“The Martyrdom of St. Matthew” - Painting Analysis Essay

Baciccio wanted the story he represented to be easily recognized, so he made the angel wear white robes, and display a large set of wings. Abraham appears to be the eldest looking of the group with his beard, wrinkles and is the one who wears the only true red shown on the canvas. In contrast, Isaac’s boyish appearance is presented in the nude. Along with these distinguishing characteristics, Baciccio uses color, and linear perspective to tell this story. He separates the canvas with a background of mountains and trees, a midground of people watching the sky in an open field, and a foreground of his main subject. The focal point becomes the hand Abraham is using to hold the knife. The orthogonals of the altarpiece, mountains in the background, and decent of the angel all point to this location. The excellent details around the hand when contrasted by the natural blurring of the cloudy background draw the eye. Baciccio also uses trees to circle the important trio, and tell the audience that they are the ones who need the attention. Little glances of the landscape can be seen behind them, but for the most part these three figures take up the majority of the canvas. Baciccio wanted to make it easy for the viewer to recognize the story immediately, but those who constantly stare at every leaf, pebble, hair, and brushstroke get the real pleasure of knowing the true story, he story of how the

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.

David M. Stone has made some great points in his article, “Signature Killer: Caravaggio and the Poetics of Blood.” Stone set out to explain his ideas about Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio’s honorary knighthood and the social standing it gave him, and what it meant for Caravaggio to sign his name in The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, in the blood of St. John the Baptist himself. Stone gave great insight into the world of Caravaggio’s life and what he could have been implying through the act of signing in blood.

Upon walking into Gallery 250 of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, one will find on the wall a particularly eye-catching piece of art. The piece, set high on the corner of the wall encompassed by pictures depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, is Giulio Cesare Procaccini's The Scourging of Christ. In this piece, Procaccini's masterful use of light and shadows in a technique called chiaroscuro dramatically portray the torturing of Christ, and it is this very application of chiaroscuro that immediately caught my eye. Through his masterful rendition of value, Procaccini successfully evoked within me a crushing sensation of agony. While I did not initially realize that the piece was one of Christ, research enabled me to witness how

In this essay, the difference between Northern Baroque and Italian Baroque styles of painting, the differences between a male and a female interpretation, the narrative differences, and the psychological dilemmas they present to the viewer will be discussed.

Art is the cultural element that encompasses the achievements of an era. Giotto di Bondone’s Lamentation, painted in 1305, demonstrates the beginning of naturalism and the shift away from feudalism during the Early Renaissance period, while Caravaggio’s Entombment, painted in 1603, exhibits the advancement of naturalism into a more dramatic, emotional form called tenebrism during the Baroque period. Both of these painting were new for time, and they display certain similarities and distinct differences.

Italy can be looked at as the home of the renaissance and consequently the immergence of great art. Artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Raphael are some of the greats and are looked at for standards. But what about the artists whose lives are mysteries, and their works that were influenced by the greats? These artists hold just as much importance in the history of art as do the artist’s whose names can be recalled off the top of an average person’s head. During the sixteenth century things began to change in the art world, and that change was the Baroque. This new style of art brought a revolution to how subject matter was painted, it brought upon “… a radical reconsideration of art and its purposes…” (249) and how artists of all ranks could learn to paint the up and coming style of Baroque.

     Who is this man Jesus? Where was he from? What did he do for others and us? A great source of reference to answer this question would be someone who had direct contact with him in everyday life. Someone who saw the daily wonders he created would be the best source for information. Matthew, the apostle, is believed to have written the gospel of Matthew. He was able to experience firsthand all of the amazing miracles that Jesus performed. God inspired his words, and his gospel relates to the other three gospels in overall context. They were written in different formats and styles, but the overall message and story remains constant throughout all four gospels. This creates a strong

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 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.

Most forms of Catholic Baroque art are assertive and, as intended, assault ones senses. The evolution of religious art from the uniform composition characteristic of the Italian Renaissance through the evolving Mannerism in to the bold and striking Baroque was striking to say the least. The stylistic changes from Da Vinci's The Last Supper to Tintoretto's version in the 1590's bear a perfect example of this transition. The point of view in Da Vinci's was central and allowed for a

The dark background relates to the fact that in the Baroque era, they were going through a dark time, almost to say lead by a dark force that was taking away people from the Catholic Church. These different religious were also mostly only believing in God or Jesus, and my opinion is that all these paintings didn’t just focus on them the also included angels, Mary, or anyone else considered important in the Catholic faith. That is why I think that they only highlight the face to give these different people to acknowledgment them and everything else is casted in the dark with the

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.

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.

The beatitudes are just a sample of the many teachings that this book has to offer.