The Gathering of Manna, circa 1637-9 Nicolas Poussin Buy From Art.com

The people are divided into several groups, each including actors that either collect, wonder, examine, or even fight for the Manna. The most consistently reappearing sentiment is of praising God with a characteristic thankful folding of the hands. By showing a range of emotions and activities Poussin credibly anchors a divine act in concrete reality and action. Regardless of what the people are doing, they are busy, and even the expressions of surprise seem as a matter-of-fact, inevitable reactions; this is a drama but not a melodrama.

The Gathering of Manna, c… Nicolas Poussin Buy From Art.com

Contrasts of small and enormous – more concretely of people and nature around them – constitute the “engine” of the scene. Most contrasts consist of oppositions of color – the small bright red patches of the cloaks and the dark, spreading ambiance, and of form – small human figures against oversized landscape masses of stones and trees. The red spots also refer to blood, and the fragility of human life – as opposed to the sombre, immovable and imperious landscape masses. It becomes obvious that the life of the depicted people (and life itself) is at the mercy of nature – and God, as the bible narrates.

Gathering of the Manna, f… Dieric Bouts Buy From Art.com

Interestingly, Poussin makes the Manna almost invisible (minuscule white dots), effectively forcing many of the actors to grab air. This method of depicting the Manna may have several interpretations and meanings. First, this could be an ironical/parody device that expresses doubts in the miracle. Second, this (the entire painting) could be a test of the viewers’ faith – did the Israelites themselves imagine the whole thing, did the bible say the truth, or, perhaps, is it the viewers who cannot discern the Manna, but must believe? Third, this simply could be an ingenious pictorial solution to portray a substance of which was, and still is, little known.

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• Caravaggio: The Cardsharps
• Rembrandt: The Night Watch

The Death of Germanicus, 1627 Nicolas Poussin Buy From Art.com

Heroic gestures and stoic facial expressions, including that of Germanicus himself, decide the emotional current of the central scene, where the general and his officers are having a last words moment. Two less forceful, though just as passionate scenes, enframe the central act with poignant resignation and sorrow – and diffuse the intensity in the center. Each of the groups contains its own dynamic and emotive tone; the women and the children near the bedside are particularly notable for adding a shade of naïve surprise (by the children) and compassion. The resulting visual-emotional scheme of an enclosed A-B-A structure provides compositional harmony and completeness. Both eventually translate into an aesthetic quality.

Nicolas Poussin, Self-Por… Nicolas Poussin Buy From Art.com

Pikes play manifold roles in the composition. Bursting from the single-block group of mourners, they resemble, as a visual metaphor, solar ejections: the telling signs of the tremendous heat and pressure within. On the other hand, their sharp and edgy tips also become a sublimation of the suffering below – and yet the same instruments deal and bring death, the very same theme of the painting. The slender shafts may further allude to the precariousness of the future political situation (which, once again, is decided by the same spears). Finally, the way they pierce the space above the legionnaires is abstractly suggestive of the inflicted pain on the dying man.

Apollo in Love with Daphne, 1664; Pou… Nicolas Poussin Buy From Art.com

The spacious and hollow grandeur of the interior seems to alienate itself from the tragic proceedings. But, this empty monochrome space calmly overseeing the scene also adds a touch of objectivity necessary to bring out the historical significance of Germanicus’ death – or, indeed, its historicity on the whole.
Poussin (read Britannica full article on Nicolas Poussin) is known to had deliberately replicated ancient costumes, furniture and architecture. By giving these props a special attention in this painting he reminds us of the strict factual data – the time and era of the depicted occurrence – which may have become blurred in the emotionality and the chamber-intimate atmosphere (perhaps echoing Rembrandt) immediately inside the crowd.

