Art Final

portraiture

Historically, portrait paintings have primarily memorialized the rich and powerful. Over time, however, it became more common for middle-class patrons to commission portraits of their families and colleagues. Today, portrait paintings are still commissioned by governments, corporations, groups, clubs, and individuals. In addition to painting, portraits can also be made in other media such as etching, lithography, photography, video and digital media. he Renaissance marked a turning point in the history of portraiture. Partly out of interest in the natural world and partly out of interest in the classical cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, portraits—both painted and sculpted—were given an important role in Renaissance society and valued as objects, and as depictions of earthly success and status. Painting in general reached a new level of balance, harmony, and insight, and the greatest artists (Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael) were considered "geniuses", rising far above the tradesman status to valued servants of the court and the church.[25] Many innovations in the various forms of portraiture evolved during this fertile period. The tradition of the portrait miniature began, which remained popular until the age of photography, developing out of the skills of painters of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts. Profile portraits, inspired by ancient medallions, were particularly popular in Italy between 1450 and 1500. Medals, with their two-sided images, also inspired a short-lived vogue for two-sided paintings early in the Renaissance.[26] Classical sculpture, such as the Apollo Belvedere, also influenced the choice of poses utilized by Renaissance portraitists, poses that have continued in usage through the centuries.[27] Northern European artists led the way in realistic portraits of secular subjects. The greater realism and detail of the Northern artists during the 15th century was due in part to the finer brush strokes and effects possible with oil colors, while the Italian and Spanish painters were still using tempera. Among the earliest painters to develop oil technique was Jan van Eyck. Oil colors can produce more texture and grades of thickness, and can be layered more effectively, with the addition of increasingly thick layers one over another (known by painters as 'fat over lean'). Also, oil colors dry more slowly, allowing the artist to make changes readily, such as altering facial details. Antonello da Messina was one of the first Italians to take advantage of oil. Trained in Belgium, he settled in Venice around 1475, and was a major influence on Giovanni Bellini and the Northern Italian school.[28] During the 16th century, oil as a medium spread in popularity throughout Europe, allowing for more sumptuous renderings of clothing and jewelry. Also affecting the quality of the images, was the switch from wood to canvas, starting in Italy in the early part of the 16th century and spreading to Northern Europe over the next century. Canvas resists cracking better than wood, holds pigments better, and needs less preparation―but it was initially much scarcer than wood. Early on, the Northern Europeans abandoned the profile, and started producing portraits of realistic volume and perspective. In the Netherlands, Jan van Eyck was a leading portraitist. The Arnolfini Marriage (1434, National Gallery, London) is a landmark of Western art, an early example of a full-length couple portrait, superbly painted in rich colors and exquisite detail. But equally important, it showcases the newly developed technique of oil painting pioneered by van Eyck, which revolutionized art, and spread throughout Europe.[29]

naturalism in painting

In fine art panting, "naturalism" describes a true-to-life style which involves the representation or depiction of nature (including people) with the least possible distortion or interpretation. There is a quasi-photographic quality to the best naturalistic paintings: a quality which requires a minimum amount of visual detail. "Modern" naturalism dates from the affluence of the early 19th century, and was much influenced by the literary fashion for authenticity - the term was first coined by the French writer Emile Zola. It emerged first in English landscape painting, before spreading to France and then other parts of Europe. Like all comparable styles, naturalism is influenced to a degree by the aesthetics and culture, as well as the unavoidable subjectivism, of the artist. But it's a question of degree - after all, no painting can be wholly naturalist: the artist is bound to make tiny distortions to create his idea of a perfectly natural picture. Nevertheless if an artist sets out with the clear aim of replicating nature, then a naturalist painting is the most likely outcome. difference form relaism: Naturalism is often confused with "realism", a true-life style of art which focuses on social realities and observable facts, rather than the ideals and aesthetics. The difference between Realism and Naturalism in (say) painting, is twofold. First, realism tends to be concerned with content rather than method. That is to say, it focuses on the issue of "who" or "what" is being painted, rather than "how" it is painted. Typically, realist artists depict common people going about their ordinary lives, rather than grand individuals performing some kind of heroic or noble act. In contrast, naturalism is all about "how" a subject is painted, rather than "who" or "what" it is. Second, Realism is typically associated with the promotion of social or political awareness. Its images frequently champion a particular set of social or political policies, as in the case of movements like American Scene Painting (c.1925-45), the Ashcan School (c.1900-1915), Precisionism (flourished 1920s), Social Realism (1930s) and Socialist Realism (1930s onwards). Of course, realist artists often paint in a naturalist way, but naturalism is not their primary concern, and is rarely the point of their works.

Landscape with Burial of Phocian

location:National Museum Cardiff date:1648 artist:nicohlas pussin info: These works marked a change in the French artist's style of painting as he moved away from historical narrative and developed a new approach to landscape. Unlike the works of his Flemish contemporaries, his landscapes were heroic rather than rustic. In their solemn grandeur they framed stories from classical and biblical sources and established a relationship between man and nature.

