Movements that Mattered: Winter 2014

The transformation of the king’s statue outlook shows more than just the aesthetic feature, it does tell story of the political and social environment. This is a king’s statue from Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt, this bust sculpture share many artistic convention of Old Kingdom, the facial structural of this statue (slightly wider cheek bone) might suggested that it is a portrait of someone important, his geometrically decorated hair dress which prove that he is a King. Unlike the king portrait from the Old Kingdom, this piece shows more humanistic factors such as drooping eyelids and smiling face, which only shows in the statue of less prominent people ( Seated Scribe 2450-2325 BCE) in the Old Kingdom time. It is very important to point out that the false beard (an indication of King) is missing in this piece and the Head of Senusret III as well, which both from the Middle Kingdom. To be sure that the missing false beard is not an aesthetic trend, we can take a look at few other statues from the New Kingdom such as the Kneeling Figure of Hatshepsut (1473 - 1458 BCE) and Colossal Figure of Akhenaten (1353-1336 BCE), the false beard has actually restored in these statues (note: Egypt does restored its prosper during the New Kingdom period), so which might suggested that the power and the perfection of king figure descend quite obvious during the Middle Kingdom Period.

The portrait of Pericles, which is a sculpture in the round, is located in the Altes Museum of Berlin. It was created in the Late Classical period and although all that remains is the head, I find it to be a good example of idealization and naturalism that the Greeks strived to achieve with their art. His face demonstrates no emotion and the Greeks tendency towards ethos and rationality is revealed through this. His face is perfectly proportioned (despite the missing nose) and his skin is smooth and has an ethereal quality. His beard is full and even seems to be coiffed. The fantastic detail of each curve and swerve of the sculptured bunched facial hair is appropriate and directly related to what we’ve learnt about Greek Sculpture crafted in this period. The helmet sitting atop his head is in a very natural position which is indicative of the artist’s naturalistic style. Even the small and very natural curled hair which sticks out from underneath the helmet falls in a very natural way.

The sculpture above is a sunken relief on limestone of Akhenaten from the Amarna period. I believe the Amarna period was sort of a renaissance for the Egyptian art. Where art was represented in a more beautiful, curvy, and graceful style. The earlier rigid and bulky style was no more to be seen. Akhnaten has changed the religion system in Egypt to monotheism in this period and worshiped the sun. Thus most art works included the sun in a way that depicts it as God. Akhenaten is represented as a sphinx in the relief to represent power and royalty, and the sun is carved on the left side due to the fact the he worshiped the sun (Aten) in that period. With the sunrays shining towards him depicting life. His face is carved in a soft curvy way which is one of the main features of artworks in the Amarna period.

The Mummy Coffin of Djedmontefanch - priest of Amun (945 BC-712 BCE), illustrates beautifully the Third Period of Egyptian Art. Instead of decorating walls of tombs, and gathering treasures in outstanding pyramids, Egyptians were forced to find other more discrete locations to avoid tombs to be plundered. They put mummies of important people in magnificent painted Sarcophagus, made of gold, semi-precious stones and glass. On the outside of the coffin thousands of information were painted with great details, creating a narrative of the person inside. The overall picture of the sarcophagus is typical for Egyptian art and conveys evidences about the status of the person inside and about the Egyptian cultural tradition and heritage. Starting from the head, the painted face represents Osiris, wearing the traditional headdress and a formal fake beard. The upper body part is essentially embellished with colorful ‘featherlike’ repetitive forms that create a large beautiful necklace around the neck. Inside of it, the position of the arms and the symbols of protective figures such as the falcon’s head and the sun disc are typical. Below the waistline, nine main registers with quantities of hieroglyphs and drawings in profile provide additional information about the earthy life of the priest and depict rituals and ceremonies. The artistic code uses hieratic scale and the characteristic representation mostly from profile and some elements from a face perspective in order to be as informative as possible, neglecting the naturalism part. Nonetheless, even though these sarcophagus decorations seem in with Earlier Egyptian Period traditions, the more full and rounded features are signs that this style incorporated some elements of the influence of the Amarna Period. The inside of the coffin, is most likely to be as richly adorned as its outside and the mummy may have worn a funerary additional golden painted mask, similar to the one of Tutankhamen.

After the end of the era of the Old Kingdom, many Egyptians no longer believed that the pharaoh would ensure them a happy afterlife, which is why many turned to Osiris, the god of the afterlife and the dead. Antefoker, who was a very wealthy businessman, also made a sacrifice to Osiris by setting up this stela at Abydos, which was Osiris’ major place of worship. The stela of Antefoker is made of limestone. It measures 143 x 80 x 12 cm and weighs 300 kg. The depictions are done in high relief and are also colored. Like the artworks we have seen, this stela (which resembles a tablet) also shows different registers, in which different narratives are depicted. On top, the registers are filled with hieroglyphics that stand for prayers and tell the biography of Antefoker and his family. In the top following registers, he and his wife and his three kids are shown in a scenes of sacrifice offerings, with a great amount of foods, plants, potteries and other items. Below, his further relatives, children and grandchildren are also displayed in similar scenes, but with – in the sense of the hieratic scale – in greater number but smaller size.

The bronze Striding Sphinx was made in c. 945-712 B.C.E., Third Intermediate Period, and located in the Brooklyn Museum of Art. As we know there weren’t any great changers in the arts in this period. Egyptians continued to create profusely decorated bright works. There was a great aspiration to idealize the image. And all of it we can see at this sphinx. He is beautiful as god. And the snakelike tail and extended legs identify him as the god Tutu. The exceptional skill, curious detailed workmanship and perfect burnish were typical for this period. The skin of the sphinx is so glib that it is impossible not to touch. The falcon wings adorning his flanks were elaborated with minute particulars, but it is rare detail in the New Kingdom. We can see the traditional wig, beard and remains of gilding on apron. The main thing in this figure is the gaze piercing all things. Usually sphinxes were represented at the rest. This sphinx is standing, but we can imagine his jerky leap when he scented trouble. There aren’t any muscles on his body (he has slender, glib, pliant, youthful body) we see protective aggression by his strained glance. It seems like he conceals his main weapon the poisonous tail. Two cobras on his sides emphasize elegance and nobility by their thin. They support Tutu’s power against evil.

The Amarna Period in Egyptian history is a brief but spectacular time filled with mystery. A whole new capital and religion bring drastic changes to the society and culture, which are markably reflected in the production of art. The Standing Statuette of a King in a Blue Crown (Probably Akhenaten) located in the Brooklyn Museum of Art is an excellent example that shows one of the most visible changes in the art of this period, which is how human figures are depicted. In stead of blockiness, rigidity, and compact features typically seen in artworks of earlier times, we can see from this statute a curvy and fluid outline of the body and prolonged oval shape of the eyes, which bring much softness to the figure depicted and a sense of realism. Also, this representation of an Egyptian pharaoh with narrow shoulders, slender limbs, shorter legs, and a dropping belly is also completely contrary to those of earlier times, which are more normally idealised portrayals of strong and physically dominating men. We can see from many other artworks of this period depicting Akhenaten in the same way, which impacts the depiction of his family as well.

The Mummy Coffin of Djedmontefanch - priest of Amun (945 BC-712 BCE), illustrates beautifully the Third Period of Egyptian Art. Instead of decorating walls of tombs, and gathering treasures in outstanding pyramids, Egyptians were forced to find other more discrete locations to avoid tombs to be plundered. They put mummies of important people in magnificent painted Sarcophagus, made of gold, semi-precious stones and glass. On the outside of the coffin thousands of information were painted with great details, creating a narrative of the person inside. The overall picture of the sarcophagus is typical for Egyptian art and conveys evidences about the status of the person inside and about the Egyptian cultural tradition and heritage. Starting from the head, the painted face represents Osiris, wearing the traditional headdress and a formal fake beard. The upper body part is essentially embellished with colorful ‘featherlike’ repetitive forms that create a large beautiful necklace around the neck. Inside of it, the position of the arms and the symbols of protective figures such as the falcon’s head and the sun disc are typical. Below the waistline, nine main registers with quantities of hieroglyphs and drawings in profile provide additional information about the earthy life of the priest and depict rituals and ceremonies. The artistic code uses hieratic scale and the characteristic representation mostly from profile and some elements from a face perspective in order to be as informative as possible, neglecting the naturalism part. Nonetheless, even though these sarcophagus decorations seem in with Earlier Egyptian Period traditions, the more full and rounded features are signs that this style incorporated some elements of the influence of the Amarna Period. The inside of the coffin, is most likely to be as richly adorned as its outside and the mummy may have worn a funerary additional golden painted mask, similar to the one of Tutankhamen.

The Panathenaic prize amphora is on display at the Metropolitian Museum of Art in NYC . It is from the Archiac Period and was awarded to the winner of an athletic contest held in Athens in honor of the birthday of Athena, the city’s goddess. This terracotta amphora is a prime example of the Greeks’ use of ceramics to paint stories. This amphora has two handles, an opening at the top, and a body that bulges out from the neck towards the bottom. The artist uses the technique of black-figure to depict a foot race among five nude men against the plain red background of the amphora. These men are closely overlapping each other and in similar form promoting a sense of unity and balance. They are projecting movement with each figure posed solely on the ball and toe of the right foot, with the left leg kicking so high that the thigh is parallel to the ground. The torsos are shown frontally while the rest of the body remains in profile. Muscles are exaggerated and outlined with a white pigmentation. One interesting observation was that each figure’s beard is of different size which could possibly represent a variation of ages among the figures. This amphora is also decorated with bands of detail ornament at each end.

This piece is dated from late period of Ancient Egyptian (ca. 700-300 B.C.E). Throughout the 2500 years of Ancient Egyptian, the art forms have alway been stable. This piece is another good example of that. Although it was almost towards the end of Ancient Egyptian civilisation, this statue of Isis holding the child Horus still follow the highly stylised and bilaterally symmetrical fundamentals Ancient Egyptians had always been followed in art. Unlike later in Greek sculptures, artists freed the figures from stones which gave them movements; Isis sits in the perfect still position with her unchanging calmness and serenity natures. We should also notice the bronze vulture around her throne: in Greek art, animals and human has a sense of intimacy with human, in Ancient Egyptian, animals are either an extension of god or an extension of symbolism. This piece is quite tiny comparing (18.7x5.7x13.5 cm) to the hieratic scale of Ancient Egyptian sculptures we get use to. But the artists didn’t forget to put a little smile on Isis to enhance her role as al loving mother.

I chose this clay figurine of Aphrodite for the beautiful exaggeration of the contrapposto stance, which accentuates the rare sensuality which characterizes Aphrodite. I also wanted to note the progression from the static pose of Egyptian sculpture in comparison. The statue, 2nd century BCE, h37.6 cm, probably stems from Myrina in Asia Minor, a town that like Tanagra was famous for its terracotta. This sculpture in the round, with her gown draped low, just covers the right breast while the fineness of the fabric reveals more of the abdomen than it conceals. The hair is fastened at the back of the head and crowned with a diadem. The goddess has also been adorned with large earrings. The attitude of the deity’s posture is difficult to interpret as her attributes have been lost. The turn of the head away from the object in her hands suggests there may have been a complementary figure standing there, such as a small cupid. Nevertheless she is idealized and does exude a sense of calm (ethos). The raised left leg (common with contrapposto) indicates that it once stood on a plinth or a larger structure like a column.

I chose this object as it refers to the goal of Egyptian art and culture. Egyptians aimed to create a save place for the deceased like a tomb in a mastaba or pyramid in order to assure successful transition from this life to the afterlife- hence, art was highly religiously driven. The function of this head is not clear, it seems to be a portrait of the deceased and that this "magic head" was killed instead of the deceased in order to help him in his successful transition.( see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_head). This object is w1730 x h2770 x d2450 cm (entire) and fulfils the typical Egyptian preference of "hierartic scale" showing the importance of the person in unrealistic size and height. The head is a bit blocky, not single detailed, giving an idea of how the person portrayed looked like, so with the attempt of naturalism. Also the head shows a smooth idealised up-looking gaze which was typical for these times. This artwork stands for the continuous artistic conventions in ancient Egypt and is also a nice example of a precursor for Amarna Period (c. 1200 years later) with its more fluid & graceful style (think of Bust of Neferititi, 1345 BC).

This figurine of Eros is a terracotta sculpture of 20 cm, conserved in the Dutch National of Antiques, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, in Netherlands. Found in Turkey, this small statue was created during the Hellenistic period which is the period coming after the Golden Age of the Greek Classical Era after Alexander the Great‘s ventures. Eros, the Greek god of Love, is represented as a young adult, fully nude with his wings. We recognise the way Greeks portrayed the body during the classical period with a lot of details and elegance. The body reacts the way it should: Eros is standing with his weight on one baring leg and the other leg is free swinging, shoulders and pelvic are tilted. This classical Contropposto posture position added to the fact that his wings already stand up, creates a very dynamic pose and gives the impression that Eros is going to fly. The pose is not static, muscles are well defined in the torso and legs, the left arm is bended. There is a high level of details and naturalism compared to the simplified treatment we have seen in the Egyptians art. The face, made with very big and oval eyes, is gently inclined. His hair curled in a natural way. The result is very soft and calm.

