Merry Christmas

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Tuesday, December 25, 2007 at 3:40 AM

It's rather easy to get art in the spirit of Christmas, so I decided to show one of my favorite and obscure nativity scenes.


- El Greco

This painting, made in the early 1600's, is the work of El Greco, a nickname which easily translates into "The Greek." A Spanish Renaissance painte, El Greco's works are incredibly distinct due to the way he makes all of his figures elongated and stretched, often to represent intensity in emotion. This painting, The Adoration of the Shepherds, was one of his last paintings, and one of my favorites. The scene depicts the shepherds coming to look upon the newly born child. Unlike many paintings which show this moment as sacred, hushed, and static, El Greco's version is extremely dynamic and energetic. The child Christ is radiating with a white light which fills the whole canvas. One of the men seems taken aback by the power of the moment and baby, pulling back from the frame. The other shepherds look less effected, but still quite moved. There seems to be some sort of dance going on, some sort of worship which is brought upon by this great moment. All of the characters seem full of wonder and joy, looking at the infant emitting a miraculous light. In fact, angels take up the top half of the picture, also in celebration and adoration.

Imagine the power that these moments must have had. We easily put them into plays and nativity scenes, but the miracle was something which was truly unforgettable. To be there would have been one of the greatest honors and ecstatic moments of all time.

*cough*

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Saturday, November 10, 2007 at 6:27 PM

It's been awhile. School has been killer.

Anyways, onwards and upwards -

Following in the trend of posting western art pieces, I figured I would start it back off with a bang - Leonardo Da Vinci.

I think i'll make a few Da Vinci posts, as I haven't covered him yet, though he may be the most important artist yet. Instead of going with The Last Supper (which I'll discuss later) I decided to show one of his lesser known works, his rendition of St. John the Baptist.



Now, a lot of the detail has been lost in this painting, as well as many others by Leonardo. The artists constant experimentation with different mixtures of paint and material certainly didn't do art historians any favors. However, the basic premise and structure of the painting is still easily seen. This is Da Vinci's version of St. John the Baptist, and it is very different than the John my mind holds. However, there is a very good reason for this.

St. John is shown with long and curly hair, smiling a very familiar smile (any takers on where else that facial expression can be seen in Leonardo's work?) John tenderly holds a thin cross while pointing upwards toward heaven, wearing pelts. Now, the pelts and the staff may have been added by a later painter, but that is another issue. In my opinion, the only thing which matches up to John in my mind is the pelts. I've always imagined John to be a bigger, rough man, with rather worn looks, gaunt from living in the desert and eating locusts. The John here is ideal. Angelic. That is exactly the point. This John seems to be an "angel in the flesh," a being so good that he is worthy of the Renaissance angel design. This seems to be Leonardo's idea, anyway. The physical features of John aren't intended to be his real looks, but a reference to what was inside of his gruff exterior, the loving and Godly man who devoted his life to God. His gesture is also important, pointing to the only thing that truly matters - the heavens.

David

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 11:54 PM



~ Bernini

The David most people know is the sculpture created by Michelangelo. I know, I know, totally iconic and great and cool.

. . .

However, I figured I'd focus on a different aspect of David created by a fantastic artist named Bernini. This rendition is different than Michelangelo's in quite a few ways. The most important is that, while Michelangelo's classic is peaceful and contemplative, Bernini's piece is right in the middle of the moment of battle against Goliath. I love sculptures which bring you into the moment and are three-dimensional. This certainly does a great job. From the front, it looks like you're in the middle of the battle with Goliath right behind you.

Pretty cool!

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Monday, August 13, 2007 at 4:41 PM



- Bellini

This picture, titled Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy, portrays . . . something which I know most of the population would be less than ecstatic about. Saint Francis is displayed here in the pinnacle moment receiving the stigmata. I believe this rendition is, although probably not accurate (the landscape is rather picture-perfect and isolated) a great take on how we should behave towards God. The act of stigmata, which is receiving the wounds of Christ on the cross, would be an incredibly painful thing to endure, just as it was for Jesus himself. But Saint Francis looks rather overjoyed, indeed, ecstatic, because of his complete and total love for God and the things of him.

