Question

Excerpt from Before a Painting

James Weldon Johnson

I knew not who had wrought with skill so fine
What I beheld; nor by what laws of art
He had created life and love and heart
On canvas, from mere color, curve and line. 4
Silent I stood and made no move or sign;
Not with the crowd, but reverently apart;
Nor felt the power my rooted limbs to start,
But mutely gazed upon that face divine. 8

And over me the sense of beauty fell,
As music over a raptured listener to
The deep-voiced organ breathing out a hymn;
Or as on one who kneels, his beads to tell, 12
There falls the aureate glory filtered through
The windows in some old cathedral dim.

What was the tone for james weldon johnson before a painting?

Answer 1

James Weldon Johnson's poem 'Before a Painting' exhibits a tone of deep admiration and reverence for the artwork he describes, aligning the emotional impact of the painting to that of music and religious experiences.

Step-by-step explanation:

The tone of James Weldon Johnson's poem Before a Painting can be described as one of deep admiration and reverence. In this piece, Johnson marvels at the transcendent beauty of a painted masterpiece, feeling the deep impact of visual art as it stirs emotions akin to those evoked by music or religious devotion.

He finds himself speechless and motionless, deeply affected by the painting's life-like representation made from simple artistic elements like color, curve, and line.