Know Your Chapeau: The Cardsharps

Caravaggio
Caravaggio, The Cardsharps,  1594

Why did hats ever go out of style? They're great for everything. Balding? Hat. Sunburnt? Hat. Bad hair day? Hat. Want to advertise the fact that You Only Live Once? Stick on a stylish hat and you're good! Everyone cool, ever, wore a hat. My personal favorite is the Italian Hunters hat, also called the Archer's hat or the "Robin Hood," shown here in Caravaggio's The Cardsharps. There is no better hat for your cheating in card game needs! The stylish band goes great with your dagger, and is perfectly sized for an ace of spades!

While the this hat goes great with the striped jerkin, it wasn't as fashionable as you might think. This hat was mainly reserved for Italy's middle class. This suggests that while the wearer seems to be wealthy enough, as the jerkin and dagger would have been fairly expensive, he was not a part of Italian high society. The older gentleman stealing a look at the other boy's cards suggests that this isn't the first time he's made money this way.

I love this painting. All of the paintings from this time period seem to be either religious scenes, or stuffy upper class gentleman and women frowning in portraits. This one shows a lower-class cheater stealing money and rocking a hat. Caravaggio doesn't need your conventions, he paints what he wants...thank you very much.

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Da Vinci's Last Supper and Baxandall

Last Supper
Da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1498

In the 15th century, an increasing amount of attention was being placed upon figures. The motion and biology of figures was considered just as important as the color and placement. While quality of materials was previously of more emphasis, this shift meant artists needed more skill to create works, rather than just expensive materials. In terms of anatomy, Da Vinci was the best. Da Vinci's expansive study of the anatomy of the human body gave him the ability to paint the realistic figures seen in his painting, The Last Supper. Da Vinci's study allowed him to paint complicated and lively scenes without sacrificing proportion. Clients, however, still wanted the figures to lively and realistic without sacrificing movement.

The people on either side of Jesus from two distinct groups, while Jesus takes up the middle. This division of the painting into three parts adds motion to the figures, called "aria" by Baxandall. The use of placement to convey movement adds life to the painting, without destroying its monumentalist take on the religious story. Da Vinci's talent for this made him perfect for religious paintings like this one.

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Know Your School of Athens Philosophers: Socrates

Mitchell Pickard
Raphael, School of Athens, 1511

Socrates did not write any philosophical texts, so everything we know of him comes from his students, mostly Plato. Plato was Socrates's favorite pupil, and is shown in the middle of the School of Athens, next to Aristotle. Socrates believed that life could be broken down into questions, and the solution to any problem was found by asking the right ones. This form of thinking is known as the Socratic method. In fact, Socrates was notorious for never giving answers, only asking questions. His most famous quote is, "What I know, I do not think I know," which many take as an acknowledgement of his own ignorance.

I really like his philosophy, although I mostly know it from various works of Plato's. It seems like Socrates didn't really care about answering questions, only asking them. While he believed that virtue comes from knowledge, he also contended that knowledge consisted of asking questions. So perhaps Socrates's idea of virtue came not from knowing everything, but from knowing that you cannot know everything, and will therefore always have something to learn.

Socrates was always at odds with the Athenian political elite, and because of this they charged him with heresy and sentenced him to death by poison. But even on the edge of death, he welcomed the new experience, and according to Xenophon, truly believed that it was his time to die.

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The Baptism of Christ

1453
Piero Della Francesca, The Baptism of Christ, 1453

In The Baptism of Christ, Piero Della Francesca once again shows his amazing talent for perspective. In this painting, the river Jordan flows towards the viewer, while John pours the water over Jesus's head. This painting is a perfect example of Piero's more traditionalist paintings, and yet he manages to perfectly blend classical Italian monumental-ism with progressive mathematical designs. He seems to pay special attention to the water at the feet of John and Jesus. The water swirls around their feet, reflecting the sky above and the mud below in a clever manipulation of light. He makes use of a vanishing point just under Jesus's knees, demonstrating his mathematical knowledge.

Francesca was meant to be a merchant, and so he began learning math when he was 10. However, he had a clear talent for the visual arts, and when he was 15 it was decided that he would learn to paint. Rather than quitting his math studies, he incorporated them into his paintings, and during his life he published many papers on perspective and use of light. His ability to mix traditional style with his own progressive techniques really shows through with this painting. This was after his trip to Florence, and so there are elements of Fra Angelico's works in his style. This painting was done at the high point of Piero's life, which is probably why it's my personal favorite. I love the emotive faces, the dove hovering over Jesus, the way the water reflects the sky, and the perfect proportions in this painting.


