Essay on Allegory of Faith by Johannes Vermeer

At the crest of the Church of the Gesù in Rome, an aureate burst attracts an equivalent infinity of attention to the infinity of light that it emits. Borne of Italian baroque painter Giovanni Battista “Baciccio” Gaulli, this aureate burst is the center of the illusionistic ceiling fresco Triumph of the Name of Jesus. It is initially unclear what is being beheld, but it demands attention nonetheless. By simultaneously depicting and inciting the spectacle of this aureate burst, Gaulli arouses a discussion of the nature of visual representation and the fundamental role of a viewer. Gaulli asserts his position as an artist and emphasizes the viewer’s duty to an image—and to an artist—by demanding the viewer to include themselves among the enamored

We are also shown how these different forms of art change over time and how different cultures have adopted them and used them as their own form of art to express emotion, love, creativity, and passion. This book teaches us how art is viewed in different ways by the church and was very informative for me to obtain a better and deeper understanding of art and how the churches valued it.

“Hieronymus Bosch was one of the most fascinating and puzzling artists in history- a unique artistic personality who nonetheless typifies the Renaissance era in the emergence of distinctive personal styles”, in the words of Fred S. Kleiner (257). The painting I chose do my term paper on is titled, The Arrest of Christ. Painted in the year 1515, by the artist Hieronymous Bosch, in oil and tempera on a panel. It currently hangs in the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. The Arrest of Christ painting depicts Christ’s peace transcending his circumstances and the balance between good and evil. In the first part of this paper I will give a formal analysis of the painting

"I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me." Chapter 3, pg. 69

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.

12. ’98 Compare and contrast the Lutheran Reformation and the Catholic Reformation of the sixteenth century regarding the reform of both religious doctrines and religious practices.

For My Museum Essay, I have chosen Rogier van der Weyden’s “St. Luke drawing the Virgin” (c. 1435-40). First of all, this painting is an extraordinarily beautiful piece of art, with both meticulous details and true to life emotional state of the figures portrayed. And it intrigued me even more when I found out that there is a very compositionally similar painting by Jan Van Eyck (“Madonna with Chancellor Rolin”).

“The Ghent Altarpiece” by Jan Van Eyck, is a piece of art worth writing about. The subject matter of this work of art is God enthroned with golden jewelry, fine clothing, and just basically surrounded by gold and is even sitting on a golden throne. I think the content is quite simple. I think Van Eyck is trying to say that God is a ruler that deeply values worldly things. This contradicts the belief that God is an advocate for self-sacrifice and humbleness.

I chose to elaborate on two of Karen Armstrong’s themes from the first chapter of A History of God as I felt they were both very strong ideas. The first explains how cultural differences between North Africa and Europe during the Romantic Period affected white society’s failure to realize that Islam indeed worshipped the same deity. The second explains how Delacroix’s audience desired the imagery in the painting because people were, during this time, losing their concept of God.

In the scope of this paper two works of art would be compared and contrasted - David’s Oath of the Horatii and Painting of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride by Van Eyck.

The Deposition from the Cross (Entombment of Christ) by Jacopo Pontormo was completed in 1528 and originally resided in the Florence Charterhouse as the main altarpiece. With it’s distinct iconography, the work was intended to show the public the raw suffering of Christ after his sacrifice and how those around him felt at the time of his death. It holds an uplifting and even hopeful tone with it’s “sour” color palette, a stable for the Mannerist movement.

Abstract: Antony Gormley’s provocative work Untitled (For Francis), 1986, reminds the viewer to consider the universal symbolism that is represented by humankind in relationship to the cosmos and divinity. This visual study will ask and answer the following question: Why did Anthony Gormley use his own body form in Untitled (For Francis), 1986, as a universal spiritual symbol, that is relative to the stigmata received by Saint Francis of Assisi? This question will be answered by first identifying the Gormley’s philosophy and motivation with regards to the human body as a universal symbol that exists within the cosmos. Secondly, this study will explore the subject matter and formal reasoning behind the artist’s work, Untitled (For Francis). Third, this study will historically contextualize Saint Francis in the Wilderness, 1485 by Giovanni Bellini in conjunction and the universal symbolism and typology of the stigmata, as it relates to the content of Gormley’s work.

The painting The Holy Family with Saints Anne and John the Baptist, 1592 (oil on canvas) was created by Italian painter Sofonisba Anguissola (c.1532-1625). It is currently held at the Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, as a gift from Mrs. Forbes Hawkes and Bridgeman Images. This painting is among the unique pious narrative paintings by Anguissola. “The Holy Family” is the last dated painting by the artist. It was executed when she had just returned to Italy after spending 14 years working for King Philip II at the Spanish court. By this time, she had already married to a Genoese ship captain. Her various visits to court and her personal contacts with great painter at that time largely inspired herself. Through these contacts, she successfully stayed in touch with current developments in art. By closely observing this masterpiece, I argue that the artist perfectly sustain the beauty of counter-reformation arts in her work by use of light and shadow, delicate brushwork and accurate proportions of each subjects.

The great thing about art, is that there are multiple portrayals of one idea but, the artist’s own personal style allows one to feel something that another may not. Early Renaissance painters, Giotto di Bondone and Duccio di Buoninsegna established their own unique style to depict a biblical scene known as, The Betrayal of Christ. Through a close analysis of each artist’s representation of, The Betrayal of Christ, one is able to compare and contrast the artists own understanding of the scene through their attention to detail, character, and space throughout the painting. When examining these two works, one will have a stronger emotional response towards Giotto’s interpretation rather Duccio’s, due to his methods of handling organization, figures, and space.

The Annunciation is a Christian celebration of the iconic moment that the archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother to the Son of God, Jesus. The story of the Annunciation derives chiefly from the biblical Gospel of Luke, and has been portrayed abundantly and variously in many visual art forms from the earliest centuries of Christianity and Christian iconography. This essay will explore the depiction of the Annunciation and symbolism in the period of the Italian Renaissance and pay particular attention towards the development of the focus on spiritualism towards naturalism through the refined language of expression and gesture from the 14th century to the late 15th century.