ESSAY: ctaholic vs protestsant

protestant: This first piece by Rembrandt depicts a common theme in Protestant art, the lack of religious subject matter. Many Protestants felt the scenes of everyday life were more important, especially since most Protestant religions rejected any images of saints or the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thus it is included here to demonstrate the change in art that the Reformation had brought about. Included with this piece is a brief video that provides some cultural and historical background to this exhibition by explaining the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. This information is important to understanding the meaning behind the following works of art. EX: rembrandt night watch, vermeer milkmaid In this work as in the two before it, we once again see an image completely devoid of all religious influence. Instead the scene is of a very humble wedding of two peasants. This embodies a second important characteristic of Protestant art, namely the belief that there is no need for any ecclesiastical authority to act as a mediator between the believer and God. Thus even though this painting depicts a wedding, it intentionally ensures there are no clergy present. Bruegel also ensures the wedding is not taking place in a church but in the home of the common people. (see source: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/protestant.htm). Here again we see an image that consciously leaves out all reference to religious matter. Instead, Vermeer depicts a very simple scene of everyday life: a humble milkmaid performing her household chores. This subject matter of common everyday scenes is one of the main characteristics of Protestant art as it embodied the individualized relationship between the believer and God which was very important to many Protestants. This characteristic can be seen in many of the works contained within this exhibition. (See source: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/protestant.htm) catholic: Now that we have seen these examples of common themes within Protestant art and the religious beliefs that produced them, it is necessary to examine works of art produced by the Counter-Reformation. This first work is primarily different from the works examined thus far due to the fact that its subject matter is very religious. This represents a major theme of Counter-Reformation art which namely was to depict those aspects of Church teaching that were being challenged by Protestants. In particular this painting seeks to depict the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, a theme that was popular in Catholic Italian and Spanish painting (See source: This piece, which depicts Christ cleansing the Jewish temple of money changers and merchants, embodies the theatrical and action-filled style that was very typical of Baroque art. This piece was also very symbolic for Catholics during the Counter-Reformation. For in addition to depicting religious subject matter, Bernardino Mei is using this biblical story to symbolize the cleansing that the Catholic Church was undergoing during this time as it sought to remove the corruptions which had led to the Reformation. In this sense the subject matter of this piece could be considered a from of iconography as the artist is

ESSAY: patronage (religious vs secular)

towards the protestant reformation, art patrons were looking for landscapes and non secular images, they wanted to see non religious people with the lack of religious subject matter. Many Protestants felt the scenes of everyday life were more important, especially since most Protestant religions rejected any images of saints or the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Tronie

A tronie (16-17th-century Dutch for "face") is a common type, or group of types, of works common in Dutch Golden Age painting and Flemish Baroque painting that shows an exaggerated facial expression or a stock character in costume. The term tronie is not clearly defined in art historical literature. ex:Joos van Craesbeeck's The Smoker, an example of a "tronie"

ideal landscape

A type of landscape painting, invented by Annibale Carracci in the first decade of the 17th century, in which natural elements are composed into a grand and highly formalized arrangement suitable as a setting for small figures from serious religious or mythological subjects. It was an extraordinarily influential invention, developed most memorably by Claude and Poussin EX:Landscape with the Flight into Egypt (Carracci)

Aldobrandini Lunette (Landscape with Flight into Egypt

Artist: Annibale carracci Title: , Aldobrandini Lunette (Landscape with Flight into Egypt Location: Galleria Doria Pamphilij, Roma dates:1602-1604 2/3 sentences: The painting, depicting the biblical New Testament event of the Flight into Egypt, was commissioned in 1603 by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini for the family chapel in his palace in Rome, later known as Palazzo Doria Pamphilj. The work is frequently regarded as a key work in Baroque landscape painting and is the "most celebrated example" of the "new landscape style" Carracci developed in Rome of "carefully constructed landscape panoramas"

Farnese Gallery

Artist: Annibale carracci Title:Farnese Gallery Location:Palazzo Farnese, now the French Embassy, in Rome, Italy dates: 1597-1608 2/3 sentences: The frescoes were greatly admired at the time, and were later considered to reflect a significant change in painting style away from sixteenth century Mannerism to anticipation of the development of Baroque and Classicism in Rome during the seventeenth century. His brother Agostino joined him from 1597-1600, and other artists in the workshop the Farnese Gallery consists of profusely decorated quadratura and framed mythological scenes.

Judith with the head of holofernes

Artist: Artemisia Gentileschi Title: Judith with the head of Holofernes Location: national Museum of Capodimonte, Naples dates: 1614-20 2/3 sentences: common in art since the early Renaissance, as part of the group of subjects called the Power of women, which show women triumphing over powerful men. The subject takes an episode from the apocryphal Book of Judith in the Old Testament, which recounts the assassination of the Assyrian general Holofernes by the Israelite heroine Judith. The painting shows the moment when Judith, helped by her maidservant, beheads the general after he has fallen asleep drunk.

