contextual studies: lecture 1

notes: modernity - 1750-1960 aprox. things start to change, naturally enough. in the painting of the shepherd being distracted by a woman as his flock eat the corn, the painter (?) depicts man as a lusty, imperfect and almost foolish subject. it is also erotic as the shepherd is grouping a young lady!

shopping becomes a leisure activity
world time was introduced/regulated because of transport
 'THE CITY' is the figure/symbol of modernity
strolling around the streets becomes a leisure activity

http://s157.photobucket.com/albums/t68/earthly-paradise/?action=view&current=hirelingshepherd.jpg

thats a link for the sheep painting. its by William Holmen Hunt,  "hireling shepherd"

 notice that the man also has curly hair like a sheep. he looks a little bit sheepish you might say!
iv noticed that the woman is also trying to resist his sheepish charm - maybe she is self conscious because all of the sheep are watching them. perhaps because they did not live in a modernist society this would affect the way they thought about the situation - sex in a public place. although its just in front of sheep... or maybe she just wasn't diggin his hair-do?
 
the main thing that confuses me about the painting is that it is obviously set in spring, hence the lambs, blossom, fair weather and full woolen coats on the livestock, yet the 'naughty sheep' is eating corn! you dont get a crop of corn until late summer! so did this event actually take place? no. only in William Holmen Hunt's mind. well the corn part anyway - which is a key feature to the message behind the painting, apparently.