"Venus with a Mirror" by Titian from was painting around 1555, which was during the Renaissaince, a time period where artists explored and had a greater appreciation for the natural human body. In this painting, the Goddess Venus from ancient myths is depicted with cupids holding a mirror to her and attempting to place a crown on her. As is indicated by the distinction of color, the important subjects of these paintings are the people, not the surroundings that are covered in darkness. I was drawn to this painting first due the distortions of the human body. The torso of Venus seems more elongated, while the entire body of Cupid is still smaller than her upper body. Yet, the body if Cupid seems to be that of an adults, when looked at alone, but the head is that of a baby. Daniel in the Lions' Den (c. 1614/1616) The history behind this painting lies in the Bible; the Persian King Darius was upset with Daniel for believing in a God, rather than having faith in the king alone. As punishment, King Darius sent Daniel into a cave filled with lions for a night. This painting depicts the next morning, when Daniel sees the light and begins to thank God for his survival through the night. What drew me to this painting was the life like portrayal. I can feel the tenseness of fear of the situation; the lions are very much alive, angry, and threatening, as is depicted from their expressions and visibility of their sharp teeth. I also observed the contrast between the darkness of the cave and the light that shines on Daniel. The light is associated with the good, heaven, and God, while the darkness is associated with the evil, lions, and King Darius. Furthermore, this painting is mostly depicted in the darkness and in the cave, with the exception of the hole that reveals part of the sky. I believe the message of the painting is to maintain faith, even if the majority that you can see is darkness, as the good will always prevail. The Inlet (The Cove) 1940 by Eileen Monaghan Whitaker I was first drawn to this painting, as I love beaches; they are my favorite place in the world. This painting also uses open lines, or lies that are soft and blurry. Though objects can be distinguished within this painting, it is hard to decipher where one object starts and where another begins, until the colors are very distinct. This painting uses both primary colors and tertiary colors in the bottom half of the painting, but in the upper half, the colors are more blended, and there is a darker and gloomier atmosphere. Furthermore, all the sailboats are in that same upper half of the painting. I thus wonder if the painting is implying that the real beauty and vibrancy of nature lies where mankind is not present.
“The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh in 1880.
This piece has always captured my attention, whenever I pass it on the internet or in a textbook reference of any sort. It invokes a sense of tranquility and peace within me. Though the painting depicts the nighttime, which can typically be associated with darkness and an ominous foreboding, there is light and sense of wonder that Van Gogh depicts. The sun is visible behind the moon, and there is light visible throughout the sky and town, not just with the stars. The perspective of the sky, with the stars overlapping the clouds, I find it interesting how the stars almost seem closer that the swirly clouds, which also add a dream-like aura to the painting, and it makes me wonder whether to message of the painting is that even the dreams that seem most intangible could still be within our reach. I do not see any creation of linear perspective in this painting; rather the swirls of the painting draw attention to all aspects of the pointing, as opposed to one focal point. The Lost Horizon 1993 Wolfgang Lettl I was drawn to this painting due its abstractness. As I looked into Lettl’s German background, I discovered that he was a surrealist painter. Surrealism was a cultural movement portraying dreams and reality together, as opposed to separate entities that the world used to think of them as. I believe this painting does exactly that. There are two individuals whose backs are facing toward each other, and they both lack arms and legs. They are riding along two narrow parallel strings in a carriage of some sort, though where their torsos are resting is unclear. Though the clouds, sky, and wheels are as we see in reality, there is a fantasy-like aura to this dream, with the distorted human bodies and unrealistic transportation. I believe the painting invokes audiences to look beyond reality, into our imaginations and minds, to reach greater heights that would not otherwise be possible. The two men have a similar shaped hat on their heads, but the man whose face is not shown is on the side of the sky that has a darker color. I wonder if this painting is a self-portrait, indicating the artist’s own self and his potential darker side that could be conflicting within him internally.