"While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart." - Saint Francis

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Saturday, August 4, 2007 at 7:11 PM



~ Michelangelo

Just a quick post today, I figured I would move onto sculpture instead of the typical art. This is a work done by Michelangelo, who is well known for the Sistine Chapel ceiling. However, Michelangelo actually despised painting, and his main passion was that of sculpture. This rendition of Moses was created for a tomb for the pope, Julius II. I have always enjoyed this work because of a very simple reason - it's just so well done. The detail put into Michelangelo's work sets it apart from most of the rest.

Also as an hilarious aside, I think it is great that Moses is portrayed as having horns on his head, something often done in this time period. This is because the bible was incorrectly translated, and when Moses came down the mountain, the word meaning "rays of light" accidently became . . . horns. Sooo, yeah. Kind of a big detail to miss.

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Monday, July 30, 2007 at 6:13 PM



- Grunewald

This work is part of a larger altarpiece made for a hospital's church in the 1500s. I find it particularly moving because of Christ's very noticable poor physical state, something often disregarded in this era of art. While we are now used to seeing this kind of portrayal, especially after the now world-famous movie rendition of The Passion, as every-day-Christians we often overlook the true physical cost Jesus paid for us, and the torment He had to go through.

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Monday, July 23, 2007 at 5:47 PM



- Tintoretto

The Last Supper is a familiar subject not only biblically, but artistically. Leonardo's rendition of the painting is one of the most well known paintings the world over, but it is certainly not the only version. Tintoretto's depiction is much different from Leonardo's, as his style is much more emotional than the well known logical and orderly feast. In Tintoretto's version, angels appear along with Jesus and His disciples, showing us not only our material world but the spiritual world hidden in the background. The light shining around Jesus seems to penetrate through the unseen boundary, connecting the worlds as only He can.

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Friday, July 13, 2007 at 6:07 PM


~ Rembrandt


Book of Daniel - Chapter 5

1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.
7 The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.
10 The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. "O king, live forever!" she said. "Don't be alarmed! Don't look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king, I say—appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means."
13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, "Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. 15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16 Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."
17 Then Daniel answered the king, "You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
18 "O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.
22 "But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.
25 "This is the inscription that was written:
Mene , Mene , Tekel , Parsin
26 "This is what these words mean:
Mene : God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
27 Tekel : You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
28 Peres : Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
29 Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Thursday, July 12, 2007 at 12:52 AM





Abraham, worth a righteous one.
Take up on the wood,
put it on your son.
Lake or lamb.
There is none to harm.
When the angel came,
you had raised your arm.

Abraham, put off on your son.
Take instead the ram
until Jesus comes


~ Sufjan Stevens

I love this painting, showing Abraham's incredible faith in his God, because of the emotion and energy given to all of the characters. It is very typical for this kind of scene to be painted, in fact, there are at least a good dozen paintings depicting this moment specifically, but this is one of the only ones which I believe truly captures the emotion and tragedy behind this. It is hard to fathom being told to do this, being told to kill your beloved son for any reason whatsover. Furthermore, it is hard to fathom being KILLED by your father! But this painting accurately depicts the pain and suffering of father and son, and the energy coming from the angel, sent to the scene only seconds before it is far too late.

Rather captivating.

Melted Wings' Wax

Posted by Anonymous | | Posted On Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 8:31 PM



According to Brueghel
when Icarus fell
it was spring

a farmer was ploughing
his field
the whole pageantry

of the year was
awake tingling
near

the edge of the sea
concerned
with itself

sweating in the sun
that melted
the wings' wax

unsignificantly
off the coast
there was

a splash quite unnoticed
this was
Icarus drowning


The most important thing to note in this painting is the most minuscule of details. In this painting of every day life, of people going about there business and performing the day's labors, of ships sailing in the waters of this lush landscape, there is a much bigger, and much more special meaning. In the water there are legs. They are the legs of the fallen Icarus, the fabled youth who flew to high towards the sun with wings made of wax, dooming himself to crash into the water because of his lofty ambitions and lack of obedience and discipline. Sound familiar? I think it's important to remember not to be too much like this poor fellow. Because we are often so very, very much like him.