Focus on View of Olinda (Post) and explain the Description.
View of Olinda is widely regarded as one of Post's most successful works, created during a prolific time in his career. It is also one of his largest canvases, at approximately 3.5 by 5.5 feet. In the foreground, thick tropical vegetation is teeming with animal life: an iguana, an armadillo, a sloth (Choloepus didactylus), an anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), a monkey who appears to be dozing off while holding a banana, and several birds and insects can be seen. There are many leaves of dark green, a pineapple, cacti, scattered flowers, and on the left, a tall papaya tree frames the composition. Atop a shrub, a bird clutches an insect in its beak as it crouches, presumably about to take flight. Post's signature is subtly inscribed on what appears to be a very large gourd which sits in the bottom left foreground, reading: "F. Post."In the middle ground, a stone building is perched on a modest incline surrounded by palm trees, with vines growing up the sides. A meandering line of people are seemingly heading into the building which appears to be a Catholic church, though aspects of the structure look broken. In fact, large pieces of broken stone pillars are visible on the right, being overtaken by lush blue shrubbery. It can be assumed that the structure was damaged during the Dutch takeover from the Portuguese. An altarpiece is visible through an archway into the church space. The figures appear to be a mixture of Portuguese colonizers and enslaved African people, according to their dress and skin color. The women in line wear long veils, some men wear large hats, and cassocked preachers stand by the door and greet attendees. Downhill and further away (nearing the background), a different small group of people can be seen, appearing to be several enslaved African people, with a few more-clothed presumably-Dutch persons standing nearby. The African people appear to be carrying a palanquin, which most likely had a Portuguese woman inside. There are also a few structures that look like two-story homes populating the downward slope of the hill, and there is a small quite ruined-looking structure uphill from and behind the church. Bluish shrubbery grows around and on top of it, enhancing the quality of dilapidation.
In the background, the gently undulating terrain recedes toward the horizon line, where Post utilized atmospheric perspective (e.g. a monochromatic color scheme, lightening in value near the horizon) to convey great distance. Some fluffy white clouds drift overhead in the mostly blue sky.
Portuguese tropical cacti Dutch pineapple Catholic anteater cassock palanquin sloth pillars armadillo papaya atmospheric perspective iguana gourd