Art Articles

Article by Jimena Escoto

The Renaissance must have been a wonderful time to live in, if you were wealthy, of course. And to live in Florence at that time meant two things. The first one was that everybody knew who the Medicis were; and the second one, the streets were full of artists, architects, sculptors in hopes that the Medicis would commission them an artwork. Indeed, the Medicis were big fans of fine art and they spent as much as they wanted in expensive masterpieces of any kind.

Article by Rachael Concessio You may have never picked up a paintbrush before and know next to nothing about fine art. However, the name Michelangelo is not lost on you. To this day, he remains… 

Article by Jimena Escoto

So few personalities of the history of humanity have transcended as much as Alexander the Great has. He lived 2,300 ago and he still is one of the greatest conquerors ever. His empire went from Macedonia and Greece to the Indus valley. His life is full of amazing stories that get mixed with mythology. As a matter of fact, this issue about the Greeks telling their story with gods and fantastic creatures make, on the one hand, hard to believe some events, but, on the other, makes it very interesting and fun. Nonetheless, his story served as inspiration for major works of art since he was alive. In this article, I will be focusing on the old Masters and a few representations of Alexander’s incredible life.

Article by Anders E. Johnson

We are onlookers to a window of another age. A time when things were simpler, as some might argue, and when life still held that ‘old-world charm’ and fuzzy-warm sentiment. Yet although nowadays we may have more advanced technologies which better our life and we can no longer relate to the asperous day-to-day living of Scandinavia during the early 20th century; we, however, nonetheless still possess the same human spirit which our ancestors have felt just the same as we.

Article by Anders E. Johnson

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!

Article by Jimena Escoto

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.

Article by Anders E. Johnson

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.

Article by Steve Metcalfe

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.