meanwhile those left behind were left to deal with the aftermath of his fateful decisions that not only lost New France but the lives of many soldiers that were considered not quite ready for such a battle of this caliber. In the end one can plainly see that that is the road that those in powers chose, to have Montcalm immortalized in such a way that shows him as a great man, solider, leader and heavenly.
To look at the possible ideologies of this painting one has to consider what the government was trying to say about Montcalm and how did they see him? Looking at him and the way the light shines down upon almost seems saintly, one can almost hear soft music playing. The way all these powerful military men, members of the church and a nun seem concerned and even kneel before him suggest power and genuine love and concern for him. In a way it made sense that battle was New Frances to win or lose and its almost as if Montcalm chose to lose so the French government had to save face and reputation and blame the remainders of the New France military and government. Meanwhile Montcalm is immortalized in this painting.
millyzhu 10:58 pm on October 3, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Given what we have learnt this week about the politics of representation, this painting of Montcalm on his deathbed depicts him as a heroic general who has contributed much to the cause of France and New France. He is surrounded by soldiers, members from the Church, and other authoritative figures. With a soldier in the background covered in bandages and a nun kneeling on the floor, it shows great concern and love for Montcalm, as well as how much is worshiped and his importance.
The ideological purpose that this painting may try to fulfill during the time it is painted could be that France is trying to show Montcalm as a saint that was sacrificed for New France and that his contribution to New France will not be forgotten, but galvanized and remembered. By depicting Montcalm in his way through this painting would allow France to be able to gain sympathy from citizens in both France and its colonies, as well as be able to rally up the settlers in New France regarding the war. It could also show France trying to portray that whoever contributed for New France during this time of need will not be regretful and their bravery will be noted and remembered. However, this ideological purpose is very much like propaganda where they both try to promote a particular point of view through political strategies. It is difficult to extract subjectivity and selective bias when presenting history, especially if one is trying to convey a certain perspective, and in this painting, it only shows a heroic representation of Montcalm.
cprimus 9:26 am on October 4, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
If I saw this painting in a gallery, I would guess that the central figure was a great man – a hero. The artist clearly wants to portray the subject – the Marquis de Montcalm – as self-sacrificing, Christ-like, revered, venerated, respected, and worshipped. His pure, unstained body is in a pillar of light, adorned in white clothing, and in a dark background which to me looks like the inside of a cave. The artist wants the viewers to see this man as a man of great importance (which is absolutely true) and as a saviour (which isn’t at all true). Louis-Joseph de Montcalm was a man who contributed to the fall of France in North America. His strategic error resulted in the 20-minutes-long Plains of Abraham war and Montcalm died of wounds sustained during the attack.
What the painting doesn’t show is the poor public opinion of him at the time, according to historians. Until the early twentieth century, Montcalm was described as unpopular because he butted heads with the apparently likeable Canadian-born Governor Vaudreuil. However, experts started to disagree on whether he was as bad as early historians described him. This specific painting was made at the time when opinions of the man were changing – perhaps to add fuel to the pro-hero movement. Either way, the repercussions of his arrogant actions left a legacy of bitterness in French Canada.
nkular93 10:43 am on October 4, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Given what we have learned in lecture about the politics of representation, by looking at the two different representations of Wolfe (one in which he is depicted as being heroic and sacrificing for the interests of the British and one in which his death is depicted to be of little significance), this image of Montcalm seems to depict him as being a self sacrificing, revered, and heroic figure who died fighting for New France. The way the officers from his garrison have been painted surrounding his bed and the way in which the light has been painted to shine on him in a way illustrates the importance of the French General and his worth in the context of the Seven Years War and his fight against British invasion.
It is interesting to see this portrayal of Montcalm considering the fact that his decision to stay and fight the British troops instead of retreating to the towns defences, is often viewed as a mistake and the cause of the defeat of New France and the loss of New France and Quebec to the British. Perhaps the painting’s purpose is to paint Montcalm in a more heroic light and to depict him in a manner that may overlook this error in judgement and focus on his endeavours and struggles against the British in order to save the colony of New France. Therefore, this painting can be seen as fulfilling the ideological purpose of representing Montcalm as heroic instead of a man who erred in his judgement and cost the French their colony. It can be seen as shedding a different light on Montcalm, symbolizing his Importance and his contributions, and it can be seen as an attempt to distract from his error.
