The Girl I Left Behind-Ally Dobson
Analysis
This painting depicts a lone girl standing on a cliff face. The sky around her is dark and foreboding while the harsh winds whip her hair around behind her small image. She has a determined stature with her foot planted in front of her. She clutches a stack of books and her wedding rings glints among the binded papers. A fog is rolling onto the hills below and she looks uncertain of her next step while remaining determined to make a choice. The girl looks too young to be married, yet she is married. Johnson could be personifying a young country through the appearance of this girl. Her wedding band stands as a commitment to her country and although the future is uncertain there is a choice to be made. The turmoil the country is facing is fast approaching as a dark fog begins to make its way towards the cliff. This fog begins to obstruct the otherwise clear path, forcing the girl to make a choice to move forward with the uncertainty of the unknown or to go back and try to change the narrative. The image of a girl also drives home the image of a young wife who got left by her husband so he can serve for their country. This girl can consequently be referred to as a mourning nation who must continue moving forward in spite of what was lost and how bleak the future may seem. Although she is young, she is resilient and prepared to face the storm before her, whatever it may bring.
Context
Eastman Johnson is an artist who was born in Maine and later lived and died in New York. He was a well-known Unionist and painted many scenes revolving around the lives of those away from the battlefields and at home in the midst of the country’s upheaval. Unlike other artists, his depictions of war were of the ordinary people and the impact it had on those away from the central conflict. He did this to garner a deeper understanding of the emotional turmoil that civilians who were away from the conflict could understand and sympathize with. This painting was created in a time that the US was dealing with major internal changes and there were lots of uncertainties to be faced by the American people. His artwork was constantly taking on different meanings and his viewpoints are strongly suggested in a majority of his works that were centered around the Civil War period.
With this in mind, since the country was still young and going through a raging internal battle, the girl is thought to be a personification of a young America. In the painting, her wedding band also hints at her dedication and devotion to her country in a time where there is no clear leader and the country itself is in the midst of war. This specific painting was painted 7 years after the end of the Civil War, and thus in the height of the Reconstruction period. A lot of Johnson’s other works display Reconstruction themes specifically involving slavery and people who comprised the workforce. His paintings sought to highlight crucial events in a time where nothing was guaranteed and to create conversation amongst the general public.
A Closer Look