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Flagellation

Flagellation
Piero Della Francesca, Flagellation, 1448

Piero Della Francesca never got the credit he deserved. Much of his work was either destroyed or lost. After his death, many of his papers were stolen and published under the name of his student, Fra Luca dal Borgo. Yet, through the work that survives, it is clear he was a genius. Flagellation, painted in 1448, incorporated Piero's mathematical expertise in his use of perspective. His use of vanishing points to show distance was a totally new, innovative concept. While other artists were painting flat, stage-like artwork, Piero managed to add perspective and detail while still maintaining a calm monumental style,

This version of Flagellation is unique, mainly due to the position of Jesus. While he is front and center in the other versions, Piero paints him into the background. The subject of the painting seems to be the three men in the front, not Jesus. Art historians differ on their interpretations of this. Some say the front three are the duke or Urbino and his assassins, while others claim that it's the Byzantines and the Ottoman Turks. I personally think its meaning is religious, but it widens the focus of the painting to include the bystanders who sat passive while Christ suffered. If it looks like Jesus, it's probably Jesus.

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Betrayal of Christ

Giotto

Giotto, The Betrayal of Christ, c. 1306

This painting depicts the kiss of Judas, during Jesus's arrest in the new testament. It was finished in 1306. It currently resides in the Arena chapel in Padua, Italy. Jesus is, as usual, marked with Giottos signature halo, as is Peter. 

The chaos of the scene below contrasts with the calmness of the dark blue sky above. The faces of the subjects are drawn in painstaking detail, which allows the observer to feel what the subjects do. The chaos and emotional turmoil is reflected on the faces of Judas and the other disciples, while Jesus maintains a composure that is both serene and angry as if to say, "Don't lie to me Judas, I know it was you." While the rest of the scene is a violent tumult, Jesus serves as a calm center, focusing the observer on him. 

I really like this painting, not just because of the numerous shades of blue, but because of the way Giotto sets the scene. he doesn't just paint it with colors and details, he paints with emotions. The observer doesn't just see chaos, they feel it. Within the chaos, the contrast of the faces of Jesus and Judas give off sadness, too. And its this skill for emotion that made Giotto such an influential painter.

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Nighthawks and The Decameron

Decameron
Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942

"And so they were secretly in love with each other. The young woman was longing to be with him... how they could meet?" - Boccaccio, The Decameron

When I look at the painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, the first thing that I notice is the loneliness of it all. The couple seen in the painting sit together, but the way the lines divide them from the others gives the appearance of isolation. In The Decameron's fourth day, first story, I feel this same isolation in the story of Ghismonda and Guiscardo. Ghismonda's father, Tancredi, refuses to allow her to marry, so she must hide her love for Guiscardo, along with their subsequent affair. They are together, but their togetherness must be hidden, and in this way they are isolated. Tancredi eventually finds out about their affair, however. He kills Guiscardo in retaliation and gives Guiscardo's heart to Ghismonda. She cannot bear to be alone, so she drinks his heart-blood mixed with poison to be with him in death. 

The couple in this painting seem to also be together, they are sitting quite close and drinking together. however, they are also alone. The are separated from each of the other two, and the rest of the painting is just empty space. However, the way the bar sits perpendicular to the wall draws the focus to these two. Whether they found each other in the diner that night or they're a married couple, their presence late at night in a near empty diner says that although they may be alone, they are alone together and seem to prefer it that way.

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The Calling of Saint Matthew

1600

Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew, 1600
                                           
I've always liked art. In fact, at 10 years old, I wanted to be just like Raphael. As a 5th grader I looked forward to my art classes every day, when I would become the artist/Ninja Turtle that I always wanted to be. But what 10 year-old me didn't understand, besides the fact that I wasn't a radioactive turtle, was that art isn't just about be able to draw well and throw ninja stars. Possibly more important is the way the scene looks. The way the light is cast, the shadows and the lines.

The main thing that attracted me to this particular painting was the realism. The shadows are perfectly done, and the line on the wall from shadow contrasts with Jesus's face, putting it in sharp relief. The two characters in the middle add balance while framing the man with the amazing beard, who may or may not be Saint Matthew. Art historians argue about which of them is Saint Matthew. I personally subscribe to the school of thought that a Saint should have a really cool beard. The bearded man may be pointing at himself as if to say "You mean me?" or he may be pointing at the young man with his head down. However, in the other two paintings done in this series, Saint Matthew is depicted with a really cool beard, lending credence to the former theory.While it was a religious painting, this painting was disliked by many members of the church for showing both Jesus and Saint Matthew in a bar.

The painting was commissioned by Cardinal Matteo Contarelli, who wanted art done about his namesake. Caravaggio stepped in to create a series of paintings of Saint Matthew, the other two being The Inspiration of Saint Matthew and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew.
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