An Appeal to the Podesta

(click to enlarge)

William Frederick Yeames

(English, 1835-1918)

An Appeal to the Podesta, 1874

Oil on canvas

Three small children stand at the bottom of the principle staircase making an appeal to the Podesta, the local governor who stands at the top of the stairs.

found here 

The Confession

(click to enlarge)

John Collier

(English, 1850-1924)

The Confession, 1902

Oil on canvas

Similar to Collier's other Problem Picture, Trouble. You can read more on the Problem Picture here, and see Frank Dicksee's painting of the same title.

Trouble

(click to enlarge)

John Collier

(English, 1850-1924)

Trouble, 1898

Oil on canvas

Collier produced numerous portraits and history pictures but he was best known for his so called 'problem pictures' which had open-ended psychological dramas left for viewers to interpret. In spite of Collier's protestation that 'the little tragedies of modern life' had 'perfectly plain' meanings, Trouble nevertheless remains ambiguous. A younger woman weeps to the left, while an older woman grips her sewing machine while looking anxiously at the shadows. What has transpired, and who is approaching? Are the women transgressors, or victims? Collier specialised in such moments of dramatic tension.

from Victorian / Edwardian Paintings blog.

The Family

(click to enlarge)

John Dickson Batten

(English, 1860-1932)

The Family, 1886

Oil on canvas

I labeled this as a problem picture because It think it's rather mysterious. The mother looks so concerned, and you can only barely see the father's face . . . Anyway, love the jewel tones.

The Confession (the Problem Picture)

(click to enlarge) 

Sir Frank Dicksee

(English, 1853-1928)
The Confession, 1896

Oil on canvas

Not too long ago I realized that a lot of the people who read this blog (very awesome people indeed!) like to write. And so, I figured that the genre of painting that would probably appeal to them most would be– the Problem Picture! And since I'm no good at writing, here's a quote from Wikipedia that sums it up quite nicely:

A problem picture is a genre of art popular in the late Victorian era, characterised by a deliberately ambiguous narrative that can be interpreted in several different ways, or which portrays an unresolved dilemma.  . . . The viewer of the picture is invited to speculate about several different possible explanations of the scene.

Exciting! And the painting I have chosen is The Confession by Frank Dicksee. Who is confessing to whom? What could he/she be confessing? I have my theories, but I won't spoil your fun! ;)