Art History

[EleusaPalmer]

WELCOME TO THE HISTORY OF ART THREAD!​

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Agnolo Bronzino, An Allegory with Venus and Cupid (c. 1545.)​

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★All who appreciate art history are welcome to post. Feel free to ask questions and post pictures of your favourite art★

★Please share your favourite art, style, artist, architect, movement, whatever relating to art and art history.★

★Start discussions on a topic related to art history, share literature on the topic, answer questions, or ask them.★

★Contextualise what you're posting about, be it the theology behind it, history, geography...★

★Share your experience entering a cathedral, visiting a gallery, or seeing a masterpiece in person.★




★ENJOY FARMERS!★​

 

[Asterism]

every so often, I enjoy checking out antique sculptures


(both of these are by bernini; the first is his rendition of jesus and the second is medusa)
i really like the softness of his work, particularly in the bust of medusa. he portrayed her in a very unique, almost delicate way compared to how some other artists have in their works
every element flows into another effortlessly

 

[KhorneFlakes]

Hope this thread grows to become popular frens

every so often, I enjoy checking out antique sculptures

View attachment 7100613View attachment 7100591
(both of these are by bernini; the first is his rendition of jesus and the second is medusa)
i really like the softness of his work, particularly in the bust of medusa. he portrayed her in a very unique, almost delicate way compared to how some other artists have in their works
every element flows into another effortlessly

Bernini really was a master at making stone look as soft as skin, it's crazy to think that he did so with what were essentially primitive tools unchanged for centuries. As for the Medusa thing, I think it was around the Renaissance that many Greek myths got reworked to become far more dramatised for contemporary audiences, one of these being Medusa changing from her being a monster (gorgon) to a woman raped by Poseidon in a temple of Athena and then cursed by Athena to become a monster. It's why a lot of women get tattoos of her as some sort of feminist/sexual assault symbol

I'm gonna dump some of my favourite paintings, hope others can enjoy them too

Spoiler: art dump

Oath of the Horatii by Jaques-Louis David


The Death of Seneca by Manuel Domínguez Sánchez


Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581 by Ilya Repin


Ophelia by John Everett Millias


El Jaleo by John Singer Sargent

 

[EleusaPalmer]

every so often, I enjoy checking out antique sculptures

View attachment 7100613View attachment 7100591
(both of these are by bernini; the first is his rendition of jesus and the second is medusa)
i really like the softness of his work, particularly in the bust of medusa. he portrayed her in a very unique, almost delicate way compared to how some other artists have in their works
every element flows into another effortlessly

Bernini is arguably the greatest sculptor of all time. I also enjoy the flow and the softness in his work. To me it seems as if the sculpture was submerged in water, the flow and softness of the drapery expressed through baroque drama. There's also a sensual quality to some of his work especially with the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, 1651 and on the right Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, c. 1673

 

[EleusaPalmer]

Hope this thread grows to become popular frens


Bernini really was a master at making stone look as soft as skin, it's crazy to think that he did so with what were essentially primitive tools unchanged for centuries. As for the Medusa thing, I think it was around the Renaissance that many Greek myths got reworked to become far more dramatised for contemporary audiences, one of these being Medusa changing from her being a monster (gorgon) to a woman raped by Poseidon in a temple of Athena and then cursed by Athena to become a monster. It's why a lot of women get tattoos of her as some sort of feminist/sexual assault symbol

I'm gonna dump some of my favourite paintings, hope others can enjoy them too

View attachment 7101152
Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581 by Ilya Repin

I absolutely adore this painting! It's a heartbreaking story aswell. In a fit of rage Ivan struck his son with a scepter in the head instantly killing him. Upon realizing what he's done, he embraces the corpse of his son. He wouldn't let his son be buried for days, he was convinced he was gonna be raised from the dead.

 

[KhorneFlakes]

Bernini is arguably the greatest sculptor of all time. I also enjoy the flow and the softness in his work. To me it seems as if the sculpture was submerged in water, the flow and softness of the drapery expressed through baroque drama. There's also a sensual quality to some of his work especially with the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.
View attachment 7101202View attachment 7101191
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, 1651 and on the right Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, c. 1673

Even though some of his sculptures like this and the Rape of Prosperina have obvious sexual themes, there's nothing overtly vulgar about them. I do believe they were controversial at the time, especially since the Church commissioned some, if not all of, his work.

I absolutely adore this painting! It's a heartbreaking story aswell. In a fit of rage Ivan struck his son with a scepter in the head instantly killing him. Upon realizing what he's done, he embraces the corpse of his son. He wouldn't let his son be buried for days, he was convinced he was gonna be raised from the dead.

