Comparison of Paintings of Irene and St Sebastian

Ritchie has mentioned that arrows are often illustrated as straight lines. In addition, these arrows remind him of Saint Sebastian the Christian martyr. The lines in the painting burst through a pile of sticks, symbolic for the beaten path of life. They become free flowing, wide and violet curves, defined later by Matthew Richie as “…figures being reassembled and rebuilt inside the people that had survived” (Sayre,70).

It is a famous example of Renaissance art showing portraiture, realism, and some perspective. In this painting there are four distinct characters. Each has a different expression that shows how they are feeling. There is also more detail in the faces then in any other parts of the painting. Another technique it demonstrates is heightened realism. Whereas before the Renaissance the figures may have been painted simply and in only enough detail to get the general idea across, these figures are shown more realistically. Lastly there is the technique of perspective as shown in the background of the painting. The sea stretches out into the sky and the land in the background is shown how it would look if the viewer was actually

The lines within the composition draws the viewer into several directions. The ruffles draw the eyes upward to the Daniel’s finger as it points to the right. Daniel’s finger directs the viewer horizontally as it does the king. The table with its array of dishes is another example of a horizontal line. The king’s hands are holding a fork and knife. The fork is also pointing right where as the knife is pointing left diagonally towards the king. The courtesan, leaning against the king’s right shoulder, is another example of a diagonal line. The painting also has a vertical feel to it. This is evident in the composition of Daniel standing, the candle and the arm holding the cigar. Like every line, every color used draw attention to the object.

The foremost reason for this being the abundance of movement both contained in the composition and implied by it. Lucretia’s figure may be, generally speaking, characterized by its classical orientation, standing upright with no peculiar manipulation to her poster—her chest is roughly aligned with the plane of the composition. What’s more, her figure is characterized by its well-balanced composition with respect to both the domains of shape and color, the most obvious observation being that each element depicted to the figure’s left is also depicted to the figure’s right (and vice versa), the dagger falling neatly between what is almost bilateral symmetry in her frame. Nevertheless, by means of only a few understated alterations to this otherwise archetypal stance, the painting is effective in intimating a sense of motion. Note the curved diagonal implied by her outstretched arms through the length of the dagger and leading upward through her bend, slightly corked neck. What’s more, counterpoint this observation with the perpendicular intersections of this line with those implied by the union of her arms, the breath of her shoulders, the spread of her jewelry, and the floating, lilting ends of Lucretia’s bonnet which appear at either upper corner of the composition quite as ghostly apparitions. The shading corresponding to both of these tails gives to the

In the foreground of the painting, a crowd of people gather around the recently resurrected Lazarus. There are roughly fifteen individuals in the crowd in a variety of postures, many of which are contorted and turned away. Furthermore, their forms are painted with considerable emphasis on the way that their respective limbs are bent and twisted which consequently creates a peculiar confined space in which much of the content and action is contained. The outstretched arms and warped bodies of the figures create two diagonal lines which cross over each other in the center of the painting, leading the eye to the primary subject and the focal point, Lazarus. To the left of him is a younger woman looking outwards, contrasting with the focused inward gaze of the crowd. Additionally, the same women mentioned previously also dons a striking white garment similar to that of

The use of line in this piece is also very interesting. The artist employs a high horizontal line to create a plunging effect giving the piece more depth. Another use of lines in the image is to create focal points to attract the viewer. Lines are also used to separate the different sections of the painting. Overall this painting uses lines in dynamic ways that vastly enhance the viewers’ pleasure and admiration of the piece.

One of the most effective principles Paolo de Matteis uses in this painting is his use of lines and invisible lines to direct the viewer’s attention to the child in his mother’s arms. The shepherds and their animals, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph are all instances of invisible lines in this painting, as their outstretched hands and lines of vision are all pointing to the baby Jesus. For example, the three women and the child kneeling to the bottom right side of the manger are all staring or pointing to the upper left, toward Jesus. Moving to the upper right corner of the painting, the ox and the donkey are directing their gaze to the bottom left, once again at Jesus. The two men to the right of the animals also point in that direction. In the top and center, Mary and Joseph watch their child, creating yet another invisible line pointing toward the point of emphasis, while the angels

Aside from linear perspective, Calabrese incorporates other geometrical forms throughout the composition. One is the circle at the foreground of the painting, which Calabrese offers the audience to complete. More outstanding is the triangle that occupies the majority of the space. John’s body, parallel to his staff, begs the viewer to trace the triangle from his eyes, across the woman and the lamb in the foreground, up the staff, and through to his hand. This triangle is significant in its symbolism of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Son. The message here is clear; through Jesus, the lamb, one will be saved. It is also interesting that Calabrese places John between the lamb and his hand. It coincides with the paintings’ function as an altar piece in that John serves as an intercessor to the Divine. Through him, one has access to Jesus, and therefore God. The geometrical lines and shapes add to the painting’s dynamism and contribute to the optimistic promise the painting conveys.

