A Paper On Art Appreciation

One of the world’s most famous paintings is the Mona Lisa. It was created by the Renaissance’s most highly praised artist, Leonardo da Vinci, in the years 1503 to 1506. Leonardo worked on this painting while he lived in Florence, Italy, and it is made using oil paints on a poplar wood panel. The painting depicts, simply, a woman in front of an expansive landscape of rocky hills, valleys, mountains, and bodies of water. It was discovered in King Francis I’s royal collection, but this is no surprise considering that Leonardo worked for him in France from 1516 up until Leonardo’s death in 1519. It was transported to the Louvre, which is a museum in Paris, France. The painting was stolen in 1911 by a widely known Italian art thief named Vincenzo Peruggio. It was recovered two years later and returned to the Louvre, where it still resides today. In 1951, the panel it was painted on showed signs of warping, and so a wooden frame was added to the piece, as well as braces in 1970. Dovetails were also a necessity in preserving the work, due to a crack that had started to spread. As of 2012, the value of the painting sits at $760 million.

As Edgar Degas once said, “ Art is not what you see, but what others make you see”. The St. Louis Art Museum is a place for artist to display their art and give spectators the option to see art from a new perspective. This was the case for me. As we walked up to the beautifully structured building that stood so tall and wide, my expectations were extremely high. At first glance I notice the bronze statue of King Louis IX of France riding high on his horse. From this statue alone, my expectations of the art museum grew stronger. I have never been to an art museum before, so I wasn’t sure of what to expect. My first expectation was to see huge detailed sculptures right as I walked through the door. That expectation didn’t come true.

In this paper, I will describe, compare, and contrast two paintings of the same name, The Annunciation by Gerard David and Joos van Cleve. Beginning with Joos van Cleve’s work, we see the virgin Mary kneeling down before an opened book. An illuminated dove with its wings spread is suspended above Mary. An angel is standing beside her, making a gesture. Both figures are inside an ornately decorated, well lit bedroom.

Rathnasambhava, the Transcendent Buddha of the South and Madonna Enthroned are very similar images that were produced by very different cultures. Both images were produced during the 13th Century. The image of Rathnasambhava, the Transcendent Buddha of the South was produced in Tibet during an interesting period of the country’s religious history. The branch of Tibetan Buddhism is led by a religious and sometimes political leader called the Dalai Lama. It was during the 13th Century during the reign of Kublai Khan, around the time of the production of this painting, that Tibet experienced the first incarnation of the Dalai Lama. One has to wonder if this painting is somehow related to that occurrence. According to

Leonardo Da Vinci’s artwork “The Last Supper” (1495-1498) in Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan is one of the most well-known paintings in the world that depicts the biblical event where Jesus Christ announces that one of his own disciples shall betray him. In this painting, Leonardo Da Vinci uses the early Renaissance techniques of composition and perspective to create an artwork that is unforgettable. However, what truly makes this particular artwork stand out and draw viewers in is the use of naturalism that Da Vinci uses to capture the emotional state of Jesus Christ and each of his Apostles.

Around the thirteenth century, there were paintings which symbolised Mary's virginity and the birth of Christ. Their paintings and Christian civilisation have a great relationship, they focused more on lines and decorations. The purpose of the paintings was for Franciscan cloister. The emotions and figures Giotto created were more humanised, as it made him the father of European painting. Moreover, pictorial space was created to indicate depth. Expressive ways of the kneeling king who holds Christ and Mary’s physical gesture transforms deeply in the way human acts. It represents Giotto’s

The Louvre was not always a museum. With its construction beginning in the 12th century, the Louvre started was a fortress and grand palace with architecture in the French Renaissance style. (Nave 35-39, Pradel) More than 25 different kings lived in the palace. It was a royal residence from Philip II to Louis XIV. (Nave 35-39) Each of the 25 monarchs who made the Louvre his home - from Philip II to Louis XIV, ( Nave 35-39) the last king who sought protection behind the walls of the palace - was a major contributor to the Louvre becoming one of the world’s great destinations; more than 9.3 million visitors visit the Louvre every year.

Even though Leonardo’s paintings were generally traditional Christian based he did paintings such as portraits. Most of Leonardo’s portraits were quite unusual, but he had a problem in his eyes, which was the two versions of the Virgin on the Rocks. In both of the

The Virgin of the Rocks is a great Renaissance painting that was painted by Leonardo da Vinci and completed in 1484. It is thought to have been installed in the Immaculate Conception chapel as intended. There are several symbols portrayed in the image by Leonardo. The first symbol is the dark landscape characterized by peculiar rock formations which are a symbol of Christ as a refuge and salvation. It is important to note that the landscape resonates with a biblical and literary reference . The Rocks and caves in particular are metaphors to the two main characters featured in the painting who are Mary and Jesus. Jesus Christ during the Renaissance painting period was considered by the church to be 'a rock cleft not by human hand' symbolizing

The present work is focused on undertaking an in-depth analysis of two famous religious paintings: The Virgin and Child by Barnaba da Modena, an Italian painter from the fourteenth century, and The Elevation of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens, a seventeenth century Flemish artist and diplomat. Following, by comparison, a thorough account of the two works' features, careful observation reveals more than one interpretation.

and patron king Francois I. Francois preserved the painting in his private quarters at The Palace of Fontainebleau. Then it was passed on to Louis XV he took the Mona Lisa to the Palace of Versailles and then following the portrait was hung in Napoleon’s bedroom in the Tuileries Palace. Later on in the year 1793 the Mona Lisa found a long-lasting home in Paris at the Louvre museum when it open for the first time. Overall, the Mona Lisa is one of Da Vinci’s numerous works of art. Which is a work of genius to wonder at to date. When people first look at her they cannot help, but take notice that she has an intriguing look on her face. The look remains people of a woman that is not cheerful nor unhappy. Her skin is smooth and she has no imperfections,

The Louvre Museum - The Louvre is the world’s largest art museum and a historic monument Paris. This museum houses the Mona Lisa.

The Louvre was not founded as a museum, and the road to attaining today’s program expanded across six centuries of monarchies, wars, treaties, and revolution. Dating far back to the 12th century as a fortress for King Phillip II, the Louvre laid foundations with protective walls, and underground crypts to function not as a gallery for the public, but rather a stronghold for the private. As the decades turned, the old Louvre acclimated to the needs of the monarchies, undergoing usage as both a stronghold and a retreat, but entirely defense-based nonetheless (Deitz). Two centuries passed when Charles V altered the program from a bulwark of protection, changing it into a residency. Here the program shifted towards a notion of more public structure. Several French kings after, Francis I decorated the bulky fortress with a French renaissance style, further changing the Louvre’s appearance and adapting the architecture to the art style of the time. This move would be seen again in I. M. Pei’s controversial addition. Under King Henry IV, the Louvre underwent reconstruction (Kostof). During the rise of Versailles, artisans resided within the Louvre’s halls, giving way to the notion of an art influenced program for the building

The idea of this piece is to show the connection between mother and daughter being painted. It shows the time and the classic style of the

In Art Appreciation, chapter two mentions the purposes and functions of art. The functions of art that are mentioned are: delight, commentary, worship/ritual, commemoration, persuasion, and self-expression. The function that stood out to me was commentary because this function of art allows the artist to be expressive in his/hers work of art. Commentary is expressions of opinions rendered as an art form to communicate with the viewers. Viewers also have a connection with the artists and the artists work. Commentary can be about and event, person, or opinion.