This paper is a critical analysis of the Virgin Mary giving the Rosary to St. Dominic and St Catherine of Siena which is an iconic piece of art that is displayed in the Fine Arts Museum of the University Academic Center at Houston Baptist University. This art will be presented by detailing the description, the symbolism, a theory of the unknown artist and periods, and the aesthetics of truth, beauty and spirituality.
The ivory plate carving depicts Mary with Jesus standing in her lap. To her left she is handing St. Dominic (b.1170, d. 1221) a rosary. On the right is St. Catherine of Siena (b.1347 d. 1380) . It appears as if the infant, Jesus, is also handing her a rosary. It is common knowledge that this piece represents the Catholic religious sect because of the figures in purgatory carved at the base of the plate because their commitment to the belief of purgatory is well defined in history.
Images of St. Dominic can be identified in this picture by the dogs, lilies and the rosary, which is common in most visual artist renditions for this era. There is a 15th century legend stating that the rosary worn around his waist was given to him by the Virgin Mary. The lilies are a representation of his notable chastity. The dog is a pun on “domini canis” which is “dog of the Lord”. St. Catherine of Siena also is represented by lilies due to her virtuous youth. She is also known as having a possible stigma which is the cross of Christ probably located on her hands as
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imprinted with the cross of the rosary. Mary in this case is most interesting. She is a representation of “the women, rooted in tradition, are able to embrace the present with a caring tenderness that gives birth to a new life with all of its inherent possibilit...
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Knight, Laura. Director of Fine Arts Museum, Houston Baptist University. Houston, February 14, 2014.
Unknown. "All Saints ." The Saints Symbols . http://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2010/11/saint- symbol-acathius-of-melitene-crown.html. (accessed February 16, 2014).
Unknown. The Art and symbols of St Catherine of Siena Church. Publication, Portage: Parish of St. Catherine, 2012.
In the Mother's arms is the Divine Child, with those strange, far-away-looking eyes that casual visitors so little understand—eyes that even in babyhood seem reading the future, and beginning to see the greatness of the world's sorrow. Kneeling on one side, below them, is St. Sixtus, the nearest perfect of all pictures of strong and venerable age that was ever painted; on the other side Santa Barbara, only less beautif...
Another example of Christian iconography is The Transfiguration. It is located in the Church of Saint Catherine’s monaster...
The painting is of a young St. John the Baptist preaching to his congregation. St. John is an important figure in Catholicism not only for his preaching and baptisms in the River Jordan, but for his role as the last prophet and the forerunner of Jesus Christ. His preaching foretells the coming of Christ as the Messiah, and thereupon Christ’s baptism, the voice from Heaven told St. John that Jesus was God’s son. This piece by Calabrese captures John at the height of his oration. Fixed atop a decrepit tree trunk yet grappling for stability, John is shown here in his ascetic attire composed of camel hair, holding his staff and scroll bearing the words “Ecce Agnus Dei,” which translates into Beho...
On the two outside wings, the six enamel medallions, read from bottom to top. They provide a link to the Byzantine triptychs. These medallions tell the story leading up to the drama of the miracle of the Cross and the conversion of Constantine, the Roman emperor, who was the first to recognize Christianity. The medallions on the left-wing show how Constantine converted to Christianity based on a dream in which an angel points to the cross and tells him he will be victorious over Maxentius, under that symbol. The middle medallion is him along with his soldiers defeating Maxentius in the battle at Milvian Bridge. After this he becomes the sole ruler of the western empire. The upper medallion is when Constantine is baptized near his death. In this medallion the artists use dark enamel lines to accentuate the anatomical parts of Constantine, for example his muscles. From as early as this piece, there are signs of the development of naturalism in Roman art. On the other hand, the medallions on the right tell the story of Saint Helena, Emperor Constantine’s mother, who was believed to have discovered the True Cross. In the lower medallion, Helena questions the Jews. In the middle she digs up the cross and in the top she brings it back to the imperial court. The middle reliquaries, which are static and iconic images, are much more symbolic,
I found The Raising of Lazarus and Annunciation to be interesting pieces on their own as well as to be compared. At face value, these paintings do not appear to contain many contrasting features. However, by examining these paintings closely, one can conclude that paintings with similar themes, mediums, and time periods can still differ in countless ways. Light, medium, subject, color, space, and viewpoint are just a few of the characteristics that can be considered when analyzing Wtewael and Caliari’s works. It is imperative that observers of art take a deeper look into the different features of artwork in attempt to uncover the intentions of the artist.
