Art According to Sayre (2009), the four roles of the artist are keeping a historical record, giving form to intangibles, revealing the hidden, and showing the world in a new way. In "Mother of Pearl and Silver: The Andalucian," James McNeill Whistler fulfills the role of historical record keeper. The depiction of the Andalucian captures the style, attitude, and culture of the subject. In this sense, "Mother of Pearl and Silver: The Andalucian" is a historical reference. Although the fashion is not quintessentially Spanish, the subject in the painting does capture the mood of the late nineteenth century, when Whistler painted. Whistler depicts the...

An American painter depicts an American model wearing Continental clothes and a Spanish hairstyle.
In "A Burial at Ornans," Gustave Courbet also paints to provide a historical record. However, as the Musee d'Orsay points out, Courbet broke from prevailing artistic tradition by showing everyday life events rather than grand historical events in "A Burial at Ornans." The funereal scene is rendered in multiple shades of gray, which enhance the impact of the theme of death. A community gathers with…