I was really fascinated to learn about the Amarna period of the Egyptian art and therefore would like to share the above piece from this period with the group. It is a sunk relief heads of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, the Pharaoh who has changed the entire system of Egyptian beliefs from polytheism to monotheism, and his wife. Even though this piece was probably made as a model for sculptors it is still a very powerful representation of artistic conventions of that time. There are several aspects typical of the entire Ancient Egyptian Art represented on the plaque: it is a relief carving (a low relief I believe), the faces are depicted in profile (apart from the eyes that are facing forward) using the hieratic style - Akhanaten's face is much bigger than Nefertiti's to reflect his higher significance. In addition to that, there are several elements which are very typical of the Amarna period: the style of the plaque is much more graceful and fluid than that of Egyptian sculptures from other periods. The lines are much more curved, which adds to the relief's elegance and smoothness. It is interesting to note the lines on the sitters' necks, which could signify wrinkles of some sort which makes the image look more naturalistic and less idealized. The plaque has none of the traditional bulkiness. The uraeus on the headpieces also have these elegant curves which add to the overall image. I believe this piece to be a very beautiful example of the elegant Amarna period of Egyptian art.

After seeing an image of this coffin made for King Tut, it did not seem like the initial styles in the history of Egyptian sculpture that were used which were more blocky and restrained where details of human form were not so prevelant. The style used in designing this coffin seems to be from the Armarna period where Akhenaten was ruling (possibly co - ruling with his wife Nefertiti). In this period, there was a significant shift in Egyptian culture as the capital moved from Thebes to Armana, there was a new religon and more specific to this piece the style was more fluid and graceful. This is possibly due to the influence of Nefertiti who attributed more a more feminine influence to art. As per the video lectures, during King Tut's reign there was a shift back to traditional values but it seems like he still could not help adopting the style of the Armana period. Appreciating that this is a coffin which has to be confined to a particular shape, the image is nonetheless still very blocky and stiff compared to the fluid nature in the carvings of Greek sculptures. It is however more decorative where it has been painted to make particular features and items on the coffin stand out more, for instance, the facial features are more proportionate than previous works and the fingers are more slender (also reflecting a more feminine touch to the work).

Well, I know what I want for Christmas! Being a jewelry collector, I was immediately smitten with this delicate yet powerful Greek scaraboid. I can see the artistic Greek conventions that we learned about this week in this catching piece. The gemstone is surely no more than a few inches wide yet the artist, via relief, has captured finite details of a young man's body. Powerful shoulders, defined calf muscles, and we even have the contrapossto stance in this beautiful piece. The artist (unknown) leaves nothing to the imagination as to the mood of the man's dog given the upright and practically wagging dog tail that is almost a universal sign of happiness. I can sense the trend towards humanism and naturalism when I look at the 'relationship' the artist gave to the young man and the dog. We would not likely find this dynamic in Egyptian art. One can see evolution of artistic conventions simply by looking at how this young man is bent down towards his dog and his dog's reaction to this, all done one just a small bit of an unknown gemstone. This scaraboid appears to be a ring, but the scale could be off and it may be a bracelet. After further research, I learned that Greek artists would sometimes dangle the enhanced gem off of a gold bangle bracelet, similar to a charm. I am astonished at the detail, emotion, story, and feeling that the artist achieved on such a small gem especially taking into consideration that he was working with 500 b.c. era tools. I feel privileged to have uncovered this bit of masterpiece inside the Numismatic Museum's online collections.

Amunhotep III (1386-1349 B.C.E or 1388-1351 B.C.E.) was the ninth pharaoh of the late eighteenth dynasty (c.1570-1293 B.C.E), when Egypt was peaceful, reaching the summit of its prosperity. After a long reign of almost 40 years, he was succeeded by his son Akhenaten (Amunhotep IV). The sculpture, about 26 centimeters height, is made from wood with a use of gold. Use of these expensive materials reflects the peaceful and prosperous era in Egypt. The artistic convention exists in this wooden sculpture, such as parted and bulky legs, and although missing, arms that were most likely straight down along with his torso as other older sculptures. While retaining overall simplicity, some new elements are observed in the sculpture. The pharaoh is wearing a blue crown, a crown worn at war. The use of the war crown, in combination with the gold waistcloth, further signifies and demonstrates the pharaoh’s ruling power. The face of the sculpture is more realistic, and without the traditional false beard, the sculpture looks less formal and generates more human-like flavor, reminding us of the transition to the Amarna style of art, where reality became more important in art.

This piece is dated from late period of Ancient Egyptian (ca. 700-300 B.C.E). Throughout the 2500 years of Ancient Egyptian, the art forms have alway been stable. This piece is another good example of that. Although it was almost towards the end of Ancient Egyptian civilisation, this statue of Isis holding the child Horus still follow the highly stylised and bilaterally symmetrical fundamentals Ancient Egyptians had always been followed in art. Unlike later in Greek sculptures, artists freed the figures from stones which gave them movements; Isis sits in the perfect still position with her unchanging calmness and serenity natures. We should also notice the bronze vulture around her throne: in Greek art, animals and human has a sense of intimacy with human, in Ancient Egyptian, animals are either an extension of god or an extension of symbolism. This piece is quite tiny comparing (18.7x5.7x13.5 cm) to the hieratic scale of Ancient Egyptian sculptures we get use to. But the artists didn’t forget to put a little smile on Isis to enhance her role as al loving mother.

This is a bronze statuette representing God Anubis. He seems firm and proud of his duty. He has an animal head (a Jackal-I believe) and a male human body wearing a short kilt. He is holding something on one of his hand-not sure what is it- I would think maybe the soul of the death or even his formal action on earth...Anubis was a funerary God who quided and protected the spirit of death.

One of the most fascinating things I found about Ancient Greek art is how it influences art of the later periods, e.g. the humanistic and naturalistic elements that are important also to Roman and Renaissance art/ sculptures; the geometric and abstract elements of Cycladic art and art from the Geometric period that also present in modern art. The piece I chose here is a bronze horse shape statuette from the Geometric period. The defining characteristic of Geometric pieces, besides using actual geometric patterns, is to over-emphasize certain aspects of the natural anatomy in order to highlight the spirit of the subject, in this case, exaggerating the long legs of the horse symbolizing its speed and mobility. I found this idea very forward and probably used by many modern artists.

Marble life-size sculpture representing the goddess Athena according to the Greek mythology or Minerve according to the Roman mythology. Set into Neo-classic period, 2nd century AD. Athena is the goddess of the wisdom, arts and the war. The geometry and the harmony of the face represent the Greek antiquity. Athena is the daughter of Zeus as she birth out adult, wearing armor of the head of Zeus, whence the illustration of Athena capped by a helmet of Corinthian style decorated with a protome of feline. The helmet is one of her attributes. This sculpture was formerly awarded to the famous sculptor Myron.

The "Stela of Snebef" was created between c. 1850 BC - 1750 BC. It originates from the sacred city of Abydos in Upper Egypt, which is the burial city of Osiris - the god of fertility and afterlife. I find this piece very interesting as it illustrates the specificities and conventions of Egyptian art style. It was once part of a wall of one of the chapels or “cenotaph” that was erected on a processional route in honour of and to celebrate Osiris. Its structure is rectangular in shape and it is made of limestone. It uses relief carvings, symbols and registers. For instance, the niche at the center features a female mummy portraying the “patron mother” called Meri. She is surrounded by depictions of various funerary offerings. The other two mummy-shaped figures around it depict Senebef and Ipta. It is dominated by a large central “ankh” which means life”. The space between the niches and the window featuring the ankh is covered with inscriptions/symbols. Also, the figures in this piece are stylized and non realistic-scale and consistent with the Egyptian art conventions to honour deities and celebrate the afterlife.

This Lekythos can be dated back to 435 to 415 BCE of Ancient Greece. Lekythoi were used as oil flasks and were created with black-figure, red-figure painting and as seen in the present vessel with a white-ground and earth-coloured painting. White-ground Lekythoi were often found in Athenian graves. It is suggested that these kinds of vessels were used for salvation of the death. The depiction of a burial scene on the Lekythos supports this statement. Greek art seemed to be inspired by the real life and focused on depicting ideal human figures. This vessel however shows that also the Greek culture had its traditions and way to honour the death and to express grief. But even for a funeral vessel Greek artists were able to focus on aesthetics and to constantly evolve their skills. F.i. it is suggested that they used white-ground paint to make the objects appear more valuable as it could be associated with marble, ivory or even mural paintings. The figures in the painting are shown in profile - as seen with so many Egyptian art objects - but still show naturalistic detail. To demonstrate the use of the vessel the viewers’ attention is drawn to the painting, which is depicted on white ground and therefore accentuated and separated from its black parts. White-ground paint is known as the newest technique for pottery. This and the change of these vessels form over time suggest constant desire to get better as an artist.

Unlike statues and temples, vases may not necessarily come immediately to mind when thinking of Classical Greek Art. However, the red-figure lekythos 475-450 BCE, depicting the Judgment of Paris, demonstrates numerous aspects of the artistic culture of that period. This red-figure vase, located in the Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, Greece, is attributed to the Phiale Painter who assumedly was a pupil of the Achilles Painter. Made of clay and 425 mm high, it is decorative as well as functional. Lekythoi were perfume vases, often provided with a small phial at the bottom of the neck, thus reducing the filling height of the expensive aromatic oil. These “economical lekythoi” were first produced in the black-figure style around 475 BCE. In contrast to the black-figure style with its limitations, the red-figure style as its reversal is both more demanding and more rewarding. The red-figure lekythos reveals several advantages of this new technique which existed alongside its predecessor before replacing it and becoming one of the hallmarks of the Classical Period. For instance, the red figure of Paris stands out more prominently against the dark background as if it were the other way round. In addition to this highlighting effect, this newly developed technique allowed for more detailed treatment of human anatomy and dress. The Phiale Painter turned the Prince of Troy’s body to face the viewer to demonstrate to what extent the new technique allowed him to outline the muscles and ligaments of the torso and the feet, thus demonstrating his knowledge of anatomy – an important feature of the Classical Period (Man as measure of all things). The attention to contours and the drapery folds of Paris’ cloth covering the lower part of his body as well as the sitting position give his figure a sense of three-dimensionality. Iconography extending to representations of everyday life alongside mythological and religious scenes is a further typical feature of Classical Greek Art. The red-figure lekythos depicts the Judgment of Paris, a story from Greek mythology of the event leading up to the Trojan War. Paris is identifiable not only by his typical posture, sitting (on a rock) and holding a shepherd’s staff in his right hand. The illustration of a caduceus as one of the characteristic features of Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, who leads the three goddesses before Paris is a further reference to this mythological story. Although on this vase, Hera, Athens and Aphrodite are omitted, Paris’ severe and pensive expression seems to reflect his reluctance to select the most beautiful goddess, as if anticipating the disaster his choice would cause. This illustration of emotion emphasizes the artist’s choice of attributing human traits to Gods.

This statue of the King Thutmose III exemplifies many of the aspects that we learnt on the classes about Egypt. King Thutmose was one of the most important Kings of Egypt. He was the son of Thutmose II, which, died when he was a child, consequently his aunt and stepmother Queen Hatshepsut ruled for the next 20 years until her death. Only after these 20 years Thutmose III became the ruler of Egypt. It is possible to observe that the artist used artist convention to make the statue. The face is idealistic as we may note that the proportions and the features are flawless. Another example of the artistic convention shown on this statue is that it has the headdress and it has the false beard exactly how all of the Kings and Pharaoh of Egypt are revealed. However I would expect to see the Falcon on his head to characterize the Horus, which is not possible on this statue. Like many of the statues this one also shows Thutmose III shirtless, though it is only possible to see the upper part but we could imagine that he would be seated in a throne that had the symbol of lotus and papyrus that signifies Upper and Lower Egypt.

The Relief of Men Talking, ca 1352-1336 bce, which is held at the Brooklyn Museum’s collection of ancient Egyptian art, is clearly from the Amarna period. From what I learned during the lecture, I immediately noticed that this is a relief carving, whereby the figures project out from the stone, and the stone background is carved away. I also noticed that the style is more fluid and graceful than the previous period of Egyptian Art. Although the heads are in full profile, the figures are not as blocky as in previous artistic conventions. The shoulders are seen from the front, while the torso and hips turn in ¾ view. The two men seem to be talking, but are also holding swords or weapons of some kind. This could indicate that the men may be soldiers. In addition, I noticed that the men are the same height. This indicates that they are equal in importance or in social hierarchy due to the hieratic scale in Ancient Egyptian art.

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) was a Greek philosopher, scientist, and educator. He was a student of Plato and a teacher of Alexander the Great. This marble sculpture is a Roman copy (Imperial Period) of the lost original bronze sculpture by Lysippus, personal sculptor to Alexander the Great in c. 330 B.C.E. The original was created towards the end of classical period in the Greek art history, thus almost definitely had the style of naturalism instead of idealization. The subject sculpture is a portrayal in the enhanced naturalism under the influence of Roman Art. It portrays Aristotle as an old man with a flat head with likely baldness, furrows, soggy cheeks and tired-looking eyes. Based on descriptions about Aristotle’s appearance, including “conspicuousness of his short hair”, “he had a mocking expression on his face” and “small, bald, paunchy, stuttering, and lustful”, the sculpture certainly captured the gist of Aristotle’s real features, if not all. Still, we can observe Greek idealization. The sculpture definitely generates a sense of dignity and sophistication of Aristotle as great philosopher. Perhaps Romans learned the skill from the idealization in Greek Art. Roman Art’s strength in portraiture derives from their stylistic eclecticism.

The sarcophagus is in Roman style, extremely high relief, the characters around the sarcophagus is repeating, the figures looks real and very natural but shows no sign of individualism. Instead of divided into registers to tell the whole story, the repeated figure are meant to be just recording the results, something memorable. It is possible that this sarcophagus will be shown to the public, which make everybody observing the same scene, a result of war, one side is the solders with classical Roman armor and fighting someone with a different symbol on their shield, their horse in trample the one without armor, seems like they are the one attacking. It is worthwhile to mention that their is a scene of women being executed in every conner. The lion head on top of the pediment of the cover, the lack of identifiable figure and the repeated figure shows that the sarcophagus might design for more than one people, or no one but meant to commemorate the sacrifices.