San Andrea al Quirinale

Artist: Bernini Title: San Andrea al Quirinale Location:Rome, Italy dates: 1658-1670 2/3 sentences: Bernini received the commission in 1658 and the church was constructed by 1661, although the interior decoration was not finished until 1670 Commissioned by former Cardinal Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili, with the approval of Pope Alexander VII, Sant'Andrea was the third Jesuit church constructed in Rome, Bernini considered the church one of his most perfect works; his son, Domenico, recalled that in his later years, Bernini spent hours sitting inside it, appreciating what he had achieved.[1]

St. Peters Colonnades

Artist: Bernini Title:St. Peters Colonnades Location: St. peters square Vatican city dates:1656 to 1667 2/3 sentences: The open space which lies before the basilica was redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667, under the direction of Pope Alexander VII, as an appropriate forecourt, designed "so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace The colossal Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep,[3] frame the trapezoidal entrance to the basilica and the massive elliptical area[4] which precedes it. The ovato tondo's long axis, parallel to the basilica's façade, creates a pause in the sequence of forward movements that is characteristic of a Baroque monumental approach. The colonnades define the piazza. The elliptical center of the piazza, which contrasts with the trapezoidal entrance, encloses the visitor with "the maternal arms of Mother Church" in Bernini's expression. On the south side, the colonnades define and formalize the space, with the Barberini Gardens still rising to a skyline of umbrella pines. On the north side, the colonnade masks an assortment of Vatican structures; the upper stories of the Vatican Palace rise above.

Tomb of pope urban VII

Artist: Bernini Title:Tomb of pope urban VII Location:Basilica di San Pietro, Vatican dates:1627-47 2/3 sentences: Pope Urban VIII continued the construction of San Pietro begun by Pope Julius II. He commissioned Bernini for the work. As part of the interior design Bernini designated a place for the tomb of his commissioner on the Northern wall of the main apsis. The Tomb of Urban VIII emphasized the pictorial aspects by employing a broad range of materials. The luminous effect of the bronze used to cast the figure of the pope and the sarcophagus surmounted by the image of Death recall the virtuosity of the Baldacchino columns. The design and colour of the gleaming marble surfaces that decorate the niches are reminiscent of those used in the crossing in St Peter's. It is almost as if in designing the pope's tomb, Bernini was concerned to point out the main contributions that Urban had made to St Peter's.

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane

Artist: Borromini Title:San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane Location: church in Rome, Italy dates: 1646 2/3 sentences: t is an iconic masterpiece of Baroque architecture, built as part of a complex of monastic buildings on the Quirinal Hill for the Spanish Trinitarians, an order dedicated to the freeing of Christian slaves. He received the commission in 1634, under the patronage of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, whose palace was across the road. However, this financial backing did not last and subsequently the building project suffered various financial difficulties.

The Conversion of Saint Paul

Artist: Caravaggio Title: the Conversion of Saint Paul Location:Odescalchi Balbi Collection, Rome dates:1600/1601 2/3 sentences: According to Caravaggio's early biographer Giovanni Baglione, both paintings were rejected by Cerasi, and replaced by the second versions which hang in the chapel today. The painting records the moment when Saul of Tarsus, on his way to Damascus to annihilate the Christian community there, is struck blind by a brilliant light and hears the voice of Christ saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?...And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid, but they heard not the voice..."

The Raising of Lazarus

Artist: Caravaggio Title:The Raising of Lazarus Location:Museo Regionale, Messina dates:1609 2/3 sentences: In August 1608 Caravaggio fled from Malta, where he had been imprisoned for an unknown crime, and took refuge in Sicily with his friend, the artist Mario Minniti. Through Minniti's intercession he procured a number of important commissions As is usual with Caravaggio, light becomes an important element in the drama, picking out crucial details such as Lazarus's hands—one lax and open to receive, the other reaching towards Christ—and the wonder-struck faces of the onlookers.

The Raising of the Cross

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens Title:The Raising of the Cross Location: Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp dates:1610-11 2/3 sentences: The central panel illustrates a tension between the multitude of massively muscled men attempting to lift the cross and the seemingly unbearable weight of Christ on the cross. Peter Paul Rubens' foreshortening is evident in the contortions of the struggling, strapping men. Christ cuts across the central panel in a diagonal, stylistically akin to Caravaggio's Entombment where both descent and ascent are in play at a key moment. Motion, space and time are illustrated along with the struggle to upright the cross. Rubens uses dynamic color and chiaroscuro boldly, a style that would become more subtle with time.

Charles I Hunting

Artist: anthony van dyck Title:Charles I Hunting Location:lourve dates:1635 2/3 sentences: t depicts Charles dressed in civilian clothing and standing next to a horse as if resting on a hunt, in a manner described by the Louvre as a "subtle compromise between gentlemanly nonchalance and regal assurance".[1] Van Dyck gave his naturalistic style full expression: "Charles is given a totally natural look of instinctive sovereignty, in a deliberately informal setting where he strolls so negligently that that he seems at first glance nature's gentleman rather than England's King"

The calling of st. Matthew

Artist: caravaggio Title: The calling of st. Matthew Location:Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome dates:1599-1600 2/3 sentences: depicting the moment at which Jesus Christ inspires Matthew to follow him. Over a decade before, Cardinal Matthieu Cointerel (in Italian, Matteo Contarelli) had left in his will funds and specific instructions for the decoration of a chapel based on themes related to his namesake, St Matthew.

