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The 3 Most Famous Renaissance Artists Series Part 3: Raphael

2010-07-16T10:08:10-04:00

Madonna of the Meadow 1506

1. Madonna of the Meadow

Raphael's Madonna of the Meadow shows three figures; Mary, baby Jesus, and a baby St. John in a traditional triangular composition, and are linked through touch and their gazes. It is important to note that in this triangular composition, the three are symbolically linked to the “Holy Trinity”. Mary's pose is traditionally known as “contrapposto”, which was an important development in art during the Renaissance. Essentially, it describes a body in a twisting movement, or with the figure's weight shifted.

The peaceful and hazy background landscape shows the influence of Leonardo da Vinci on Raphael, as this background recalls landscapes such as that in the Mona Lisa.

Marriage of the Virgin 1504

2. Marriage of the Virgin

Marriage of the Virgin, an influential perspective painting by Raphael, shows Mary and Joseph's marriage. Joseph is placing a ring on Mary's finger, while Mary's other suitors are shown breaking their staffs (Joseph's staff is blossoming).

Directly behind the marriage scene is a round temple centrally placed in the background, with the tiles of the pavement showing the receding perspective lines of the painting. The viewer can see through the open door of the temple to the open landscape in the background.

The composition is reminiscent of Perugino's Christ Delivering the Keys to St. Peter, which was painted for the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican to accompany Michelangelo's series. However, critics have argued that Raphael's technical skills in portraying perspective exceed those of Perugino, as Raphael effectively shows the figures gradually diminshing in size to show their distance. In his painting, Perugino portrays the figures in limited planes of distance.

The Triumph of Galatea 1512

3. The Triumph of Galatea

The Triumph of Galatea was commissioned by Agostino Chigi, for his palace, devoted entirely to love in honor of his mistress. The palace later took on the name Villa Farnesina when it was acquired by the Farnese family.

The painting represents Galatea from the mythological story of Galatea and Polyphemus. Polyphemus was a one-eyed giant who had fallen in love with Galatea, yet Galatea was in love with a peasant shepherd. In this scene, the boorish Polyphemus sings a love song to Galatea, yet she rides away in her chariot laughing. It is interesting to note that in the Villa Farnesina, The Triumph of Galatea is placed next to a painting of Polyphemus by Sebastiano del Piombo, which allows Galatea's gaze to line up directly with Polyphemus.

The sea creatures surrounding Galatea reflect the influence of Michelangelo, through their highly muscular forms. This iconography also influenced Botticelli in his Birth of Venus painting.

The 3 Most Famous Renaissance Artists Series Part 2: Michelangelo

2010-05-18T13:17:36-04:00

In this second edition of The 3 Most Famous Renaissance Artists Series, our featured artist is Michelangelo. Like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo is an iconic Renaissance Man; he gained expertise in many fields of the arts, earning the nickname “Il Divino”.

Michelangelo was known for his “terribilità”, referring to his ability to inspire awe. This was reflected in his paintings, which were known to be momentous and grand. Some of his best paintings were the Creation of Adam, the Persian Sibyl (both part of the Sistine Chapel series), and the Holy Family.

1. Creation of Adam

Creation of Adam c.1511

The Creation of Adam is a large scale fresco in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michelangelo created these frescoes by painting on wet plaster, essentially locking the pigment into the fabric of the wall itself when the plaster dried.

The painting depicts a scene from the Book of Genesis in which God creates Adam. He is seen sending life into Adam through their fingertips, which are stretching to reach each other. It is interesting to note the figure carrying God is in the shape of a human brain.

This iconography was later seen in the movie “ET”!

2. Holy Family

Holy Family (Doni Tondo) c.1507

This Holy Family painting by Michelangelo is often referred to as the Doni Tondo, named for its patron. The painting was commissioned by Agnolo Doni to commemorate his marriage to Maddalena Strozzi, and “tondo” refers to the round frame. The painting was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci's The Virgin and Child with St. Anne.

The figures of the Holy Family foreshadow the look of the Sistine Chapel frescoes; Michelangelo employs the use of bright colors and massive, sculptural figures responsible for giving his paintings such monumental qualities. This is true even for Mary, yet is due to Michelangelo's use of male models even for female figures.

