Analysis of Gerrit van Honthorst's Painting, Musical Group on a Balcony

An inextricable quality of ceiling frescoes is their consumption di sotto in sù (translated from Italian to “from below, upward”). That is to say, the viewer must direct their gaze skyward in order to view such frescoes. In the case of Gaulli’s Triumph of the Name of Jesus, the viewer’s gaze is drawn first to this aureate burst—a rapturous burst of light around which floats a ring of what appear to be cherubs. The burst of light casts a spire that points toward the upper bound of the fresco’s ornate cornice upon which lies a cascading banner flanked by sculpted angels and shells. Once pointed by the spire to this upper bound, the viewer may then notice the intricate floral patterns that adorn the cornice, patterns which are not repeated elsewhere in the text. Following the outline of the cornice due counterclockwise, the viewer is led to a disruption of the cornice’s outline by a set of figures on a swirling cloud whose trajectory extends beyond the elliptical

Once gracing the lavish floor of Getty Center, the Coronation of the Virgin which was painted by the extraordinary Italian artist Gentile da Fabriano in 1420, attracted many attentions by its sacredness, powerfulness and magic of the Christ. At 36 ⅝ inches and 25 ¼ inches size tempera, Christ gently places the ornate gold grown upon Virgin Mary's slightly bowed head by the watching of angels from either side as she becomes the Queen of Heaven. Since the first century, Christianity has played an important role in Western Art, which has inspired numerous artists in making their masterpieces. However, artists must follow the religious ‘rules to build up the imagery of the Christ, and educate audience about the religious. Coronation of the Virgin by Fabriano is a perfect presentation of that.

In the article “Sexuality and Social Standing In Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Double Portrait” the author analyzes the religious and social grammars of marriage. This short paper will be a reflection of Harbison’s article that discusses religious and marital norms throughout, with also analyzing various sections of van Eyck’s piece, for example: implying the piece as a marriage document or contract of the marriage, which immediately makes the viewer look deeper into the double portrait. All of this helped me realize that pieces of art are not simply “pictures,” rather they are narratives like a scene in a documentary. The author starts the article with a clear thesis of analyzing the social religious and marital norms when this piece was made.

Barna da Siena’s Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine and Other Scenes from 1340 is vastly different in content, composition, and a number of other attributes from Fra Carnevale’s 1467 painting Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple. It is clear between the roughly hundred years between when the two were painted that advancements in realistic painting soared and a further appreciation for realism and humanism developed. The need to portray more than just the holy subjects, and to show how far painting had evolved is evident in the differences between Barna and Fra Carnevale’s works. Although, the emotion behind Barna’s work, and its significance are, in my eyes, far greater than that of Fra Carnevale’s.

Salvador Dali’s painting, The Sacrament of the Last Supper (oil on canvas, 65 ¾ x 105 ½ in., c. 1995), has become one of his most iconic paintings from his “late” period. This painting portrays one of the most famous scenes from the Bible, the Last Supper, depicting the twelve disciples eating their final meal with Jesus. This scene has been created many times throughout history by many different artists. However, through Salvador Dali’s use of equal symmetry, the uncommon setting he chose and the interesting perspective and focal points, he was able to recreate a completely unique version of this common biblical scene while adding his twist of surrealism.

An in-depth study reveals mankind’s literal presentation of Mary to God for appraisal and judgment, rather than a simple depiction of her journey upward. The painting illustrates man’s—not God’s—physical act of lifting Mary up, creating a truly dynamic canvas. To do all of this, El Greco uses strong geometric divisions and hidden lines to take control of the viewer’s eyes, and sly manipulations of gravity and forces to create an image truly in motion. In the end, El Greco uses the painting’s overwhelming size and orientation to alter perspective and succeeds in tying the viewer’s fate into the scene itself.

