My Kid Could Paint That

Titian, Diana and Actaeon, 1566-69

Titian's works are some of my favorite we have studied this year. His paintings based off the stories from Ovid are a refreshing change from the usual Resurrections, Annunciations, and Crucifixions. Tiziano Vecellio started his training in the workshop of Sebastiano Zuccato, then briefly joined Gentile Bellini's workshop, then joined his brother Giovani Bellini, the most important painter of the time. Titian later adopted his style from Giorgione. You can see this style in Diana and Actaeon with his rich, dark colors.

This painting was composed for King Phillip II of Spain. Titian painted six large paintings based off Ovid's Metamorphesis. In this painting, Actaeon, son of a herdsmen, accidentally stumbles upon the secret bathing spot of the goddess of the hunt, Diana. You can tell by the animal skull on the pillar, and the animal skins draped around the grotto that there is little hope for poor Actaeon. His arms and stance tell us that he knows his fate.

The lightest part of the painting is the light cast upon the women, which draws attention away from the rest of the painting. The women create a triangle, and the painting is cut diagonally down the middle with the sky stretching from corner to corner on the top half. The red drapery creates a barrier between Actaeon and the bathing women.

Mary Cassatt, Margot in Blue, 1902

Mary Cassatt, an American Impressionist painter, was known for her paintings depicting mother and child bonds and the lives of upper class women. I found her story similar to Edith Wharton's in that they both came from wealthy families who warned their respective daughters about a career in writing or art. Such occupations were certainly not a path for women of their class. Cassatt's father even said he would rather see his daughter dead than living abroad as a "bohemian." I greatly appreciate Wharton and Cassatt's dedication and passion that led them to be amazing influential women of their time.

Margot in Blue is a beautiful and charming portrait of a young girl in quite the extravagant bonnet. This hat is about four times the size of her face and gives off kind of an eskimo vibe, but I guess this is what Daddy's money could buy at the time. The girl looks tremendously pleased with her outfit and sits poised and with confidence. Cassatt uses pastel (influenced by Degas) and a bright palette. The background is solid and dull in contrast to the brightly-colored subject.

Filippino Lippi, The Vision of St. Bernard, 1480

Filippino Lippi's The Vision of St. Bernard portrays the St. Bernard in an outdoor with a desk made from stone and branch. This is different than setting the usual setting where the St. would be in the church. He receives a vision of the Virgin. Above him, two monks look towards the heavens and further above a sick man is being carried down the hills towards the building.

Using Baxandall's knowledge of composition, we know that pictures are composed of bodies, which are composed of parts, which are composed of plane surfaces. The rocks, angels, and the Virgin help create a pyramid with St. Bernard as the subject.

Naturally, the eye is drawn to Mary's beautiful robes that contrast in color and texture to the value of colors of the other figures in the painting. The vibrant colors add visual excitement to this piece. Baxandall writes, "There were expensive colors, blues made from lapis lazuli or reds made from silver and sulphur, and there were cheap earth colors like ochre and umber. The eye was caught by the former before the latter." Indeed.

Raphael, School of Athens, 1511

If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail. These were the words of philosopher, Heraclitus, an early philosopher of the presocratic era was also known as the weeping philosopher or obscure philosopher. Heraclitus was one of the first philosophers that caught my eye in this painting because of his loneliness and somber expression. His detachment from the other figures in the painting led me to believe that there was something different about him, some new ideas that I wanted to discover.

Heraclitus grew up in a wealthy family, but cared nothing for reputation and status. He wrote on paradox, a flow of never ending change, the unity of opposites, and the importance of strife and tension in revealing logos or word. What is left of his work is found in the book he wrote called On Nature. He believed that to understand nature one must understand how one thing changes to its opposite and that ethics is very much connected to physics.





Raphael must have appreciated Heraclitus's knowledge because he is placed almost in the front center of the painting. His ideas were very influential to later philosophers, and although some found his theories illogical, others found them inspirational, such as the Stoics who used his physics to advocate a periodic destruction of the world by fire followed by a regeneration of the world. 

