"Madonna" and "Venus" from Two Different Periods Essay

Peter Paul Rubens’ masterpiece, Venus and Adonis, is not only a significant artwork of the baroque-period in Europe during the seventeenth century, but it also tells the mythological story that begins with love, and ends in tragedy. Displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this painting is admired for representing the unique baroque-style of this era, as well as Rubens’ particular use of the medium and how it reaches those who are viewing it. His attention to detail and crafty use of symbolism within the painting assist viewers in deciphering the story, along with the values of the period in which Rubens was living. In studying the composition of the work and noting the historical context from which it came, one can ultimately

The two works of art that I have chosen is the painting The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli and the poem Stanze per la Giostra by Angelo Poliziano. The Birth of Venus was created between 1484 and 1486 by Sandro Botticelli. It was created in the early Renaissance period and is currently located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. Stanze per la Giostra was written between 1475 and 1478 by the Renaissance poet Angelo Poliziano. Its current location is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, although it is currently not on display. The Birth of Venus and Stanze per la Giostra share many similarities as Stanze per la Giostra was Botticelli’s inspiration for creating The Birth of Venus. In The Birth of Venus, Botticelli has transformed Poliziano’s words into a beautiful work of art. These works of art share the theme of beauty. While Angelo Poliziano describes the beauty of the goddess Venus in his prose, Botticelli has captured her beauty with his delicate brush strokes. I will be comparing the theme of beauty between The Birth of Venus and Stanze per la Giostra as well as connecting it to contemporary standards of beauty.

While both reflect a Biblical theme with a central focal point of the Madonna and Child, "Madonna Enthroned" has a key image that is best viewed from a central position and "Madonna and Child…" has a greater degree of importance over the majority of the surface of the canvas. In "Madonna and Child…" the viewer does not perceive that an image is being forced upon them as is found in the work by Giotto. A use of light and space is also key to preventing the Puligo piece from being "forced", where the organization of distance visibly removes the viewer from "Madonna Enthroned" while drawing the viewer into the painting in "Madonna and Child…". Color also serves a similar purpose, where Giotto's work is monochromatic but ocher while Puligo's work carries a greater expression through the detail involved.

Over the years, many art historians have argued over the true intentions of Titian’s Venus of Urbino. Unlike some of Titian’s other paintings, Venus of Urbino does not have

Similarly, the image of Madonna Enthroned was painted by Cimabue in Italy during the 13th Century, an interesting period of the country’s religious and art history. It was during the 13th Century that Italy was on the brink of a great revival known as the Renaissance. Cimabue’s work represents the best of the Byzantine Tradition. Cimabue is also the well-known teacher of Giotto, one of the leading artists of the Italian Renaissance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimabue

In 1538, the Venus of Urbino was commissioned by the Duke of Urbino Guidobaldo II Della Rovere, to his bride as a wedding gift. Titian referenced his teacher’s work, which is Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus , It described Venus sleeping on the ground, in nature, nude. Her gesture is almost same as Titian’s Venus of Urbino, distinguished by the position of her right arm. Titian used the “Velatura” as known as “glazing” technique, which is a technique of applying multiple layers of transparent thin paint to create the final piece, the charm of this technique is the painting is as smooth as glass and the

The visual work I have chosen is the Bith of Venus and is one of the world’s most famous works of art. Painted by Sandro Botticelli between 1482 and 1485, it is the first example of painting on canvas. The written work I have chosen is the Stanze per la Giostra. It was written by Angelo Poliziano, written between 1475-8. Both works are examples from the Italian Renaissance era, during the Medici rule, and share the theme of beauty and humanism. The works I've selected share the same subject matter, Venus, and is the perfect example of beauty and humanism. She is the epitome of beauty and her birth from the sea is an example of her metamorphosis of humanism. For this paper, I will compare both works then discuss how the shared theme is seen in contemporary works. How does Venus and her beautiful metamorphosis fit into contemporary forms of beauty and humanism?