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• Caravaggio: Sacrifice of Isaac

Deposition, 1602-4 Caravaggio Buy From Art.com

An imaginary arch ensuing from the head of Mary of Cleophas and ending with Christ’s forehead marks by its edges several corresponding extremes: life vs. death, total desolation vs. absolute peace, standing vs. lying. Starting from her face, the imaginary line sweeps through the small crowd, touching the heads of all participants, establishing a link between them – a religious kinship. The overall emotional range covered can be difficult to apprehend at the first glance; each actor represents an independent character and way of dealing with sorrow; some appear to avoid grief, or, perhaps, appear as if grief avoided them. (Read this Wikipedia article on the Entombment of Christ)

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A diagonal dissecting the piece from the left upper corner roughly towards the right lower corner – essentially a perpendicular to the mentioned arch – offers another view of the scene. This particular line draws a border between the men and the women in the painting. Though this arrangement makes practical sense due to a tradition-dictated obligatory custom (that male dead be tended by men), the division is bound, I think, to beget symbolical interpretations. Women overlook the men: Caravaggio might have wanted to convey the church’s lofty ideal of the Virgin by physically placing her above the rest. A modern, feminist-inspired interpretation may even imply female superiority.

David with the Head of Go… Caravaggio Buy From Art.com

The descending lines and rhythm of the composition, combined with tears of sorrow allude to a waterfall scenery, or water cascading down from a mountain. This visual allegory, in turn, gives rise to a series of Christianity and Jesus related associations: baptism, stigmatization of saints (Anne’s open palms appear to be preparing to receive the stigmata – she already signals her readiness to imitate Christ), and flowing blood (or wine). Indeed, even Christ’s hand, as it touches the slab and points downward to the ground, may symbolically refer to the fertile soil that might absorb these fluids – this ground would be the hearts and minds of neophytes. The green plant emerging from below may symbolize the yield of new religion, which would literally grow out of the body of Christ – an idea now echoed by the Eucharist. The robe coming in contact with the plant indicates linkage and continuation and closes this notional cycle.

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• Caravaggio: Sacrifice of Isaac
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The Sacrifice of Isaac, 1603 Caravaggio Buy From Art.com

The knife and the ram’s horn contribute to the tense atmosphere as objects of war and offense. Together with the hands, they electrify the air, generating a broad sense of utmost intensity on the verge of implosion. These principally anonymous items support the composition’s harsh conception on an underlying level. The overt level is that of the human drama — Isaac’s terrified, paralyzed with fear face on one side, and Abraham’s visage, grim with determination, on the other. Gradually we begin to discern what is going on — and to get caught in the event.

Narcissus, circa 1597-99 Caravaggio Buy From Art.com

The piece proceeds from left to right, starting with the angel and his pointing hand, and ending with the ram. These two also bring the much needed emotional relief. Caravaggio created a pleasing rhythm between the four heads in this painting: first he divided them, coupling Abraham’s head with the angel’s and Isaac’s with the ram’s, second, he countered the stress of the forefathers with the (Olympic) calm of the heavenly creatures (the ram, according to legend, waited for thousands of years near that place, having been put there by divine hand). By framing the composition with the serene angel and ram, the artist foreshadows the positive outcome (as well as intent) of the action.

Bacchus Caravaggio Buy From Art.com

At this point of his career, Caravaggio already employed the powerful light effects (tenebrism, Britannica) for which he became so famous. Yet this piece is relatively tame when compared to his other work during that period, denoting a seeming regression in style. Perhaps the painter left out his most radical stylistic touches because the painting was a private commission. Sacrifice of Isaac also includes a rare landscape by the artist.

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The Cardsharps Buy From Art.com

Yet this piece, though realistic in conception, shows some elements of theatricality and artificiality, especially when compared to Caravaggio’s late religious paintings with more defined interiors and exteriors. For instance, the dupe’s face shows exaggerated saintliness and innocence — no doubt intended by the artist to epitomize just these qualities — while the man who peeks at his cards seems overly agitated. The resulting tension may seem so vivid as to distract us from the overall composition, in other words, too vivid. The extreme psychological contrasts blur somewhat the compositional unity — but they evince a distinct charm of their own.

Le Tricheur a l’As de Tre`fle Georges La Tour Buy From Art.com

I think that we can soundly hypothesize that this charm originates not only from the theme or from the actors, but also from the artist himself. While the notion of the loss of innocence takes the center stage in the painting, we are allowed to guess as to what place the painting itself was taking in Caravaggio’s life — could he have been taken emotionally by the theme, could he have seen in it some elements of his own situation? Indeed, could he be the missing link in this drama, having experienced it first hand, absorbed it and transferred it on canvas? Though the answers to the questions regarding the meta realm of this masterpiece are destined to remain in guessing land, the inquiry in itself adds another dimension to our understanding of the painting.