Michelangelo also utilized “cangiante”, a technique used for shading form through using entirely different colors at times instead of a lighter or darker shade of the same color. By using this method, Michelangelo could create darker shadows and lighter highlights without being constrained by the limits of a particular hue.

3. The Libyan Sibyl

The Libyan Sibyl c.1512

The Libyan Sibyl is another fresco from the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo, and is part of a series of Sibyls which depict famous women that are said to have prophesied the birth of Christ. The Libyan Sibyl is turned away from the viewer, increasing even further her sense of mystery and power.

Again, the Libyan Sibyl figure has large, masculine muscles from the use of male models. Also, there is the need for the figure to look momentous from ground as some impact of the painting is lost from the distance. This is also the reason for the particularly bright colors of the painting; some impact and richness of the hues are lost in the distance from the viewer on the ground.

Van Gogh cake!

2010-04-07T22:23:38-04:00

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"The Scream" and Art Theft

2010-04-05T01:01:03-04:00

Norwegian painter Edvard Munch's famous series, The Scream, has been the target of numerous art thefts in recent years. The series, created from 1893 to 1910, includes two oil paintings, two pastels, and a lithograph. One of the painted versions, as well as one of the pastels, hangs in the Munch Museum in Oslo. The National Gallery of Norway -- also in Oslo -- houses the other painting, and the second pastel belongs to the Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen.

The first major theft concerning the series occurred on February 12, 1994 at the National Gallery. Two men broke into the museum by smashing a window, then proceeded to cut the painting from the wall using wire cutters, and escaped out the same window and into a getaway vehicle in just 50 seconds! They left behind the wire cutters and a note that read: "Thanks for the poor security". The painting had been moved down from the more secure second floor to the ground floor for an exhibition celebrating the opening ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympics held in neighboring Lillehammer.

The theft became a sensation almost immediately, as the international press already in Norway for the Olympic games rushed to cover the crime. The museum received a $1 million ransom demand in March of the same year, but did not honor the ransom because it was thought to be a hoax. In May of 1994, British and Norwegian police joined forces in an undercover hunt to recover the painting. Within a few weeks, they discovered the painting, undamaged, in a seaside town outside Oslo where Munch had often painted.

Armed gunmen stealing paintings from the Munch Museum on August 22nd, 2004. Photo taken by unidentified witness.

The other painted version of The Scream was stolen from the Munch Museum in 2004. On August 22nd, Masked gunmen entered the museum in broad daylight and stole both The Scream and another Munch work entitled Madonna. Three men were convicted with armed robbery in May of 2006, and sentenced to between four and eight years of prison. The paintings remained at large until the Norwegian police recovered them under undisclosed circumstances on August 31, 2006. The paintings had minimal damage, and the slight water damage in the lower left corner of The Scream was able to be repaired.

The Bridal Pair with the Eiffel Tower

2010-03-29T23:14:22-04:00

Marc Chagall, a Russian-French artist, is one of the most well-known and universally admired painters of the twentieth century, as well as one of the most famous Jewish artists of all time. During his long and productive lifetime (he lived to be 98 years old!), Chagall explored many different forms of art. In addition to painting, he also produced innovative work in the fields of stained glass, ceramics, tapestry, illustration, and print.

Marc Chagall, The Bridal Pair with The Eiffel Tower, 1939.

Chagall's paintings have a dream-like feel, and often include both realistic and fantastical elements. A very famous example of this is his painting, The Bridal Pair with The Eiffel Tower. The subject of the work is grounded in reality, a bride and groom embrace in front of The Eiffel Tower, however, the couple are positioned at an unnatural angle with the ground. They almost appear to be floating, an illusion that is enhanced by the small size of the town in the distance, and the distance that seems to exist between their feet and the ground.

In the top right corner of the painting, one can see a cow that morphs into a fiddle. Chagall is referencing popular nursery rhymes, and here combines the "cat and the fiddle" with "the cow jumped over the moon." The other figures found in the painting, including the large rooster, the man with the book, and the two winged figures, are also thought to come from nursery rhymes. Chagall does not make his references overly obvious, allowing the viewer to think of whichever childhood favorite he or she chooses.

