Trip to The MET: Joan of Arc

A few months ago, I took a trip to NYC and spent a morning at The MET. I will be blogging a six-part series analyzing works that caught my eye and why

Joan of Arc (Jules Bastien-Lepage, French, 1879)

Joan of Arc (French: Jeanne d'Arc) is an oil on canvas painting by Jules Bastien-Lepage, from 1879. The painting depicts the moment the saints Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret the Virgin, and the archangel Michael appeared to Joan of Arc in her parents' garden in Domrémy, urging her to fight the English.

Standing at 100 x 110 in., the work occupies a large portion of the exhibition, immediately drawing a visitor's eye. Through the deep colors and details, I landed on the expression held by Joan of Arc, the mixture of awe and intensity at the duty she has been called to take up.