Albrecht Dürer’s Salvator Mundi, although not completely finished, is in its own right a marvelous display of the draftsman work of arguably one of the most skilled artists the German lands has ever produced. Come, dear reader, and let us admire this glistening pearl of a painting!
One of the most famous women in Christian tradition is Mary Magdalene. Her presence in Jesus’ life has been debated since the beginning. While some people, mainly followers of Christianity, have no doubt that she was a prostitute who Jesus helped and redeem herself to the point that she became a saint, other are not so sure about this narration. There are some people who have said that contrary to the known tale in the bible, Mary Magdalene was in fact Jesus’ wife or that she was one more of his apostles. There is no surprise in the reaction that the Church has towards this declaration. The implications are huge! But, I am not here to talk about Mary Magdalene’s true story. In this article I will explore how the Old Masters have managed to depict her.
Jacob van Hulsdonck, born in Antwerp, was a still life painter from the early 1600s. He was an exquisite artist who focused mainly on painting fruit bowls, flowers, and banquet-style masterpieces. In one of his most well-known pieces, a painting titled Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and Pomegranate, each and every detail found within, speaks for itself.
The first time I saw Sir John Everett Millais’ painting The Order of Release I was thirteen years old and struggling to stay alert in Mister Harvey’s gloomy art class. In the darkened classroom the teacher, a deeply religious man, showed slide after slide of Renaissance masterpieces, each projection accompanied by a long, tedious explanation of its origins, technical merits, and biblical authenticity. Even at that tender age I wondered whether there should be a limit on how many depictions of the Madonna and child, hovering angels, and crucified Christs there were in the world. Little did I know.
When The Order of Release appeared on the screen it was as though a light had been switched on. To my young mind the painting instantly made sense and the story it told unfolded in my imagination as if by osmosis.
No matter where you are, if you have never read one of his plays, you surely have heard about William Shakespeare. I can’t even remember from whom or where did I hear the story of Romeo and Juliet, I just knew it one day. That is how mainstream Shakespeare’s stories have become. It is the greatest writer of English history, and they surely are proud of him. That is why it is not a surprise that it has served as an inspiration for many painters of the time and later.
Humans have always been intrigued by that which is different from themselves. Anytime we encounter something that does not belong to our set of principles, values, style, etc., we tend to see it as exotic. True, it may inspire fear upon a lot of people, but also fascination and will to know more about it. Such was the case of the Romantics of the XIX century.
The Fable of Arachne or The spinners is one of my favorite paintings ever. Why? Well it has many of the elements that I love about art. Firstly, it tells a mythological story: the fable of Arachne; secondly, it is full of characters and elements that surprise us as we discover their meanings. And finally, it’s like having a painting within a painting. Not to mention that is was made by one of the greatest painters: Diego Velázquez.
In this article, I would like to talk about one of my favorite painters: Guido Reni. There’s something about his painting that caught my attention from the first time I saw them. Reni was born in 1575 in Bologna, Italy. Since he was the son of Danieli Reni, a musician, it was expected of him to follow his father’s steps. However, Guido’s passion and talent to paint took him to another path. He started studying art under the guidance of Denys Calvaert. Soon after, he went to continue his artistic education in the Carracci Academy where there was an emphasis in nature. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of examples of this period of his life.
People tend to say that a dog is a man’s best friend, but I beg to differ. Don’t get me wrong, I adore dogs, but I love horses. Ever since the man was able to make art, he have depicted horses, just take a look at the prehistoric paintings of Lascaux and Altamira…
“Women are from Venus and men are from Mars.” Surely, you’ve heard and said this phrase at least once. It is a common way of referring to the widely different views in which women and men see the world. As we see an artwork, we cannot make the assumption that such representation is the only and true one.
Every artist prioritize what he or she thinks it is necessary and interprets the scene from his or her point of view. That is why we find in some artworks that depict similar stories different messages. An example of it is the biblical story of Susanna and the elders…