My Kid Could Paint That

Revelations
The Apparition
Curated by Arsam Yazdani

Gustave Moreau, The Apparition, 1876

Revelations
Curated by Arsam Yazdani

Salvador Dali, The Horseman of the Apocalypse, 1970

It's rough, this sketch of the horsemen. But it makes its own message by being so harsh, with every color slicing through the others instead of blending in. Dali's interpretation of the horseman differs from the usual. He doesn't focus on them as a group, more focusing on each individual horseman.

Traditionally, the four horsemen come as one and signify the apocalypse. The color palette Dali uses here perpetuates the hellish aspect, but the unfinished appeal of it changes things. As opposed to the horsemen interpretations of Durer or the like, this piece has less emphasis on their overwhelming presence and more on their entrance. Dali's piece is more frightening for this because the bodies and details are clearly unnecessary. The entrance of the horsemen is the truly scary part - the horsemen are a means to an end.

There are also only three horsemen here. In the Book of Revelations, each horseman represents something different. First is the White Horse, the figure of military prowess, usually referred to as Conquest. Red Horse, or War, signifies mass slaughter, his color specifically being a fiery red. Third: the Black Horse, or Famine. Then comes Pale Horse, the only horse whose rider is explicitly given a name: Death. Out of what is seen of Dali's piece, it seems that Red Horse, Black Horse, and Pale Horse are depicted. Which is fitting for the terrifying scene. Dali seems to focus more upon the terrifying aspects of the horsemen, leaving out White Horse - in many theories, conquest is thought of as a benevolent being, sometimes even as Jesus Christ himself. Dali would have left him out for a reason, then.

Revelations
The Fisherman, Early Morning
Curated by Arsam Yazdani

Pierre-Étienne-Théodore Rousseau, The Fisherman, Early Morning, 1865

Revelations
Curated by Arsam Yazdani

Pieter Bruegel I, Triumph of Death, 1562

Can't get much more apocalyptic than skeletons battling it out with the living. This scene gives the viewer a disturbing, yet funny, glimpse into the mind of Bruegel. The entire battle is set in a sickly yellow-green hue, emphasizing the awful scene.

Revelations
Curated by Arsam Yazdani

Caravaggio, The Seven Works of Mercy, 1607

The seven corporal works of mercy are as follows: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, harbour the harbourless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. Caravaggio shows each here in his definitive chiaroscuro style.

Caravaggio developed his style through many hardships and expressed his suffering through his art. This piece captures a tone that makes all of the figures meld together in one snake-like, upward movement. The setting of the painting is an interesting choice as well, as he could have painted seven different scenes rather than one containing them all. By doing this, he makes the works meld into one grand act, one true moment of true benevolence. 

These poor beggars in the piece were clearly cast out and left at the mercy of those who could do something to end their suffering. This really struck me as an odd thing to paint, so much pain and suffering in their faces when the man who painted them was living so large. Caravaggio shows his discipline and his humble upbringing, perhaps even his own inner suffering, to remind those around him that he is one of them. 

Revelations
Curated by Arsam Yazdani

El Greco, The Agony in the Garden, 1597

With intensely contrasting colors, El Greco creates forced perspective and a strong focus upon Jesus' conversation with God. In the Bible, he is described as discovering the true meaning of agony, pleading with God and saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it." 

Overwhelmed with sadness and pain, Jesus sheds his tears which, in the Gospels, are said to fall as drops of his blood onto ground beneath him. The three apostles are seen sleeping in the cave, oblivious to his agony. El Greco frees the scene from structure and forms a fluid background instead of showing division, all the shapes further accentuating Jesus in dead center. It's incredible how he puts in every important part of the scene but manipulates their shapes so that Jesus is the sole focal point, the colors around him showing his inner turmoil and fear. The harsh diagonal colors and light contrast the curves of the figures and the rocks. The bleak background and lack of folliage really place Jesus in total environment of sorrow and anguish. All others in the piece are sickly in appearance, throwing the viewer in as an onlooker of Jesus' private battle. 

Giotto, Kiss of Judas, 1304

It marked the beginning of the end, the betrayal of all betrayals. With a kiss, Judas single-handedly destroyed any hope of Jesus' survival or continued mission for peace. The first thing you feel as you look into the piece is the movement, the harsh emotions and though that a sense of the magnitude of the situation. The scene is chaotic, but Giotto artfully pulls all the focus to the interaction in the middle, the rest just background colors compared to Judas' bright yellow drapery.