Officers of St. George Civic Guard

Artist: frans hals Title:Officers of St. George Civic Guard Location: Frans Hals Museum dates:1616 2/3 sentences: Given a nearly impossible task, namely to complete his assignment but to add theatrical elements at the same time, Hals must have spent lots of time judging the politics of the group. He knew these men well as he served in the St. Joris militia himself from 1612-1615. In his painting, he indicates the political position of each man in the group as well as managing to give each a characteristic portrait.

Aurora

Artist: guido Reni Title: Aurora Location: by Guido Reni for the Casino, or garden house, adjacent to the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi, in Rome dates:1614 2/3 sentences: the work is considered Reni's fresco masterpiece. its ceiling fresco is displayed within a painted frame or quadro riportato and depicts from left to right, Aurora (Dawn) in an golden billowing dress with her garlands flies over a dim-lit landscape, leading a blond Apollo in his horse-drawn chariot, surrounded by a chain of female "hours", bringing light to the world.

Marie de' Medici cycle

Artist: peter paul ruban Title:Marie de' Medici cycle Location:Louvre dates:1621 2/3 sentences: commissioned by Marie de' Medici, widow of Henry IV of France, for the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. Rubens received the commission in the autumn of 1621. After negotiating the terms of the contract in early 1622, the project was to be completed within two years, coinciding with the marriage of Marie's daughter, Henrietta Maria. Twenty-one of the paintings depict Marie's own struggles and triumphs in life. The remaining three are portraits of herself and her parents.[1] The paintings now hang in the Louvre in Paris.

Aurora, casino ludovisi

Artist:Giercino Title:Aurora, casino ludovisi Location: rome dates: 1621 2/3 sentences: the Casino dell'Aurora is the only portion spared from nineteenth-century demolition of the Villa Ludovisi (later Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi) in Rome. Originally the Casino, erected around 1570 and enlarged in the nineteenth century, was a three-story structure on a cruciform ground plan. During the pontificate of Pope Gregory XV Ludovisi the villa and its casino were used mainly for official functions such as dinners for the college of cardinals. The Casino was decorated by paintings on the ground floor and the second floor in the seventeenth century.

the blinding of samson

Artist: rembrandt Title:the blinding of samson Location:Städel, Frankfurt am Main dates:1636 2/3 sentences: The Blinding of Samson is a 1636 painting by Rembrandt, now in the Städel. The painting is the first of its kind in pictorial tradition. No other artist at the time had painted this specific narrative moment. This painting was a gift to the House of Orange, Rembrandt's current patron of a few commissioned paintings. The scene is magnificent and horrible at once - and one of Rembrandt's masterpieces. The story is told in the Old Testament. Samson possesses invincible powers, and only he knows the secret that lies behind them: it is the fact that his hair has not been cut since his birth. His beloved Delilah desires to learn the secret as proof of his love. Ultimately, however, her demand is nothing but treachery - the Philistines have offered her a fortune for this service. In Rembrandt's depiction, Delilah has just cut off Samson's hair; her accomplices pounce on the weakened hero and blind him.

Elena Grimaldi (???????)

Artist:ANthony van dyk Title:Elena Grimaldi Location:national gallery of art dates:1623 2/3 sentences:

Self-Portrait

Artist:Artemisia Gentileschi Title:Self-Portrait Location: owner Royal Collection dates: 1638-39 2/3 sentences: The scene depicts Gentileschi painting herself, who is in turn represented as the "Allegory of Painting" illustrated by Cesare Ripa. The painting demonstrates rare feminist themes from a time when women seldom held jobs, let alone were well known for them. Gentileschi's portrayal of herself as the epitome of the arts was a bold statement to make for the period.

Triumph of the Name of Jesus

Artist:Baccicio (gaulli) Title:Triumph of the Name of Jesus Location:Gesù, Rome dates:1678-79; 2/3 sentences: This large and luminous bozzetto (preparatory oil sketch) provides a rare working document for the genesis of one of the most outstanding examples of Baroque ceiling decoration, The Triumph of the Name of Jesus in the Gesù church in Rome. The great sculptor and architect Bernini helped Baciccio secure the commission of decorating the barrel-vaulted mother church of the Jesuit order, which had been consecrated in 1584.

Chair of Saint Peter

Artist:Bernini Title:Chair of Saint Peter Location:St. Peters basilica dates:1647-53 2/3 sentences: The relic is a wooden throne that tradition claims the Apostle Saint Peter, the leader of the Early Christians in Rome and first Pope, used as Bishop of Rome.That study concluded that it was not a double, but rather a single, chair with a covering and that no part of the chair dated earlier than the sixth century.

