http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=679&tbm=is ch&tbnid=Z2gIVLKQQlue9M:&imgrefurl=http://angelinoview.com/2009/12/23/ch ristmas-2009-vs-christmas-1776-these-are-the-times-that-try-menssouls/&docid=_vqZOIZJnMF8SM&imgurl=http://autone.files.wordpress.com/2009/ 12/washington_crossing_the_delaware2e1261628597662.

jpg&w=488&h=286&ei=5G1MT_RBqvH0AGkzcX4Ag&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=593&vpy=375&dur=333&hovh=160& hovw=273&tx=181&ty=60&sig=106440353185239442415&page=2&tbnh=112&tb nw=191&start=15&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:15 This painting depicts George Washington crossing the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War. The painter attempts to instill a sense of patriotism in the viewer by depicting the hardships that the Founding Fathers endured in the struggle to secure the nation s existence. This picture succeeds. The painting s light comes from the rising sun, signaling a glorious new day. The sun is behind boats filled with soldiers who are inadequately attired for a trip on the water in wintertime. Their vessels have had a difficult voyage through icy water in order to make it thus far. Their destination is in view, to the left in the picture. The painter s focus is on the boat that is front and center in the painting; this boat has both Washington and an American flag that is proudly being held up, despite the wind, by two vigilant soldiers. Around the vessel carrying Washington and the American flag appears the icy, forbidding river. To the left of them one can begin to see the distant shoreline with a few trees. The shore from which they departed is not pictured. Behind the focal point of the painting and to the right are the rest of Washington s troops. The viewer can observe soldiers breaking through the ice as they row across the river. There are soldiers with guns and horses on other boats. The sky is hazy and dark everywhere except where the sun has begun to rise. The painting has Washington and the American flag as its two major subjects. The flag is in the center of the painting and is the highest item depicted by the artist. Washington stands firmly, resolutely, proudly looking ahead toward the left side of the painting where the boats are heading. The flag is to his right and light emanates from the rising sun, which happens to be directly behind both Washington and the American flag. Washington and the flag are what the painter wants to be the viewer s focus because they both instill a sense of patriotism. The painter also shows hardship so the viewer can get a sense of what it must have been like to have lived and fought for freedom at this crucial time in the struggle for the nation s independence. Washington symbolizes patriotism by his proud stance as he heads the ship and his army towards the other side of the river. Washington s stance exemplifies power, pride, and determination. His raised foot on the edge of the boat makes Washington look noble and the obvious protagonist of the painting. The colors of Washington s clothes (red, white, and blue) were another way the painter tied his protagonist to the cause of national pride represented by the flag behind him. The painting appears off balance at first glance, but as one realizes the nature of the painting, one begins to understand why the painter allowed for the left side to

be relatively barren in comparison to the right side. The painter leaves the left side relatively barren in order to show what has yet to happen, or what yet has to be conquered. The Americans are progressing toward their objective, as the far shore is visible, thus showing the end is coming. This painting also shows hardships endured by men in the Revolutionary War. While Washington looks proud and patriotic in his dress, many of the men are bundled up tight in the cold as they break apart the ice with oars and slowly row the boats across the river. More men, to the right of the painting, coral the horses, which do not take kindly to being ferried across a river. The flag in the middle of the painting appears to be held up by two men. While the flag is an obvious focal point of the painting, the fact that it takes two men to hold it upright shows the hardships endured in securing its right to fly over American land. The painter is very effective in the uses of color and balance to illustrate both patriotism and hardship that was the Revolutionary War. The painter s use of red, white, and blue are most notably seen on George Washington and the American flag. There are also other sightings of these colors, as most of the people in the painting are wearing at least one of these three colors. Another key use of color by the painter is the lighting. The rising sun in the background is placed directly behind Washington and the American flag. Upon looking at the painting, the viewer s eyes are immediately drawn to what is illuminated and what is centered. The painter knows this and emphasizes Washington as the focal point in the painting by placing him in the center with the rising sun directly behind him. I think that the painter could have been even more effective had he illuminated Washington even more and made his face more stoic in appearance. The colors used by the painter emphasized both Washington and the American flag, but also the hardships of the men on board the boats and the very bleakness of war. While the sun illuminates Washington and the flag, much of what lies around them is dark and dreary. In front of the boat is black, icy water. Around the sun is a dark, hazy sky, which surrounds the top half of the round illuminated area. The open area to the left is desolate and white with ice, while to the right are the different dark shades of soldiers, boats, and horses. The colors used by the painter set the tone of the painting, emphasizing patriotism, hardship, and yet hope. This painting is effectively balanced. The painter sets it up so that the focus is on the middle of the painting, where Washington gives direction to the action. The action continues to the right of the painting, showing the difficult course through which these men have already come. That might seem like it would make it unbalanced, but because of the effort of the people in the painting to get from the right side to the left across the river, the balance is maintained. This balance allows for the painter to leave the left side more barren and desolate and show what still needs to be conquered. This depiction of Washington crossing the Delaware River exemplifies patriotism for Americans. The painter does this through his use of color, lighting, imagery, and placement. The painter makes his patriotic purposes even more obvious by highlighting Washington and the flag and then surrounding them with bleaker, darker images. These images embody the hardships endured by soldiers in the Revolutionary War, such as cold, labor, and death. The painter effectively

advanced the purpose of this painting in most aspects. I think that he could have highlighted Washington even more and also added more detail to what was happening to the right in the painting. This depiction of Washington crossing the Delaware fulfills the painter s purpose is eliciting pride and admiration for American resolve in establishing a free, independent nation.