The Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) in Houston, Texas is a world-renowned institution on 10 acres of land in the Museum District of Houston. Located just minutes from Downtown Houston, it houses permanent collections, traveling exhibits, two art schools, and boasts a sculpture garden and lunch café. The art is housed in two buildings, museum quality on their own. The Caroline Weiss Law building was designed by famed architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The other, designed by award-winning architect Rafael Moneo, is the Audrey Jones Beck building. They are soon to be joined by a third building currently in the design phase which will house post-1900 art.
The exhibits and collections of MFAH are so extensive that it is really not possible to see everything in just one day therefore it is advisable to plan your trip in advance. One of the most interesting collections is the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation’s collection of Baroque and Renaissance Art. These periods, of all those we studied, most interested me. Wonderful works of art are housed in this collection, such as Madonna and Child by Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Lady as St. Agnes by Veronese, and The Stigmatization of Saint Francis by Orazio Gentileschi. In this collection I found an excellent example of Baroque Art, painted by Luca Giordano, Madonna and Child with Souls in Purgatory. Painted in 1665, this painting measures approximately 7’ x 5’ and is a classic example of his work and the Baroque period.
The Baroque Period
The Baroque period generally encompasses the 17th century in Europe coming after the period of Mannerism found in the Late Renaissance. Baroque was originally a derogatory term coined by critics in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, per a...
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If the above mentioned paintings do not sound intriguing, the Frick’s remarkable holdings also include works by David, Goya, Renoir, Bruegel, and Velasquez. However, its collection is not limited to paintings only as significant sculptures like Bernini’s “Head of an Angel” from 1655 and Clodion’s ”Zephyrus and Flora” from 1799 can be found there as well. Along with these sculptures, an extensive collection of Italian bronzes and eighteenth century furniture combine to create a museum which although is small in size compared to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, makes up for it with an extensive collection of carefully selected pieces from some of the world’s most renowned artists.
Daum, Gary. "Chapter 12 The Baroque Era (1600-1750)." Georgetown Prep. 1994. Georgetown University. 12 July 2005 .
GRISELDA POLLOCK, review of “Artemisia Gentileschi: The Image of the Female Hero in Italian Baroque Art”, THE ART BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 1990 VOLUME, LXXII NUMBER
This book by John Rupert Martin is a good introductory book in the understanding of Baroque artists and their tremendous variety. Martin defines the Baroque characteristics, but only very broadly leaving a significant amount of room for the reader to make his own deductions. In general, Martin believes that the typical definitions of the Baroque are "too restrictive and hence likely to create more problems of classification and interpretation than it solves." Even the time of the Baroque is left open to the reader when Martin says the Baroque is roughly comprehended by the seventeenth century. It is important to note at the outset that this is only a convenient approximation; for epoch as a whole can certainly not be fitted into such a strait-jacket." This helps to define the Baroque much more generally as a gradual change which can much easily be noticed from the present than the past.
Hartt, Frederick, and David G. Wilkins. History of Italian Renaissance art . 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2006.
During the Italian Renaissance Raphael was one of the most influential artists. He painted many brilliant pieces, mastering the use of depth, perspective, and the use of shadow and light. Throughout his life, Raphael used the Madonna as a reoccurring subject in his work. One example of this subject is the Madonna of the Candelabra. This dark shadowy portrayal exemplifies the pure and humanistic ideals of the Madonna that made Raphael’s versions so well known and loved throughout the ages. The timeless beauty and grace that he captured and the realistic qualities of his work are unparalleled.
Classicism of the Renaissance has been replenished during the Baroque period. During the Baroque artistic period, the exploration of the fundamental components of human nature and the realm of senses and emotions were very crucial. The Baroque era was a very dynamic time that showed an abundance of radiance and color. Artists of this time are passionate and sensual. Their works were many times considered to have an overpowering emotional effect.
During my second time visiting the museum, I looked at paintings from the 15th and 19th centuries. Two of the art works that I choose is “The Story of Joseph” from the Renaissance period and “The Marketplace” from the modern art period. Both of these paintings were from different time periods but they were also very similar in content and style.
Items displayed in museums hold historical significance and are representative of society’s culture. Preserving valuable collections for education and enjoyment is a primary role of museums. While fulfilling this role, the architecture of the museum is also an important factor. Historical buildings are converted into museums and architects must consider the use of the space and the museum’s purpose during their initial design. Other museums are built with a clear purpose in mind. As museums are designed, many characteristics are determined. Display and storage spaces as well as visitor services impacts museum’s functionality. Based on the function of a museum, architectural requirements are different.
As the seventeenth century began the Catholic Church was having a hard time bringing back the people who were swept away by the protestant reformation. The conflict between the protestant had a big influence on art. (Baroque Art) The church decided to appeal to the human emotion and feeling. They did so by introducing a style called Baroque. Baroque was first developed in Rome and it was dedicated to furthering the aims of Counter Reformation. Baroque was first used in Italy than later spread to the north. In this paper I will argue that the Italian Baroque pieces were more detailed and captured the personality of the figure, in contrast and comparison to Northern Baroque pieces that aimed to produce a sense of excitement and to move viewers in an emotional sense leaving them in awe. I will prove this by talking about the different artwork and pieces of Italian Baroque art versus Northern Baroque Art.
One pleasant afternoon, my classmates and I decided to visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to begin on our museum assignment in world literature class. According to Houston Museum of Fine Art’s staff, MFAH considers as one of the largest museums in the nation and it contains many variety forms of art with more than several thousand years of unique history. Also, I have never been in a museum in a very long time especially as big as MFAH, and my experience about the museum was unique and pleasant. Although I have observed many great types and forms of art in the museum, there were few that interested me the most.
Larmann, R., & Shields, M. (2011). Art of Renaissance and Baroque Europe (1400–1750). Gateways to Art (pp. 376-97). New York: W.W. Norton.
Dunford, David. "Canon." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 10 Mar. 2014
It is not limited to just painting and sculptures, but architecture and many other forms as well. The Italian Renaissance time period was a very crucial part of art history. Many famous artists that many people, even those who are not find of art, known of were around during this time period. Divided into two parts, early and high renaissance, each part had it’s own contribution to the advancement of art. The early part of the time period was used for experimenting different techniques and production and was mainly in Florence. Later on, during the high period, the techniques that were effective moved to Rome and Milan. Leonardo Di Vinci was, and still is, a very known artist. Di Vinci created many beautiful paintings. His most famous painting, Last Supper was created between 1485-1498. He used oil, tempera, and varnish on plaster. Another great artist of this time period, was Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi was an architect, sculptor, and theorist who revived the classical architecture. He also invented a the first laws of a technique we still use today called one point perspective, or linear. He was the one who said that all parallel lines in a drawing/painting should meet at a vanishing point. Since then there have been more perspectives discovered, like two and three pint perspectives. Like one-point perspective, the picture plane was discovered during the Renaissance. It isn’t as commonly used as the other but it still is
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