His son's wife had a miscarriage not long after the killing, which, ironically is similar to Ivan's own origins. I think one of the reasons he was so gung-ho about his war on the boyars was they killed his first wife, though I think they did it as a threat to him to show who had the real power, though ultimately it wasn't them

 

[anliteralidiot]

SCULPTURE

I've seen this one, it's in the Louvre!
And you really don't get a sense of scale for these ancient marble statues- they're fucking massive. The Nike of Samothrace is over 2m tall! Compare that to another famous piece in the Louvre, the Mona Lisa, and it's barely a foot high...

 

[Screamer_2]

Bernini is arguably the greatest sculptor of all time. I also enjoy the flow and the softness in his work. To me it seems as if the sculpture was submerged in water, the flow and softness of the drapery expressed through baroque drama. There's also a sensual quality to some of his work especially with the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.
View attachment 7101202View attachment 7101191
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, 1651 and on the right Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, c. 1673

Visiting the Villa Borghese is a must when visiting Rome to see his work. Breathtaking stuff. Seeing it in person is a revelation to what sculpture can be.





EDIT: I'll add more for context of how amazing these works are. A picture can't capture the three dimensionality of them as you walk around them. It's a story.

Pluto and Persephone, 1621-2​

It was called Rape of Persphone when I was last there. Also seen it listed as the Abduction of Persphone

Apollo and Daphne, 1622-5​

​

​

 

[invisibult plus+]

Woman with Dead Child - Käthe Kollwitz


Belshazzar's Feast - John Martin


The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - John Martin


The Swing/The Happy Accidents of the Swing - Jean-Honoré Fragonard


Fishing for Oysters at Cançale - John Singer Sargent


Girl Fishing - John Singer Sargent


Summer Fun - Anders Zorn

 

[Asterism]

It was called Rape of Persphone when I was last there. Also seen it listed as the Abduction of Persphone

It's meant to be an abduction. In this context, rape means to seize.
There are certain aspects of it that could be seen as sexual i.e the way Hades is grasping Persephone's thigh, however, it's moreso meant to illustrate the moment that Hades took Persephone from her mother & the overworld
I would say Apollo & Daphne is more of an illustration of an unwanted relentless pursuit

 

[KhorneFlakes]

It's meant to be an abduction. In this context, rape means to seize.
There are certain aspects of it that could be seen as sexual i.e the way Hades is grasping Persephone's thigh, however, it's moreso meant to illustrate the moment that Hades took Persephone from her mother & the overworld

The pose is inspired by another sculpture called Abduction of a Sabine Woman by Giambologna, which is inspired by the rape of the Sabine women by the Roman men who settled and created the foundation for what would become the city, again it uses the more "classical" meaning for the phrase, which interestingly could also mean when a man married a woman without the father's consent. A funny mythology fact too is that of the three brother gods in the Greek/Roman pantheon, Hades/Pluto is the only one to have only one lover, despite the supposed taking of her by force

Anyway here is some more art frens


The Knight at the Crossroads by Viktor Vasnetsov


In Time of Peril by Edmund Leighton


Souls on the Banks of the Acheron by Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl

 

[EleusaPalmer]

Hello, Kiwis!

I would like to educate some Kiwis on Giotto, since in 2024 I had the privilege to visit the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Giotto's masterpiece. If you're ever in the area make sure to make a reservation to view the chapel on their website, in my opinion, it's a must-see!
-> https://www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it/index.php/en/ (you can't make a reservation on the same day you're visiting!)

-The chapel was built by the Scrovegni family of bankers, hence the name (also known as the arena chapel, because it was built in the sand pit of a Roman amphitheatre).
-Today the entire building is sealed and the temperature is regulated. First, you will enter a glass room in front of the chapel itself and watch a short informational video. Then a staff member will escort your group into the chapel.

Giotto truly is the most progressive artist of the late Gothic period and the proto-renaissance. He singlehandedly ended the era of the Italo-Byzantine style in Italy, and ushered in the Renaissance. His magnum opus is the frescoes in the Scrovegni chapel, but even in his earlier work he is daring and defies conventions. For example, look at Giotto's frescoes in the upper church of San Francesco in Assisi (pay attention to the volume of the characters and the architecture!)

