Basic Information:

Parisian Life by Juan Luna

Oil on Canvas, 22x31” (57x79cm)
1892 Philippine Museum

BASIC SEMIOTIC PLANE

Visual Elements

Line: Straight lines were used to emphasize objects and curve lines were also used to emphasize the
depth of people’s clothes and weight of the woman sitting on the sofa. The windows also show a set of
vertical lines as if it was raining outside.

Shape: Half of the pictures shape are3 dimensional and the other half shows 2 dimensional.

Color: Brown mostly dominated the artwork and some of them are accent colors; pink, blue, black,
white and grey.

Tone: The image’s tonal value is moderately balance. It exhibits warm value and high intensity.

Pattern: Subjects approach is seen directly which shows a linear pattern from a B subject to A in one
point perspective.

Texture: The artwork shows a rough texture.

Form: Highly realistic and overall harmonized to present the subject.

Choice of Medium and Technique: Oil on Canvas/ Impressionism and realism.

Physical Properties and marks of the work: Colors, lines and shapes gave the artwork physical attributes
through using shadows and values.

DESCRIPTION

WHEN: Juan Luna finished the artwork after 8 years and considered to be the last painting at a certain
point of his Parisian life.

WHAT TIME: The time conveyed through the painting must have been around 5-6 pm as the view from
the windows shows a matter of seconds before the sun sets.

WHAT: It is about Juan Lunas perception on life before he departs Madrid, Spain.

DESCRIPTION: The lady is feeling uneasy as she notice a man wearing black coat and a top hat along
with his friends from the other table looking at her while sitting on the sofa. She’s adjusting her weight
while processing the idea of leaving the place.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

POSITION:
-The painting is in a one point perspective in a landscape orientation.
-The blankets farthest from the origin of the view.
-The lady is located in the middle of the painting as an equalizer to the whole story.
-The three man at the point of origin signifies that those subjects could have been the focus of the
painting.

ICONIC PLANE:
SIGNIFIER-SIGNIFIED RELATIONSHIP
-The lady’s unease face and actions could have meant that this lady experienced unpleasant event
before. A widow perhaps or just a plain prostitute.
-The three men might have meant different emotions or consciousness; id, ego, alter ego.
-The blanket represents something that may unfold which the painter wants to convey
-The lady conveys the shape of the Philippines archipelago

POSITION OF FIGURES
-Subjects are cramped up in the left portion of the painting compared to the right side which appears to
have more space.
-The artist created balance among the elements by following a sequence of view from being minimal to
having more subjects as the view moves closer to the origin.

STYLE OF FIGURATION
-The sequence of elements from its point of origin to the overall perspective shows a sense of urge to
figure out more what’s the idea beneath this painting.
-The three grounds from this painting mainly back, middle and foreground shows a spatial relationship
to contain the elements from its realism.

CONTEXTUAL PLANE

-The gesture made by the lady and the man simply represents our society on how the values between
sexes differ in wide range. Given that man dominates society, woman feel oppressed most of the time,
since men tends to be men at their will and a lot of these woman in general doesn’t like the way things
being practiced outside their norm or being rough in general.
-Empty chairs which means void in ones existence that is waiting to be filled.
-The dramatic representation of colors sparks a sensation of our society today.

EVALUATIVE PLANE
-The essence of projecting things in a systematic way reveals story which the characters way to present
themselves in a manner of gesture and emotions that brings more emphasis as to what the painting
really entails.
-The painting depicts the oppression of the Philippines during the Spanish time.