Marriage Feast at Cana Sebastiano

Marriage Feast at Cana

Sebastiano Ricci's 18th century oil painting entitled "The Marriage Feast at Cana" is both romantic and hedonistic. Painted in the early 1700s, Ricci's work does not depict the actual time period in which the artist worked. The painting is of a Bacchanalian wedding festival. Musicians are playing, both men and women are drinking copious amounts of alcohol while flirting with other members of the party. The atmosphere at the marriage feast is undoubtedly festive. Thus, the viewer wonders why Ricci would have chosen such a subject matter. In terms of balance, rhythm and repetition, emphasis, variety within unity, and contrast, the Ricci painting conveys a harmony and joie du vivre that parallels its subject matter.

One of the defining visual features of "The Marriage Feast at Cana" is the vertical lines of the columns that draw the viewer's eye up and down the painting. In the foreground is a shadowed but large and fat column, which adds spacial depth to the painting. In the mid-ground, a colonnade stretches horizontally to suggest the movement of people to and from the party. In fact, the colonnade is connected at the top by a pedestrian bridge. On top of the bridge, Ricci represents a series of individuals who are gazing down at the festivities below. They are partygoers who are taking a break from the intensity of the feast. Above them and to the right of the canvas is a proper building. Ricci depicts dwellers looking down at the party. The viewer's eye is then drawn to the group of party musicians playing in a box draped with a red cloth. Red is one of the defining colors of "The Marriage Feast at Cana." The women at the party are dressed in casual flowing clothes colored red. Besides red, white and blue are featured. The collection of these three colors adds balance, as there are no intruding hues in the painting. The result is soothing and simple.

The eye moves easily around the painting and its different elements. People are the focal point of "The Marriage Feast at Cana." However, the bright blue sky and the cheerful trees in the background suggest that the party is not merely a debauch occasion. There is a genuine sense of joy in the painting. Ricci emphasizes a few elements to let the viewer understand the subject matter. The table is the focal point of the marriage feast. Unlike the Last Supper, this is a joyous occasion at which wine flows copiously and music fills the air. Ricci places a few young musicians in the foreground for this very reason. With the color red, the eye is naturally drawn as well towards the musicians in the sky box.