The Sacrophagus from 198 BCE is made of stone and shows the figure of a middle aged men who is lying on top of the burial case. On the side of this burial case we see two dragon-like animals facing each other. The man on top, who is supposed to be a noble man, is not idealized but rather portrayed in a very naturalistic, personalized form, with a little paunch, an emotional (rather sad) facial expression and a signet ring. He is not properly dressed, but covered with a cloth. The piece struck me particularly interesting because it nicely illustrates the development from the Egyptian style of sarcophagus, which generally shows a stylized figure with the features all pharaohs have in common, to this piece, in which we are encountering an individual that is recognizable as such and realistically depicted.

This Merovingian belt buckle was found in Rijinsburg, NL during the excavation of an old medieval cemetery. It is dated 630-640 AD an measures approximately 10,5 cm high by 4,6 cm wide. It was found next to a coin featuring a cross and the letters alpha and omega, all three symbols of Christianity. This very delicate and refined piece of work is characteristic of the Early Medieval Period. A sort of golden triple breaded chain and a fourth lower ‘mini-pearl like’ one frame an exquisite animal interlace - simulating stylized snakes forms - in its sunken part. They constitute the oblong central belt plate. Directly above this rectangle shape, a golden cloisonné, filled with brownish and green enamels frames a second enlace (gold filigree) in its center. At the bottom of the plate, a six nails row - all circled with tiny golden pearls - served to fasten the buckle onto the belt. In the highest part of the buckle, a vertical tongue like shape seems to highlight a haut relief showing the profile of a person wearing a hat, maybe a king or an important personality. This fine metal work with geometric shapes, abstract forms and clear contours represents very well the Early Medieval Art.

This exceptional manuscript of Gospel, dating from 11th or 12th century and restored in the 19th century. The masterpiece is the representation of the survival of the Ottonian art. The binding reveals a remarkable mastery of silver and gild filigree. This extremely delicate parchment characterized by 4 ivory panels depicts the evangelists. The four plaques form a cross in gilded filigree and gathered by the illustration of the crucifixion of Christ in gold leaf incised and protect by a polished rock crystal.

The Sarcophagus with Lion Hunt is from 270-290 CE and is Roman style. Made of marble, it depicts a scene of the future grave occupant on horseback in a lion hunt among his companions and servants. With a spear in his right hand, he draws his arm back, ready to strike the lion that is lunging towards him. It is in extremely high relief which emphasizes the narrative. There is no attempt at individualizing these figures as faces are almost interchangeable. Some of the faces are also blurred indicating that they are perhaps less important to the story. This shows how the Romans were beginning to move away from naturalism and shifting back towards simplicity and anonymity.

his Carolingian Book-Cover Plaque is made from Ivory and carved in relief. We can see that there are 2 registers; one depicting the crucifixion and the other Christ’s empty tomb. The holy women (lower register) are represented by halos circling their heads, which is typical of Christian art. Christ (upper register) also has a halo circling his head but it is much more predominant. The angel in the lower register is easily recognized and it seems as if he’s explaining something or giving instructions to the other figures. The hands of the figures in both registers are disproportioned and are gesticular. In the upper scene we can see that the soldier to the left is gesturing towards Christ, urging the viewer to recognize the crucifixion while the two figures with halos are brushing their faces with their hands; perhaps because they’ve been crying, an indication of grief. The flat pattering of the figures’ drapery and strong lines throughout the piece are hints that this is indeed a medieval plaque. Although there is no animal interlace in this piece, the border of the plaque is decorated with a beautiful pattern. This border is abstract and geometric and reminds me of the massive buttresses and columns typical of Romanesque Churches. In fact, art from the Carolingian era is sometimes referred to as Pre-Romanesque.

St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr. Legend has it that within this bag (ca. 800 – 830 AD) some of the blood soaked soil of his martyrdom was kept. This certainly reflects the importance of pilgrimage and the honoring of saints and their relicts during the medieval times. In my opinion this purse is an extraordinary piece of art. The gold work and the incorporation of several precious polished cabochon stones – typical for this time - are outstanding. It almost looks like the stones are arranged at random. However with a closer look it can be seen that the stones are arranged intentionally: they frame the front and thus divide the purse into a box and a roof and additionally there is a central axis. The latter leads to the depiction of a cross. It is said that this cross might be a cruss gemmata, which would be typical for Medieval and Christian art. Also, the division of the purse into a box and a roof almost make the purse look like a miniature building (a church maybe?). On the side of the purse we see several medallions depicting fishermen or falconers f. e.. These symbols could suggest the connection to some sort of a story behind all of this – a narrative, which again would be typical for this time.

Mural paintings from the apse of Sant Sadurní in Osormort, in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain. The art was created in the second quarter of the 12th century, and painted on a wall built in the second half of the previous century. This is a work of art from the Catalan Romansque period, on the cusp on evolving in the Gothic period. As a key part of early medieval churches and places of worship, apses were a visual focus for worshippers. This image, while only partly visible, can be seen to be divided into registers, a design style first seen in Egyptian palettes. Colours would initially have been vibrant, and illustrate a particular narrative showing the 12 apostles. The nude images of man and woman suggest the story of Adam and Eve committing the original sin in the Garden of Eden, a powerful motif for the medieval mind.

The casket is depicts scenes from literature and Medieval ballads, all related to certain romantic story. I quite liked it and found it representative of Medieval artistic conventions. The high relief is easily legible and emphasises the narrative instead of focusing on naturalistic depiction of the heroes. In this instance we do know who the main characters are but less important people look very much alike without any sense of individualism and they are not portraits but rather representation of people in general. The maker used very clear forms and outlines to put even stronger emphasis on the narrative so that it is clear to everyone. I think It is a very beautiful piece, it must have been intended as a courtship gift.

This bronze statue of Hadrian was found at a site that was once a camp of the Sixth Roman Legion. It was set up there, as was the custom, for ritual worship. One of the few bronze sculptures of an emperor from the Roman Period, I chose it because of his non-threatening pose. It is a typical pose of a commander greeting his troops, but certainly not as menacing as that of Caracalla. His love for Greece and Greek literature was such that he was known as 'Graeculus' (Greekling). Hadrian's building projects are probably his most enduring legacy, and the reason I chose this piece is because I had the most amazing reaction the first time I ever saw Hadrian's wall in Britain.

This object is clearly from the medieval period (ca.1350) in that we can see firstly the use of enamel like colors represented as glass windows on the piece, a technique used during that time, as well as the use of gilded gold, giving it the appearance of a precious object. In addition, the central painting of Christ and the Virgin is enclosed within what seems to be a shrine or a church. The 34 clear glass windows each contain a saints’ relic, each accompanied by a note recording its origin and significance. In addition, the piece is clearly a relic. Since the beginning of Christianity, relics were seen as a way to come closer to the saints and thus form a closer bond with God. Christians during the Middle Ages often took pilgrimages to shrines of holy people.

The Statue of Dionysus from Ancient Rome has a significant visual difference from a statue of the Greek period; the figure in the sculpture is dressed. Another significant difference is that the figure is livelier than Greek sculptures. Instead of an idealized figure there is a more naturalistic feeling. Dionysus is known as the Greek God of wine and festivity so he is with his left arm up holding a bunch of grapes, and with his left hand he is holding a pine cone which, symbolized fertility to everything that grows in nature. Under his right arm there is a female idol figure that demonstrates once again the use of hieratic scale, as the figure is much smaller than Dionysus this was obviously to show the importance of the God. Nevertheless the female figure is also there to help support the arm up. The carving is amazing and the use of high relief gives the sense that the robe will move with the wind. Dionysus legs are in contrapposto position, showing that even though Roman sculptures were different than Greek sculptures there were still similarities between them.

This Reliquary Cross is a good example of medieval skills (1150-75). In own way, it is unique. It is located at the Walters Art Museum and it was made in Belgium. It is the Mosan enamel technique (champlevé and cloisonné enamel on copper with gilding). It is typical for this period. At first we can see the figure of Jesus Christ. He has majestic face with the calm stare. He doesn’t look as a martyr. Good drawing body looks like as skeleton. It is interesting that the hands of the Saviour are situated on the corners of the cross. It gives the composition balance. Than we can see the group of Evangelists, who personify the four cardinal virtues: Wisdom or Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. At the top of the cross Hope is shown with a chalice and communion wafer; Faith is on the right cross arm with baptismal font; Obedience is at the base holding the cross and Innocence is on the left holding the sacrificial lamb associated with Christ. There is symbolism in every element. The cross itself is green with small traditional red and blue stars. It is the cosmological metaphor of the tree of life and the universe.

I chose this object both as it is the largest surviving cameo of antiquity and it shows very good the artistic conventions of the Romans before Christianity, before a shift from humanism (man and even the individual was the measure of all things) back towards a more rigorous hierarchy in which the individual is markedly less important than the deity. Emperor Augustus reigned from 27 BC to 14 AC and artistically holds on to "Greek classicism" (simple defined by terms like deity, idealised and nude). The artwork measures w230 x h190 cm (entire) and shows typicalities of Roman Art - it is more specific than Greek art as well as the figures are "dressed" to allow political propaganda to be spread- the primary function of the art in the Roman Empire. It also shows very well the development from the Greeks, that Romans carve much more deeply and allow for identifiable figures. The cameo is divided by Greeks typical "registers" in two different scenes/images glorifying Augustus and one of his victories by means of connecting him with gods. Hence, the aim of the artist is to show Augustus' power in the Roman Empire. The use of animals as symbols to underline this Roman artwork's object - like the Greeks do- should also be mentioned.

I found this an interesting choice as it is a piece from the Etruscan period but is using influences and forms from the Egyptian times as well given the lid is created with a sphinx shaped handle with a lotus flower on top (symbolizing upper Egypt). In Etruscan art, one can note the development of the previous empires and civilizations as Etruscan art has been a development of Greek art which has in turn been influenced by Egyptian art. The art of all these empires developed in many forms mainly by making the art pieces more naturalistic. This piece seems to depict registers where naturalism can be seen in the animals where details in their anotomy have been taken into effect and at the same time one can note a sense of animation and expressiveness making it differ from Greek art which can be seen as a bit more bland and lacking expression. Etruscan art formed the foundation of Roman art and there were many developments during this period, for instance the arch which was further developed by the Romans with additional technological and engineering advances.

This silver reliquary of mid-fourth century AD was found in the Basilica Apostolorum (built c. fourth century AD), now known as the Church of San Nazaro). It was used by St. Ambrose to contain the relics of some of the Apostles to consecrate the Basilica. It is worth noting that the church’s plan is on the Greek Cross with apses, which shows early Byzantine influence. The reliquary is decorated with old and new testament reliefs, including the Adoration of the Magi; the Judgment of Solomon; Christ enthroned among the apostles with jars and baskets at his feet, in remembrance of the miracles of the Wedding at Cana and the multiplication of the loaves, an explicit reference to the common theme alluding to the Eucharist. It is interesting to see that the images have strong links to both Roman antecedents (e.g. Christ wearing a tunic like a Roman; or Solomon appearing in both aristocratic and military, looking like a late Roman emperor) and early Byzantine imperial (e.g. Christ enthroned in majesty) representations.

This larger than life-size statue of Trajan, created in marble around 100 – 125 CE, found in Bou-Chater (Tunisia) and on display at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, located in Leiden, Netherlands, exemplifies the distinct features of figurative art during the imperial period of Roman Art, called Augustan Classicism. The statue represents Trajan, who ruled from 98 to 117 CE and who was one of the most successful emperors of the Roman Empire in terms of political and military achievements, as a general, wearing a paludamentum (general’s cloak) over a cuirass. This person who belonged to the group of the five good emperors is easily identifiable because the statue is an exact portrait of Trajan as a sober and judicious man. The statue conveys enough details and specifics that it is a portrait rather than an idealized representation of all Roman emperors. As a result of this sense of real portraiture, characteristic of this period, Trajan’s face is not completely perfect; on the contrary, the furrowed forehead, the sharped lines between the eyebrows, the thin lips, the deep naso-labial wrinkles and the slight double chin show that this is the representation of a true person. Although Augustan Classicism is creating fully identifiable portraits, it is relating to Greek precedents. Trajan is looking deliberately to recreate that sense of Greek ethos. Additionally, the contrapposto stand may remind us of the Spear Bearer by Polykleitos. However, whereas the Greek is idealized and nude, the Roman is much more specific and dressed in a way that enables to convey a particular message to the viewer. In fact, Roman artists are not only concerned about portraiture, but also about propaganda, using art and architecture for political purposes. The statue of Trajan illustrates this tendency, prevailing especially during the imperial period, to demonstrate and secure Roman power by visual means. The trunk of a palm tree symbolizing victory as well as the decoration on the cuirass worked out in relief emblematizes the emperor’s power. The head of the Medusa with her petrifying mastery, the griffins holding a thunderbolt as symbols of divine power and the mythological figures of the legend of the founding of Rome clearly serve such propagandistic purposes.

I found this depiction of King David of Orpheus (God of Music in Greek Mythology) compelling for several reasons. First, we see several of the elements of medieval artistic conventions mixed with Greek mythology along with the Constantine and Christian artistic conventions of moving from naturalism to narrative. The banners at the top and bottom of the page subtly remind me of the medieval trait of animal interlacing. Now, is it an actual snake? No. But could the artist have taken that convention and applied it to his work? He certainly could have while applying his own "take" on the snake. King David is "squat" yet he does provoke emotion via the action being painted. He is playing the lyre. King David was notorious for his musical abilities so equating him, artistically, with Orpheus crosses centuries of belief systems. Was this a very well-read artist or possibly a production from a monastic community? Though, the latter idea, seems a bit far fetched in that one would expect monks to stick to their base belief system in their art. However, did they all? We also have a few symbolic animals present. The snake being attacked by the lion? Possible allegory to Christ conquering the Devil? The beauty of this page, and what caught my attention, is that so much is left to the viewer. The page seems unfinished but, upon further thought, I wonder if it's simply faded in the areas that appear unfinished? The medieval practice of filling in every space on the page, horror vacul, could have been succeeded in the piece if, in fact, the faded areas in this piece are just that - faded. One last point of interest, there is a line of hebrew contained on the page. It's been enlightening to audit this piece and I feel an allegiance to this anonymous artist.