Giotto drapes all his figures heavily, but really focuses primarily on faces. Jesus and Judas face off in the middle, their division marking the division between the sides of the piece. One side being the disciples and the other being the Roman soldiers Judas brought to take Jesus. The kiss not only signifies a physical betrayal, but also visibly shows the split, both spiritual and literal, between Jesus and the Roman Empire. Judas, his trusted friend, helps break apart Jesus' inner circle just for coin.

Art in Metamorphoses
Centuries of Ovid's Influence
Curated by Natalie Dockhorn

Ricci, Jupiter and Semele, 1695

"As she was ignorant 
Of the game she was playing.
She laughed 
To have won the simple trick
That would wipe her out of existence

So easily. 'I want to see you,' she said,
'Exactly as Juno sees you when she opens
Her arms and body to you. As if i were Juno,
Come to me naked-in your devine form.'
Too late"
-Ovid's Metamorphoses

One of Jupiter's many lovers, Semele, is with child, and a jealous Juno goes after the girl. Posing as a nurse, Juno begins to talk with Semele about the father of her child and Semele starts to question the true identity of the father of her child. When Jupiter comes to visit Semele the next day, she asks a request for him, to which he says he will grant whatever she wishes. Semele asks Jupiter to come to her in his godlike form and show her his true self. Reluctant to do so and sorry that he ever promised her anything, Jupiter unveils his bright supernatural self. Upon seeing this image of immortality, Semele cannot bare the brightness and is immediately incinerated. Desperate to save his child, Jupiter takes the baby from Semele's womb and sews the baby onto his side. Later, Bacchus is born from Jupiter's side, and that is why the god of wine is said to have been 'twice born.'

Right before the crazy immolation, Ricci paints Jupiter and Semele as Jupiter reveals himself to her. Clearly he has a skill for curvaceous bodies, Ricci does a nice job of making the scene intimate between the two bodies, but also hides the most important character of the baby by having Semele's body facing away. Also her foot underneath her leg sticks out to me because it seems quite small and like it wouldn't fit the rest of her body. Beyond that I think this painting is a fair representation of the myth and Semele's face turning away and lifting up the blue draping lets the viewer see that her wish will not turn out in her favor.

Art in Metamorphoses
Centuries of Ovid's Influence
Curated by Natalie Dockhorn

Baldung Grien, Pyramus and Thisbe, 1530

Art in Metamorphoses
Centuries of Ovid's Influence
Curated by Natalie Dockhorn

Waterhouse, Echo and Narcissus, 1903

"The moment Echo saw Narcissus
She was in love. She followed him
Like a starving wolf
Following a stag too strong to be takled.
And like a cat in the winter at a fire
She could not edge close enough
To what singed her, and would burn her.
She almost burst 
With longing to call out to him in somehow
Let him know what she felt.
But she had to wait
For some other to speak
So she could snitch their last words
With whatever sense they might lend her."
-Ovid's Metamorphoses

Caravaggio, Narcissus, 1599

Narcissus, considered the boy next door who girls and men alike cannot control their attraction for, would rather be out hunting then indulging in the attention of his fans. A nymph cursed by Juno is forced to only speak the last words of the sentences she hears. The nymph's name is Echo, and when Echo falls for Narcissus, she waits patiently for someone else's words so that she may tell him her feelings. The story goes that Narcissus does not feel the same for Echo and the nymph proceeds to beg the gods to punish the man for not loving her back. This prayer is received by Nemesis, the god of revenge. For Echo's revenge, Nemesis finds Narcissus after a long days hunt and punishes him by having him fall in love with is refection in the stream.

Narcissus has been painted through the years looking into his refection and withering away with self absorption. Earlier works, such as this Caravaggio painted in 1599, shows  pieces new techniques and perspective, which this particular myth allowed. Waterhouse painted Echo in the scene as well and also puts Narcissus laying all the way down to the stream. This positioning and the other character adds to Narcissus' self-obsession to not even notice his almost lover. Both paintings show a different type of loneliness in them. The loneliness of Echo as she watches her love in Waterhouse's, and the complete darkness of being still and alone in Caravaggio's demonstrate the transformation of the story over the years.