angieL 1:16 pm on October 4, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
From I’ve learned in the lecture, painters often compose their political views on historical events through the form of art. The positions of the characters in the paintings often reflect the political relationship between countries, races, and religious groups. In this particular painting, the death of Louise-Joseph de Montcalm, Montcalm was surrounded by many different groups of people on his deathbed showing grief and respect. In class, we’ve looked at two paintings of the death of general Wolfe, with one depicting him as the ultimate sacrifice in reflection to Jesus Christ, and another much less sacred and glamorous with crowd watching him die from a distance. Those two almost opposite styles of composition reflected the different views on General Wolfe’s contribution to the colony and to France during the war. As for Montcalm in this painting, he had a Frenchman kneeled in front of his bed holding his hand, a sister praying for him, and a representative of the church standing beside him. The tone of the painting is very sad and heavy. Everyone seems to be grieving for the passing of the commander, and there was people crying in the background. The ideology of this painting shaped Montcalm into a martyr; someone who was noble and loved. The position of the Frenchmen illustrated how Montcalm was greatly respected by the French and how his passing was a detrimental blow to his country. The two religious figures in the painting was also showing their respect to the commander, as a metaphor that he was with God and had a noble spirit.
alexwickett 4:14 pm on October 4, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
In light of what we have learned this week, this portrait, “Mort du Moncalm” portrays Montcalm in a way that may have not corroborated views of many people in the colony at the time. This image portrays the general in a very positive light. He is glowing white, completely clean, and surrounded by people who are mourning his death. The image seems to represent the almost Christ like Montcalm in white, standing out from the dark background in the photo. This contrast of colour makes it seem as if Montcalm was leading the valiant French out of the darkness that was the British. This, as we have learned this week is completely false. Not only did the French surrender to the British, but they surrendered in twenty minutes largely due to a poor military tactic initiated by Montcalm.
It is hard to say exactly what the artist was trying to portray exactly through his painting but seeing as the artist is a Quebec born French Canadian some assumptions about his ideological purposes can be made. Seeing as he is a Quebecer, I assume that de Foy Suzor-Coté would have a fair amount of empathy toward Montcalm. He is trying to show that despite Montcalm’s poor military strategy, he is still a leader that deserves the respect that any other great leader would receive whilst fighting and dying for his beliefs. I think the artist is trying to evoke sympathy for Montcalm through his image and the way he represents the deceased. We learned that all the works of art pertaining to the fall of New France were laden with the artists’ different representations of different events based on what they were trying to evoke from the audience. This particular one seems to be a very pro Montcalm painting, and tries to represent the views that not all, but some of the people of the time.
mosachoff 4:50 pm on October 4, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
The painting Mort du Montcalm depicts the French commander on his deathbed. A group made up of important soldiers, priests, and nuns surrounds Montcalm. The light from candles focuses Montcalm as the center of the piece where all of the individuals around him look on solemnly. This representation of the death of Montcalm depicts the commander as a hero who has paid the ultimate sacrifice. Much like the painting The Death of General Wolfe, where the British general is given Christ like qualities, Mort du Montcalm reflects the respect the painter held for the French commander. The painter, Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, painted the piece in 1902, 143 years after the actual event. The painter could have had political motives for his saintly depiction, encouraging a celebration of French heritage. A reminder that individuals who sacrificed their lives for New France would not be forgotten years later. The artist who painted the piece is also of French heritage. It is possible that he was invoking French sentiments as a means of supporting a political cause. The event is of a dying general and he could be encouraging that other French Canadians should continue to have the qualities and respect for their culture and history.
Tina Loo 12:03 pm on October 6, 2013 Permalink | Log in to Reply
General Comments:
Good job everyone. Most of you picked up on the fact that this painting, like Benjamin West’s, makes a visual argument about their subjects; i.e. Generals Wolfe and Montcalm. That said, the two paintings are very different. Many of you commented on the significance of the colours used by Suzor-Coté as opposed to West, but not many of you picked up on the significance of portraying Montcalm dying in bed.
Why show Montcalm in bed rather than on the battlefield? Is it some sort of critical commentary; i.e. that generals die in bed while their troops suffer? Probably not in this case. Could it be that the painter wanted to avoid showing Montcalm dying on the battlefield because that would call attention to a French DEFEAT? He still wanted to portray the French general as a hero, though, so he showed him inside, with no reference to the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (or any other battle for that matter). If you didn’t know anything about the circumstances of Montcalm’s death, you wouldn’t even know he’d been fighting….