Pictorial Arts In "Tess Of The D'Urbervilles

Pictorial arts in Thomas Hardy's novels are quite unique as a kind of literary phenomenon which embodies his profound comprehension of the principles of esthetics. In Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Literary authenticity is presented by pictorial arts. Hardy applies different pictorial arts such as ray, color, line etc. to turn the literal description into pictures successfully. Pictorial arts help the novel to display its sceneries, characters and details vividly and supply the readers great aesthetic feeling and enjoyment. As a treasure in Hardy's novels, he portrays a period of tragic history in British countryside and reveals the moral and tragic themes by pictorial arts.This essay analyses Hardy's pictorial arts in scenery description, character portraying and detail pictures separately in Tess of the D'Urbervilles starting with Hardy's artistry, expounds the artistic impression and the effect on the themes, and explores his sources of pictorial arts and its deep significance. Thomas Hardy is both a landscape artist and a portrait-painter, and he is good at detail description as well. As the three major essences of pictorial arts, color, ray and line interact simultaneously in Tess of the D'Urbervilles. They have influence on portraying the characters, setting off the atmosphere, explaining the themes and promoting readers' psychological reception. Thomas Hardy has such an insight into the nature of what he describes that Tess of the D 'Urbervilles becomes his spiritual work.Tess of the D 'Urbervilles gives expression to Hardy's peculiar artistic individuality by pictorial arts. It not only creates a new writing medium but also attracts generations of readers for its artistic appeal.