Saint Columba Altarpiece (Adoration of the Magi)
The St Columba Altarpiece (Columbia Triptych, c.1460), a three-panel altarpiece by a well renowned artist Rogier van der Weyden's, is considered a powerful piece of art. The painting, made approximately around 1460 tells a narrative of the birth of Christ. The Adoration of the Magi which is the center panel depicts the visit of the Kings to see the newborn Jesus.
The bright colors give the painting an inviting look. Looking at the painting, one can see the Virgin Mary, sitting under a... holding baby Jesus, while the three Kings along with whom might be servants paying their respect to the newborn Savior. Behind her are animals eating from a manger. On her left side, Joseph is standing with a priest? Behind him. Looking in the background, the viewer can see the city. Looking at the sky, one could say that it is around dusk, because although the stars are still illuminating the sky, the daylight can be seen in the city.
The Saint Columba Altarpiece is a three-dimensional work of art. The artist did quite a good job using perspective to show a sense of depth in the painting.
The scene in the painting shows the Virgin Mary in the foreground, wearing a cobalt blue robelike dress, holding the newborn baby Jesus. She is sitting under an old stable, with a roof made of straws that was almost falling apart. Men, Kings and animal are circling her. Behind her are two farm animals; a horse and a cow. The cow has its head turned to
The focal point of the painting is the woman with infant. This is shown by the lighting in the painting being directly on her, the bright red that she is wearing, and the circling of the putti around her figure along with the majority of their gazes being directed at her. The bright light directly behind her and the infant could possibly be coming from the sun behind the clouds in the sky, the putti to her upper right holding the torch, or it could be symbolic in that it is the infant’s halo and representative of his divine nature. The overall piece is not overly dark but the lighting seems to be most focused on the woman, infant, her other children, and the flying putti. This is an example of tenebrism.
The two figures of the Archangel and Virgin Mary are close together and it shows a scene of almost touching fingers while they try to reach for one another but seems like they would never join hands. The male figure of the archangel would carry a long feather like pen and it would bow down to the Virgin marry and tries to respectable speak to her. On the other hand, the Virgin Mary seems to be in authority because she is standing up and looking down at the Archangel. This creates tension in the painting while we question the social distinction between the two. Looking closely at the Virgin Mary, her eyes would be close. It is almost like she is resisting the contact from the Archangel and tried to stay away from him. Looking on the left, the Archangel have white wings and there is green-yellowish light that surrounds him and the red clothing on him show that he is there for good news. But the resistance from the Virgin Mary seem like she is unaware of what is happening and is unable to accept the annunciation from the angel.
From my trip to the art museum the piece which stood out the most to me throughout the entire experience was David Ghirlandaio’s Altarpiece showing the Virgin and Child, with Saints Apollonia and Sebastian. The work of art specifically depicts an example of a sacra conversazione such as the ones we have looked at in class. This piece was made specifically in the 1490’s or the Early Renaissance time period and directly came from Florence, Italy where it was commissioned by the church as an altarpiece. Ghirlandaio specifically used tempera and gold on panel for this painting which he made in his family enterprise. Overall, the painting is roughly five and a half feet in length and height and is an excellent example of the type of works one would expect to see out of the Early Renaissance time frame.
In Artwork 1, Mary is placed in the centre of the image between Christ who is on the left and God who is on the right. The Holy Spirit is between the two which forms the Holy Trinity. The composition can be viewed as forming an inverted triangle or heart shape. Mary is the focal figure with an attitude of modesty, reverence and tranquil emotion with her right hand placed upon her heart in which reinforces this. God is expressed as a picture of wisdom as He is crowning the head of Mary with a garland of roses, along side Jesus. The Holy Spirit is present in the image above Mary and is portrayed in the traditional form of a white dove. Cherubs, angelic beings, are visible at the base of the painting which can be interpreted as guards. The use of blue in their garments symbolising heavenly grace in
Paolo de Matteis’s esteemed work The Adoration of the Shepherds is a large painting, depicting a classic Christian Nativity scene, that is displayed in the Dallas Museum of Art. In the piece, a dozen or so individuals surround the newborn Christ and his parents, gazing at him in admiration and paying him homage while animals look serenely on and angels assemble around the heads of the Holy Family. The artist employs several classic artistic elements in his painting, such as line, light, color, and shape, to draw the viewer’s focus directly to his intended point of emphasis, the infant Jesus.
