Ch. 25 Favorite Works

Rembrandt Van Rijn, Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, 1632, oil on canvas, 5' 3 3/4" x 7' 1 1/4"

This is a very famous piece of artwork that is illustrated in many books and forms that I know I have seen as far back as elementary school. There is great detail in the characters and shows the gruesome reality of how an anatomy lesson was demonstrated during the 1600's. Van Rijn paid close attention to the form of the bodies and the expressions on the faces of the observers in great detail. Overall the piece is very dark with the greatest amount of light on the bare body of the deceased man on the table.

 
Jacob Van Ruisdael, View of Haarlem from the Dunes at Overveen, 1670, oil on canvas, 1' 10" x 2' 1"

This is a beautiful depiction of the landscape of Haarlem in the late 1600's. There is a lot of detail in the front of the image and they fade out much how the eye would see the further the objects reach back into the image. The clouds are placed in the sky with great detail and they appear like they are floating freely on the canvas. I like the way the shadow of placed on the ground of the image with the sunshine peeking through the clouds onto the ground while some places are blocked by the clouds and remain shady.

Ch. 24 Favorite Works

Fra Andrea Pozzo, Glorification of St. Ignatius, ceiling fresco in the nave of Sant' Ignazio, Rome, Italy, 1691-1694
The mural on the ceiling of Sant' Ignazio is a visually striking piece that captures many elements of the artistic view. The way the ceiling disappears into the heavens is an interesting element and is a realistic view of how the architecture carries on through the top of the building. Pozzo uses many scenes of saints and the divines to signify the importance of St. Ignatius and the glorification given to him by God.


Gianlorenzo Bernini, David, 1623, marble, 5'7" high
Bernini's David, unlike Michelangelo or Donatello's sculptures of David is the first example of David in the action of fighting the giant Goliath. In the other depictions David stands gazing at the upcoming scene. Bernini captures the action of the attack with a sense of grace. Bernini also covered David up so that this isn't a full nude statue like the depictions created by Michelangelo or Donatello. He captures the form of the body very well and the marble is so smooth that it almost appears that it would sink in like skin if touched.

Ch. 23 Favorite Works

El Greco, View of Toledo, ca. 1610, oil on canvas

The way the artist painted the scene of Toledo gives me the sense of movement in the image. The color of the clouds and the movement added to them along with the way the trees and bushes are painted give me the feeling of a storm rolling over the city and large gust of wind blowing the the landscape. the detail added to the city is very neat and has nicely depicted lines. There is a broad color pallet in this image from very dark blues and blacks to whites and tans. Overall I enjoyed the way the image made my eye move around the scenery and I could not find one specific spot to rest my eye.


Pieter Bruegel the Elder,  Fall of Icarus, ca. 1555-1556, 2' 5" x 3' 8 1/8",oil on wood transferred to canvas

The first thing that grabbed my attention in this image is the broad range of color. There are a lot of rich blues and greens and the pallet has a full color scale from whites to blacks. I do find it interesting that the image of Icarus doesn't seem to be the main focus of this image. Icarus is a very tiny depiction in the bottom right corner of the image while my eye first focused on the two men in the center of the image. Both of these men seem to just go on about there business with little or no acknowledgement of the boy falling from the sky into the ocean. There is great detail in the images in the foreground while the images in the background seem to be hazy and out of focus much like they would be in real life.

Ch.22 Favorite Works

Leonardo Da Vinci, Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and Infant Saint John, ca. 1505-1507, 4' 6" x 3' 3", charcoal heightened with brown and white paper

This is the first image used in our text that depicts and image in charcoal. The use of the charcoal gives the image a very dark and haunting feeling especially with the shadows around the eyes of the characters. Using brown and white paper allows for natural highlights which are brought back with the heavy black shading of the charcoal. Leonardo is famous for his depictions of the human form and the extreme likeness and realism captured in his works and this image is no different.


Leonardo Da Vinci, Vitruvian Man, ca.1485-1490, 1' 1 1/2" x 9 5/8", pen and ink on paper

One of Da Vinci's most iconic images is that of the, Vitruvian Man. There is something about this image that draws my attention and makes me wonder while I view the image. I find it interesting how the arms and legs line up with the edges of the circle and square but also how the circle lines up with the base of the square but goes beyond the borders of the other three sides. Da Vinci, again captures the image of man in great detail with the layering of muscles on top of each other and the tension of muscles as they are moved and holding up an individual. The paper adds some since of shading and he provides highlights where needed. It amazes me that Leonardo was able to make this image with only pen and ink.

Ch. 21 Favorite Works

Ch. 21 Favorite Works:


Sandro Bontticelli, Primavera, ca. 1482. Tempera on wood, 6'8" x 10' 4". Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

The movement in this piece really struck me and the abuility to read the work from left to right became a very interesting aspect to me. It is painted really elegantly and the dark background contrast well against the light and vibrant colors of the characters. The natural made halo around Venus's head brings the focus on her in the center of the portrait but with the addition of all the other figures my eye did not linger on her for a significant time compared to the other figures. Overall I felt that it was a very sensual with the transparent outfits and the captivation of Venus and Cupid.

 
Donatello, Saint George, Or San Michele, Florence, Italy, ca. 1410-1415. Marble, figure 6' 10" high.

Donatello's sculpture of St. George portrays him as the warrior saint of Florence, who is ready to come to life and protect his city from harm. the amount of detail represented in the armor of St. George is very striking. The appearance on the face of St. George speaks a lot for the work. He gives a very stern glare and the seriousness of his role for the city is apparent. Donatello definitely paid attention to the details in the folds of his cloak and how the pieces of armor and clothes join and are represented. The sculpture is very stern and powerful and was successful in portraying the guardian role of the Saint.   

Ch. 20 Favorite Works:

Jan Van Eyck, Man in a Red Turban, 1433. Oil on wood, 1' 1 1/8" x 10 1/4"
The contrast between the deep dark background and the man's jacket, and the red turban automatically make your eyes focus to the man's head. There is great detail presented in the folds and the realism of the man's face and a great example of shadowing. The man's eyes are an interesting point in the peace, he has a very stern look and no matter where you are the eyes appear to be glaring at you. I think this effect is what makes the peace so interesting to me. It is as if he is glaring right into your body.

Ch. 20 Favorite Works:
 
Jean Fouquet, Melun Diptych, Right Wing: Virgin and Child, ca. 1451. Oil on wood, 3' 1 1/4" x 2' 9 1/2"

This image stood out to me being very graphic in nature and appears to me to be something that could be done today using some sort of graphics program. The vibrant red and blue background of the angels matched against the bright white image of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus foreground create a very strong contrast of color. The detail in the shadows and folds in the cloth and around the bodies is very interesting and well done and to me represents an even greater step to realism during this time period.