This sarcophagus shows how early Christian art is influenced by Roman tradition. Here we have a sarcophagus with a single register but the various scenes are separated by corinthian columns that form an arcade decorated with plant motifs. The carvings are in high relief. Before Constantine, the figure of Christ was rarely directly represented. Now we find Jesus in each scene, represented as a young man without a beard. The scenes portray Jesus in stories from the New Testament. I would like to draw attention to the large griffin on the shorter side of the sarcophagus. We should remember the griffin and is a mythological creature shown in art from Egypt to Greece. The quality respecting earlier Imperial Roman sarcophagi is lower. The drapperies, hair and visage are not very elaborate or delicate. The figures reflect late Constantine style where figures became squatter, smaller and less fully individualized in the same way as Junius Bassus’ Sarcophagus. We find the adoption of Greek and Roman art by Christian artists. Christian art did not refuse the classical tradition, and continued to evoke the Classical tradition throughout its emergence and into the middle ages

Holy relics played important roles in medieval religious life. Pilgrimages from all over the medieval world travelled a long way to pay their respect to those relics. It might be difficult for us to imagine the religious and supernatural believes medieval people strongly hold on to. But it were those believes that produced those spectacular medieval religious art. This large church-shaped shrine (48.9x64.14x30.32 cm) was once holding Saint Amandus’s relics. The beautiful craftsmanship of how medieval religious artists manipulating multi materials; woods metal and stones was perfectly show casing in this piece. For medieval people, this is more than a piece of remembrance and respect. It is also a piece that teach the mass people. The impotence of holding the Christianity virtues will bring you into the illumination of God, just like the glittering gold surrounding the relics and the jewels dazzling around them. For medieval people, religious arts are beyond beauty. They are made for eternity.

The is the painting before Leonardo saw Portinari Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes in 1476, but the painting start to show the some characteristic of Renaissance from the North. The view of the painting is intuitive rather than single point perspective, private devotion rather than the church, Gabriel announce to Mary she is carrying the child of god, the halo on Mary head has a circle that Gabriel don’t have, a sense of hieratic scale which depict that Mary is more important, angular style of drapery and the minute detail of line, light and shadow shows the realness of the figure, the transparentness of the book and the solidness of the cabinet really bring a big high contrast picture not only in terms of light but also the mass. The background wall and bricks show a sense of geometric balance, also the hills and ships at the back show atmosphere perspective. The white lily on Gabriel hand signify the virginity of Mary.

«Melencolia I» is the most mysterious work of Albrecht Dürer. The technique of this print is unique, because Durer created the copper plate engraving by himself and maybe it died with him.He achieved technical excellence. This print is divided horizontally into three parts and each part is the level of knowledge. The lowest is very interesting if we look at details. We can see tools of different crafts: a carpenter's plane, an angle and a geometrically ideal sphere. And this sphere is really interesting thing, because it is the highest skill. At Durer’s time the hangs work demanded on high level of knowledge. In the left part we can also see the animal symbolized the anatomic skills. The craft was the base of art. On the second level of knowledge we see different things. First of all it is baby-angel reading the book and seating on the mill stone which symbolizes the perpetual motion, the great milling. It is space of intellectual knowledge. It is interesting point that the wallet was unbuckled and now situates on the first level. It means that we can pay only for work. There is big crystal the goal of alchemists on the left part. The man was scientist if he knew the Avicenna’s theorem of multangular (the angles wasn’t equal in value). This crystal is that multangular. Durer crystallized this theorem and this figure was magical. We can see the bucking hammer near the crystal it means that we can find it in the nature. The third part begins in the second part. It is the tower and stairs that never ends. And on this tower we can see the hour-glass, the Durer’s magical table and the bell. The bell’s cord goes to the endlessness. This tower never can be finished, because it is a symbol of the unknowability in the knowledge. The perception is unlimited and infinite. We can see the hour-glass in each Durer’s print. It is the image of time. The left side of this level is the landscape. There is the idea that Durer painted the Comet Halley. The bat as the symbol of Melancolia flies under the star, rainbow and water. The Melancholia is the genius’s illness. All this levels and figures are the projection component of genius's mental world. And we can see the genius as the main figure. He has big wings. Wings mean endless flying to the knowledge world. But he holds compasses as the balance, control and limitation. Some people believe that this genius, this artist is Durer himself. I agree with them.

The Annunciation is an oil painting by Jan van Eyck from around 1434-1436. Jan van Eyck was one of the most influential painters of the Northern Renaissance. This painting depicts the Annunciation by Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the son of God and is full of religious symbolism. Gabriel is a glittering figure with a rich and detailed costume. The extraordinary colors of his rainbow wings seem to glow within. At the top, God stands isolated in a stained-glass window. Behind Mary's face are three windows, symbolizing the Trinity. Below her are lilies in a vase symbolizing the Virgin's purity. The drapery is very naturalistic and carries a sense of weight. This painting is extremely detailed with decoration and van Eyck's play of light over the many different textures is exceptionally rendered. The architecture of the church moves from older, round Romanesque forms above to slightly pointed Gothic arches below.

This image has several symbolic inclusions including a vase/glass with a single candle suggesting divine light, close to the canopied bed. Typical of northern Renaissance it is finely detailed and uses naturalistic perspective. The scene of the Madonna with child in place in a contemporary setting in a Flanders town, said to be Bruges, the hometown of the artist. Drapery is quite angular. Perspective is achieved by using ceiling beams and floor tiles and the townscape is principally grey and washed out blue in colour, suggesting distance. The priest in the background is carrying beads and is pictured in motion with his right knee bent. This is unusual in early renaissance figures tend to be static. His expression suggest he is distracted by his own thoughts, and not of the Virgin and Child. The chandelier has no candles. A three legged stool to the right of the picture may suggest the Trinity, while the triangle shape made but the Virgin and Child also suggest 'three', but is also said to expression Italian Renaissance ideas of geometry, order and balance. Trade and cultural links between the two centres of European artistic endeavour are beginning to develop around the late1400s. There is other imagery, for example a piece of fruit on the window ledge, the open book, the strange creature carved into at the bedstead and the black suit case - I am uncertain about. If the fruit is a pear, it might symbolise the fruit of Mary's womb.

This work was made in 1448 with tempera and gold on panel. It was done as an altarpiece for the chapel of the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena. It shows the biblical scene of the birth of the Virgin Mary, interpreted in the contemporary context of the time, so within a 15th century home. The use of linear perspective strikes immediately through the use of walls, columns and ceilings of the house, that form the “grid” of the depicted scene. Inside the main room, that takes up about 4/5 of the panel, are Mary’s Mother, the infant child with angels above her head, and several attendants. All the figures’ attention focus on the child, giving the scene another very clear point of perspective within the lower left corner. Outside the house is Mary’s Father Joachim, who has a two dimensional halo and who receives the news of the birth of Mary by another child. The painting also includes a view towards an outside garden, which is done in atmospheric perspective, with less accentuated colors and details. This panel thus nicely illustrates the prevailing use of both linear and atmospheric perspective, as well as the anatomically correct human form of idealized figures in the Renaissance.

From the early Gothic period, I've chosen this historiated initial 'V', the first letter of the text of the Old Testament book devoted to the tormented but ever-righteous Job. Created about 1270, likely in Lille, France, it is tempera colors, black ink, and gold leaf on parchment. I love books and can only imagine the creativity and industry that was inspired in France by the production of illuminated manuscripts. This folio tells of Job's unwaivering faith, despite his suffering from sores and other afflictions. Depicting a naked Job, ribs showing, sitting upright in his bed, he is disputing his wife's discouraging attitude towards his faith. Vine scrolls with spikey and round leaves extend from the initial into the margin, where human and animal figures cavort. These playful characters and the vine scrolls itself are common features of Gothic illumination, as is the color scheme dominated by blue and gold.

The “peasant wedding” is a 1566-69 painting from the Flemish renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel. With the protestant reformation in northern Europe, artists were looking for new genre of work less focused on religious scenes. This scene of peasant celebration in a barn embraces this new genre of representation of everyday people and life. The scene of is full of life and is dominated by people eating and drinking, which give a sense of movement and humanity to it, including a man passing plates on the table, while others are drinking and eating. By contrast the bride stays very composed and modest. The characteristics of northern renaissance style are very much present in this painting, including the use of oil paint, which gives this saturated look; intuitive perspectives with the wooden chair and tables roughly fashioned and not precisely aligned or scaled; as well as a minute level of details. The meaning of the painting has been interpreted by some as a moral message from the artist about marriage celebration deteriorating into gluttony and self-indulgence.

This tempera on canvas by Botticelli is a Renaissance painting from Florence. It’s currently housed in the Uffizi Gallery. Like the Birth of Venus, Pallas and the Centaur centres around myth; the resurgence of classical philosophy (as mentioned in The Rebirth of Painting lecture). The woman in the painting, Pallas, is quite stunning. She is idealized (though her left arm seems out of proportion, her head a tinge too small and she has rather large feet); her features are soft, her skin is fair and she is in the classical contrapposto pose. Her entire body is affected by this pose. The Centaur’s torso is also idealized – he is quite muscular. Though he has a pained expression, after doing further research, it contributes to the overall theme of reason and chastity overcoming animal passion (Christopher Masters, 231). The painting provides the viewer with a sense of calm, repose, order and balance – which, as we’ve learnt, is typical of Renaissance paintings. The fence in the background as well as the stone work above the Centaur suggests linear perspective however, there doesn’t seem to be a single focal point. We can see that Botticelli also employed atmospheric perspective as the details in the background become faint, colours become muted and recede into the bluish/grey that was explained in the lectures.

This is a fairly representative Renaissance piece from Italy. We can notice the use of linear perspective on the roof of the stable, as well as the use of atmosphere perspective with the faded background. Compared to its Northern counterpart, there are less intricate details, but strong classical influence, mainly naturalism and humanism. We can see that the different characters are in very realistic proportion, including the size of baby Jesus. Hieratic scale is shown more in terms of position, the Holy Family above the crowd vs. size. Drapery of clothing here is smooth vs. more angular. There is also a sense of symmetry and balance with clear center figures, then crowds gathering equally on either side of the painting, and space created on both sides.

The name of the piece is Lucca Madonna because it belonged to the collection of Charles II duke of the Italian city Parma & Lucca. This oil painting is amazing, and shows Mary and baby Christ. Mary is portrayed with long, curly red hair and it was said that Margaretha, Jan Van Eyck's wife was the one that posed as Mary. The virgin is sat on a throne that has four small lions statues making a reference to the throne Solomon or the Throne of Wisdom. The use of color is fantastic, and this was possible because the Northern Renaissance used oil painting since the beginning, the red cape that is involving Mary has so many details like precious stones on the border. It is also possible to observe the angular cascading drapery on her cape which is typical of the Northern Renaissance paintings. The minute details of the fabric behind the throne is spectacular. The painting is extremely naturalistic, the use of small brush strokes makes it possible to see all the details. Mary is breast feeding Jesus and it is possible to see the details of the skin of the baby since he is naked. There is a window on the left side of the room, and the light is coming in through this window, through the glass capturing the reflection of this light. The perspective also makes the painting even more realistic. The faces of the figure are also very calm and placid.

The Adoration of the Kings is by Hugo van der Goes and was painted around 1470 and was the central panel to a tryptich. In this painting we see the kings of the three realms bringing gifts to the newborn Jesus. It is a wonderful example for Northern Renaiccance art as it incorporates almost all the aspects we talked about this week. It is oil on oak wood, typical for Northern art at this time. We see the use of intuitive perspective and hence no tunnel like perspective as more common with Southern Renaissance painting. We see the use of atmospheric perspective and therefore get an impression of the architecture and life going on at the time. This painting is full of minute detail and patterning and we see the light reflecting beautifully in the precious stones on the crown in the front or in the goblet for instance. Also, van der Goes used symbolic flowers like irises (symbol for passion) and columbines (symbol for the holy spirit) and angular drapery, a typical artistic convention for Norhtern Renaissance art. Within this painting some sort of hierachy can be detected as Joseph is kneeling besides Mary and the servant on the right is kneeling and holding the goblet for his king. What is astonishing is the incredible detail with which van der Goes painted the almost life-like faces and particularly hands of all the people in this painting. Only Mary and Jesus have a very pale skin tone which almost makes them seem supernatural. Looking at this painting one can immediately see that it is about the welcoming of the new king and the devotion everyone has for Jesus – only Jesus himself is looking right at the viewer!

I chose this art work, as it shows both the gothic period (with the typical emphasis in churches on verticality and lightness) as well as for the artist van Eyck who is one of the key Northern Renaissance artists. Van Eyck adopts the new art of oil painting, he creates space with an intuitive perspective and works with hierarchical proportions- reminding of Byzantine influence. So is Virgin Mary placed unrealistically big in the nave of a gothic church with a decorated crown, a heavy decorated dress with little Jesus in her arms, though with an impressive overall realistic effect. So Virgin Mary is shown very important as "queen of heaven" in an ideal church, though this painting is in comparison to its message respectively vision very small, just 31 × 14 cm (to be seen in Berlin). Van Eyck also typically makes incredible use of the whole "small" canvas - note the religious symbols (the angels and the statute in the back) reflecting his technique which is popular for its minute detailing, also his love of patterning as well as cascading drapery can be seen.