St. Teresa chapel

Artist:Bernini Title:St. Teresa chapel Location:Cornaro Chapel, anta Maria della Vittoria, Rome dates:1647-52 2/3 sentences: The entire ensemble was overseen and completed by a mature Bernini during the Pamphili papacy of Innocent X. When Innocent acceded to the papal throne, he shunned Bernini's artistic services; the sculptor had been the favourite artist of the previous and profligate Barberini pope. Without papal patronage, the services of Bernini's studio were therefore available to a patron such as the Venetian [[Federico Baldissera Bartolomeo Cornaro|herto unremarkable church of the Discalced Carmelites for his burial chapel.[1] The selected site for the chapel was the left transept that had previously held an image of 'St. Paul in Ecstasy', which was replaced by Bernini's dramatization of a religious experience undergone and related by the first Discalced Carmelite saint, who had been canonised not long before, in 1622.[2]

Tomb of Alexander VII

Artist:Bernini Title:tomb of alexander viii Location: St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City dates:1671-78 2/3 sentences: The piece was commissioned by Pope Alexander VII himself. However, construction of the monument didn't start until 1671 and was completed in 1678, eleven years after the Pope's death.[1] At the age of 81, this would be Bernini's last major sculptural commission before his death in 1680.

Death of the Virgin

Artist:Caravaggio Title: death of the Virgin Location:Louvre, Paris dates:1604-1606 2/3 sentences: The depiction of the Death of the Virgin caused a contemporary stir, and was rejected as unfit by the parish.Giulio Mancini thought Caravaggio modelled a prostitute, possibly his mistress, as the Virgin.

David with the Head of Goliath

Artist:Caravaggio Title:David with the Head of Goliath Location:Galleria Borghese, Rome dates:1610 2/3 sentences:Caravaggio captures the drama more effectively by having the head dangling from David's hand and dripping blood The sword in David's hand carries an abbreviated inscription H-AS OS; this has been interpreted as an abbreviation of the Latin phrase humilitas occidit superbiam ("humility kills pride").[1]

The musicians

Artist:Caravaggio Title:The musicians Location:Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City dates:1595 2/3 sentences: Caravaggio entered the household of Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte sometime in 1595, and The Musicians is thought to have been his first painting done expressly for the cardinal Scenes showing musicians were a popular theme at the time—the Church was supporting a revival of music and new styles and forms were being tried, especially by educated and progressive prelates such as Del Monte. This scene, however, is clearly secular rather than religious, and harks back to the long-established tradition of "concert" pictures, a genre originating in Venice

St. Peter's

Artist:Carlo Maderno Title: St. Peter's facade Location: st. peters basilica dates: 1608-1614 2/3 sentences: he created the facade of st. peters basilica When Carlo Maderno started to build the facade, he was bound to the already existing Michelangelo's wings. He just put the attic all around the building, as planned by Michelangelo. That creation looks mighty and dynamic along the west side of the Basilica but is disharmonious in the facade. For this reason, at the far sides of the facade, Maderno planned two bell towers which lightened and soared the building. In 1621, at the death of Paul V, the ground subsided and the building of the two bell towers had to be stopped.

Marriage Portrait

Artist:FRANS HALS Title:Marriage Portrait Location:Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam dates:1622 2/3 sentences: The couple has been identified as Isaac Massa and his bride Beatrix van der Laen. The painting shows a happy couple sitting against a tree "picnic-style", with a garden scene in the distance. They smile at the viewer and look more relaxed than amorous.

self portrait

Artist:Judith leyster Title:self portrait Location:National Gallery of Art dates:1633 2/3 sentences: Continuing the in tradition of 16th century artists who pushed to have painting seen as a profession as opposed to a craft, Leyster choice to depict herself wearing lace cuffs, rich fabric and a huge collar, which would not have been suitable for painting, draw attention to her wealth and success. In doing this she both distinguished herself from less skilled artisans and showcased her technical abilities.[4] While it is unclear whether Leyster studied under Hals the loose brush strokes and casual pose echo his stylistic choices.[5] Similar to other paintings of hers Leyster's self-portrait has a momentary quality to it, she is turned partially to the viewer with her lips parted to as if to speak. [4] This, along with the fistful of brushes and choice to include the fiddler from her later painting The Merry Trio suggest that this piece would have been used to advertise her abilities to an extent

Marchesa Brigida Spinola-Doria

Artist:Peter Paul Rubens Title: Marchesa Brigida Spinola-Doria Location:National Gallery of Art) dates:1606 2/3 sentences: It was commissioned by Marquess Giacomo Massimiliano Doria, of Genoa, and shows his wife (and cousin) shortly after their wedding in 1605; she came from the equally prominent Spinola family. He died in 1613 and she remarried another Doria. It has been cut several times on each side, removing the garden shown in the background and the lower part of the figure.[1]

Allegory of Divine Providence

Artist:Pietro de cortona Title:Allegory of Divine Providence Location: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica (Palazzo Barberini), Rome dates:1633-1639 2/3 sentences: filling the large ceiling of the grand salon of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome, Italy. These commissioned artworks often teem with suns and bees (the Barberini family coat of arms had three bees), as also the Cortona fresco does

The Surrender of Breda

Artist:Velasquez Title: The Surrender of Breda Location:Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain dates:1634-5 2/3 sentences: The capture of Breda in 1625 was one of the major successes of Spanish arms in the latter stages of the Eighty Years' War. It illustrates the exchange of keys that occurred three days after the capitulation between Spain and the Netherlands was signed on June 5, 1625. Hence, the focus of the painting is not on the battle itself, but rather the reconciliation