Now, onto the main course. The cycle of frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel depicts the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, executed around 1305. The program and themes of the frescoes were surely overseen by someone from the nearby church of the Eremintani.​

Spoiler: Click for Scrovegni Chapel

The entire chapel is perfect for somebody looking to do a fresco cycle, with entirely flat walls and a singular barrel vault covering the space. That means the artist can paint scenes continually without being interrupted. I won't be covering every scene, there are way too many but I would like to single out a few. First, let's take a look at how Giotto takes on narrative, for example, Christ entering Jerusalem: See how reduced and condensed the scene is. The apostles are bunched up behind Christ, with most of them not being visible but nonetheless, we see that they are present. The composition while nothing new, is very simple compared to his contemporaries. We see Christ and his apostles to the left entering the city of Jerusalem, portrayed just by a bit of the walls being visible, and a group of people welcoming Christ. Giotto's narrative skill especially shines when compared to other artists, for example, on the right is Christ entering Jerusalem (c. 1310.) by Duccio. Look how crowded Duccios scene is, and on top of that every single head is fully shown. Duccio's Jerusalem is also shown a lot more with the typical and not very functional architecture. The perspective is also messy, exacerbated by the sheer complexity of the scene. All this is to show how efficient Giotto is at telling a story, nothing in his scenes should taken or added. Duccio's scene is not bad by all means, on the contrary, it's beautiful, but it's a good comparison to show how far Giotto pushed the limits.​ My favourite scene in the chapel is by far, The Kiss of Judas: It's one of the more action-packed scenes in the chapel, but at the same time, when you're looking at Judas and Christ it's as if time stopped around them. Judas is gently embracing Christ who has a solemn blank look on his face, while an emotionless face is not a novelty, it's accentuated by the angry faces around Christ. Emotions this visible is a Giotto staple, see the angry look to the right of Judas and Christ.​ Sorry for the horrible quality Lastly, I would like to say more about the emotion in Giotto's work with The Lamentation of Christ: This is most visible in the harrowing expressions of grief and pain on the faces of angels flying above the body of Christ. It shows human suffering portrayed without symbolism, just pure naturalistic emotion. Nothing like the stern and emotionless figures of his contemporaries, his figures are relatable and earthly.​

​

For some post-Scrovegni work of Giotto, look at the Ognissanti Madonna (1310.) by Giotto compared to the Rucellai Madonna (1286.) by Duccio:​

Spoiler: Click for the Ognissanti Madonna and Rucellai Madonna

The Ognissanti Madonna is often considered the first painting of the Italian Renaissance (although the Renaissance truly appeared in the first half of the 15th ct.), because of how naturalistically Giotto portrays the Virgin Mary. You can see how naturally the drapery falls over the Virgin's body, it reveals signs of her humanity, her body and especially her breasts. Also, we have to mention how Giotto achieves depth so successfully in his work. He portrays much greater voluminosity in his figures relative to other artists of the time, very evident in the round "meaty" heads of his figures. He also achieves depth by including architectural elements in his work. For example, in the Ognissanti Madonna, he adds a gothic arch over her head and two smaller arches to her side with all three being shortened by perspective. You can also feel the weight of the Virgin sitting on the throne, which is very opposed to the floating Italo-Byzantine almost floating and weightless figures. The placement of the figures around the throne also massively helps achieve depth. You can see how they're placed behind one another, Giotto didn't care to show every head fully, he wasn't afraid to push some to the forefront and others to the back, partially hiding them. Two figures are very clearly depicted as being behind the two side arches of the throne. ​ The Rucellai Madonna, while not being quite a revolutionary work like the Ognissanti Madonna, still is a step forward from the Italo-Byzantine style. The stylized Byzantine influence is still quite visible in the elongated figures, and typical facial features, along with the iconic perfectly round head under the veil. Duccio's Madonna is cold and alien, she truly is otherworldly, unlike the human and warm Ognissanti Madonna. Now, as mentioned before the Rucellai Madonna is indeed a bit of a step forward, you can see the depiction is not fully frontal. Small depth is achieved by a small rotation of the Virgin and the throne to the right. Also, even though here the Madonna is nowhere near as human and substantial as Giotto's Ognissanti Madonna, you can still see her knees emerging from the drapery, as well as highlights suggesting the body below the fabric. Where Duccio falls the furthest behind is the placement of the angels to the side of the throne. Their stiff framing of the Virgin above one another does not achieve any illusion of depth whatsoever. It should be said that we shouldn't view Duccio as backwards, Giotto is just such a trailblazer. Duccio and his successors of the Sienese school of painting laid the groundwork for the international Gothic style.

Thank you, I enjoyed writing this, and I hope you learned something!