Art in Metamorphoses
Centuries of Ovid's Influence
Curated by Natalie Dockhorn

Rubens, Fall of Phaeton, 1605

"'You God of the Gods,
If my annihilation 
Has been decided, why drag it out?
Where are your thunderbolts
To finish the whole thing quickly
If I am to end in fire
Let it be your fire, Oh God,
That would redeem it a little.
I can hardly speak.'"
-Ovid's Metamorphoses

Determined to find his father, and prove that his father is, in fact, Apollo, Phaeton goes to see his absent dad and asks for a favor. Apollo, being a show-off like most Gods, tells his son that he will give his whatever he wishes. Phaeton then asks to drive his chariot and light the sky. Upon this request, Apollo explains the difficulty of the task, his clear concern, and is generally not supportive of the idea. Phaeton, being ignorant and a smart-ass, tells his new-found father, that if they are related then this task should be a breeze.

Setting off, Phaeton proceeds to light the whole earth on fire, destroying everything the in its path. The horses go mad, and Phaeton is out of control. The Earth tells Zeus the above quote and pleads for him to end her suffering by ending Phaeton. Zeus eventually has no choice and throws a thunderbolt into the son of Apollo.

Ruben's painting of this scene is cluttered and confusing, but I enjoy that because I can only image this myth being exactly that. Parents making wrong choices, kids being stupid, and the big man having to think on his feet to end it all...and all of that happening so quickly. I can only think that Ruben's used all of this fast action to paint Phaeton falling from the chariot. Looking at this piece, I don't know where to start. I understand that the bolt has been thrown by the light in the sky, but the horses and and people are everywhere, moving in terror and hoping not to get burned. I really enjoy the darkness at the bottom of the painting, I think it perfectly fits the falling of Phaeton into the darkness he created.

Art in Metamorphoses
Centuries of Ovid's Influence
Curated by Natalie Dockhorn

Reni, Nessus and Deianira, 1621

Art in Metamorphoses 
Centuries of Ovid's Influence
Curated by Natalie Dockhorn

Titian, Venus and Adonis, 1554

"And this miraculous baby of his sister,
Sired by his grandpa, just not born of a brush
Barley a boy, in the blink of an eye is a man."
-Ovid's Metamorphoses

Adonis, the child of Myrrha who bedded her father and then transformed into a tree, was born from this tree with the help of the goddess of childbirth, Lucina. Venus immediately falls for the child and takes Adonis under her protection. Venus puts Adonis under Proserpina's care, but she too falls for the child. As this conflict of interest arises, Jupiter enters the feud and settles the goddesses with an agreement. The agreement stated that Adonis would spend part of the year with Venus and part with Proserpina.

In Metamorphoses, Ovid explains how Venus was pierced with one of cupid's arrows when Adonis was birthed from the tree. Titian's painting of Adonis struggling to leave Venus illustrates the lust Venus feels for the boy. Also, painted in the background by the tree we see Cupid sleeping and his arrows hanging in the tree. Adonis, probably off to his other maiden, Proserpina, looks at Venus without much attraction, but rushing to leave her. Venus, literally lovestruck by Cupid's arrow begs for her love to stay. The phenomenon is strange to me because of the back story. I mean Adonis' mother, who is also his sister, and who's grandpa is also his father, came from a tree to be sort of mothered by Venus, who then also falls in love with him. That sort of incest is hard to come back from, I can only imagine the struggles.

Vincent Van Gogh, Olive Trees, 1889

The final piece. Van Gogh's paintings in his later life are some of my favorite paintings of all. This period of his life, though dark, was also his most creative. By 1888, the year before the creation of this piece, Van Gogh's panic attacks and epileptic fits grew in frequency, one of which led to him chasing Gauguin around with a knife and threatening his life. Later that day he cut his ear off and gave it to a prostitute. After these fits became too intense and far too frequent, Van Gogh committed himself to an asylum.

Just Your Average Mental Breakdown

Just Your Average Mental Breakdown

Just Your Average Mental Breakdown
Artists Losing It
Curated by Drew Bierwirth

Caravaggio, Death of the Virgin, 1606

Caravaggio is such a bad-ass. I have to say that right now before I write anything else. He was commissioned to do this painting by a Vatican official for his family chapel in a public church. His piece was deemed unworthy of the site. Probably wise.