This colorful and round stained-glass window medallion is to be found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. However, it used to belong to the heart of the Gothic Center: the Sainte Chapelle in Paris. It was removed shortly after the French Revolution, when the chapel was converted into a library. The splendid vivid colors are bringing to light one of the many narratives that decorated the chapel. The scene itself represents soldiers on horsebacks crossing a river. Six of them are wearing helmets whereas the two holding a flag are not. The story relates one of the European Crusade undertaken by the Christians to win the Holy Lands from the Muslims. Back in the time of King Louis IX, this new type of visual ornament was an efficient storytelling medium, translating the Bible into colorful pictures in a world that was rather tern and where a large part of the audience was illiterate. Simultaneously, these stained-glassed windows were also a metaphor to vitalize the soul of the Catholics,. Thanks to the warm glow and beam of light through the window, the light of god transformed the soul of a person. The divine luminosity was the main leitmotiv of the Gothic Art.

I think this painting is absolutely beautiful, I love the way Lippi has depicted Madonna, who is identified with Lucrezia Buti (a lover of artist), and it seems to me that you could see her features are depicted with greatest tenderness and care. It is also possible that the smiling angel on the foreground is Filippino, the artist's son, which I personally tend to believe as it seems to me that he looks very realistic and you can almost feel he differs from the other depicted personages by having more realistic, less unified features. I believe that the painting is quite representational of the Italian Renaissance - it is very elegant, the lines are so fine and beautiful. It is idealised and at the same time very quiet and calm. We can see the atmospheric perspective at the background and very unusual frame/window framing the scene. The painting also bears features of a typical portrait of the period - Madonna's profile is defined, her entire posture and glance are very quiet, calm, restrained. There is a feeling of stillness to her which is contrasted by the smiling angel's playfulness.

Saint John , the Baptist pour the water over the head of Jesus, baptizing him.We can see the light, and the dove over the head of Jesus which symbolize the divinity. On the left they are two little angles on them knees, holding Jesus Garment.It's been said, that the young Leonardo paint the angles on the left while he was Verrochio's apprentice. On a side note, It's has been report also, that the work of Leonardo da Vinci was much better then Verrochio and since that last painting, Verrochio stopped to paint. I have no idea if this is real or not...but if true, a funny story...

Jacopo del Sellaio was trained under Botticelli (Florentine School). We see the Holy Trinity of God, Holy Spirit (dove) and Christ on upper part of the painting, and the two white corps at the bottom are the deceased. In addition, this votive altarpiece depicts with the background of a city using the typical technique used in southern Italy - linear and atmospheric perspectives. The liner perspective is observed with center point roughly at the Chirst’s feet; and the atmospheric perspective is used with gradually color-muted city and mountains, both of which are adding the scene a sense of three-dimensionality. The right and left hand sides of the painting are in symmetry (e.g., St. John and Virgin Mary. Based on the above, the painting leaves a sense of balance as a whole. We can see some, if not intense, influence of Botticelli in this artwork. For example, the crying child over to St. John is depicted much more naturally with a movement when compared with Medieval Art. Virgin Mary’s face expression indicates her sorrow more naturally.

Portrait of voluptuous and seated Venus, adorned with precious stones admiring her reflection in a mirror held by Cupid, while a putto crowns her with a halo of flowers. The venetian blond hair deepens its jewelry. The goddess hides a breast in a chaste way while her other hand veil her hips and a shoulder of a pelisse of color wine worked by brocades on golden and silvery which contrast Venus creamy body. By this mythological work Titien depicts the beauty, the nature or the natural beauty.

The painting was painted around 1595, by the Italian Renaissance artist Cima da Conegliano. It shows Mary on a throne carrying baby jesus, with Sain peter, Romualdus, Benedict, and Paul on their right and left. Like many of the paintings during the Renaissance period the theme is Christianity probably because the Catholic Chruch commissioned many of the paintings at the time. The theme: Madonna and Child was very common as we see many paintings depicting them in different ways. The first thing that caught my attention was the use of linear perspective and the spread of the columns and saints in the painting in a symmetrical way on a sort of a balanced calculated grid. Theres also the atmospheric perspective and the depiction of the sky in the background letting in light, where the artist mastered the spread of light and shade across the painting. The draping of the capes is very angular and detailed, the use of shadows and light made them seem very real. Humanism representation also is a feature of the Italian Renaissance, the faces in the painting were very detailed and realistic, yet lacked any representation of emotion. Faces were very placid, still and calm. The architecture was beautifully detailed in the painting and symbols are drawn on the ceiling with a golden dome.

The Triptych of Mary and Child, St. Michael, and the Catherine, dating from 1437 by Jan van Eyck, one of the most significant Flemish painters of the 15th century, and on exhibition in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Germany, is a representative masterpiece of Northern Renaissance Art. In the center of this altarpiece, Mary is depicted as a disproportionately tall Queen of Heaven, sitting on a throne with Christ on her lap and framed by St. Catherine of Alexandria (with her characteristic symbols such as the book, the wheel, the crown and the sword) on the right panel as well as Archangel Michael and the kneeling donor on the left panel. According to one of the key concerns of Renaissance Art, all the figures are given a sense of massiveness and volumetric modelling in order to represent the body as it appears on earth. The drapery no longer follows the medieval and gothic principle of “elegance for elegance sake”, but responds to the body, conveying a sense of weight. However, in contrast to the Southern movement of Renaissance, the Northern counterpart uses a rather triangular type of cascading drapery as illustrated in the lower part of Mary’s cloak, yet a little more subdued in the donor’s and St. Catherine’s garbs. A further highly distinctive element of Northern Renaissance Art is its love of minute detail, evident not only in the rendering of the texture, for example the wood grain, the metal of Michael’s armor and Mary’s throne, the decoration of the Corinthian capitals, but also the unbelievably elaborated crown St. Catherine is wearing, the pearls and jewels decorating Mary’s cloak and hair, Michael’s armor and Catherine’s crown and the softness of the hair, not to forget the banderole in Christ’s hand adorned with an inscription nor the patterns on the canopy of Mary’s throne. The minuscule landscape with its detailed buildings, hills and snowcapped mountains, visible through the open window behind St. Catherine, is an overwhelming example of the very specific level of detail prevailing in Northern Renaissance Art. Moreover this miniature reveals van Eyck’s proficiency in using incredibly small brushstrokes to create an unsurpassed level of detail and naturalism. An additional distinctive element creating a sense of realism is the idea of linear perspective, a key development of the Renaissance to represent accurately three-dimensional space in two dimensions. In the central part of this triptych, the Corinthian columns of the arcades as well as the converging lines in the mosaic on the floor and on the carpet act somehow like orthogonals to create a sense of depth and reinforce that illusion of three-dimensionality. However, it is not this elaborate mathematically correct system of single point perspective typical of the Southern Renaissance, but rather the intuitive type of perspective, demonstrating that van Eyck used this different approach predominant in the North. An example of atmospheric perspective is this scene behind the open window with its fading colors as well as the bluish and graying of the atmosphere. Corresponding to the strong concern for naturalism, the Northern Renaissance artists strikingly preferred oil paints to tempera. Van Eyck’s proficiency in rendering glass as a substance, giving it the sense of transparency and translucency and capturing the reflection of light in the thicker sections of the rounded glass elements of the windows is a significant example of perfect illusion of naturalism. In addition to the distinct characteristics of Northern Renaissance Art, this triptych emanates also the typical key features of Renaissance such as balance, symmetry, clarity and order, restraint and dignity to instill a sense of repose and calm and quiet classicism, thus representing the idea of the Rebirth of Humanism.

Antonio Pollaiolo (1432-1498) he is between Andrea del Castagno (1421-1457) and Botticelli (1445-1510), and belongs two a second generation in Florentine’s Renaissance. He was painter, sculter and engraver. He did portraits, sculptures, frecoes for the florentine’s aristocracy. Laurent de Médicis write in 1489 that Pollaiolo was “the principal master of the city”. He directed an important workshop with his bother Piero’s help. Both are famous preceding Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo in dissecting human corpses in order to better understand the anatomy. He was in Rome in 1469, this fact provides him with a knowledge of the classical sculpture wich became very important in his later works. The painting “Hercules clubs the Hydra” tempera on wood 1475, shows perfectly how Antonio was particularly astonishing preparing and well-endowed in painting human figure in action. We can appreciate that he has advanced from the early renaissance, the figure shows a very significantscientific knowledge of the anatomy, effort expression, movement…( characteristiques provides by the anatomy study), the muscles and tendons arehighly realistic and appear moving, we can really see that Hercules is fighting with the Hydra. Hercules is in tension, his body is exterted, muscle and tendons are working. In this painting Pollaiolo doen’t use the linear perspective, to remarks and contrast with this figure stirred and frenetic he displays a landscape with big horizons in the same way that the northern painters use to do. He use more an atmospheric (the sensation of remoteness (lejania) depth is getting using degraded greens and blues ) than linear. This panel belongs to a collection of twelve that Laurent de Médicis has commissioned, today disappear, there are only two in The Uffizi Museum, this one and Hercules and Antaes. The serie of twelve have been painted in collaboration with his brother Piero.

After the High Renaissance some artists such as Parmigianino, born Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola in Parma, Italy, start looking at painting under a different perspective. Instead of representing things in a naturalistic way, Mannerist artists purposely looked for complexity and difficulty to showcase their skills. Using a convex wood panel, this self-portrait illustrates well the challenges of Mannerist art. Figures are elongated, the illusion of space that was so important for the Renaissance no longer makes sense, and the human body is often impossibly twisted. In the foreground, Parmigianino’s left hand is stretched and distorted; the expression of his face is more aloof and subtle than in typical High Renaissance art. His calms face hi in complete opposition with the swirling world around him. The lines of the ceiling and window in the background seem to fall apart and run parallel to the round mirror. The illusion of convexity is also accentuated by the changes in colors of the back wall, light yellow behind the head and darker bluish or black on its sides and the fact that he also uses a convex panel. Nonetheless, the artists still paints in tradition with the Renaissance artists, in a very restraint and self controlled way. Tiny details such as the open door in the background with a beam of light is to be seen if you zoom into the picture. The back of his easel, letting perceive the back of the golden painting frame is depicted, using a lighter value and creating a sense of depth. This work is a transition between High Renaissance and Mannerist art executed in 1523-1524.

In studying about La Tour, I learned that he was one of Caravaggio’s most important followers. Born in France, La Tour became court painter to Louis XIII in 1639. He must have spent some time in the Netherlands and Italy, and surely picked up on Caravaggio’s style in the Netherlands. La Tour fills the foreground of his canvases with imposing figures, and has an amazing effect with the lighting of his canvases. I also learned that La Tour painted many images of Mary Magdalene. In this piece, the light glows from the flame of a lamp. It washes over Mary's arm, chest and the skull on her lap, which help bring her into the foreground of the painting. The skull symbolizes mortality. There is a sense of intimacy with the piece, in that we feel that we are watching her, but she is unaware of our presence. The use of light and chiaroscuro in this piece creates a somewhat sad feeling. We see the piece as clearly Baroque instead of Renaissance in that there is a strong sweeping diagonal, a glowing natural light, the use of chiaroscuro, and lots of shadows. Also the piece is more realist and penetrating that those of the Renaissance period.

I chose this work by Caravaggio to represent Baroque art because I believe it clearly represents the period and the changes from the Renaissance. First of all the saint is in a pose that we would never see in the Renaissance, he is not still or restrained or quiet, he is in action. He portrayed John the Baptist during his retreat in the desert, but when we look at the painting we do not see a Saint, we see a young boy, nude, and staring at us with a grinning smile on his face. The boy is also hugging a horned ram but strangely enough John the Baptist symbol is a lamb. There is definitely some erotism in this painting. Caravaggio worked extremely well with chiaroscuro (dark and light) and this painting shows this, as the background is much darker and then there is an extraordinary light straight at John the Baptist. The details of the clothes under the boy, the draperies creating shadows is amazing. The background with the plants also shows that Caravaggio was very realistic. Even though it is said that Caravaggio was influenced by Michelangelo and the Renaissance, it is definitely shown that he used this inspiration and transformed it into something unique and extremely Baroque.

After the Early and High Renaissance with its emphasis on symmetry, balance, calm and quiet humanism, there is a distinct shift towards drama, power, action, asymmetry and exuberant expression in the Baroque period. In the large oil on canvas painting entitled “Daniel in the Lions’ Den”, dated from about 1614/1616 and displayed in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, Sir Peter Paul Rubens, known worldwide as one of the most significant representative of Flemish Baroque, illustrates the main features of this art period. The theme is a familiar religious narrative from the Old Testament. Rubens chose a moment just after the removal of the stone sealing the entrance to the lions’ den where Daniel had to spend the night among the wildest beasts of prey because he had worshipped God instead of Darius, the Persian king. The artist renders the scene of Daniel thanking God for having survived in a veritable outburst of drama. To create this sense of dramatic motion and exuberant emotion, Rubens uses strong sweeping diagonals. By placing them not only in one upward movement towards the opening of the den, but rather repeatedly intertwining them, the sensation of drama is omnipresent in the depicted scene, increased by the asymmetrical position of the biblical hero. In addition, Daniel’s extremely built up musculature – a highly distinctive characteristic of Rubens’s representation of humans– reinforces this sense of power, motion and massiveness. The excessive drapery of the red cloth and the muscular bodies of the predators mirror this impact of exuding vitality. The exciting contrast between Daniel’s radiant skin and the extremely naturalistic fur of the lions on the one hand and between the almost silky touch of the red cloth and the rough texture of the rocks on the other hand further emphasizes the dramatic atmosphere. Moreover, with virtuosity Rubens creates intense emotionalism, conveying baroque expressiveness not only in Daniel’s face, but also in the highly individualized facial features of the lions with the culminating contrast between the menacing set of teeth of the animal and Daniel’s slightly open mouth, yet both heads positioned in a confusingly parallel movement. The Flemish master’s skill in using the dramatic effects of chiaroscuro and even tenebrism, influenced by Caravaggio and other main Baroque artists from Italy and the South, dips the whole scenery in an almost golden light. Although Daniel’s night in such a perilous place seems to find a happy ending and his survival and liberation symbolizes the resurrection of Christ, the bones, jaw and the probably human skull in the foreground clearly remind the viewer of the vanity of earthly life.

