Triumph Of Bacchus

In the Roman high relief sculpture, The Indian Triumph of Dionysus, a man takes the center of the piece as everyone else surrounding him appear to be celebrating. Located in the Museum of Fine arts, Houston’s Audrey Jones Beck building the sculpture can be seen at a size of 34 ½ x 85 ¾ x 9 ½ in. Created between 180-195 AD it can be determined that through its use of space, movement, and line work that times of triumph call for a celebration.

I will be analyzing the piece Aeneas and His Family Fleeing Troy. This artwork is currently being displayed at the San Diego Museum of Art, in Balboa Park near downtown San Diego. This painting was made in 1635 during the Baroque Period in France by Simon Vouet. Vouet was the most influential painter of his time and did much to make Paris an artistic center of Europe. Vouet was heavily influenced by Caravaggio who also heavily influenced other painters during Vouet’s time. In this paper, I will be exploring issues such as material, subject matter, scale, historical context, light, human figure, and finally museum context.

The Odyssey of Homer is a fascinating epic of the homecoming of Odysseus, one of the most influential heroes of the Trojan war. This homecoming journey of Odysseus which serves as a means of teaching him greater lessons of life and humility. Furthermore, Odyssey beautifully portrays the transformation Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, from a scared little boy to a confident warrior.

It was during the Middle Ages (300-1000 AD), that various distinctive forms of art began to emerge in western Europe. A variety of significant mosaics, buildings and other forms of art came from this time that continue to be analyzed in the present. In the book Early Medieval Art, Lawrence Nees successfully provides an intricate interpretation of these various art forms that developed in this time in history while allowing the reader to conceptualize the emerging cultures of the first millennium in Europe. Nees is able to do this by outlining key aspects of the studied works of art that symbolize how life was at this point in history. At the beginning of his book, it is apparent that Nees seeks to provide a less traditional view on art at this time when he states, “I offer a different story of early medieval art in place of the more traditional tale of the decline of Rome and triumph of Christianity”. Nees’ thesis is subsequently inexplicitly stated to analyze the role of tradition in early medieval western art and its transformation as time progressed. By following a non-conventional thesis when writing this book, Nees is able to contribute a new perspective into the overall topic of medieval art.

I was fortuned to have had parents who had a respect for all kinds of art and approached life with an open mind. Thus being furthered blessed to grow up near a metropolis which possesses a major art museum and galleries showcasing new talent, filling young eyes with wonderment. An art appreciation study early own in life would have been beneficial but alas, I burn with shame as one who falls in the class of “I know what I like” when asked about art. I am all agog for semester’s end to be better equipped to articulate on why I am moved by a particular piece. After listening to the first week lecture and reading the first two chapters of the course text, it was difficult to narrow the subject of my essay to one subject. But, Chapter Ones quotes

This oil on canvass depicts the moment when Christ, a divine spirit embodied in flesh, was born in Bethlehem. The painting is filled with all living things rejoicing as radiant beams of clean white light bounce from the birth and back to the heavens above. The painting is full of opalescent colors that bring a sense of calm. As you are drawn in your eyes reach the elegant curvature of the angel’s

“Hieronymus Bosch was one of the most fascinating and puzzling artists in history- a unique artistic personality who nonetheless typifies the Renaissance era in the emergence of distinctive personal styles”, in the words of Fred S. Kleiner (257). The painting I chose do my term paper on is titled, The Arrest of Christ. Painted in the year 1515, by the artist Hieronymous Bosch, in oil and tempera on a panel. It currently hangs in the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. The Arrest of Christ painting depicts Christ’s peace transcending his circumstances and the balance between good and evil. In the first part of this paper I will give a formal analysis of the painting

The painting itself was created in 1937 and depicts a rural home. Outside it appears that someone has come to visit, as there is a vehicle parked out front and a man standing at the doorway of the house. Inside the home it can be seen that someone has passed away and loved ones are mourning their loss. Above the home there is a spiritual battle taking place for the soul of the deceased. Light has parted the clouds and there is a horse driven chariot followed by a parade of angels coming down from above. The spirit itself is surrounded by even more angels with trumpets in hand, ready to take the soul up to eternal glory. In a nearby tree is another angel who appears busy with a demon who

painting. This is a painting in which Jesus is the center of the movement in the work everything

The booty includes a seven-branched candelabra (menorah), silver trumpets, and perhaps even the Ark of the Covenant. One panel shows the start of Titus’ 71 CE victory triumph procession as it passes through the Porta Triumphalis to the Forum Boarium with the participants carrying booty from the Temple of Jerusalem after the sacking of the city. Some figures carry placards which would have probably indicated the names of the conquered cities and

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 artwork I chose to write about is The Indian Triumph of Dionysus which I came across on my visit to the Museum of Fine Arts. The artwork was commissioned by a wealthy Roman during the end of the second century A.D. Although the Dionysus cult may hold many mysteries it is known that this artwork originated in Rome. The individual who funded that creating of this sarcophagus desired to commemorate his beliefs. Desiring for others to know what he associated himself as is what gave birth to this masterpiece.

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

When I see the painting the shape is symmetric in the sense that there are the same amount of people on both sides of Jesus. The genre of this painting is Christian art.There are also four panels on both sides of the walls. In my opinion, the target audience that this painting was intended for are those who are believers of Christ. I feel this way because I think that this painting portrays the event that is talked about in the bible in the scripture Matthew 26, verse 21 where Jesus says “…"Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.". He then continues in verse 23 saying, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me”. In the painting, you can clearly see the man two seats away from his right reaching for the bowl at the same time as Christ. This event lead to the Holy Eucharist, also known as communion or the Lord’s Supper where Christ takes the bread which was to symbolize his body and wine which was to symbolize his

The first paper that was written was the humanities essay. The humanities essay helped to provide an understanding of the artistic analysis of the artwork that we chose to write about. When the assignment was first assigned I thought it was going to be difficult, seeing that the humanities field is all about expressing your opinion and deconstructing the text for what it says and not how it does so. As I begun to work on the project I found it to be less challenging. Being able to look at a piece of art and deconstruct it in an attempt to identify the artist’s idea, was exciting. I was able to see and realize things about the painting that I never would have noticed if it had not been for this paper. In my painting called “Beulah’s Baby” I never would have noticed how the colors used in the painting told their own story of sadness and depression just by the color contrast, and shading that the painter used.