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.
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.