The "Wild Beasts" - Fauvism influence on modern art

2010-03-25T01:31:14-04:00

A group of artists known as "The Wild Beasts," or Les Fauvres, in French, took the art world by storm at the beginning of the twentieth century. Though the art movement only lasted three short years, Fauvism has has a huge influence on modern art.

Of the artists associated with the Fauvist movement, Henri Matisse is the most well known today. Like the other Fauvists, Matisse often painted with very bright, unrealistic colors. This was a major departure from the work of the impressionists like Claude Monet, as the impressionist artists still painted realistic scenes and used natural colors. Other artists associated with the Fauvist movement include French painter Andre Derain, and cubist painter Georges Braques.

Les Fauvres acquired their name at the 1905 Autumn Salon in Paris. An art critic who was particularly shocked when he saw the wild brush strokes, garish colors, and abstraction of these paintings exclaimed, "Donatello among the wild beasts!" This comment was printed in the newspaper the next day, and the name caught on.

Henri Matisse, Woman with a Hat, 1905.

The painting at the Autumn Salon that the critics attacked most ruthlessly was Matisse's Woman With a Hat. Matisse did not take the criticism well, and was very disheartened by the many negative reviews. Thankfully, the famous art collectors Gertrude and Leo Stein purchased Woman with a Hat, and Matisse's career was saved.

The Eccentric Behavior of Salvador Dali

2010-03-21T10:23:29-04:00

Spanish artist Salvador Dali is perhaps the most famous Surrealist painter in the history of art. He is best known for the bizarre, unrealistic qualities of his paintings and sculpture. In Explosion, for example, he paints a melting clock. Beyond his unconventional artwork, Dali was also famous for his strange behavior. He enjoyed drawing attention to himself by spending money extravagantly, and making outrageous statements to the press.

With regards to appearance, Dali's pointy moustache became an icon. Dali used wax to arrange it in different positions. He usually kept his dark hair slicked back with copious amounts of hair product. With regard to Dali's clothing, he was rumored to wear shoes that were two sizes too small because it "kept him alert."

Dali rolled his "r's" in an exaggerated fashion when he spoke, and often referred to himself in the third person. He had a very large ego, and often boasted of how much money his paintings were worth. In one of his most famous quotes, he told the press: “There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad." Dali liked making grand entrances, and did such things as arriving to an exhibition opening in a limousine full of turnips.

Dali and his wife Gala threw elaborate parties at their castle in Cadaques, a small Spanish sea side town. Among other oddities, Dali's house contains a stuffed polar bear wearing necklaces, and a partially-enclosed lap pool. The house has since been opened to the public as a museum.

The 3 Most Famous Renaissance Artists Series: Part 1 - Leonardo da Vinci

2010-03-19T14:09:42-04:00

During the Renaissance, the classical cannon of artistic techniques and subject matter, that we today may take for granted, became established- forever changing art as we now know it. The Renaissance today is know for an explosion of knowledge and progress in many fields, including art, culture, science, mathematics, and politics. Many people even view the Renaissance as the era that transformed the Middle Ages into the Modern era.

In the entire context of Renaissance art, there are three artists that define the era. As the Renaissance began in Florence, Italy, it should not be surprising these revolutionary artists were Italian. Leonardo da Vinci is single-handedly known as the iconic Renaissance Man. Outside of his artistic pursuits, he is well known for his scientific and militaristic inventions.

Leonardo da Vinci’s 3 Most Famous Paintings:

1. Virgin of the Rocks:

In his Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo works with modeling his forms through light and shadows. This particularly shows through the dark and craggy setting of the rocks, in which many details are revealed and obscured by the mystical light in this Leonardesque landscape.

This technique of blending and smudging the edges of forms is known as “sfumato” in Italian, which translates to “smoky”, and Leonardo has become famous for these types of landscapes. The landscape is important, because it creates a deliberate frame around the pyramidal figure setting, consisting of the Madonna, Child, and Saint John the Baptist.