By most accounts, the year 1500 was in the midst of the height of the Italian Renaissance. In that year, Flemmish artist Jean Hey, known as the “Master of Moulins,” painted “The Annunciation” to adorn a section of an alter piece for his royal French patrons. The painting tells the story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin Mary to deliver the news that she will give birth to the son of God. As the story goes, Mary, an unwed woman, was initially terrified about the prospects of pregnancy, but eventually accepts her fate as God’s servant. “The Annunciation” is an oil painting on a modest canvas, three feet tall and half as wide. The setting of the painting is a study, Mary sitting at a desk in the bottom right hand corner reading, and the angel Gabriel behind her holding a golden scepter, perhaps floating and slightly off the canvas’s center to the left. Both figures are making distinct hand gestures, and a single white dove, in a glowing sphere of gold, floats directly above Mary’s head. The rest of the study is artistic but uncluttered: a tiled floor, a bed with red sheets, and Italian-style architecture. “The Annunciation” was painted at a momentous time, at what is now considered the end of the Early Renaissance (the majority of the 15th Century) and the beginning of the High Renaissance (roughly, 1495 – 1520). Because of its appropriate placement in the Renaissance’s timeline and its distinctly High Renaissance characteristics, Jean Hey’s “Annunciation” represents the culmination of the transition from the trial-and-error process of the Early Renaissance, to the technical perfection that embodied the High Renaissance. Specifically, “Annunciation” demonstrates technical advancements in the portrayal of the huma...
John looks down towards the Christ Child, and he together with the child and Mary form a triangular composition on the left side of the frame with the Christ Child as the focus. St. John is the patron saint of Florence, referencing Sellaio’s Florentine origin. He holds his hands together similar to the Christ Child, in reference to praying for his wellbeing. He also smiles reverently, matching Christ and Mary to establish the happiness brought by Christ’s birth.
The artists of the Baroque had a remarkably different style than artists of the Renaissance due to their different approach to form, space, and composition. This extreme differentiation in style resulted in a very different treatment of narrative. Perhaps this drastic stylistic difference between the Renaissance and Baroque in their treatment of form, space, and composition and how these characteristics effect the narrative of a painting cannot be seen more than in comparing Perugino’s Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter from the Early Renaissance to Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul from the Baroque.Perugino was one of the greatest masters of the Early Renaissance whose style ischaracterized by the Renaissance ideals of purity, simplicity, and exceptional symmetry of composition. His approach to form in Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St.Peter was very linear. He outlined all the figures with a black line giving them a sense of stability, permanence, and power in their environment, but restricting the figures’ sense of movement. In fact, the figures seem to not move at all, but rather are merely locked at a specific moment in time by their rigid outline. Perugino’s approach to the figures’themselves is extremely humanistic and classical. He shines light on the figures in a clear, even way, keeping with the rational and uncluttered meaning of the work. His figures are all locked in a contrapposto pose engaging in intellectual conversation with their neighbor, giving a strong sense of classical rationality. The figures are repeated over and over such as this to convey a rational response and to show the viewer clarity. Perugino’s approach to space was also very rational and simple. He organizes space along three simple planes: foreground, middle ground, and background. Christ and Saint Peter occupy the center foreground and solemn choruses of saints and citizens occupy the rest of the foreground. The middle distance is filled with miscellaneous figures, which complement the front group, emphasizing its density and order, by their scattered arrangement. Buildings from the Renaissance and triumphal arches from Roman antiquity occupy the background, reinforcing the overall classical message to the
...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.
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.
In the Wallach Gallery exhibition of Anna Hyatt Huntington’s sculpture (1876-1973), the viewer gets to discover different versions of the emblematic figure that is Joan of Arc, from small bronze medals, to much bigger works of art. A digital replication of the initial statue that was unveiled at Riverside Drive and 93rd Street in December 1915 is also available the public in the gallery. The success of the Joan of Arc – or The Maid of Orleans’s depictions results from the symbol that she fosters in European and American culture: a French medieval patriotic heroine who received visions directly from God and who was told to help France combat the English domination and who died burned at the stake, as a martyr.
Siena, a town located in the heart of the “boot” of Italy is stationed just over forty miles south of Florence. This city claimed the Virgin Mary as their patron saint praying to her for protection and the keeping of peace. Siena’s nickname was “Vetusta Civitas Virgins” which means “The Ancient City of the Virgin.” Therefore creating Mary as the main focus of the Maestà was not even questionable in Duccio’s large-scale masterpiece. Even today, many pray to the iconography of Mary as seen in the portable Catholic rosaries of the majestic virgin. Majesty translates to Maestà in Italian. It was named this because it beheld the Virgin in majesty reflecting the high regards of Mary during that time.
This is displayed in Parmigianino’s painting, Madonna of the Long Neck. During this time the Catholic Church was in a transition period, moving from their recent reputation and becoming a well-respected organization. During this reform, an autobiography written by Layola about Saint Teresa of Avila set a new tone for Catholics to follow. This influenced people to have a more spiritual outlook on life.
In Giotto’s Madonna and Child Enthroned I see an older renaissance painting of a woman and her child. The child is sitting on the lap of his mother who is sitting on a large burgundy throne in the middle of the painting. The woman is dressed in a navy cloak while her child is clothed in a pink robe. Above the child’s head there is a yellow circle. This circle is a renaissance symbol for religious leadership or importance. Surrounding this throne are a gathering of angels. There are exactly seven angels on each side worshiping this mother and child. The background consists of a yellow brick pattern.
This is an image portraying St Bernard being quenched of his thirst by the lactating Virgin Mary. This image was painted in reverence to the Madonna and the ‘miracle’ that St Bernard experienced. She appears to him after he had prayed to her and asked her to reveal herself to him. The myth is that she squirted either in his mouth (quenching him of thirst) or into his eye, curing him of an eye infection. This is a variant depiction of ‘miracle’, as there are many theories surrounding this biblical anecdote.