Throughout history, people have used paintings and art as a tool to express their religious beliefs and values. Illustrations depicting the Virgin Mary and child, often referred to as Madonna and Child, are one of the most recurring images in Christian and European Art through the ages. Though these paintings and sculptures may have similarities in their iconography and style each work of art varies based on the different artists’ and time periods. Two paintings that portray these features currently reside in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. The first, Virgin and Child by Rogier van der Wyden, was originally painted after 1454. In the painting, the Virgin Mary is holding Christ against her shoulder as he twists around to face toward the viewers. The second painting is Virgin and Child with a Donor, painted by Antoniazzo Romano and originally painted c. 1480. In this painting, Virgin Mary is supporting Christ who seems to be standing and includes a figure of a man with his hands crossed in prayer. While both paintings depict the mother and child, there are both similarities and differences in style and portrayal. In this paper, I will thoroughly examine these traits, as well as address the similarities and differences associated with the two paintings. This analysis will be done by using information gained from reading Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, in class lectures from ARTH 1381 Art and Society Renaissance to Modern and ARTH 1300 Ways of Seeing Art, and close visual

Just as it’s human nature to believe in something larger or more powerful than oneself, it is also human nature to express that divinity through art, this is proven time and time again in human history. Picturing the divine is a type of testimony to show a cultures greatness. The painting Arhats Giving Alms to Beggars comes from the Chinese culture of the Southern Song period. Whereas, the mosaic Christ as Pantocrator comes from the Byzantine culture of the Greek Orthodox tradition. Although these paintings come from very different backgrounds both cultures show the divine and their pressure on mankind to follow the rules, such as giving away worldly desires. By doing so and letting go of material possessions, mankind can be hopeful of

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.

This extraordinary work by Carpaccio is a landmark in the history of devotional images. It is, in effect, a meditation on the them of Death and Resurrection. To the right, the Old Testament figure Job sits on a block inscribed in pseudo-Hebrew, while on the left, portrayed as a hermit, is Saint Jerome (ca. 347 -420), who wrote a commentary on the book of Job. Christ’s dead body is displayed on a broken throne, also inscribed in pseudo-Hebrew. A bird—symbol of the soul —flies upwards. The landscape, barren on the

Soth’s thesis in this paper is essentially that Starry Night is both Van Gogh’s representation of the biblical scene Agony in the Garden -- when Jesus prays to God after the Last Supper acknowledging his impending betrayal-- as well as Van Gogh’s physical agony and nostalgia. He argues that Van Gogh created the piece through a mixture of observation and imagination as a consolation piece for the artist to seek religion through means other than traditional Christian imagery. Carlo Dolci’s version of Agony in the Garden is referenced in particular (311). Soth’s physical

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.

One of the most important observations anyone could make while viewing a painting is the artist’s delicate choice and use of colors. In paintings, colors serve two different but equally important purposes. One purpose is to draw attention to the painting, while the other purpose is to display emotions. An artist that understood the importance of color in paintings extremely well was the late talented Vincent Van Gogh. In his painting Café Terrace at Night, Van Gogh incorporates a vast array of colors to arouse emotions from within the audience. In order to assess which colors aroused which emotions two important questions must be answered. What emotions do the specific colors used within the painting give off to the audience? How have the emotions behind the colors been learned through normal human experience over time?

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.

One of Vincent Van Gogh’s most world renowned paintings is his landscape oil painting Starry Night. The painting displays a small town underneath an unusual yet still extremely beautiful night sky. In this night sky, Van Gogh utilizes an array of colors that blend well together in order to enhance the sky as a whole. The town is clearly a small one due to the amount of buildings that are present in the painting itself. In this small town most of the buildings have lights on which symbolize life in a community. Another visual in Starry Night is the mountain like figures that appear in the background of the illustrious painting. Several things contribute to the beauty of Van Gogh’s painting which are the painting’s function, context, style, and design. Van Gogh’s utilization of these elements help bring further emphasis to his work in Starry Night.