Venus and Adonis is an Oil on Canvas Baroque style painting by Peter Paul Rubens; it is housed at the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf. This mythological painting describes the farewell scene between Venus and Adonis. The intense emotion of the characters (including the animals), use of shadow and light as well of the manner in which the painting is composed are aspects of his style which can be attributed to the artist’s visits to Italy and the influence of Carracci and Caravaggio. The sweeping diagonal of the two central figures is typical of Baroque painting as is the way in which Rubens cut out the framing figures (Swan and Hound) and the staff Adonis is holding. Here, he’s employing a principle of Baroque painting that Heinrich Wölfflin later describes as Open Form. The opulent flesh, robust bodies and voluptuous curves are typical of the artist’s work. The sense of movement, energy and drama in this piece are unavoidable. The “kissing swans” with their stretched out wings and twisted bodies along with the emotional quality of the characters faces and bodies create a sense of drama and tension. Although Peter Paul Rubens is considered as a Flemish Baroque artist, we can clearly see Italian influence infused into his very personal style.

An "old women cooking eggs" is a painting done by Diego Velazquez in Spain in 1618 at the beginning of his carrier. It is exposed in the National Galleries of Scotland. The painting describes a typical scene of the daily life: an old women is cooking with a young boy in the kitchen. Velazquez uses a beautiful chiaroscuro to paint this scene which brings the old women and the eggs on the very front of the scene. This technic of using strong contrasts between light and dark (usually bold contrasts) has originally be used by Caravaggio in Italy and is named Tenebrism. It is very characteristic of the Baroque period and allows the painter to create a new sense of naturalism. The age of the women is underlined by the details of her wrinkles and the softness of her skin. This naturalism is full of reality and differed from the one used before during the Renaissance period. Velasquez wants to attract our attention on the eggs with the light on the yellow color. By opposition to the Renaissance, the eggs are not centered in the painting, there is no more emphasis on the symmetry during the Baroque period.

This oil on wood painting by Raffaello Santi or Sanzio, who is commonly known as Raphaël, of a Madonna and child is one of several private devotional virgins that Raphaël has painted before 1507. With 230 x 310 cm it is very large, and it shows the virgin holding and her child on her lap and looking at him. The child is nude and faces the viewer directly. Similar to the Small Cowper Madonna from 1505 that we have seen in the video, we can also observe a sense of translucency in the virgin’s halo and a very fine treatment of the form, for example in the veil, the fabrics and the hair. However, in this painting the colors are less clear and bright and the subjects are not placed before a landscape, but in a darkened room, with a chiaroscuro effect. Thus the scene appears darker and less harmonious, also because of the sad, almost grieving facial expression of the child. There are also an apple and a "tyriana", which is a cure for snakebites and a symbol of Evil, placed on a shelf in the background. These serve as an image of the Christ's sin redemption.

Cupid's representation, allegory of love. Cupid is depicted under the features of adolescent one, sexual, carrying wide, somber wings of powerful eagle, in the charming smile, in a twisting movement and suspended. Cheerful, of a mischievous look for some and enticing, teasing for others. He tilts the head, brown hair aside, whereas his left hand is hidden in the back, the right hand brandishes two arrows and the wing which touch his thigh guide the look towards his sex, two attributes of love are represented here. At his foot is placed a heap of series of superimposed accessories, placed in a asymmetric way, representing the attributes of the music, the science and the glory: a violin, one lute, a score, a set square, a compass, a goose feather, a crown in laurel, pieces of armor, and an globe which we guess behind him. We attend a theatrical stage of victorious love depicted under a contrast with almost realistic character because technically the twilight is used in a pronounce way. The background is very dark and the only light results from the Cupid's clear flesh and from the white draped who rests the foot of Cupid and maintain him in balance. This work was a scandal because at that time Cupid was depicted by a angelic way, idealizes and sometimes asexual. This work remains enigmatic, because every contemplator can wonder if it really depicts Cupid or a teenager disguises as Cupid, so much this allegory is mixed by an audacious realism. I adored depicting this painting, which disturbed for several factors (i did not revise everything here) and appreciated the nonconformism of Caravaggio: yes, love triumphs over everything ;)

The Fall of the Rebels Angels by Luca Giordano conveys the sense of power and drama that was characteristic of the Baroque period. The archangel is much less delicate and is more muscular. There is also sense of movement as the rebels fall from grace into the depths of hell. The red of the fires of hell is reflected on their bodies. Giordano uses chiaroscuro and this transition from light to darkness adds to the drama and emotion of the painting.

I love figurative work and that is why I have chosen this exquisitely detailed etching of the figure of winged Nemesis. Nemesis, the goddess of vengeance and divine retribution, was also referred to as The Great Fortune – referring to the Roman goddess of luck. Durer’s life long interest in idealization and naturalization is apparent in his precision, in his use of line and in the beautiful rendering of different texture and tonal values. This etching was inspired by a poem by the Italian humanist Angelo Poliziano, “She subdues extravagant hope; she threatens the proud with dangers; to her is given power to crush the arrogant minds and triumphs of men and to confound their ambitious plans. The ancient called her Nemesis (…) exchanging high and low, she mixes and tempers our actions…born of the whirling motion of the winds.” She holds the power to restrain humankind with the bridle in the one hand, and the cup in the other hand is to reward. Balancing on a sphere refers to her inconstancy, and the billowing ‘sails’ of drapery refer to the variable winds of change. Politically she references world affairs, in the poem, the Persian’s arrogance was punished, and now it is the turn of the Greeks to suffer Nemesis at the hands of the Romans. I wonder, because of Durer’s position on the Reformation, if he was suggesting that now the Romans shall suffer Nemesis. The town at the bottom of the carving is not symbolic, it is real, the Tyrolese village of Chiusa, which Dürer sketched on his first journey to Italy in 1494. “She has seen how you rode high, proud of muse – inspired song and eloquence, and how you bragged, raised your upturned head to the stars and believe yourself to be equal to the gods, but soon, detesting noxious naughtiness, she forces you to wear the yoke upon your neck and subjected you, vanquished, to the arms of the Romans. Nemesis’s figure was constructed according to the ancient canon of human proportions expounded by the Roman theorist Vitruvius. While the relative sizes of the various body parts are as set out by Vitruvius, Dürer’s ample figure is not classically idealized, but rather exemplifies Northern types. In 1507, Durer abandoned the idea of imposing only geometrical schemes on the body, and started to look to nature and this combination served him well.

This painting depict the episode of Batavian rebellion, Claudius Civilis convincing people to join his rebellion and taking the sword oath. The work really shows a sense of thickness and heavy brush stoke, unlike other paintings by Rembrandt that use extreme light and dark to create a dynamic and impactful scene, the exaggerated interior light (properly the candle light) given a sense of sanctity and the fuzziness of the face might be the result of the unstable lighting source. The size of Claudius and his classy armor shows his significance compare to the surrounding, even the Roman in a differentiable armor, the strong diagonal composition shown in the scene. We can see two person taking the oath by hands symbolized the character and the way they involved in the rebellion. The scene capture Claudius one eye, in beard and non smile face really express a sense of seriousness, sanctity and determination which perhaps fight for their life

I really liked this image as in my opinion it shows beautifully Caravaggio's masterful use of the chiaroscuro technique. The game of light and darkness adds to the general sense of drama happening on the canvas making it really powerful and strong. We can say that the painting belongs to the Baroque period due to the following aspects. The characters are shown in action, there is a very distinctive sense of motion, struggle and pain; their faces show all of the emotion they were living through at that moment. The space is reduced to show just the characters of the scene, we do not see any of the other details. In a very realistic manner Caravaggio shows us the pain which Christ goes through as the men keep putting the thorns on his head, the process being overseen by seemingly indifferent official on the right. I am amaze by the level of the detail and the realism of the painting which leaves the viewer with such a deep impact.

This piece was completed during Raphael’s early years in Florence. As a High Renaissance piece, it demonstrates the common characteristics of clam, balance, restraint and idealized human form. Main subjects are clearly shown and with comfortable rational space between them. The angels and background landscape on each side create a harmonious balance. There are also clear signatures of Raphael on this piece: - Gracefulness of the subjects - The translucent halos on all four characters, similar to those in “The Small Cowper Madonna” we saw in class - Clear color contrast, e.g. the bright red and dart navy of Madonna’s robe - Clear form contract, the softness of the flesh of the characters vs. the hard rocks in the background

Rembrandt was different from other Dutch painters. After the Dutch War of Independence painters wanted to show the beauty of their houses, women and surface beauty. Rembrandt studied the secret of human soul and the secret of time. In my country he is associated with Dostoevsky. «Return of the Prodigal Son» is the uppermost power of drama. This painting was one of his latest works, his bequest. The main idea of this painting is well known by everyone and it depicts the moment of the prodigal's return to his father in the Biblical parable. Rembrandt depicted this moment earlier. We know that he was the great master of effects of light and shade like another painter of Baroque. Our Russian art expert Paola Volkova compared his works with dirty dark mirror, which we rub studying it. And the images show through the dark and stiffen forever. We can see how difficult son’s life was; he has buzzed-head of convict. One worn shoe fell and it is really dramatic pathetic moment. Father put his hands on son’s shoulders. And it is mercy, forgiveness. Rembrandt was a good storyteller and he organized drama very strictly. He used “pause” for depicting culmination point. This picture is shown the terrible final of life. We see that the main figures located not on the center of the picture,that it was moved to the left side. Other figures on the right balanced it but we don’t know who is who. And it is doesn’t matter because they are only attesters. We see the final part of son’s life and we see the final part of father’s life. He depicted the picture about peccancy, penitence and forgiveness. This picture is more than just picture. It gives an impetus to thinking about life. Maybe the author associated himself with this prodigal son and hoped to get remission of sins.

This Flemish Baroque artist was known as much for his lively, energetic paintings as his religious, mythological and historical output that included monumental decorations. This painting depicts a boisterous party in which the man wearing the crown has found a bean in a specially baked party. The partygoers are all given roles such as the queen, royal taster, doctor and cupbearer. Jordaens was influenced by several other Baroque masters including Caravaggio (for his use of light and dark, chiaroscuro) and Rubens (dynamic composition and muscular people). This is a humorous, lively representation of a popular religious feast when according to Flemish tradition, the feast of Epiphany (January 6) would be celebrated. This close up view is balance by the imposing presence of the man dressed in a blue jacket with blue trousers, described as the King’s equerry (the king’s personnel servant). However, he is lit darker than the rest of the party seated around the table, but similarly to those in the background. The mirror to the left of the table is oddly angled, with the figures represented not obvious in the actual painting. Perhaps this face is to represent you, the viewer. Two women also look out the picture, engaging the viewer conspiratorially, drawing the viewer into the events unfolding.

This oil-on-panel painting by German Albrecht Dürer, one of the greatest representative of Northern Renaissance, is a commission work for a chapel in Nuremberg. It's regarded as one of his masterpieces, has the size of w1234 x h1350 cm (without frame) and is on display here in the Museum of Fine Arts in Vienna. Dürer's style integrates Italian influences due to his trips into underlying Northern forms. He mixes Northern idealism with Italian linear perspective and naturalism. Dürer's ideal was perfect clarity in the depiction of the subject matter: the Trinity – the Dove of the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Christ –is the focus of attention in this painting. A band of angels have a supporting role, the same applies for Mary and John the Baptist with their crowds and the crowd below them. All the figures and all the significant forms within and surrounding the figures are clearly outlined. The boundaries of each solid element are definite and clear. In this composition, light and colour serves merely to define form in order to achieve the explicitness of aforesaid subject. The figures are balanced within the frame of the picture, hence are in a closed form of the painting. The typical Renaissance "multiplicity" can be seen, as the painting is made of different scenes which can all be separated. Dürer not only signs the painting, but puts himself into the painting. At the bottom is a self-portrait of him holding a cartouche with the signature and date inscription.

There is not much information about the story to ‚Two youths with grapes’ but I find this early Baroque piece a very good example for Chiaroscuro or even Tenebrism – extreme light/dark contrast. Caracciolo was a Neapolitan Caravaggisti meaning he was inspired by Caravaggio´s style, which we can see in his extensive use of light, shadows and even drama in a way. As typical for Baroque we can see diagonals – especially in the positioning of the youths upper arm and the falling of the shadows. Also the words realism, illusion and emotion come to mind when looking at this oil on poplar panel painting. We even see the light reflected in the grapes and can almost feel the melancholic mood of the youth in the front and the sort of teasing and exhilarant playfulness of the boy in the background.