The painting itself was created in 1937 and depicts a rural home. Outside it appears that someone has come to visit, as there is a vehicle parked out front and a man standing at the doorway of the house. Inside the home it can be seen that someone has passed away and loved ones are mourning their loss. Above the home there is a spiritual battle taking place for the soul of the deceased. Light has parted the clouds and there is a horse driven chariot followed by a parade of angels coming down from above. The spirit itself is surrounded by even more angels with trumpets in hand, ready to take the soul up to eternal glory. In a nearby tree is another angel who appears busy with a demon who
The work presented is St. Lucy Altarpiece, painted by Domenico Veneziano. It was created in Florence ca. 1445-47 A.D. This composition of tempera on a roughly 6 x 7 foot wood panel displays a horizontal scene of Madonna and Child with attending saints and bishops. Designed as an altarpiece, with the intentions of its being displayed before the public, St. Lucy Altarpiece stresses the importance of it’s main characters; Madonna and Child. Veneziano stresses his motives of bringing attention towards Madonna and Child by using physical light and darkness, space, perspective, and even the subjects within the painting to communicate their importance.
The Ghent altarpiece and the San Zaccaria altarpiece have many similarities. Starting with the Virgin Mary and the belief in Christ. Both of these artworks depicts the Virgin Mary. At the top of the Ghent altarpiece shows scrolls and books or prophets and sibyls that predicted the coming of the Christ (the coming of the Messiah). The top left is the Old Testament prophet Zacharias and the on the top right we see the Old Testament prophet Micah. The moment that they predicted is unfolding right below the scrolls, which is a scene of the Annunciation. Gabriel is seen on the left and Mary on the right. On angel Gabriel’s hand is lilies, which symbolizes Mary’s purity, her seamlessness, and virginity. He announces her that she is about to conceive Christ. You can actually see words coming out of Gabriel’s mouth in Latin “Ave Maria” (Hail Mary full of grace… blessed art thou women”). On the right, there is a dove above Mary’s head and it symbolizes the Holy Spirit. There are also words coming out of her mouth in reply to angel Gabriel. But
The color used in this painting is not too obvious, it seems like a pretty dark colored painting when first looking at it. After further examination, I started to notice more colors that are throughout the piece. There is blue, which is part of the angel’s garment. In religious paintings, blue often symbolizes a sort of heavenly grace. This blue is also seen in the sky surrounding the figures, perhaps another symbol suggesting that Adam and Eve still have their innocence, for they are surrounded by a heavenly grace. White is also seen in the painting, both as a part of the angel’s wings and the clouds in the sky. White often symbolizes purity and innocence, yet another symbol that shows Adam and Eve have not yet been shamed from the garden. Another major color that stands out more than anything else is red, which is seen in the animals right next to Adam and Eve. This could possibly represent the presence
The Holy Trinity by Masaccio was a painting done in approximately 1428. It is a
The title of this artwork is Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist and Angels. It was created by François Boucher in Paris. It was painted in the year 1765. It was painted with oil on a canvas. This painting is housed in the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, New York. In this painting, Boucher wonderfully depicts the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus, along with a toddler Saint John the Baptist and a lamb, having a picnic together. They are being watched over by five small cherub angels up in the heavens.
The Isenheim Altarpiece was made by Matthias Grunewald. It took many years to complete the isenheim Altarpiece. Grunwald actually went off of someone else work and built from their work to create his own. These painting in the Isenheim Altarpiece are references to things that have happened in the Bible.
The art and beauty in this painting is exemplified through the eyes of Boucher. It starts with a beautiful couple taking a rest after picking up some followers. Their clothing looks very elegant and colorful which shows that they are aristocrats. The man’s eyes are gazing at a shepherdess who gathered her own flowers. Their eyes are locked despite the man having his own woman right in front of him. The light brushstrokes of the dresses, flowers, and trees
The piece of art is a statue that portrays Jesus’ body laying on his mother Mary’s laps at the time after the crucifixion having been removed from the cross (Lewis & Lewis, 2008) which is evidenced by the marks of small nails and the indication of the wound located in Jesus’ side. It revolves around the major theme of Northern origin which during that time was present in France but not in Italy. According to (St. Peters Basilica, 2009) Michelangelo offered a unique interpretation of the pieta to the models since it is a significant piece of work that balances the ideals of a new beginning incorporated in typical beauty and a touch of naturalism which is illustrated by the relationship exhibited by the figures. This is made possible by his skill to prove to both the viewers and himself of the supernatural beauty.
The artist, Robert Campin and his disciples, incorporated the patrons of this piece, on the left panel. The two figures pictured were the patron and his wife, which was supposed to connect the viewers with the piece and Christianity as well. The trend of making the artwork more realistic appears frequently, and artists did so through making the holy figures more humanly. Looking at earlier pieces created in the Middle Ages, the Virgin Mary, Saints, and other holy figures were depicted as on a higher, more heavenly level. Artists would elevate the feet, have them facing away from the viewer, and be depicted as highly stylized. However, as shown in The Annunciation Triptych, Campin and his workshop aspired for the viewers and the general public to feel more connected to their religion. Altarpieces were used commonly in early European’s homes, leading the artist to create a typical household scene in the second panel where Mary and the angel were pictured. Thus adding to the connection between the viewer and the Christian religion. Another altarpiece, the Isenheim Altarpiece, shares similar