Though the technique is, as always, spot-on, the piece itself is brutal. The vivid reds don't inspire thoughts of calm, especially not in such a rough scene. Mary's entire form is completely lit, no one else getting the kind of focus she is. Her lolling head, hanging arm, and swollen, spread feet are disturbing at best, the emotions of the apostles around her just exacerbating the discomfort of the viewer. He's just too good.

I myself, looking at the piece, feel upset, then just plain awful as I see the extreme grief splashed across the apostles' faces. Caravaggio totally abandons religious iconography here, leaving nothing of the respectful representations in religious devotionals and virtually bereft of all holiness. She is human here.

Just Your Average Mental Breakdown
Artists Losing It
Curated by Drew Bierwirth

Botticelli, Mystic Nativity, 1500

Spurred by Girolamo Savonarola, Botticelli's art style evolved completely, twisting into something far different from anything he had done before. The colors were darker and the subject matter even more so.

Here, Botticelli depicts his own Nativity scene, but it looks more apocalyptic. Botticelli's transformation from Birth of Venus to this piece required not just his own mental transformation, but also inspiration from one already farther gone than him. Savonarola was a fanatic religious reformer, and one who targeted Botticelli's prime benefactor: Lorenzo Medici. Lorenzo fell victim to harsh criticism from Savonarola, who preached of fire and brimstone for the immoral and for aristocrats. He also railed against the general corruption of the Catholic Church.These sermons, witnessed by Botticelli, had profound effects on both his work and his social standings. Savonarola took Botticelli from the brightest fame to the darkest anonymity, this piece being one of his final works after Savonarola's death. Caught up in the fervor and fear that zealotry wrought upon the public, Botticelli's art metamorphosed from his light, detailed religious pieces to brooding, apocalyptic scenes that brilliantly reflected the fear in his heart of divine judgement all too well.

Michelangelo, Awakening Slave, 1525-30

It's so unfinished. He can't escape the medium he's been brought out of, even his posture seems tense; like he's stretching to break free from the stone. But Michelangelo didn't get to free him and his five counterparts for Pope Julius's tomb, leaving him entombed in his own medium.

Honestly, the piece conveys an incredible amount of emotion and meaning just as much unfinished as I think it possibly could finished - perhaps even more. The strenuous creation of Julius's tomb, continually being downgraded, further matches the unfinished creations meant for it, its planned grandeur never quite achieved.

Michelangelo's talent for what he did has been analyzed by many, given far too many diagnoses - some ludicrous and others justifiable, ranging from depression to high-functioning mental disorders of all sorts - but this talent created some of the most living sculptures existing.

He seems alive, like he's actually rising from the stone. But that's the thing about Michelangelo that's so fantastic. The figures in this series don't need to be out of the stone. They, by remaining inside it, tell their own story and express their own feeling - something that would completely change if they were removed from themselves.

It's like taking them out of their skin.

Just Your Average Mental Breakdown

The Haut Boys
Curated by Susie Xu

Renoir, Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1881

Clearly a much different style of clothing and portrayal of characters, Luncheon with the Boating Party brings about a vastly different style of art. The New Impressionist Movement brings a mixture of realism with a hint of artistic qualities.

Instead of focusing on one man, we’re instead looking at the three prominent men at the foreground of the painting. All three men are well proportioned and well built – sun’s out, guns out! The bushy beard on the left is an asset to be applauded for. Maintaining the hair is a difficult task, as I hear. We also have the debonair man on the right, leaning in to talk to the woman in blue. Clearly he’s a suave man, able to handle the ladies – or lady in this case. That’s a bonus. The ginger man on the bottom right however, seems a little lacking. He can’t even properly sit in his chair correctly, not to mention that he’s staring in an unamused manner towards something.

Renoir does a fantastic job painting layers in his art, giving each masterpiece a sense of reality and space. This one in particular, the people and the food perfectly set on the table continuously layer further and further, the background full of people, but without the messy and chaotic feel. 

The Haut Boys
Curated by Susie Xu

Velazquez, Waterseller of Seville, 1618

Those wrinkles are deeper than the Grand Canyon. (Burn Notice!) Thank Da Vinci it’s not the elder man nor the ghost dude in the back nominated as hotties. It’s the waterseller boy. His face is cute and angular, and he’s got a lovely non-chalant expression to him. The boy seems humble enough. Perhaps Durer can learn from him.

