Lucretia

Judith Cutting Off the Head of Holofernes (Figure 1), ca. 1640,1 is consisting of a well-dressed female decapitating a middle-age man in his bed with the aid of an old woman. The elegantly dressed female using a sword to behead the man is named Judith. The male figure in the painting is

The purpose of this assignment is to present a brief yet comprehensive formal analysis of the work in question, namely, Joos van Cleve’s Lucretia. The painting was completed ca. 1525 by the Flemish artist most likely in Antwerp, where he was highly active from about 1511 until his death in 1540. The painting is oil on panel (75.9 x 60.6 cm) and is exemplary of the early Baroque period. The work depicts at the broadest level the suicide of the early Roman historical figure, Lucretia, following her rape c. 510 BC by Sextus Tarquinius, son of the last Roman king. The incident bears historical significance as it marks rising popular dissatisfaction of the Roman people with the monarchy, and the transition from the Roman Kingdom to the Roman Republic,

This piece of artwork is called ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’, which was created by Caravaggio in the late 16th century in Rome. It was a type of oil painting on canvas, also, a piece of artwork in the period of Baroque. Briefly, Hood stated that in this artwork, it told the story in Biblical story of Judith, dressed as a well-born Renaissance young lady, standing at a safe distance, and who was saved her people by beheading and seducing the Assyrian general Holofernes, which was a theme very common in the 16th century. As the biblical text reported, ‘’Holofernes was so enchanted with her that he drank far more wine than he had drunk on any other day in his life’’ (Judith 12:20). Judith got Holofernes drunk, then took his sword and killed him. (p.24)

From everything that can be appreciated about this piece and where it came from its most appreciative characteristics come from the beauties of how it captures the presence of the art in the transition from the Early Renaissance time period into the true Renaissance. During this time period the artwork focused to idealize the beauties of nature and perfection. From all of the miniscule details to the overall composition of the piece there are many aspects which this piece shows that represent the beauties that art found during the time frame it was made. We have looked at many paintings of sacra conversazione within our studies which gives us the ability to look specifically

This painting is much more sensual than Giorgione’s painting due to Titian’s because he engages the woman with the audience by making her look straightforwardly at the audience and his use of chiaroscuro (Grabski, Józef).

Throughout history people can see many of the developments and differences among cultures, through the artworks that were produced. This essay will carefully analyze, evaluate, and compare four distinct works, from different time periods and cultures. The works to be compared are: The Woman from Willendorf, The Bust of Nefertiti, Figure of A Woman, and Young Flavian Woman. Throughout this paper the style and function of each individual work will be explored, along with the cultural ideas presented in each piece.

The painting, ‘Virgin and Child with Donor’, by Antoniazzo Romano, despite painting a similar scene, possesses several differences. The most notable difference is the fact that the work of art was crafted on an entirely different medium, which was the ‘Tempera and gold leaf on wood’, according to the museum’s description. The painting is similar to Rogier van der Weyden’s work in its depiction of the Virgin Mary with very soft, blended features. The facial expression of the Virgin Mary is also very like that of Rogier van der Weyden’s painting as well, conveying a sense of peace and

Thirty-four years after Sofonisba Anguissola became court painter to Phillip II, Artemisia Gentileschi was born in 1593. Unlike Anguissola, Artemisia Gentileschi was fortunate enough to have a well-established painter as a father. Orazio Gentileschi was a follower of on of the leading Baroque painters Caravaggio, who’s paintings utilized dramatic lighting and focused on the narrative of his realistically plain characters. Orazio trained his daughter in Caravaggio’s style until he found that her talents surpassed his own. He then hired Agostino Tassi to take over her training and to teach her perspective in 1611. However, Tassi raped Artemisia, falsely promising to marry her afterward. Orazio sued Tassi for the rape of Artemisia and the theft of several pictures. The trial lasted for five months, and Artemisia had to endure the thumb screw, a lie detector test of the time. Tassi was found guilty and spent eight months in prison before being released. Even though Tassi was found guilty, Artemisia was labeled as a “licentious woman ever since.” It is speculated that this trial acted as inspiration for many of Artemisia’s paintings, which included subjects of heroic women.

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 braided hair and ribbons of one of the grieving woman’s hair, small sprigs of foliage adorning the platform of Patroclus’ bed, the Greek ships silhouetted in the background, and the inclusion of Achilles’ armor all contribute to the Classical theme. It is as if Taillasson is trying to convince the viewer, through these scattered Classical elements, that this is indeed a true Classical painting. Perhaps he thought it was. However, time begs to differ. In the grand scheme of art history it is not a pure of perfect example of a Classical work or a Rococo. The composition and theme of the painting - an apparent use of horizontals and verticals on angular planes and a theme relating to myths of antiquity - are markers of the Classical. The colors, brushstroke, and poses/treatment of the body - soft pastels, loose and fluffy strokes, and relaxed figures - are that of Rococo. Overall, the painting is an example of the space of time between both art periods. Those trained in Rococo, like Taillasson was, were trying to maintain the techniques they were taught. In this work Taillasson is conforming with the newly popular Classical style, but only in intention not result. The subsequent work created still clings to all things

It was determined that the women in the portrait was most likely a freeborn, upper-middle class citizen of Rome. The portrait seems to have been a part of a funerary monument, a conclusion which was drawn due to the pattern of cleavage observed at the back of her head and the sides of her face. It was also observed that there was a

The portrait is displayed horizontally with a gold trimmed frame. The subject is a female that looks to be in her early 20’s sitting upright on a large brown chair. If the viewer travels up the painting the first indication of the woman’s class is her satin, blue dress. The saturated blue shines and falls in the light like water. Paired with the dress are her exceptionally detailed endings to her sleeves. The lace is even painted as though it is translucent, allowing a little of the blue dress to show through the sleeve. Flowers throughout history have symbolized innocence of a woman and her virginity. The repeating theme of flowers, in the sleeve cuffs and ribbon) in the woman’s attired suggests her purity or innocent nature. Another very details section of the painting includes the corset/torso details. The sewing suggests texture in the torso with small beading in between. Towards the top of the chest in the center, the female seems to bear an extravagant, ribbon piece with a tear drop bead in the center. The light pink

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.

Script: This painting of Paul Cezanne illustrates the unusual relation between a woman and the swan from “Leda and the swan”. Unlike many other portraits or sculptures, this painting does not intend to show sexual intercourse. Also, the background is not indicated the actual location. However, one common thing found in the painting is Leda’s face expression. According to the story that she was bound by Zeus’ spell, Paul Cezanne expressed her to be half-minded.

In this essay, I will discuss the startling differences between two depictions of the story of Judith and Holofernes. “Judith with the Head of Holofernes”, 1495, created by Andrea Mantegna, is a small-scale painting that was completed during the Renaissance. The second is a Baroque painting, “Judith Slaying Holofernes”, c.1620 by Artemisia Gentileschi and is on a larger scale than the version created by Mantegna. Both artworks take inspiration from the religious story that appears in the Catholic editions of the Bible. The story is about a young widowed Jewish woman, by the name of Judith, who murdered an enemy army general, Holofernes, to spare her people from death. I will compare and contrast how the scene has been depicted in rather different ways by each of the artists and the influencing factors that contributed to the overall outcome of both works. I will also be discussing how form and naturalism are portrayed between the two paintings, use of colour, symbolism and religion, as well as the Renaissance and Baroque eras.