 

[EleusaPalmer]

Woman with Dead Child - Käthe Kollwitz
View attachment 7101424

Belshazzar's Feast - John Martin
View attachment 7101443

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - John Martin
View attachment 7101446

The Swing/The Happy Accidents of the Swing - Jean-Honoré Fragonard
View attachment 7101450

Fishing for Oysters at Cançale - John Singer Sargent
View attachment 7101454

Girl Fishing - John Singer Sargent
View attachment 7101498

Summer Fun - Anders Zorn
View attachment 7101501

I also love John Singer Sargeant, one of the greatest American painters. One of my favourites is the daughters of Edward Boit (1882.):

 

[Asterism]

i saw this today and really liked it

 

[Cedric_Eff]

Cant go wrong with a classic.

Chauvet cave bear painting!

 

[KhorneFlakes]

Cant go wrong with a classic.
View attachment 7107203
Chauvet cave bear painting!

I've always wondered could the people who painted these have created things far more detailed and de;icate if they had better materials and mediums, or would their minds just have not been able to comprehend such abilities. Like the oldest drawings from Chauvet cave are like 35,000 years old so you are talking Cro-Magnon level humans, very very early stone age, they obbviously are smart enough to depict what animals look like well enough, why not more?

Idk just food for though I guess.

Now more art


The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse (also my profile banner)


Vercingetorix Throws Down His Arms at the Feet of Julius Caesar by Lionel-Noël Royer


The Vigil by John Pettie

 

[EleusaPalmer]

Christ Pantocrator from Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai (mid 6th ct. CE)
​

In the period of early Christianity, depictions of Christ were varied, and the bearded longhaired Christ we all know would take a couple of centuries to become the dominant depiction, especially in the West. ​

CLICK FOR WEIRD JESUS

Spoiler: Click for weird Jesus

Early depictions would use well-known pagan themes- a common language understood by all, to portray Christ. Here we see Christ portrayed as the Sun god Helios on a chariot with rays of light around his head. The pagan Dionysian vines become Christ's vines, connected to the sacrament of the Eucharist (Vines grow grapes which are made into wine- the blood of Christ). His power is evident and understood, even if the onlooker was not familiar with Christ at the time.​

Christ- Sol, Christ as the Sun god Helios (The Vatican necropolis, 3rd ct. CE)
​

In the dark catacombs of Rome, the early Christians had to commission artists who didn't quite know who Jesus was, so they had to borrow from a pagan theme the artist already knew, and that could represent Christ. That's why the calf bearer was the next best thing. It was very fitting, as the early Christians had a great appetite for symbolism, so the shepherd was Christ caring for the people, his flock of sheep.​

Christ as the good shepherd (the catacombs of San Callisto, mid 3rd ct. CE)
Based on the calf bearer of pagan temples (on the right)

a later example of Christ as the good shepherd, the mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna (mid. 5th ct. CE)
​

After the emergence of Christianity from the shadows in 313. with the Edict of Milan, declaring that Christians should be tolerated, rich Christians appeared. That's when we get the first substantial Christian art, most notably sarcophagi. Junius Bassus commissioned a sarcophagus with reliefs on every side with Christian scenes, nestled in small niches. In one of them, a beardless and childlike Christ is recognisably seated like a classical philosopher between Peter and Paul. In terms of iconography, this depicts traditio legis. Christ is handing over authority to the founders of his Church, Peter and Paul.​

Childlike Christ on the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus (mid 4th ct. CE), on the left
Marble statuette of a seated philosopher (1st or 2nd ct. CE), on the right
​

Here Christ is depicted as a soldier and emperor, with the imperial purple cloak and soldier's uniform. This imperial iconography increased significantly after 313. and the emperor Constantine the Great.​

Christ as the emperor in military dress, crushing beasts (the archbishop's chapel in the bishop's palace, Ravenna, around 500. CE)

​

 

[KhorneFlakes]

Apologies to any Orthodox who see this, it's not my intention to offend but I can't see Asmongold and not think of Orthodox depictions of Christ lmao

 

[EleusaPalmer]

Apologies to any Orthodox who see this, it's not my intention to offend but I can't see Asmongold and not think of Orthodox depictions of Christ lmao View attachment 7108405View attachment 7108407

He does have the typical byzantine style features lmao

 

[KhorneFlakes]

He does have the typical byzantine style features lmao
View attachment 7110271

It's the nose for sure that makes me think it. Absolute Greecoid physiognomy


p.s.; more art

The Magpie by Claude Monet


Nighthawks by Edward Hopper


David with the Head of Goliath by Caravaggio