The Crucifixion of Christ is a one of the most frequented religious themes seen during Gothic Italian panel paintings of the 13th and 14th century. Throughout the Strauss Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston the panel paintings often have a series of narratives alongside portraits that the viewer is able to read through the composition of the panels. One narrative that is of high importance is of The Crucifixion. Because it is so important, this scene is often arbitrarily placed in panels just to emphasize the engagement of the viewer to the importance of religion and the church. The setting of the The Crucifixion is quite the same in most if not all crucifixion paintings, with the placement of a triangular dialogue beginning with the Virgin, Christ, Saint John, and Saint Mary Magdalene. Another common characteristic in crucifixion scenes is the emotional representation of the figures pictured. Although there is an established display of facial expressions in Italian Gothic art, there seems to be more of an emotional connection in this particular type of narrative than other common religious themes. Looking at The Crucifixion scene of the Anon. Florentine Panel its counterpart, The Nativity scene does not pose the same emotional engagement in both the viewers and the characters displayed.
The original configuration of the Florentine panel painting is of the Circle of Andrea Orcagna and Nardo Di Cione in the form of a triptych. The two side panels are of Crucifixion
The ominous figure in the centre of the foreground - Jesus Christ hanging lifeless on the cross, in Luca di Tommè’s ‘The Crucifixion’, primarily catches the eye. The symmetrical arrangement of lamenting figures around the cross, as well as the gilded background, highlight him as the focal point of this artwork.
This paper will compare the themes found in the paintings "Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and an Angel" by Domenico di Bartolomeo Ubaldini (Puligo) and "Madonna Enthroned" by Giotto. Both paintings deal with fables from the Christian faith but were executed during different periods in art. The Giotto painting was created around 1310 and the Puglio painting was executed between 1518 1520. Here, these two paintings have similar themes both at the extreme beginnings and endings of the Italian Renaissance, and as such they serve to present an exceptional example of the developments in art that occurred within that time. This paper shall compare
Giovanni di Paolo’s The Annunciation and Expulsion from Paradise is currently in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, was finished in 1435 CE, and is made of tempera on panel. This Sienese panel from the start of the Italian Renaissance is believed to be one of five from the lower part of the altarpiece. Giovanni di Paolo uses golden texture to display divinity, line to illustrate architectural perspective, and a strategic use of scale throughout the composition in order to portray the importance of the religious context. His personal artistic stylization, the experimentation of the Italian Renaissance but still firmly painting with Medieval Pictorial Tradition, and the use of symbolism can also demonstrate the religious meaning of the piece. Furthermore, in the context of Giovanni di Paolo’s The Annunciation and Expulsion from Paradise, the conversation between monetary and cultural value and the controversy of art being exhibited in its country of origin will be discussed.
William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice presents a man who is undone by his own insecurities, as well as strong female characters who lead to the downfall of the men. The character of Othello allows others to control how he feels and this leads to a tragedy that could have been prevented. The source of this tragedy comes from within himself. His character is completely wrapped up in his wife Desdemona’s character and interestingly enough, as soon as her character starts to decline from the words of Iago, so does Othello’s. Unable to stand on his own, Othello is more concerned with outwardly appearances than Desdemona. He puts more pressure on her, than he does himself in regards to his character and how he
This painting consists of two small panels in which one panel depicts the crucifixion of Jesus and the other portrays scenes that associate themselves with the Last Judgement. In the first panel you can see a crowd surround Jesus during his crucifixion. In the background, you can see a clear picture of Jerusalem. On the bottom you can you see five people that appear to be
Since the beginning of time people have always been afraid. Afraid of the sun, sharks, bears, snakes, women, men, life, death, divorce, Catholics, Jews, democrats, republicans, Italians, Mexicans, Asians, but the question is not who or what people have been afraid of, the question is why. Why have people been afraid for thousands of years? There is always a reason at the heels of horror, terror and despair. When people fear something or someone, paranoia and hysteria begin to break down the human brain and influence the decisions they make. Throughout history, we as a people have seen the abstraction of fear dominate the masses while at the same time, cultivate hysteria.
of them can attain being imprisoned and even when they do battle to determine who wins Emily’s hand that is ultimately left to fate as the gods intervene when Arcite initially wins the bout. They make no attempt, as romantic heroes, to romance the object of their affection. Furthermore, despite the Knight’s tale being a romance, its center is more on the competition between the two men as opposed to the relationship Emily would have with one of them. Chaucer devotes two pages to their argument on who deserves Emily more, Arcite who loves towards her is a “love as to a creature” or Palamon whose love Arcite mocks as an “affeccioun of hoolynesse ”. It is this lack of agency and the different affections that Chaucer subverts in the Miller’s
Are you in highschool and are going through a rough time. Than you could relate to the book Speak. Speak is about a girl going into highschool with no friends. Not even her friend from junior high, but why.
singer of this song and Abigail both share the same type of jealousy due to love.