Water Carrier

Artist:Velasquez Spanish artist Title:Water Carrier Location:Apsley House, London dates: 1618-1622 2/3 sentences: The original version is considered to be among the finest works of the painter's Seville period. The subject of the painting is the waterseller, a common trade for the lower classes in Velázquez's Seville. The jars and victuals recall the bodegón paintings. The seller has two customers: a young boy, possibly painted from the same model as used for the boys in The Lunch and Old Woman Cooking Eggs, and a young man in the background shadows,

milkmaid

Artist:Vermeer Title: Milkmaid Location:Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands dates:1657-1658 2/3 sentences: Despite its traditional title, the picture clearly shows a kitchen or housemaid, a low-ranking indoor servant, rather than a milkmaid who actually milks the cow,[3] in a plain room carefully pouring milk into a squat earthenware container (now commonly known as a "Dutch oven") on a table. Also on the table are various types of bread. She is a young, sturdily built woman wearing a crisp linen cap, a blue apron and work sleeves pushed up from thick forearms. A foot warmer is on the floor behind her, near Delft wall tiles depicting Cupid (to the viewer's left) and a figure with a pole (to the right). Intense light streams from the window on the left side of the canvas.[4] The painting is strikingly illusionistic, conveying not just details but a sense of the weight of the woman and the table. "The light, though bright, doesn't wash out the rough texture of the bread crusts or flatten the volumes of the maid's thick waist and rounded shoulders", wrote Karen Rosenberg, an art critic for The New York Times. Yet with half of the woman's face in shadow, it is "impossible to tell whether her downcast eyes and pursed lips express wistfulness or concentration," she wrote.[

Officer and Laughing Girl

Artist:Vermeer Title: Officer and Laughing Girl Location:The Frick Collection, New York dates:1657 2/3 sentences: Officer and Laughing Girl includes many of the characteristics of Vermeer's style. The main subject is a woman in a yellow dress, light is coming from the left hand side of the painting from an open window, and there is a large map on the wall. Each of these elements occur in some of his other paintings, although this painting differs slightly with the man also sitting at the table. Art historians, who have suggested conflicting interpretations of the work, believe that a painting by Gerard van Honthorst inspired the composition, and that Vermeer used a camera obscura to create the perspective in this painting. The meaning of the interaction between the woman and the soldier is unknown. Many art historians believe that it only portrays a woman being innocently and honorably courted by this soldier. However, some have argued that her open hand and smile could be asking for payment before coitus.

Saint Serapion

Artist:Zurbarán Title:Saint Serapion Location:Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut dates:1628, 2/3 sentences: Saint Serapion is depicted by Zurbarán in a quasi-crucified pose,[3] standing with each hand bound by ropes and chain to an overhead horizontal pole. According to Michael Brenson of the New York Times, his head "has shifted from the realm of the robe to the realm of the cape, which supports the head and seems to have the potential to lift it to the sky".[2] The painting stops at the figure's knee level, while the strain placed on his arms is indicated by the heavy hanging folds of the drapes of the cloth hanging from left shoulder and right outstretched arm.[3] The saint is identified by text on a small note placed to the left of his chest area.[5] The work makes strong use of chiaroscuro in the Spanish Tenebrist tradition of Jusepe de Ribera. The dominance of the white paint used to render the cloth creates a sense of tranquility, while the tension of the painting is derived from the dark shade created from the deep folds of the robes

Queen Henriette Maria (??????)

Artist:anthony van dyck Title:Queen Henriette Maria Location: dates:1639 2/3 sentences:

,Regentesses of the Alms House

Artist:frans hals Title: Regentesses of the Alms House Location: Oude Mannenhuis in Haarlem, the Netherlands dates:1664, 2/3 sentences: Frans Hals painted them in his "loose style", with rough brush strokes. The painting is traditionally dated 1664, though no archival evidence has yet been found to confirm this. The lack of any meticulous finishing, unusual in Hals' portraits of women, lead experts to assume this was painted towards the end of his life when he painted more loosely than in his younger years. The style of the women's dress also places the portrait well past the millstone collars of the

jolly topper

Artist:frans hals Title:jolly topper Location:Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam dates:1628-1630 2/3 sentences: The painting shows a man wearing a leather jerkin, lace collar and cuffs, and a floppy hat tipped at an angle. He is gesturing with his right hand and holding a glass of white wine in his left hand. He seems caught in a moment of discussion with the viewer. A medallion dangles from his neck chain, which Hofstede de Groot claimed was a likeness of Prince Maurice of Orange.[1] Various experts have claimed the painting represents the sense of taste. In old Dutch inventories, the theme of a "merry drinker" or "jolly toper" occurs often, and this was probably not a portrait but meant as a genre piece.

landscape with Chateau of Steel (??????)