As indicated by the shape in the foreground, the lines that signify the contour of the rocks and freestanding structure merge. The lines lead the eye vertically as it meets the center. When looking at the painting as a whole, the viewer can see how the artist uses straight

The use of lines in Stone City is one of the key visual elements in this painting. The artist used many contour lines to define the boundaries between the trees and the valley, the river and the land, and even the long roads from the hills as it winds through the countryside. Wood also incorporated a lot of implied lines into his artwork. The trees and bushes that line the hills create a line of sight which draws the eye of the viewer to the house on the river, which is the focal point of this painting. The lines all move in different directions and help the artist highlight different aspects of the painting. Around the city and in the foreground of the painting the artist uses a lot of horizontal lines, which gives the town a calm sensation. As we move away from the city, we find a lot of vertical lines which denote growth. We also find a lot of diagonal lines which imply action in the painting. The diagonal lines are predominantly used by the artist in the creation of the roads and

There is a spotlight on St. Peter’s face and half of his accusers face, indicating that the focus of the painting with light, that Peter is the main figure. Caravaggio uses light to portray a specific moment in the Denial of St Peter, the light shines directly onto Peter, half of the woman accusing him and no light on the soldier. The soldier is in the shadow but the light is slight directed on his back. With the light centered on St. Peter and his accuser’s face, the lines are contoured, to mimic reality in the pictures. The figures facial expressions, (emphasized on St. Peter) look more realistic. The lines and textures on Peter’s face, suggest that he is rejecting the accusation, as the lines in his forehead are creased as he shrugs up his eyebrows and St. Peter’s hands are placed inward. The drapery on the garments on the figures look realistic, but looked as if they were placed like costumes. St. Peter’s face is the one most accented.

The two main characters in the painting display elegant mannered poses and all the figures appear arranged in rather unnatural poses. There is a small scene at the foot of the Saint Catherine and Christ figures. This is thought to be the Christ child with the Virgin Mary and grandmother, Saint Anne. Below these two scenes are three smaller bordered scenes. The central one depicts two enemies reconciled by an archangel and the outer ones show Saints Michael and Margaret fighting demons. All these images show the triumph of good over evil, with the middle characters shedding their weapons and embracing. All these small pictures support that the painting was commissioned by Arigoi di Nero Arighetti to celebrate the end of a feud.

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

Although the use of line and light is not as defined as the color scheme, they still play an important role in the overall organization of the painting. Gauguin uses curvilinear lines throughout this work with no right angles or sharp points. The outlines in the background are fairly blurry and some of the lines blend into one another. In contrast, the characters in the foreground are comprised of precise, sharp lines. Gauguin goes as far as lightly outlining the bodies with a dark line in order to give them a sense of depth. Light also serves to enhance certain aspects of the painting. Gauguin has been careful in his use of light to create some areas of brightness and some of darkness. The central figure glows in the bright light, which shines down on her from above. This light shows the importance of the decision of whether to pick the fruit or not. It is focused so directly on one area and is void in the others.

The shapes of the figures are sharply defined and the objects such as the table, book, and string instruments. There are diagonal rhythms throughout the painting in which it creates movement. The light source in the upper left allows the source light to have a more natural appearance throughout the painting. The shadows at the right-hand corner and the men wearing green in the middle contrast the main object with the most sources of lighting. The objects shadows and lighting create dimension and a vivid sense of more contrast. There are areas in the making with more contrast and the sharp contrast that creates movement in the painting. The shadows and the lighting throughout the painting show gradations and the highlights create more depth. Staring from the upper-left hand corner with the first figure of a gentleman wearing a hue of blue and yellow, the left side of his face and garment shows the source light in right above him. The source light above the