In this 1630s gothic masterpiece by Ruben, Venus 'the Goddess of love' is surrounded by putti, who are picking apples in its honour. Venus is represented in the form a statue receiving a basket full from two of them. The entire painting is a celebration of the power of love. It is interesting to note that this painting is a copy of Titian’s “Worship of Venus”. Rubens version is quite faithful to Titian’s original version, including a almost identical scenery. At the same time, there is a clear gothic touch to Rubens’ painting, including a more dynamic and dramatic appearance of the scene, such as the putti’s physical attributes more pronounced and the inclusion of what appears to be Zeus 'the father of Gods and men' riding his chariot in the sky towards Venus. In addition, there is less clarity and a more painterly than linear style in Rubens version.

The panting I chose from the Baroque period is of Mary with light shining from above representing heaven, and with a skull in her hand representing her old sins, and a cross above it to represent her reformation. The light in the painting is dramatic and shining strongly like many of the paintings in the same era, Mary is represented in a less classical way than it used to be in previous periods. She is represented as a peaceful beautiful human rather than still and godly. Her facial expressions are angelic and expressive. Her hands seem to show a sort of power and movement. The painting is very rich in colour, especially her long wavy golden hair. The drapery of her cape is beautifully done and very realistic especially with the play of light and shadows. Rather than typical portraits of Madonna during the renaissance, where she was always idolised and dressed classically and drawn very symmetrically, Mary here is very natural and realistic.

The creation of Camille Corot is very musical. He understood music of the nature. “A Morning. The Dance of the Nymphs”, created in 1850, is associated with the symphony and a scene out of the opera. He depicted nature as the pieces of scenery and the dance of Nymphs (Italy influence) like ballet. This picture is very expressive. His style is unique and has a lot of imitators. We can see flowing soft lines, special rhythm and middle tones of his values. Corot cut a number of colors but developed the plentifulness of half-tone and contrast, that allows to show the mood especially pensive mood. He thought that there aren’t clear dark and white colors in the nature. The landscape consists of silver-grey,olive green with contrastive blue and red. This style allowed showing intermediate state of nature like morning and evening. His trees wrapped in smoke are not so closed to be clear and not so far to be blurred line. His crown of the trees was cut of the picture’s borders. The colors of this painting darkled a little, lost his transition to silver-grey color. This picture is be replete with air and colors. We can see a lot of unsystematized light spots, which add uniqueness and individuality.

While this is only a sketch, and we cannot appreciate the unique pastel, dream-like coloring often used in Rococo paintings, the Rococo characteristics are unmistaken: the lighter brush strokes; the playfulness of the subject of the piece, as well as the expressions and postures of the characters in the piece; the curvy lines and the gentleness. One of the reasons I thought this piece is interesting is that it is showing a domestic scene (interior genre), which is a bit atypical for a French Rococo piece. At the same time, the light-heartedness and almost romantic feeling exuberate from the piece, making it almost a marriage of French and English Rococo.

Alenza’s oil on canvas is a highly emotional and dark piece. The content depicts 3 figures, two of which are dead while the third seems to be just about to throw himself off a cliff and/or stab himself. Through the artists use of visual drama we can see the influence that the Baroque emotionalism had on the creation of this piece. The scull to the far right of the canvas symbolizes death/mortality while the books and quill might suggest the need to record our lives and leave a legacy – however bittersweet they may be (as might be the case for the central figure). The overall feeling of this piece is in line with the Romantics tendency towards the irrational; the central figure seems to be beyond reason - in the midst of ending his life. The deep and dark colours of the sky and rock formation are stylistically typical or Romantic paintings as are the loose, fluid brushstrokes and sketch-like quality of the work. Interestingly enough, although the artist intended to satirize the Romantic artists, the nature and characteristics of this painting coincide with the Romantic genre.The Spanish Cultural Institute has described the work as “A piece that reflects the desperation and emptiness that Romantic intellectuals suffered, as well as the relationship between death, beauty and the sublime.”

The scene takes place in a garden or a park. It shows the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland in elegant attire taking a romantic walk in the summer evening and they are accompanied by another women, Elizabeth Luttrell, and a dog. As we have seen in other works of the Rococo period and Thomas Gainsborough, there is a frequent use of light, pastel-like colors and thin, more attenuated forms. Because of the setting evening, this painting however shows rather dark colors ranging from gold to blue, with greys, pinks and violets between. Through a loosely-woven fabric of long brush strokes, Gainsborough creates a veiled, mysterious and poetic type of image with a sketchiness and lightness of the figures, such that the Lord almost blends into the nature that surrounds him. The Duchess and her light, very elegant dress are the brightest part of the picture. The Duke is also shown in a very majestic pose, but he is depicted shorter and narrower than the Duchess, who certainly attracts the viewer’s sight immediately.

The introspective Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) was a leading painter in the German Romantic movement, best known for his melancholic landscapes. Here, the people pictured are transfixed by the beauty of nature, a common theme during this time in Europe. The moon can bee seen as a symbol of hope, but through an artistic representation of the sky and evening light, not of the human world. The three figures, clustered close together, are seen gazing out into the distance, perhaps with a sense of yearning. Romantic paintings often showed moody scenes. Some critics see the moonlight as a light from Heaven, with the sold rock they are sitting upon representing their religious faith. Interesting, religion paintings become a less common subject from the early 1800s, with the art establishment praising historical paintings and artists seeking a balance of realism and a lightness of touch seen in Rococo art. This picture is roughly split in two, horizontally, balancing the physical world with other worldly places. Landscapes such as this one from the Romantic period, can often be described as being dramatic and sublime in showing the awesomeness of the ocean and the humans being insignificant when placed in nature.

At first this sketch of a female nude, a sanguine on brown paper, might seem a pale illustration of an art movement. Nonetheless, this drawing from Francois Boucher dated ca. 1730-1740, appears to be very revelatory of a specific art movement and cultural development that happened at that time in France. As a matter of fact, the 18 Century in France marks the apogee of the so-called ‘Libertinage and Fetes Galantes ‘period into the aristocratic milieu of France. This legerte and playfulness translate in the art world where painters and sculptures of the time, depict the human figure in position and circumstances unexplored until then. This young occidental callipygian woman, lying sensually on her back, her distant gaze following the direction of her left lifted arm, left knee bent and right arm and leg resting on the dolphin illustrates beautifully the erotic, informal and sensuality of postures that prevail in Boucher’s work. This drawing is a sketch (still unfinished as suggested by the difference in details on the left hand and forearm) that Boucher executed from a life model in his studio and that may have helped while realizing later paintings - that he used to do from memory. The clarity and simplicity of the lines along with the firmness of outline is very typical for French artists. This type of lines is also found is works from Jean-Antoine Houdon, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and later Charles Bargues drawings. The subject matter however showing a young lady in such a sensual position is characteristic from the High Rococo period. The Bourgeoisie was demanding light-hearted and sensual artworks.

The scene inspired from an antique orientalism subject depicted the dramatic death of the sovereign Sardanapalus, the legendary king of Nineveh in Assyria. When this one felt the defeat approaching, he decided to commit a common suicide with all his concubines and slaves, up to his horse preferred, by giving the order to his slaves and officers to knife them and to set on fire to the palace, wanting that none of his possessions survives him. The positioning in stunt of the characters (and horse) has diversity of expressions; the violence of the individual feelings as well as the extravagance of body’s muscles makes this composition animated and illegible at first sight. Red fabrics evoke the blood; symbolize the passion and the violence. The serpentine lines give to this funereal scene where become entangled disorder and anarchy certain sensuality. The technique of the sfumato is used. The drawing is sacrificed for the benefit of the color, the vibrating red and white contrasts and dominates, another contrasts between the white horse and the black man, the opposition of the characters: executioners are threatening and calms, victims are terrified, dramatize as well the scene. The very dark background compared with the lively red of the foreground as well as with the characters converge by light accentuates the violence and the exoticism of the scene. In this allegorical painting, the composition is complex because it does not base on a ground and does not lean on no bottom. At the top of the head of Sardanapalus lengthened on a bed with head of elephants, which looks passively at the murder of all his loved ones, appears a triangle of theatrical light which crosses the picture in diagonal, what adds more dynamism to the scene.

The painting "The Christ on the Sea of Galilee" by Delacroix is a great example of the Romantic period. The painting portrays a terrible storm while Jesus and his disciples are sailing across the Galilee to spread his words. However Jesus calms the wind and the storm, showing the power of Christianism. As the Romantic period was a revival of the Baroque emotion and drama the moment that Delacroix paints, is the moment of the storm, the desperation of the disciples trying to hold on the sails and the huge waves. At this point they don't know that Jesus will calm the storm, so is definitely the most dramatic scene of the story, this is also typically Romantic. The Gestures of the disciples is very intense and Jesus seems to be sleeping, or resting laying down. The difference of attitude is very perceptive, and as Jesus is so serene, it is expected that he will do something. It was interesting to see that Delacroix painted this scene more than once, this is because during the reign of Louis-Napoleon biblical scenes were very popular, and as Delacroix was one of the great Romantics he would definitely paint something dramatic. We can clearly see the difference from the Neoclassical period where the paintings were extremely polished, the Romantic paintings were looser and brushier, the colors of the clothes were also very strong making a contrast with the dark colors of the sea and the sky.

The Fountain of Love from about 1785 is by French painter Jean Honore Fragonard. This late Rococo piece depicts two lovers at the fountain of love, a putto offering them a cup of the fountains water to drink. Fragonard was a Rococo artist and hence we see some clear attributes of Rococo art in this painting. The subject of love dominates. We have a lot of putti in this painting, which are symbols for love. It is playful, informal, curvey, erotic and even naughty yet elegant and flowery. Additionally it is very brushy, almost blur and pastel colours dominate for the figures. So does the natural world as this painting is depicted in the woods. Light seems to play a big role, with the figures being in the light and hence brighter in colour than some of the putti which are that far in the shadow and painted very dark that one almost can overlook them.

Boucher was one of the most famous Artists during the French Rococo period and his paintings reflect the key characteristics of the period of the Rococo where his work is decorative, playful, and reflect light and pastel colours. Boucher's paintings were also very mythological - this piece 'The Triumph of Venus' where Venus has been born and sitting in a sea shell surrounded by sea creatures and flying cupids where the effect of the painting affects the observers mood by the use of cool colours, energy, sensualism and its prominent mythological subject matter. Boucher is famous for painting and highlighting the figures of women where the paintings detail all parts of the body. The light, wispy haziness in the painting is in contrast to the Baroque art period which displayed bold, serious and work which wanted to demonstrate power.

This piece was the first overtly historical landscape Turner showed at the Royal Academy. Critics at the time correctly saw The Fifth Plague of Egypt as an example of mastery. They had overlooked the fact that Turner had actually painted the hail and fire of the seventh plague, instead of the murrain of the fifth as it is titled. Reviewers claimed it was in ‘the grandest and most sublime style of composition’, and that ‘the whole of the conception is that of a great mind’. The wrath of God was a very terrifiying subject matter, and, as one anonymous critic implied, it took an artist of great power to dramatize human powerlessness so effectively. The theme is one of chaos and destruction, but it actually depends primarily for its impact on a dramatic and carefully composed effect of light and shadow, in which the light within the growing vortex of angry clouds on the right is balanced by the distant view of daylight and blue sky on the left. In a stroke of pure daring Turner makes the pyramid in the centre the highlight of the composition, and lights it so brilliantly that it stands out as a stark, semi-abstract triangle of white paint.

I think it's a beautiful example of a Neoclassical painting. It is a clearly defined portrait with very fine, clean lines and tightened brush strokes. It looks very finished, polished. The colours and composition give an impression of stability, seriousness - it has none of the romantic and playful elements of the rococo style; we can see Ingres looking back at the Classical movement here. The artist's posture and appearance is very restrained but at the same time his gaze is soft, which in my opinion makes the portrait very elegant and delicate. I find it balanced and calm. I like the realistic depiction of shadows and different types of textiles.

“Winter”, a 1755 painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard is a good illustration of the Rococo period with its playful, sensual and elegant scene and the use of pastel colors and delicate brush strokes. The dynamic scene is set on a windy winter day, with three children dressed in precious attire and a small noble-like dog, all looking clearly affected by the dreadful weather conditions. Fragonard depicts their reaction in strong yet soft, light-hearted and amusing fashion, including through the expression of their faces, with bulging eyes, especially the dog with its terrorized glare towards the little girl in and almost human facial expression. The noble looking girl appears to have fallen on the icy ground due to the strong wind, with her delicate fur hat laying on the ground, while the two preppy boys, still standing, also seem to be struggling with the weather conditions, the boy on the right hand side trying to keep hold of his hat in the strong wind. The motion contained in the painting opens the door to our childish imagination of the story behind this tale-like piece. Owing to this playful and moving scene, Fragonard is able to portray the negative repercussions of winter on human kind in a light-hearted way, making fun of it through the playful tale of these children facing winter and thereby transforming the reality into a more positive and playful outlook.