Although it was hard for me to understand much of Heraclitus's theories, I appreciate his work and determination to learn through self teachings. He did not follow in the footsteps of others but created his own path, and I was inspired by his originality.

Perugino, Baptism of Christ, 1482

Perugino's The Baptism of Christ, a fresco composed in 1482 in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, is definitely a captivating one. Why is Jesus in several places at once? Why is God surrounded by floating baby heads? This painting along with Delivery of the keys are my favorite of Perugino's paintings for their intricate detail, depth, and emotion.

This scene follows Perugino's typical symmetrical pattern. St. John is baptizing Jesus in the front. Above Jesus's head is a dove symbolizing the holy spirit. Rome is shown in the background with the Colosseum and Pantheon. Also seen in the background is John preaching to the crowd, and on the opposite wall, the circumcision of Moses. Perugino uses good perspective in this painting and his figures are weighty and full of emotion and depth in the facial expressions. Despite the many number of figures in this painting, Perugino still manages to keep it balanced and not chaotic.

The floating baby heads and God, however, still  remain a mystery.

Perugino, Delivery of the Keys, 1481

Pietro Perugino's Delivery of the Keys is one of his most well-known works commissioned by Pope Sixtus and painted in 1481. It is located in the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The fresco represents the story from Matthew 16 where Christ gives the keys to heaven to Saint Peter. The people in the background represent two biblical stories of Christ. Tribute Money and The Stoning of Christ.

The composition of this painting is beautifully done. It is almost perfectly symmetrical and has a strong use of perspective. Two vertical lines from the bottom left and right corners meet at the vanishing point at the door of the middle building. Perugino also uses a slight aerial view, which makes the hills appear to fade into a never-ending horizon. The slim-feathered trees and hills are Umbrian influenced, and the style of the figures in the painting is adopted from Verocchio. The figures are elegant and calm but tightly clumped in rows at the front of the painting. The faces are very realistic and full of emotion, however the heads are slightly small in proportion. Perugino uses Da Vinci's sfumata to make his characters hands appear less rigid.

I loved this piece for its beautifully vibrant and detailed composition and lively characters. The motion leads your eye around the painting from the scenes in the background to the engaging figures in the front. You can't help but notice each intricate fold in the robes and realistic shadowing in the faces and necks. The posture and arm gestures make you feel present in the painting. This is overall my favorite piece of Perugino's.

Duccio, Maesta Altarpiece, 1311

"Holy Mother of God, grant peace to Siena, and life to Duccio because he has painted you thus."

The Maesta, a double sided altarpiece found in the main altar at the Cathedral of Siena, is the most famous work of art from Siena and one of the most recognized works from the 14th century. The title Maesta means The Virgin Mary and Majesty. It is made of many panels and 59 narratives in all. Mary's life and story is shown on the front, and Christ's on the back. The piece was painted on a wood panel with tempera paint, a mixture of egg yolk, glue and ground up minerals. The composition of the piece is symmetrical. There is no distinct light source in the piece, so there is little variation in the color of the faces. Maesta is the only signed work of Duccio's.

Mary is the largest figure and the center of the piece. Attention is drawn to the beautiful soft folds in the Virgin's lapis lazuli robe, which contrasts from the colors in the rest of the piece. The cloth around Christ is translucent and very delicate. His face is full of depth and he holds a stare of wisdom and maturity. There are three rows of angels and Saints around the Virgin and Christ, and despite the formal setting, their faces are informal, all looking in different directions. The wings of the angels are not flat, but very detailed with small curled brushstrokes giving them volume and a feathered appearance.

After looking at so much of Giotto's work, I really enjoyed studying Duccio more. Duccio's figures, unlike Giotto's, are less heavy with less illusion of three dimensional space. Duccio's work has heavy uses of gold, softened elongated figures with tender emotional faces, and detailed backgrounds.

Francisco Clemente, Water and Wine, 1981