But if the judge does not know, a majority of watersellers are famously depicted in Spanish stories as a gratifying soul in the large city, especially on a hot summer day. They bring relief to those in dire need of a cup of water. Despite the focus of cute boys, the beautiful portrayal of water in this painting by Valázquez is absolutely phenomenal. Each droplet that rolls carelessly down the water jug seems almost magically ephemeral – translucent and perfect. Valázquez’s technique for his portrayal of the liquid is absolutely gorgeous and very much noteworthy – almost as perfect as the boy.

The light source from the left also shines perfectly to highlight and contour the faces of the characters within the painting. But the location of the painting, Seville, also plays a large part into the attire of the characters. Though Seville was considered one of the richest cities in Spain, just akin to any other city, modern or ancient, there was the poor that lived in the outskirts. Some consider this waterseller to be around the outside of the beautiful city, for the dull surroundings of the painting does not match to imagined luxury of the wealthy. 

The Haut Boys
The Audition for the Newest Art History Boy Band – The Haut Boys
Curated by Susie Xu

The Haut Boys

Piombo, Man in Armor, 1512

More like Haut Man, with his Ketchell-esque facial hair style, like the Boy with a Greyhound, whether it’s his gleaming armor or his critical gaze, this unknown man has an odd, tempting side. His side gaze definitely has a hint of malice, which doesn’t seem too appealing. But we really can’t blame him. This seems to be the “manly” style of the time, and clearly, he’s a follower, not a leader. Moving on.

His militaristic style gives him a sense of superiority and menacing power. His posture, definitely as a man of power with his strong left shoulder, and holding a perhaps makeshift weapon of some sort gives a chilling, bloodthirsty look. Especially his stink eye look, it won’t entice the public were he to debut. The sharp eyebrows and bright light that bounces off his shiny silver armor just doesn’t do the man justice in terms of being in a boy band. Perhaps he’s a kind, caring person, but there’s no trace of that within this painting. 

Veronese, Boy with a Greyhound, 1570

Admittedly not the most attractive at first glance, fangirls and fanboys may wonder why we scouted him into the Haut Boy band. But do not doubt the keen eyes of the scouts. Check out his well-defined side profile and his cherry red lips. This is untouched by our makeup artists. Not to mention, just take a closer peek at his self perm–well done for a self-attempt. And though we must admit, his pants and leggings are slightly offsetting and his shoes are just too dull, he is needed within the band.

We kind of need him for his aesthetic visual, but mostly we require his family’s donations. After all, he is from Colleoni family of Bergamo. The handsome chap has a family chapel to call his own, so we’re in desperate need of his family investments, considering we have none.

Though there’s no immediately outstanding section of the the painting, and the green attire is almost too green to be aesthetically pleasing, the aura of the boy and his lean greyhound give viewers a sense of powerlessness, perhaps just from his gaze.

His flaming charisma shall be an intense addition to the Haut Boys. Congrats, Greyhound Boy. You’ve passed the auditions.

The Haut Boys

Giorgione, Three Philosophers, 1508

Once again not the main figure, but rather the man in the back, has caught the eye of the Haut Boy scouter. The artsy man with the with the sharp jaw bone that muses into the forest seems to be as smart as he is attractive – which can be a great contribution to the Haut Boys band.

With an aura of mystery and almost weightlessness surrounding the painting, Giorgione portrays the three men of clearly different ethnicities with an alluring style. All contemplating something fascinating, their relationship to each other, besides the mutual job title, seems obscure. And yet, each man compliments the others in terms of placing and color. There’s a lovely balance of light colors on the outside and the tomato red in the middle.

Not to mention the youngest one in white is delicious. Haut Boys? Check.

The Haut Boys

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith and Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes, 1625

Caterina Van Hemessen, Self Portrait, 1548

Strong Women in Art
Curated by Katie Sloan

Edouard Manet, The Bar at the Folies-Bergeres, 1881-82

Leading Ladies
Strong Women in Art
Curated by Katie Sloan

Jacopo da Empoli, Glaucus and Scylla, 1603

what avails all this if it fails to move your heart?" (Glaucus on his seeing of Scylla).

Leading Ladies
Strong Women in Art
Curated by Katie Sloan

Lorenzo Bernini, Death of the Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, 1671-74