Artist:peter paul ruban Title: landscape with Chateau of Steel Location: dates:1635 ish??? 2/3 sentences: Rubens painted about three dozen landscapes during his busy career, mostly for his own pleasure. The late ones, like this superb example, transform earlier Flemish models through fresh studies of nature and color and brushwork ultimately inspired by Titian. Here hunting is treated as a contest of elemental forces: light and darkness, life and death, growth and decay.

Garden of Love

Artist:peter paul ruban Title:Garden of Love Location:Prado Museum in Madrid dates:1633 2/3 sentences: It is the apotheosis of the outdoor courtly Merry Company genre painting. The subject of this piece is common in Baroque paintings, which used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, and grandeur. Rubens uses multi-layer allegory and symbolism to his paintings. a large group of well-dressed persons in the style of the 17th century lounge about, picnicking in an idyllic garden. Everyone is finely dressed, exercising their wealth and high class status. This demonstrates the depth of a full court scene in a recessional manner.[3] Cupids interact with the individuals, bringing mythological figures into a realistic garden scene to produce a fantastical painting.[4]

2 self protraits you will recognize

Artist:rembrandt Title:1600 somehting and 1658 Location: dates: 2/3 sentences:

The night watch

Artist:rembrandt Title:The night watch Location:Amsterdam Museum on permanent loan to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam dates:1642 2/3 sentences: he painting is famous for three things: its colossal size (363 cm × 437 cm (11.91 ft × 14.34 ft)), the dramatic use of light and shadow (tenebrism) and the perception of motion in what would have traditionally been a static military group portrait. The painting was completed in 1642, at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age. It depicts the eponymous company moving out, led by Captain Frans Banning Cocq (dressed in black, with a red sash) and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch (dressed in yellow, with a white sash). With effective use of sunlight and shade, Rembrandt leads the eye to the three most important characters among the crowd: the two gentlemen in the centre (from whom the painting gets its original title), and the woman in the centre-left background carrying a chicken. Behind them, the company's colours are carried by the ensign, Jan Visscher Cornelissen. The figures are almost life-size.

the three crosses

Artist:rembrandt Title:the three crosses Location:Museum of Fine Arts, Boston dates:1653 2/3 sentences: The Three Crosses is an etching and drypoint by the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn, which depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is considered 'one of the most dynamic prints ever made'.[1] The main subject in the etching is Jesus Christ on the cross, flanked by the two thieves who were crucified with him. The etching depicts the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, weeping and supported by the Evangelist. Roman soldiers on horseback, along with grieving citizens, surround the crosses. A beam of light, representing God's light from heaven, pierces the darkened sky to envelope the crucified figure of Christ.

Bathsheba

Artist:remebrandt Title:Bathsheba Location:The Louvre, Paris dates: 1654 2/3 sentences: A depiction that is both sensual and empathetic, it shows a moment from the Old Testament story in which King David sees Bathsheba bathing and, entranced, seduces and impregnates her.[1] In order to marry Bathsheba and conceal his sin, David sends her husband into battle and orders his generals to abandon him, leaving him to certain death. While the scene of David spying on Bathsheba had been painted by earlier artists, Rembrandt's depiction differs in its tight pictorial focus and erotic vitality, achieved through broad, thick brushstrokes and vibrant coloration. The painting hangs in The Louvre; it is one of 583 works donated by Dr. Louis La Caze in 1869.[2] For Kenneth Clark, the canvas is "Rembrandt's greatest painting of the nude".[3] Its insight into Bathsheba's moral dilemma has been described as "one of the great achievements of western painting."[4]

Las Meninas

Artist:velaquez Title:Las Meninas Location:Museo del Prado, Madrid dates: 1656 2/3 sentences: ts complex and enigmatic composition raises questions about reality and illusion, and creates an uncertain relationship between the viewer and the figures depicted. Because of these complexities, Las Meninas has been one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting. The young Infanta Margaret Theresa is surrounded by her entourage of maids of honour, chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs and a dog. Just behind them, Velázquez portrays himself working at a large canvas. Velázquez looks outwards, beyond the pictorial space to where a viewer of the painting would stand.[3] In the background there is a mirror that reflects the upper bodies of the king and queen. They appear to be placed outside the picture space in a position similar to that of the viewer, although some scholars have speculated that their image is a reflection from the painting Velázquez is shown working on.

Portrait of Juan de Pareja

Artist:velaquez Title:Portrait of Juan de Pareja Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City dates:c. 1650 2/3 sentences: painting by Spanish artist Diego Velázquez of his assistant Juan de Pareja, a notable painter in his own right, who was enslaved and owned by Velázquez at the time the painting was completed. It was the first painting to sell for more than £1,000,000. At the time of the painting's purchase by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1970 they considered it "among the most important acquisitions in the Museum's history"

girl with the pearl earring

Artist:vermeer Title:Girl with a Pearl Earring Location:Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands dates:1665 2/3 sentences: The painting is a tronie, the Dutch 17th-century description of a 'head' that was not meant to be a portrait. It depicts a European girl wearing an exotic dress, an oriental turban, and an improbably large pearl earring.[1] In 2014, Dutch astrophysicist Vincent Icke raised doubts about the material of the earring and argued that it looks more like polished tin than pearl on the grounds of the specular reflection, the pear shape and the large size of the earring.[3][4] The work is oil on canvas and is 44.5 cm (17.5 in) high and 39 cm (15 in) wide. It is signed "IVMeer" but not dated. It is estimated to have been painted around 1665.[5]

