I chose to compare the annociations Foreshortened Christ and the Fra Angelico. I feel these works are very different. The Foreshortened Christ is very dark and evokes strong emotion at a first glance. The Fra Angelico is very light and appears in a well lit artificial plain. Fra Angelico removes the sacred event from the everyday world where Foreshortened Christ brings the viewer into the everyday world of suffering and pain. The perspective of the paintings are different as Foreshortened Christ forces the eye of the viewer from the shortened feet up to the enlarged head of Christ. The Fra Angelico followed the rules of Renaissance perspective with its setting removing the sacred event from everyday life. The annunciation i chose is named Foreshortened Christ, by Andrea Mantegna (ca. 1500) from Pinacoteca di Brera Milan, Italy. This annunciation currently resides in Milan.
In describing this work, I feel like the foreshortening creates a claustrophobic environment giving an up close disturbing and visually powerful response. At the same
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The foreshortened Christ is pretty dark with only light on the pale skin and shroud of Christ and Mary's face. The use of props such as the marble slab gives a feeling cold along with the dry wounds. The symbolism of the wrinkles in the shroud ,faces and veins in the marble as well as the same waves in Christs hair give way to a tight dry feeling. Hall speaks of the importance of Christian art with the prevalence of themes. One that is seen here is Christ laying on the marble slab. This is a dedication to the church. Unlike most there are no doves, angels but Mary is present in the art. This particular work doesn't have much for “extras” . To help the story along we have the above mentioned, fabric that Mary is wiping her tears, fabric or shroud, the pillow that props Christs head and the slab that he is laid out on. The wounds give a visual of the pain and sacrifice he has
At the top of the artwork the upper part of the cross extends beyond the altarpiece. The edge of John the Evangelist’s red robe on the left of the altarpiece and the edge of Mary Magdalene’s pale blue skirt on the right are cut off when the panel ends, giving the viewer the feeling that, rather than looking in on the scene, the viewer is actually taking part in the scene. This, added to the empathy invoked through the delicate, heart-wrenching rendering of the figures in the artwork, let the observer directly interact with the painting and places him/her within the narrative.
The Holy Trinity by Masaccio was a painting done in approximately 1428. It is a
One obvious difference in the two paintings is in the choice of colors used by the artists. Paolo Caliari’s use of lighter pastel colors in Annunciation could be due to the angelic presence being illustrated in the painting. The light colors create a heavenly feeling; darker colors would be less likely to have the same effect of inducing the feelings of comfort and serenity that these light colors do. On the other hand, The Raising of Lazarus uses bolder, darker colors; Wtewael utilized these colors because they are more appropriate for the austere scene of people that he is depicting. Light colors would have clashed with the darkness of the distressed facial expressions and body gestures of the people in the painting. Unlike Annunciation, the colors in The Raising of Lazarus stand out only in the foreground of the painting in order to draw the viewer’s focus to the subject instead of the background.
The immediate background consists of natural mounds of dirt and a brick wall that enclose the Virgin, Child, and St. John, amplifying the protective effect that Mary’s figure has. The dirt mounds roll inward with a brick wall bordering them on the right, drawing the viewer’s attention towards the three figures. The background is painted in broad terms, with a simple, uniform depiction of tree leaves and smooth rock faces on the horizon. This contrasts with the fine-lined detail and texture of Mary’s hair, facial features, and veil, which further contribute to her elegance and highlight her
...ic meanings that still are puzzling art historians today. Some of the key symbols that Stokstad points out in the text is the dove, representing the Holy Spirit; the white lilies as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. She also points out, two rather unknown symbols to the sacrilegious, the date of the Annunciation in signs of the zodiac on the floor, as well as the lone stained glass window that is symbolizing God rising above the three windows that are placed in the background behind Mary. These three windows represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
As this painting was created in the High Renaissance, the composition shows the transition from spiritual to humanist. During this period, artists began to experiment with attempts to pay attention to realism and naturalistic features while still maintaining the appearances of spiritual figures. In the painting, Baptism of Christ, Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci worked on two angels seen on the left of the piece. Verrocchio was a renown early Renaissance artist, paying extreme details to humanism to a point where the line between real and spiritual was obsolete. In this painting, it is no different; the angel painted by Verrocchio appears as a small boy with a halo above his head. However, Leonardo’s contribution portrays an angel that is still divine, yet still having elements of realism. This concept of “realistic, yet spiritual” was a main idea that embodies the High Renaissance, and can be seen in Orley’s piece as well. Although there is a lack of attention to proper anatomy, the conception of “realistic, yet spiritual” is shown through the scenery in the background, where the landscape is depicted as a castle on the hilltop looming over a foggy forest. This imagery could be seen in reality, but the hazy feeling gives off a more spiritual world that is unearthly, but still on Earth. Landscaping also became a prominent theme that grew in
The ability to create a picture of The Annunciation in one’s mind is a key factor in understanding the analysis of the work. Francisco de Zurbaran approaches the painting with a naturalistic style. The painting features a room in which a woman – like angel is seen at the left kneeling on the ground before the Virgin Mary. The figure of Mary is placed between a chair and a small wooden table draped with a green cloth. Mary disregards an open Bible on the table, as she appears solemn while staring at the floor. Floating above the two main figures in the upper left side of the painting are cherubs resting on a bed of clouds. They happily gaze down at Mary with eyes from Heaven.