Virgin of the Rocks 1485

2. Mona Lisa:

The painting of the Mona Lisa is probably his most famous painting, well known for her mysterious facial expression. In this painting, Leonardo is well appreciated for his innovative use of atmospheric perspective, subtle modeling of forms, and the feminine mystique it portrays. He creates this effect through his stereotypical Leonardesque landscape, again employing the “sfumato” technique.

The Mona Lisa has survived 500 years, including one theft in 1911, and numerous attacks on the painting. Most recently, in August 2009, a woman angry over being denied French citizenship threw red paint onto the case holding the painting.

Mona Lisa 1505

3. Last Supper:

The Last Supper is one of Leonardo’s most impressive works. The condition of this painting is quite frail, as he experimented quite drastically with the mediums he used. Instead of painting onto a wet plaster wall with tempera paint as in a true “fresco”, Leonardo painted onto a dry wall. The painting soon began to deteriorate just a few years after he finished the painting.

The painting depicts the 12 disciples of Jesus in a stark architectural setting, during their “last supper” in which Jesus informs them that one of them will soon betray him. This painting was also the center of many conspiracy theories, due its role in “The DaVinci Code”, but these theories have been invalidated by art historians.

Last Supper 1498

The Stolen Artwork of Gustav Klimt

2010-03-17T22:16:50-04:00

Austrian painter Gustav Klimt is best known for his ‘Golden Phase’ – a time when he used gold leaf in many of his paintings. He created his most famous works during this phase, including The Kiss and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. The latter sold for a record price of $135 million dollars in 2006!

In addition to the high demand for his artwork, Klimt has also been in the news for the controversy surrounding paintings stolen by the Nazis in World War II. Hitler, himself a failed artist who was rejected from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, imposed his artistic preferences on the Nazi party, and the nation as a whole. He supported classical portraits, landscapes, and history paintings, and considered modern art to be “degenerate.”

The Nazi party confiscated this “degenerate” art, including many works by Klimt. Hitler organized a traveling exhibition of this stolen artwork in the summer of 1937, in which the artwork was intentionally displayed to cause mockery.

Adolf Hitler visits the Degenerate Art exhibition, 1937.

At the end of the exhibition, most of the works were sold in auction in Switzerland. Thousands of works were burned. Some of the stolen artwork that still survives has been returned to the rightful owners, but the recovery process is far from over – more than 100,000 pieces have yet to be returned.

In 2006, the Austrian town of Linz returned five stolen Klimt paintings to their rightful heirs after eight years of legal battle. Among the returned paintings was the record-breaking Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I.

5 of the Most Innovative Paintings of All Time

2010-03-17T00:06:42-04:00

1. Masaccio, The Holy Trinity, 1467-27

Today, we take for granted an artist’s ability to render objects realistically in space. Painters, however, did not have an accurate method to display perspective until the early Renaissance when Italian architect Brunelleschi invented the idea of linear perspective. Masaccio’s Holy Trinity is thought to be the earliest painting to apply these theories, which can be seen in the lines of the barrel vault the artist has used.

2. Georges Seurat, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884-86

French post-impressionist painter Georges Seurat invented the painting style known as 'pointillism.' His new painting technique involved using little dots of color, small enough for the eye to blend with surrounding dots, to form the figures and landscape in his paintings. Seurat's most famous work, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, took him over two years to paint and was the culmination of over sixty studies.

3. Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907

Perhaps Picasso’s most famous work, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, played a huge role in the creation of cubism, and modern art in general. The painting was revolutionary in the way in which Picasso painted the female figures in a flattened, angular manner. The work also conveys Picasso’s interest in African artwork, as two of the women have facial features that directly reference African masks.

4. Yves Klein, Living Paintbrush, 1958

Avante-garde artist Yves Klein is perhaps best known for his Living Paintbrush works. In creating these paintings, Klein never actually made direct contact with the canvas, or the paint. He instructed models to cover their bodies in blue paint, and then where to lay on the canvas to create the desired effect. The paintings are also performance pieces, as he created them before an audience.

5. Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans, 1962

Warhol displayed his iconic silkscreens of thirty-two Campbell’s soup cans in his first solo gallery exhibition, held at Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles. The canvases were displayed in a row along the wall, almost like products on a shelf. Warhol’s exhibition created such a stir that his name became almost synonymous with the image of a Campbell’s soup can.