street in delft

Artist:vermeer Title:street in delft Location:Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam dates:1657-1658 2/3 sentences: The painting, showing a quiet street, depicts a typical aspect of the life in a Dutch Golden Age town. It is one of only three Vermeer paintings of views of Delft, the others being View of Delft and the now lost House Standing in Delft.[3] This painting is considered to be an important work of the Dutch master.[4] Straight angles alternate with the triangle of the house and of the sky giving the composition a certain vitality. The walls, stones and brickwork are painted in a thick colour, that it makes them almost palpable.

Cesare Ripa, Iconologia

Compiler of a famous early iconographic dictionary, the Iconologia. Little is known about Giovanni Campani, who wrote under the name of Ceasare Ripa. ... The Iconologia was used both by viewers of art as well as by artists wishing to employ complex iconography in their work. Little is known about his life. He was born in Perugia and died in Rome. After the death of the cardinal, Ripa worked for his relatives. He was knighted after his highly successful Iconologia, which he wrote in his free time, was published. The Iconologia was a highly influential emblem book based on Egyptian, Greek and Roman emblematical representations. The book was used by orators, artists, poets and "modern Italians" to give substance to qualities such as virtues, vices, passions, arts and sciences. The concepts were arranged in alphabetical order, after the fashion of the Renaissance

etching technique

Etching is a printmaking technique that uses chemical action to produce incised lines in a metal printing plate which then hold the applied ink and form the image Etching was used for decorating metal from the fourteenth century, but was probably not used for printmaking much before the early sixteenth century. Since then many etching techniques have been developed,

Genre scene

Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Ex: Brughel and peasant wedding, or peasant dance

propganda

Propaganda is the more or less systematic effort to manipulate other people's beliefs, attitudes, or actions by means of symbols (words, gestures, banners, monuments, music, clothing, insignia, hairstyles, designs on coins and postage stamps, and so forth). Deliberateness and a relatively heavy emphasis on manipulation distinguish propaganda from casual conversation or the free and easy exchange of ideas. The propagandist has a specified goal or set of goals. To achieve these he deliberately selects facts, arguments, and displays of symbols and presents them in ways he thinks will have the most effect. To maximize effect, he may omit pertinent facts or distort them, and he may try to divert the attention of the reactors (the people whom he is trying to sway) from everything but his own propaganda. each side (protestant, catholic was challnging the other and swaying people to choose a certain side)

Tenebrsim

Tenebrism, from Italian tenebroso ("dark, gloomy, mysterious"), also occasionally called dramatic illumination, is a style of painting using profoundly pronounced chiaroscuro, where there are violent contrasts of light and dark, and where darkness becomes a dominating feature of the image. ex: the night watch remembrandt

Caravaggisti

The Caravaggisti (or the "Caravagesques") were stylistic followers of the 16th-century Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio. His influence on the new Baroque style that eventually emerged from Mannerism was profound. ex:"Mars Chastising Cupid" by Bartolomeo Manfredi (1582-1622)

The Death of Germanicus, 1627

artist nicolas date:1627 location: info: The young Roman general Germanicus has just been poisoned by his jealous adoptive father, the emperor Tiberius. On his deathbed, Germanicus asks his friends to avenge his murder and his wife to endure her sorrow bravely. The subject of this, Poussin's first major history painting, comes from the Annales of the Roman historian Tacitus. The event occurred in 19 CE. A key work in Western painting, this tragic picture presents a moral lesson in stoic heroism, seen especially in the restraint and dignity of the mourning soldiers. This painting became the model for countless deathbed scenes for two centuries to come, particularly for Neoclassical art around 1800. Many powerful human themes figure here: death, suffering, injustice, grief, loyalty, and revenge.

Baldacchino

artist:Bernini title:Baldacchino location: St. Peters Basilica, vatican city if in site include museum or city: approximate dates: 1623-34 2/3 sentences describe artworks significance and unique features: is a large Baroque sculpted bronze canopy that is places over the high altar of St. Peters Basilica. It was intended to mark, in a monumental way, the place of Saint Peter's tomb underneath.

self portrait

artist:nicholas pussin location:Musée du Louvre, Paris date:1650 info: In the self-portrait at the Louvre the artist, wearing a dark green gown and with a stole thrown over his shoulders, is shown in a slightly different pose than in the earlier version in Berlin: posture is erect, his head turned to present an almost full-face view. His facial expression is more solemn, but also less decided. Instead of funeral symbolism, the setting is the artist's studio, lent strangely abstract quality by a staggered arrangement of three framed canvases, one behind the other, whose quadratic structure is echoed by the dark doorframe behind them. It is apparent that the canvas nearest to us is empty, except for a painted inscription. At the left on the second canvas there is a woman in front of a landscape, wearing a diadem with an eye; a man's hands are reaching out to hold her shoulders. This has been interpreted as an allegory: painting crowned as the greatest of arts.