Looking across the entire triptych certain visual elements can be seen. Lighting is carefully used to highlight many important details in the painting; the dramatic facial expressions of many of the people in this scene are clearly lighted and defined to illustrate the emotions felt by the witnesses. In the left panel of The Raising of the Cross, among the mourners appear to be St. John, another man that seems to be consoling St. John, Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist), St. Mary (the mother of Jesus) and Mary Magdalene (hoocher.com). One of the mourners is actually looking directly at the viewer with a very distraught expression on her face. The mourner that I suspect is St. John in the back appears to be almost nauseous and his face is surrounded by darkness and is subordinate and his face is being emphasized. Also, the rocky background is subordin...
While the Flemish were proficient in oil painting, Italian Renaissance artists continued their predecessor’s use of tempera. Furthermore, the paintings were ultimately created for different purposes and separate viewers. Although both works are centered on the defining moment of the annunciation, The Merode Altarpiece incorporates this scene into a secular setting, therefore differing from Fra Angelico’s The Annunciation which was painted for a monastery. Finally, Flemish and Italian Renaissance paintings differ in levels of realism. Although the Flemish painters were skilled in portraying realism of physical forms, they lacked a full understanding of linear perspective. In contrast, the Italian Renaissance artists were well versed in linear perspective but lacked a complete grasp of the natural
A common topic of artwork throughout history has been the crucifixion of Christ. Since it is such a common topic, it makes it very easy to see how artwork changed and developed from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The painting on the left, The Crucifixion by Pietro Lorenzetti, shows the usual characteristics of a painting from the Middle Ages. The facial expressions are not varied or very in depth, Jesus and the other saints have the typical halo that is used very often, and the colors are mostly all bright, making nothing in particular stand out. The second painting, on the right, is by Caravaggio and is titled The Flagellation of Christ. There is an obvious shift from one painting to the next. Caravaggio’s piece is much more realistic.
As I walked into the first gallery, I saw a wood sculpture that stood in the center of the room. This carving depicted “the crucified Christ, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist with Angels holding instruments of the Passion”. It was painted oak and very appealing to the eye. It stood approximately 15 feet in the air. The origin of this sculpture is unknown, but it was found in a Belgium church. This kind of sculpture usually stood at the entrance or at the center of the alter in the church facing the congregation. This image of the suffering Christ relates to the Christian ideas of suffering and Christ’s salvation of all mankind.
In this painting there is a strong presence of the color element. There is a strong contrast in lighting between the mother and child and the angels worshiping on the outside. The mother and child are painted in a vibrant pinkish rose hue while the surrounding angels are a slightly darker mix of green shades. The painting also offers a good variation of saturation when it comes to the fading yellow brick background. The pallets used
The Lamentation, or Pietà, is a common Christian narrative that depicts Jesus Christ’s family mourning over his body after he has been crucified. Many artists choose to interpret it and paint it in their own way, which is why I decided to use it for this paper. The Pietà, I found, is more of a detailed version of the Lamentation that is mainly only Mary mourning over her son. In general, the Lamentation includes Mary and other religious figures—“full” Lamentations include The Three Marys, John the Apostle, Joseph, and various other people such as angels and donor portraits. As time went on, some scenes became continuous narratives, showing other subjects adjacent to the Lamentation in the Passion of Christ. Meanwhile, others expanded in terms of their scenery and other specific details.
The theme can be generally recognized in this piece through color, space, and especially through use of light. The colors used in this piece are mostly calm toned, whereas the robes and shawls worn are pale blues, corals, and beiges. There are however, some harsh colored objects such as Mary’s navy blue shaul and deep coral gown, as well as Christ’s coral necklace that stand out from the rest of the colors. Mary’s veil and the angel on the lefts’ hair are translucent in certain streams of light coming from the windows throughout the room. The artists suggests that the light is dedicated not to represent the divine but to rather represent a more natural juxtaposition on the piece. The space that the characters stand in is fully used by the subjects but also has a very interesting doorway with heightened perspecti...
The subject was St. Matthew. This image is filled with vibrant energy with the colors depicted. The thickly painted drapery swirls around him. The hills are depicted going upwards. This manuscript is similar in style to the manuscripts of the Hiberno-Saxon manuscripts.