The subject of religion has captured the attention of artists for centuries, working its way throughout the years, in and out of various of styles and movements. The artists of this era often found themselves reliant on this subject matter due to Churches being a steady Patron throughout the Renaissance all the way to the Baroque period. Whether it was because of the rich cultural impact to society or the enforcement of strong divine beliefs, depicting biblical narratives have struck an everlasting cord within this medium. Two particular ones, in fact: The Deposition from the Cross (Entombment of Christ) by Jacopo Pontormo and The Entombment of Christ by Michelangelo Caravaggio. Both of which provide an excellent example of how culture and artistic style combined can alter the message of the same iconic scene and still evoke different emotions.
Regardless of how one chooses to live their lives, there always seems to be a desire for something more. Despite the difficulty to understand certain meanings in life, it seems that numerous authors grapple with this desire for knowledge. In the GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, Christ and his disciples struggle with understanding truth. Christ serves as a teacher for the disciples in this area as he explains how “…the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the upright,/to throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth” (Matthew 13:49-50). This passage explains to the disciples how as long as they live free from sin, they will be able to better understand hell and live a fulfilling life. Meanwhile, in OEDIPUS REX, Oedipus spends all of his time searching for the perpetrator in King Laius’s murder. On the other hand, in ANTIGONE, the characters each seem to go different routes in discovering truth. Although Antigone believes she owes “…a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living…,” indicating she seeks truth in the rules of the gods, Creon, the King and Antigone’s uncle, pursues the truth by strictly abiding to the rules of man. Ismene, Antigone’s sister, takes a middle stance by seeking a balance between the rules of man and the rules of the gods in hopes to find truth. Unlike Antigone, Ismene is more concerned in finding peace in her life, whereas Antigone and Creon seem more adamant about doing the right thing. In THE
Vittore Carpaccio’s symmetrical input truly served it’s purpose. Focusing on the center third of the painting, there’s a mere perfect symmetrical contrast of life and death top to bottom. Most impacting is the symmetrical division of the malnourished and tortured body of Jesus Christ, The left side of his body is in a lively sitting posture on the throne. While his right side is the embodiment of death, his punctured ribs and dangling arm. From the ground up, Carpaccio illustrates the contrast of life and death with minimal details in the painting. The supporting stones of the throne, directly below the arm rests, are divided by breakage, the left stone is cracked and falling apart, while the opposing stone appears to be intact. Vittore Carpaccio managed to capture the cycle of life with many elements one wouldn’t think of comparing life and death with. The top left portion of the throne is a half broken, followed by Jesus’s deadly posture to the falling apart ground stone of the throne, Death is captured in a very recognizable minimalistic form.
Somewhere between the years of 1599 and 1602, William Shakespeare wrote his longest, most influential and powerful tragedy, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play stages the revenge that a young prince seeks against his uncle for murdering his father, inheriting the throne, and subsequently marrying his mother.
The theme of Revenge has been utilized in numerous works of art throughout history, including books, plays, movies, etc. Revenge is the result of one’s desire for vengeance, however, revenge is known to be implied under high emotions of anger thus not with reason concluding with a horrible outcome. Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet’ is no doubt a play about a tragedy caused by revenge; Prince Hamlet’s retribution for his father, King Hamlet’s murder and Laertes vengeance for his father, Polonius’ murder. The theme of revenge in Hamlet is portrayed through various literary techniques such as foreshadowing and irony.
This paper will compare the themes found in the paintings “Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist and an Angel” by Domenico di Bartolomeo Ubaldini (Puligo) and “Madonna Enthroned” by Giotto. Both paintings deal with fables from the Christian faith but were executed during different periods in art. The Giotto painting was created around 1310 and the Puglio painting was executed between 1518 – 1520. Here, these two paintings have similar themes both at the extreme beginnings and endings of the Italian Renaissance, and as such they serve to present an exceptional example of the developments in art that occurred within that time. This paper shall compare