Madonna and Child with Angels and Prophets, an alter piece standing some 12 feet and 7 inches tall, was created around 1280-1290 A.D. for the Church of Santa Trinità in Florence, Italy and is now in the Galleria delgi Uffizi Florence. This iconographical piece was constructed through tempera and gold leaf on wood by Cimabue, an Italian painter who brought classical tradition back into art during the 13th century, when Italo-Byzantine style was dominant, paving the way for art in the Renaissance period.

Titian painted Venus and Adonis because of the tale called Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Basically, the tale was about the goddess Venus getting struck by cupid and her falling desperately in love with Adonis. Adonis, a hunter was leaving with his hunting dogs but the goddess Venus does not want him leaving. She foresees the hunt will be dangerous for him and tries very hard for Adonis not to leave. Titian grabbed the moment of the goddess Venus, giving of her warning, and Adonis’s death and basically painting the emotionally charged moment of Adonis’s departure for the hunt (Venice). The goddess Venus in this painting is portrayed as more of a frantic women rather than a dignified feminine ideal. Also the role is sort of reversed and the goddess Venus is portrayed more as masculine than feminine. Since she was struck by love so hard, she is depicted as sort of an aggressive women in

Consequently, many of the colors used in Titian’s Venus of Urbino rematerialize in numerous of Titian’s other works, for example the green in the curtain behind the young woman’s head. The green depicted was painted

Inspired by Giorgione, Titian’s Venus has a lot of similarities with Giorgione’s Venus. Similar to the sleeping Venus, Titan used curved and flowing lines to depict the beautiful figure of the female nude and as well the cloth underneath her. The shape is close or the same to Giorgione’s Venus: a nude women reclining on the mattress with her hand covered on her private. The light source is unknown too; it could be the natural light from a window or spot light from a lamp. Like the sleeping Venus, value

Artemisia Gentileschi, Venus and Cupid, ca. 1625-30. Oil on canvas, 38 x 56 5/6 inches. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA.

This period housed many depictions of the Virgin Mary, including Cimabue’s Enthroned Madonna and Child. Mary was seen as the perfect example of feminine virtue, showing chastity, piety, humility, and maternity. Images of the Madonna, or Mary, whether sculpture or painting, encouraged women to live up to her. Mary wasn’t the only woman that was looked up to in Renaissance art. Women could be portrayed as witches, saints, temptresses, or members of the working class, and their image would still be an encouragement to dress and behave properly. (Jacobs)

Also the crisp outlines of the jewel-colored shapes created by their clothing as well as the continuity of folds and gestures, creates a rhythmic pattern crisscrossing the surface showing the element of design (Stubblebine). The imagery in Madonna and Child is displayed in how the artist expresses himself, and how the artwork communicates with the viewer. The artist expresses himself in that the work is symbolic. It is symbolic in that it depicts the sacred realm and the account of Mary and the Child it also emphasized the thirteenth century devotional practice on experiencing the sacred figures as real (Stokstad 259). In addition, the work was created within a structured stylistic context of devotional images and icons, and was not created as a personal expression. The Madonna and Child painting communicates with the viewer, in that the sense of human interaction convinces the viewer that the two figures exist in real space and time (Tomkins 3) and the intimate interaction between the Child and the Madonna evokes a human response from the viewer. Duccio explored the world of sentiment and empathetic emotional response with a lyricism and sensitivity to color. Some examples of this is the tender gesture of the Child, the distant glaze of the Virgin, yet deeply moving expression, the use of drapery folds to describe the forms of the

The era of Mannerism is renown for its increasingly complex works of art, much like the High Renaissance before it, and the discipline of sculpture is no exception. Out of this period comes more intricate poses, forms, and emphasis on the illusion of movement which is perhaps most evident in Giambologna's "The Rape of the Sabine Women". His sculpture depicts a young man attempting to carry a struggling young woman as he stands over the contorted body of an older man, either the woman's husband or father. What is interesting about this work is not only the realistic human forms and perceived chaos of the moment, but also the lack of a dominant side from which this sculpture would be viewed. In order to achieve these features, Giabologna utilizes a combination of various textures and diagonal lines to create the complete illusion of muscle, flesh, energy, and multiple focus points.