Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Caravaggio - Out of the Shadows and Into the Painting
Portrait painting has been a staple of the medium since pigment and brush first met. It has long been a tradition of artists to capture there own likeness and place it on a canvas. This long and esteemed tradition was largely driven by commissioned work which has given way to other mediums. Today portrait artist has largely been replaced by photographers and camcorders. Commissioned portrait artists today will often be found sketching in the mall, or drawing pictures of suspects from a victim's description. Yet portraits and self portraits are still a favorite topic among artists. Self portraits are a particular favorite, in part because the model seldom complains. Some great artists of the past would often insert their image into their paintings. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1571-1610, was one such artist.
A classic Caravaggio can easily be recognized by the dramatic light. The range of light is filled with contrast, the composition bathed in bright and dark with very few middle tones. It is a dramatic lightening that easily captures the attention and directs the eye to the action. It is formally know as Tenebrism, the spectacular disparity of light and dark. Caravaggio's shadow's are nearly featureless, creating a negative space that makes the subject explode off the canvas. His paintings are also noted for their emotional realism.
Crucifixion Religious Paintings
Religious Renaissance artists chose to present Jesus Christ on the cross in a more natural, human form that had been seen before in art of the middle ages. The crucifixion represents Christ's suffering and his gift to fellow man, which are hard to marry together. Some see Christianity as a slightly depressing or negative set of religions due to the well-known depictions of Christ, but if truth be known they symbolise as much good as anything.
This crucial point in Christian faith is rightly matched by countless creations from famous artists around the world, each adding their own thoughts and styles to the iconic picture of Jesus Christ on the cross. As with the baptism of Christ, the crucifixion, god and virgin Mary and child, the crucifixion retains it's status as an ideal subject for religious artists of any era. The heavy weight of religion in Renaissance art makes artists of this time ideal for study.
El Greco is a very famous religious artist who created Crucifixion from 1584-1594. His work, and similarly in one of Tintoretto, underline the violence and drama of the occasion. In contrast, Perugino used a very calming setting for his oil painting in 1496. Grunewald uses a more depressing approach with an attention to Christ's pain set against a dark background. Michelangelo also leant his own characteristics to this subject in his 1550-55 work. There is plenty of choice open to art enthusiasts depending on whether one wishes to celebrate the life and achievement of Christ, or dwell on the pain which he suffered.
His Most Famous Painting (The Raising of the Cross) - Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens (born June 28, 1577) was one of the most charismatic and influential Flemish painters of the 'Renaissance' period. His bold interpretation of the mythological stories and their dramatic rendition on the canvas made him a pioneer in the 'European' style of painting. Peter had adopted the 'Baroque' style of painting, exuberating struggle and drama. He personified allegorical characters and rendered them on canvas, depicting their trauma, emotional struggle, and their sheer bravery, as is best evident in his "The Raising of the Cross" or "The Elevation of the Cross," which depicted the last stages of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. Paul Rubens created this painting after his return to Flanders from Italy. Created during 1610-11, "The Elevation of the Cross" is a triptych panel painting. A triptych is divided into three sections, with each one symbolizing a story.
In "The Raising of the Cross" however, Rubens highlighted only one storyline, that regarding the 'Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.' The middle section of "The Raising of The Cross" is much dramatic and tensed, as it shows nine executioners raising the body of the Christ. Rubens' influence of other Italian 'Renaissance' painters, such as Tintoretto and Michelangelo is evident in the painting. There is a dynamic usage of colors and the executioners are shown with seminude muscular bodies. The most distinct feature of this panel painting was the way Christ was lifted in a diagonal manner, which manifests Caravaggio's influence on Peter Paul. Caravaggio's painting titled 'Entombment' was similar in nature as the high and the fall of the subject was of prime importance. The other two sections display the emotional pandemonium that occurred when Christ was crucified. One section displays the mournful Virgin Mary, John the Evangelist, and the followers of Christ. The despondent environment revolving around the death of Christ is palpable in this section of Paul's painting. The other section displays the royal monarchs in their grandiose nobility who witness the Crucifixion of Christ with much sinister pleasure. This section also portrays the Crucifixion of other two Jewish thieves. The outer sections of the triptych depict saints, such as Saints Amand, Walpurgis, Eligius, and Catherine of Alexandria.
Baptism Religious Paintings of Jesus Christ
All sects of Christian religion used Baptism and as such it made a suitable choice for painters from every generation, particularly Renaissance where religious paintings were especially common and of high quality and imagination. This article examines a little of the history behind Renaissance Christ baptism paintings and offers up some of the better ones made during this era. Alongside the likes of resurrection, crucifixion, god and virgin Mary and child, baptism retains it's status as an iconic subject for religious artists.
Whilst Christians are together on the use of baptism, some disagree on when it should take place in a person's life. In general it is believed to be best done as soon as is possible in order to distinguish any original sins, but most paintings of Christ's baptism show him as a fully grown man, in a ceremony carried out by St John. Popularity has grown in baptism as a subject for art due to how it can so clearly and easily symbolise the power of Christianity to redeem and forgive.
The famous Renaissance artists who created well-known baptism paintings of Christ are also commonly respected for their depictions of other common Christian subjects. El Greco's original style helped create the respected Baptism of Christ in 1596-1600, with extraordinary detail. Other works by David Gerard, Piero della Francesca and Giovanni Bellini each offer their own versions of the same, sometimes adding angels or doves for a particular atmosphere.
Oil paintings of Christ's baptism offer the power of symbolism to Renaissance art and are worth studying in order to discover how each of the famous artists of the time sought to portray this iconic picture.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