This oil canvas painting by Joseph Mallord William Turner dated from 1840, measuring 686 mm high and 914 mm wide and on display at Tate Britain is a prominent representative of the Romanticism. “I stood upon a bridge, a palace and a prison on each hand”. These accompanying lines by Turner based on Lord Byron’s poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” not only summarize the scene of the image, but also clarify its title. In fact, the bridge connecting the Doge’s Palace on the left with the Palace of the Prisons (euphemism) on the right is called “The Bridge of Sighs” after Byron’s invention of this designation alluding to the mournful wails of the convicts. Romantic painters frequently revert to literary sources. The pile-up of gondolas and sailboats in front of the Palazzo dei Prigioni form a strong diagonal, echoed by smaller ones created by the masts of the sailboats as well as by the clouds seemingly fanning out above the roof of the prisons. This sense of motion as typical of the Baroque from which Romanticism as its revival borrows this device is reinforced by the masts and sails of the boats evoking a sense of seesaw movement. The pointed ends of the gondolas, the stakes of the gondoliers, the curvy figures, the people walking up and down the bridge and the vortex-like rendering of the space beneath it intensify this sense of motion, further increased by the daringly loose and fluid brushstrokes in the representation of the water, the sky and of the roof of the Doge’s Palace. Although the scene is submerged in a bright glistening light suggesting the sublime beauty of Venice, Turner uses also strong deeper colors, mainly black. The pitch dark gondolas and their reflection in the water evoke that strong sense of Baroque emotionalism and drama adopted by Romanticism. The artist’s mastery of colored light and misty atmosphere cannot deny the additional tension built up by the crowded gondolas and sailboats on the right. By concentrating the focus on the scene in front of the prisons, Turner creates an underlying sense of threat as if suggesting moral lassitude or even criminality behind the mask of Venice’s external beauty, as if warning the viewer against the subliminal delinquency or the imminent fate of the convicts. In the less densely peopled space in front of the Doge’s Palace with its brighter colors, Turner integrates some menacing elements, too. The barely discernible figures in the two diverging gondolas are not awestruck by the magnificent facade of the palace as if anticipating the decline of Venice with its lagoons. In the picture’s foreground, the rubbish floating in the water might add a further element to this new dimension of social criticism inherent to the Romanticism.

Gericault is probably best known for his 193.3 × 282.3 inch huge icon of Romanticism "The Raft of the Medusa", 1818-19, dramatising a more eternal theme, that of man's struggle with nature. But this small erotic oil painting exhibited in the J. Paul Ghetty Museum also shows the fantastic skills of this French artist. "Three lovers" stands for the typical revival of Baroque emotionalism, the prevalence of feeling over rationalism, the presentation of eroticism and sensuality. Stylistically note the strong deeper colours and the compositions and gestures to emphasis aforesaid emotionalism: the subject matter "three lovers" is presented by two lovers - a couple- on the right side which is active, whilst the lady on the left lies "Venus-like" in a reposing mood, likely after lovemaking. Gericault manages to express simultaneously in one canvas both the sexual passion (by the active lovers) as well as the satisfaction (by the passive lover) and can be understood as an escape of modern reality in an imaginative world which is also a typical feature of Romanticism then.

Nicholas Roerich was a Russian painter, write, archeologist, theosophist, philosopher, and public figure. In 1922 he created five pictural works called «Sancta» Series where he depicted depth and power of human ideal. “And We are Trying” is one of them.It is located in International Centre of the Roerichs, tempera (like old Icons) and canvas. Doubtless this picture is very symbolic. On the one hand we see three monks, who do heavy physical job like brining the water. Roerich believed that the personal achievement begins with such heavy physical job. It was his philosophy of life, it is the truth and it is very close to me. We can see the leader who works as other very hard. Monks were depicted over a distance from each other to show the silence between them. It is called Hesychasm (an eremitic tradition of prayer in the Orthodox Church). On the other hand monks are going to bring the life-giving water for satisfying spiritual thirst of people. They bring heavenly wisdom. In the background of the picture we can see a beautiful landscape with monastery. Nicholas Roerich was amazing color master. The first spaceman Jury Gagarin compare atmosphere with Roerich pictures, it is unspeakable palette. Roerich created his works as if he saw our earth from the space. As the result we see a deep harmony between earth, human and sky. The sky in “And We are Trying” is golden yellow like the light of star or angels. And if see it closely we can see that the Island float through the heavens. It is the Kingdom of heaven. This space light comes laden with spirituality. Roerich pictures had runaway success in Europe and especially in America . He opened the Russian soul to the world.

Painted in 1887, Young Women at the table, 'Poudre de Riz' was purchased by Van Gogh's brother Theo just before Vincent moved to Arles. Toulouse-Lautrec draws inspiration from the Impressionists at this time and was familiar presence in the gathers of the group. He was known as a documentary painter, full of human sympathy. His work shows his sensitivity to loneliness, and the modern feeling of alienation as cities attracted people in increasing numbers, taking them away from family and friends. Many of his paintings were of the hedonistic Parisian nightlife, a milieu with in which in lived and thus became very familiar with and at ease. This allowed him to capture moments of time, notably the weariness of café staff, prostitutes left exhausted by their work and living conditions. This painting appears to show a woman, perhaps in the corner of a café or in a dressing room with some face powder in a red pot on the table in front of her. The scene gives few indications about the exact location. For example the green squares behind her could be windows or paintings; and her clothes and tables do not give any obvious clues to the location or time of when the image was made or represents. Colours are muted, with more than a hint of George Seurat’s pointillism technique in evidence, as the dots and splashes of colour combine. The lady looks assuredly, if tiredly, at the viewer. She seems to world weary, an attitude that Toulouse-Lautrec would have frequently encountered during his time in Paris. This image is one tenderness, and does not judge the woman’s behaviour or lifestyle, although we are unsure of her position in society.

Pierre Auguste Renoir’s “Country Dance”, oil on canvas, dating from 1883 and on display in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris together with its counterpart “City Dance” is an emblematic painting of the later period of Impressionism. Like most of the Impressionists, Renoir begins to paint en plein air (outdoors) - thanks to the invention of tubes for oil paint – in an attempt to capture the instantaneous impression of the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. While sharing the subject matters favored by his colleagues, modern life and its amusements, he mainly focuses on figure painting, creating images of the upper middle class at leisure. In “Country Dance”, Renoir depicts a nicely dressed couple happily dancing outdoors, perhaps just having left a disorderly table. The hat on the floor adds to this casual and idyllic atmosphere. The lady is facing the viewer as if inviting him to share this moment of seemingly carefree life. This sense of bourgeois paradise reflects Renoir’s idea of the purpose of art. In his opinion, because there are enough unpleasant things in life, a picture should be joyful and pretty. Renoir is also an Impressionist stylistically, using flickering brushstrokes, a lighter brighter palette, and tending to paint sometimes in pure color, and generally to the dissolution of forms. However, after 1880, in line with some kind of crisis Impressionism has undergone, Renoir is dissatisfied with his attempts to capture momentary perceptions through spontaneous brushwork and casual compositions. His initial drive to create spontaneous fleeting images gives way to more carefully calculated and finely rendered works, his encounter with paintings of Raphael and other old masters causing him to reconsider that commitment to painting fleeting impressions. In “Country Dance” he still uses the lighter palette and has sensual brushwork, especially in the rendering of the leaves of the trees and of the decoration of the hand fan, even blurring the colors in of the foliage in the background and of the cropped couple below the dance floor to create a sense of depth. However, he starts to paint with much more solidity of form. The figures are finely drawn, particularly visible in the rendering of the couple’s clothes. The borders of the dancers are very tight, no longer dissolving into space or into flickering brushwork. Renoir’s draw back upon compositional techniques of old masters like Raphael is a further characteristic of the later period of Impressionism, replacing the previously casual type. In “Country Dance” the scene seems to be carefully composed. The couple is centered both horizontally and vertically. The background is almost equally divided into three parts, the curvy edge of the dance floor being echoed by the very similar bend of the balustrade. The curve formed by the hand fan and the dancers’ heads is like the line of the foliage, framing the couple as if nature protected the people. The lady’s hand fan, structurally counterbalanced by the hat on the floor, as well as the cropped couple in the left middle ground and the cut off table on the right are alluding to the French’s passion for Japan and its arts, not only occurring in Impressionism. Although initially sharing both the Impressionists’ visual and social key concepts, with his turn to more solid forms and careful construction as shown in “Country Dance”, Renoir is gently anticipating Post Impressionism.

Wassily Kandinsky is one of my favorite painters because he’s going to approach us to the american movement “Abstract Expressionism “. The period between 1911-1913 is marked by the expressiveness of color and form, instead in his paintings it's possible to find defined lines and shapes. When visiting an exhibition at the Thyssen museum, I learned that these colours and shapes show his feelings about music, how he saw the music in his head. Kandisky wrote, “Of all the arts, abstract paintings is the most difficult. It demands that you know to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colors, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential”. Returning to the painting and Wassily characteristic, colourful forms break into one another to create the composition (the white is invaded by black, red and yellow with black strong lines). He doesn’t introduce representional elements. This work plays on the fine line between figuration and abstraction advancing to abstraction through the “color fields” of Mark Rothko who like Kandisky, depicts sentiments and feelings with colors. Juliette Premmeurer's article describes colors and meanings in Kandinsky's work, “ Color plays a powerful force in conveying the painter’s emotions. Kandinsky explained in several of his texts what specific colors meant to him. Green is the color of the middle class, selfsatisfied and lacking any strong feelings of joy, grief, or passion. Yellow was used because it radiates spiritual warmth, and blue has a cooling effect. White signifies absolute silence and possibility, while black connoted nothingness without possibility, an eternal silence without hope, and death. As a result, the canvas becomes imbued with a narrative of emotions, which are available for reception to the viewer. In this sense, the painting is an externalization of the artist’s psychic state, animating the art object and giving it a spiritual existence”. This painting is expressive, colourful with some colors diluted to create an effect of borders unfinished and bleeding into others colors. It's a painting about feelings, emotions. For me Kandinsky gives a sentiment of the fighting between white and the invasive black to remind us of death but also giving us the hope throught warm spirituality, resulting in powerful feelings that shock the viewer.

This 75 X 93 cm oil on canvas portrait is an homage to Pablo Picasso from 1912, and highlights beautifully the characteristics and principles of the beginning of cubism. This illustrates the 'analytical' rather than the 'synthetic' cubism. Breaking down the images of the figure into multiple parts, Gris (Jose Victoriano Gonzales) conveys an additional dimension, transforming a 2 dimensional surface in a 3D view. Cubists may have been borrowing the concept of spheres, cylinders and cones from Impressionists such as Cezanne but push it further by physically breaking down each element into ‘blocs’. Even though the face and other elements of the upper body are sectioned into various distinct pieces, the appearance of the subject remains, providing the viewer with a sensation of space, as if being able to turn around. In this particular work, such as in most of his others, Juan Gris uses a limited palette constituted by cold blues, greys and browns. As many other artists from the Modern Art Period, Juan Gris separates himself from other earlier movements and follows Picasso. Going away from the brighter, lighter and colorful palette of other movements such as the Fauvists or the Impressionists, he prefers the earthy tones. Nonetheless, his portrait renders a beautiful sense of light as he separates forms with a transparent / white transition on one side and outlines the other side of each form either in black or with a clear darker and saturated value.

Edgar Degas is particularly known for his Ballerina paintings, his technique is not exactly impressionist however most of his scenes are. "Dancers" is a very good example of Degas classic period, showing the ballerinas not on stage performing but getting ready, one of them fixing the clothes, the other fixing the shoes, this is what is so impressionist about Degas, the choice of an everyday life scene. An everyday life scene that he transforms in something beautiful. Differently from his previous dance scenes in which he focused in one main character in "Dancers" he shows 6 figures doing different things at the same time. Something very interesting that Degas shows in most of his paintings is the effects of "contra jour" that because of the lighting effect shows the silhouette more than the individual features, like for example the face, making the characters anonymous. The light is extremely important in all of his paintings, and it is interesting how the light is coming through the window and reflects a type of green in the hair of one of the dancers and a reddish on the other. The chosen colors are normally pastels as most of the ballerinas are always in white tutus. Differently than most of the impressionists his scenes are always inside. We cannot see the drawings outlines but the figures are clearer than the figures in the impressionists scenes.

This oil on canvas painting by Kazimir Severinovich Malevich measures 445 x 710 cm and shows several singular monochrome figures on a white canvas. The reason why I chose this painting is that its title really caught my attention and that I when I tried to imagine what a painting with this title would look like, I imagined something entirely different from what Malevich has painted. The black, blue, yellow and red forms on the canvas are all differently shaped rectangles, apart from a little green circle at the bottom. The rectangles are abstract and disconnected, so that a clear “translation” is not possible. It is solely by knowing the title that we try to find a human form or even a football player in this arrangement of forms, and I imagine that the squares might stand for the body of the player, while the green circle represents a football, while. It is thus a perfect example of how Malvich mastered to eradicatie all reference to the recognizable world and focus instead on the inherent relationships of colored geometric shapes against a white background.

This work is a landscape composed essentially of a small pear tree on the first plan in the middle of the canvas. We can easily identify Van Gogh's style with his colors, brush strokes and the imposto he is familiar to use. Compare to the traditional landscape of the Classical Dutch artists, this painting has less realism. We don't recognize the polish of the old time, there is like in the expressionist style in general a real degree of emotion. The tree is in the middle of an alley, with nothing around. We can feel a certain loneliness that Van Gogh is experiencing himself during this period of his life. As mentioned in the tittle of the work, we are in spring, all the flowers of the tree are opened. We can notice that some branches are dead which suggests that the magnificent tree is maybe sick. Is it the loneliness of Van Gogh and his desire to died that he is describing? This small pear tree also remind us the typical Japanese cherry trees with their white flowers. We know that Van Gogh has studied Japanese prints and we can find some similitude in the way he is painting the flowers and this landscape in general with some flatness patterns.

Personally I love Impressionism. To me it is a very light style, very romantic, relaxed, carefree and a break with everything there was before, which indeed was very revolutionary. And this painting certainly depicts all the artistic conventions of the era. Monet, the father of the impressionist movement, uses a light pallette and neglects form and realism. He uses flickering brush strokes, paints the figures sketch like. We also see dissolving forms and one can easily regongnise impressionism as it is more concerned with shapes than detail and focuses on the outdoors, nature and everyday life! Monet painted his wife and sun whilst on a stroll. To me it almost seems like he tried to catch a moment as a camera would do. Both of them turning around to him, the wind moving her hair and the movement in her skirt. It is a revolutionary painting as it breaks with everything we´ve seen before and in a way shows the context an artist was living in at the time, which certainly was one that involved new technologies such as photography.