The Fortune Teller, circa 1594 Buy From Art.com

To get back to the technical details, it is the interplay of light and dark colors that supports the tension in this busy composition. Consisting mostly of black, brown, wine and dark, heavy yellows, it is incised with stripes and patches of white, which destabilize the entire set-up, generating a sense of precipice, or collapse. In this “mess,” the duped youth submerges into a very dangerous place — he is in the center of a whirlwind, without noticing it. The overall effect makes me want to scream “Watch out!”

Read Related Reviews:

• Nicolas Poussin: Gathering of Manna
• Caravaggio: Deposition (The Entombment of Christ)
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• Caravaggio: Boy Bitten by a Lizard

Boy Bitten by a Lizard, c… Buy From Art.com

The composition contains a subtle hint on the motif of Knowledge. The roundly shaped head of the boy is repeated symmetrically in the vase, which serves as a mirror — an object known to represent knowledge. The composition encourages us to draw an imaginary Cartesian coordinate system, one axis spreading between the two (also symmetrically mirror-like reflected) twisted hands, and the other between the two buds. The imaginary coordinates again suggest the clash between experience and innocence, perpendicularly opposing each other like the two axes. In a way, we witness the gaining of experience when viewing the painting from left to right, and of knowledge from down up, all in a allegoric continuous motion. The point where the boy is being bitten is locate somewhere in the lower left area, where both parameters carry the negative sign.

Boy Bitten by a Lizard Buy From Art.com

The geometrical framework encourages to envisage with more confidence a link between the mirror-like convex glass surface of the bowl and the boy’s face. The bitten victim would also have to process the event — to upraise it from the negative parts of the coordinate system to the positive ones; he would have to undergo realization and internalization after the initial shock subsides. While presenting us with this psychological evolution, the artist stands out not only as a painter, but also as a humanist — a sage and a visionary who truly understands human nature.

A Young Boy Peeling an Apple Buy From Art.com

Considering the abundant flora and edible fruits on the table, a leap to the notion of tree of knowledge and thus the erotic (or homoerotic) viewing is more than reasonable — but in no way should be the the principal one. Perhaps it may serve as a point of departure, not as a decisive, final interpretation. Overall, I think that this painting testifies to the artist’s intellectual prowess — his ability to manipulate symbols and images to not only allude but also recreate a wider context that appeals to human condition.

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The Fortune Teller, circa 1596-97 Buy From Art.com

And third, the prevalence of round and curving geometrical forms — gestures of the models (the elbows), their hats, the plump peach colored faces and the above mentioned arch add a half-veiled sense of languor. All of these features combined coax us to lower our guards and revel without reservations in this youthful, infused with sweet naivety, scene. Indeed it may appear that a small idyll takes place before our eyes, as if it is all were a part of a dream. Well, in a way it is — the young man’s dream. As a guy, I tend to think that the whole scene should be viewed from his perspective: it is him who is being appeased and showered with befuddling mead of color. But for what purpose?

The Fortune Teller, circa 1594 Buy From Art.com

The boy is being duped by the girl (whose traditional attire, the turban especially, gives away her gypsy origin) who slowly but surely slips a ring off of his finger. It is quite an amazing feat that occurs right in front of our eyes, yet almost impossible to spot. Same goes for the unsuspecting victim, as he is being bewitched by the girl’s gaze and charm. We too are drawn into the imaginary, but thick and powerful galvanism, balancing and quivering on the imaginary line between the two pairs of eyes. The theft is the singular most intense moment in this painting — yet it remains almost undetected, as if passing somewhere below the radar.

The Fortune Teller, circa 1594 Buy From Art.com

While the fortune-teller fools the boy, we are being fooled by both actors — by the overall image — by the painter himself. Perhaps Caravaggio’s greatest achievement in this genre scene (painted early in his career) was to force the audience to disregard the fact of larceny even after its discovery — and possibly view it as symbolic representation of the relationship between men and women. Thus, the artist discusses the idea of love, and make us fall in love with this piece along the way.

