Cope, James: Analysis of, The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux 

 

Analysis of,  The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux

In Francis Davis Millet’s painting The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, the signing of a treaty between the United States government and Native Americans is depicted. A crowd of both Native Americans and White Americans is present. A focal point is created through contrasting light and color as well as the placement of figures, unity is achieved through the placement and repeated use of shapes and colors, variety is achieved through the various colors and patterns of  clothing and positions of people, and balance is created through the placement of figures and use of lighting.

The focal point is created by the placement of two men who are shaking hands, a White American and a Native American. These two men are placed higher on the picture plane than everyone else in the painting, because they are standing on a platform in the middle ground. This makes them stand out from the rest of the crowd. The two men are also placed in roughly the center of the painting. There is also a barrel straight down from the White American with a straight, rigid, stick-like object in it, which points towards the Native American. This barrel and the object in it guide the eye to focal point, particularly, the Native American. The barrel stands out because it is in an area of the painting where there are fewer people, and the bright green grass can be seen. Part of the grass is shadowed, and part is exposed to direct sunlight, which creates contrast. The noticeably bright grass and contrasting shadowed grass stand out and draw the eye upward to the barrel. Also, there is great contrast in the colors of the clothing of the two men. The Native American is wearing yellow, a very bright color, and the White American is wearing black, a very dark color. This contrast also helps create the focal point, because it draws attention to itself. There is also great contrast in the background behind the two men. Behind the White American is a gray sheet, and behind the Native American is a bright yellow sky and orange, sunlit mountains.

Unity is achieved in the painting by the repetition of similar shapes, particularly the human figure. On the right side of the painting, there is a crowd of Native Americans. Some are seated and others are sitting up. The fact that they are all wearing the same style of sheet-like clothing contributes to the effect of repetition and helps achieve unity. They also all have similar hair. All of them have black hair, and many of them, if not all, have braids. On the left side of the painting, there is a group of White Americans. Several of them are wearing black clothing. The repeated use of barrels also helps achieve unity. There are at least four barrels in the painting. In the background, on the right side of the painting, there are many triangular teepees. The repeated use of this triangular shape also helps unify this painting. There are also seven upright sticks that support the structure that the people in this painting are under. These upright sticks span from the left side of the painting to the right side, and greatly contribute to unifying the painting, not just because of their shape, but also because of their vertical orientation. Besides the sticks, the many people who are standing up or sitting down are oriented vertically. Some of the most common colors in the painting are red, yellow, orange, brown, gray, black, and green. By using these colors multiple times throughout the painting, Francis Davis Millet unifies the different parts of the painting together into one whole.

Variety exists in the painting because of the various styles, patterns, and colors of clothing, as well as the different positions of the people. The clothing of the Native Americans in the painting are similar in style but vary greatly in patterns and color. Some have red clothes, some have yellow, and others have white or off-white. One of them is wearing white with red and pink stripes. Another is wearing red with a black, diamond-like shape on the back. At least one Native American man is shirtless. Some of the Native Americans are wearing a few feathers. At least three of them have a full headdress of feathers. The style of clothing worn by the White Americans in the painting contrasts heavily with the style of clothing the Native Americans are wearing, which also adds variety to the painting. The use of light and dark in the painting also creates variety. One of the darkest parts of the painting is the group of White American men wearing black clothing in front of a gray sheet. The lightest part of the painting is the bright yellow sky and the orange, sunlit mountains. The teepees are also quite bright, as well as a small area of grass in the foreground of the painting. Some of the barrels are darkened by shadows, and some are partially lit by the sun. All of these examples of differing amounts of lightness or darkness work together to help the painting achieve variety. The fact that some of the people in the painting are standing up, some are sitting on the ground, some are sitting on benches or chairs, and one woman is sitting on a barrel, also creates variety. Some of them have their arms by their sides, some have their arms outstretched, and the woman has her arm held tightly across her torso.

Balance in this painting is largely achieved by the placement of people on both sides of this painting. Although there are more people on the right side of the painting, the use of darker lighting on some parts of the left side of the painting helps achieve balance. Since the right side of the painting is brightly lit, the left side of the painting balances out the painting by including the heavily shadowed White American men who stand in front of the gray sheet. The two shadowed barrels straight down from them and the shadowed grass also help balance the painting by contrasting against the brighter right side of the painting. The woman sitting on the barrel on the left side of the painting also helps balance out the painting, because she is in the foreground and takes up more space than anyone else in the painting.

In conclusion, a focal point in The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux is achieved through contrasting light and color and the placement of the two men shaking hands, as well as the brightly lit grass and barrel with a stick-like object in it which guide the eye to the focal point. Unity is achieved through the repeated use of human figures, upright sticks, teepees, barrels, clothing, and hairstyles, as well as repeated use of certain colors. Variety is achieved through differing colors, patterns, and styles of clothing, as well as the different positions of people and the contrasting areas of light and dark. Balance is created through placement of people and contrasting lighting.