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• Sandra Flood: Still Life with Grand Piano
• Raphael: Madonna with a Fish
• [Art Interpretation Guide] The Power of Imagination Part 2
• Alessandro Andreuccetti
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Yet there is a quality in the watercolors that disagrees with the suggested allegory. Suffused with air and sun, they convey delight, lightness and a bunch of other positive feelings . This cheerfulness flows from a different starting point, one that couldn’t coincide with that of the theme of loneliness. I think it is up to the viewer to resolve the arising conflict — and I actually believe that ignoring it may prove to be a good strategy. Instead of trying to reconcile the two ways of viewing, it’s possible to alternate between them, at the viewer’s whim. I like that flexibility, and I think that it speaks of the artist’s own.

The singular theme would appear to exclude composition from playing a major part, but enter the colors and claim compositional territory. It is interesting that the rather pale colors end up serving the paintings in terms of space rather than light or palette — but perhaps not surprising. The windows are basically collections of geometrical forms – very fortunately arranged abstract pieces. The diffused colors, though provide thematic background, can be approached as geometrical additions dispersed in areas across the paper. This “color deconstruction” adds another dimension to the artwork. Perhaps it compensates for the inability to peek in and see what happens beyond the panes, the curtains and the reflections.

Lines play an important, but underlying role. They criss-cross he windows yet somehow stay out of sight, bury themselves into the theme. I think that the lines add another dark aspect that works quietly against the sun and the light, and adds tension to the whole premise. Lines in such close disposition are bound to allude to prison bars and jails – allusions that elucidate the paintings from a completely different angle, and, in a way, put them to the test. By isolating a trivial everyday object the artist lays bare a series of emotions, associations and experiences that are nothing trivial, and all uneasy and complex.

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• Don Li-Leger: Summer Bloom, Spring Chorus
• Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, The Prophet Jeremiah
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As a fan of pure abstract art I have to admit that I tend to view these works as a compromise. I am more prepared to judge them as exciting experiments that haven’t quite worked out. The combination of flowers and abstract geometry flourishes in the more austere, Malevich (and maybe Rothko) inspired paintings (such as The Iris Nine Patch, The Poppy Nine Patch and the Aura and Karma pair), possibly because the irregularity of nature complements the squares, producing multi-layered works of art. Here the lines, shapes and forms are endowed with mobility that creates just enough inner tension and interest: the flowers and the branches fall out of the loop as they are no longer needed to perform the thematic task they did in the patches series.

Spring Chorus Buy From Art.com

In fact, they don’t seem to perform any kind of task at all and may appear outright redundant! There is, however, a way to “solve” this “problem” — and it seems that Don Li-Leger is actually moving in this direction: regarding the works as “pastiches” rather than “paintings”. Pastiche seems like a more viable and appropriate genre category; it puts the viewer on a different path, unveils the artwork from a fresh perspective, and gives it a new life. Now there is no need for harmony; on the contrary, the less of it the better. Blossoms assume aesthetic meaning on their own right and the paintings become rich depositories of various stylistic features. Perhaps the artist achieves his synthesis after all.

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The artist upholds a tension between the illuminated and the color-rich shaded areas. The crab is a bomb of color on a white sand background — will it explode, or reach the water safely? The sun contours the fish and the boats, creeping on the surrounding colors, making them small and unstable. The powerful illusion of light and the fast brushwork, especially in the boats piece, add a notable impressionistic touch. I have been looking at the boats for half an hour before noticing the big black blot beneath the closer boat — which I think proves that the color scheme works effectively, despite the lack of flexibility of the watercolor.

The crab and the fishes owe their liveliness to the artist’s eye for movement. The animals appear to be in motion, complemented either by an expressive shadow, or other fish. As fits such themes, the paintings rely on humor for thematic interest: the slant threatens to knock the crab off its feet and put the critter in a comic — for us — situation. The fishes, swimming around in a crowd, appear in a funny pattern that is both familial and familiar. The high viewing angle allows us to absorb the rich oranges. Despite the sea setting, the artist gives us an aquarium simulation.

I like these pieces for their harmony and their light, summery feel. The word “effortless” gets thrown about a lot recently, but there is definitely a dash of that ease here — achieved, no doubt, with considerable effort. The artist finds points of interest and complex shadow without making them the sole focus of the compositions. These paintings are about the waves — of water, of sand, of light. Holly Lombardo aptly condensed the warmth and spirit of summer into several sunny watercolors.

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