Mughal Empire Art Exhibit

 In this blog post I will be featuring three separate traditional Indian art pieces from the time period of the Mughal empire. This era ranged from the late medieval to to the early colonial era, from the years 1526 to 1757. 

Umar Defeats a Dragon, Daswanth, India

The exact date this piece, by Daswanth, was finished is unknown, however it is believed that it was completed between the dates of 1582 and 1584. This painting is a page from a Mughal illuminated manuscript that details a section of the Hamzanama. An illuminated manuscript is essentially a formal document with flourishes and illustrations that go with the text. These manuscripts can cover a wide range of subjects. In this case, the Hamzanama is a Persian epic detailing the exploits of a warrior named Hamza.

I selected this work as it really stood out to me with the vibrant colors used and how 'alive' it looks. From what I have gathered, the artist Daswanth's works feature this chaotic style. One thing that really stands out to me is the contrast of color used. The dark colors of the land contrast with the white gold and blue colors of the dragon, as well as the bright colors of Umar.

Jain Ascetic Walking Along a Riverbank, Basawan, 1600 India

Basawan was a very prominent artist during the time of the Mughal Empire. He is credited on over 100 works. Basawan did most of his works in collaboration. He would be attributed to the design, while a second artist would be tasked with filling in the color. He was most active in the years between 1580 and 1600 making much work for manuscripts among other texts.

I chose this work because it was one of the seemingly most simplest and down to earth of Basawan's. Much of his art depicts royal court scenes and extravagant events, while this depicts a monk of the Jainism religion "walking along a riverbank'. Basawan's use of lines and shapes to portray the flowing light robe that the monk is wearing really inspires awe. One other thing that stands out to me is how the background of this piece is very simplistic putting more emphasis on very well detailed main subject, the monk.

The Birth of a Prince, Bishandas, 1610 India

There is not too much background available on the early life, of the artist, Bishandas. However there is much accounts of praise done by prominent figures of the time. He was widely regarded as one of the most skilled portrait painters of the time. He was even praised by the emperor, Jahangir, for his ability to "taking lifelessness". As a result of his popularity and praise he was sent to the Persian embassy to even paint portraits of the Shah (king) and other leading figures at the time. He also contributed to multiple manuscripts and other works during his time as an artist.

I chose this piece from Bishandas as it features many different individuals. While I can certainly see his skill in his other individual portraits, this work caught my eye for how vibrant and alive it felt. Many Mughal era artists appear to have a proficiency when it comes to painting very vibrant and busy pictures, and Bishandas is no exception to that. One thing that really stood out to me in this was the detail on the architecture. Specifially the tile on the second floor and the door arch on the first. I can also see natural patterns at play when it comes to the detailed tree. The final thing that stood out to me is how each individual person is all unique. There are no different faces and nobody is wearing the same thing. This just adds to how much Bishandas paid attention to details in his portraits. 

Works Cited

Manohar (2024) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Manohar (Accessed: 25 April 2024).

Bishandas (no date) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bishandas (Accessed: 25 April 2024).

Dasvant (no date) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dasvant (Accessed: 25 April 2024).

Political Activism and Street Art

Politics has always had a significant influence on art, from conflicts, war, and even elections as its impact runs deep. With the ever changing political climate in the late 20th and early 21st century, political advocacy gave birth a new medium for post modern art. That art form is most commonly known as street art. Street art gives the artist the ability to express themselves, their beliefs, and their activism through the use of public spaces. These spaces have the potential to reach a much wider audience than places like a museum or an art gallery. There will be two works each from three different artists that I will be showcasing that not only are interesting pieces, but also assist the artist in their political advocacy.

Banksy

Flower Thrower, Banksy 2003, West Bank

One of anonymous London street artist Banksy's most notorious works. Flower Thrower touches on some heavy themes. Finished shortly after the construction of the West Bank Wall began in Israel. This work depicts a man wearing dark clothes, a baseball cap, and a bandana throwing a bouquet of flowers. This symbolizes Banksy's desire for peace and an end to the conflict in the region, as Banksy opposed the West Bank Wall. This piece may seem simple at first glance, but upon closer look it not only has its deeper message, it also uses several elements of art. The first element that is apparent is Banksy's use of lines in forming the outline of the figure. Organic shapes portray the fluid motions, and lastly natural patterns are apparent in the flowers. The location is also very relevant to the meaning. If this was created in a different place its message might have been entirely different. Banksy went to the location himself to create this. For me personally, this piece elicits strong emotions of longing. Longing for an end to the conflict as sadly we still see it ongoing today with no end in sight to the needless loss of life.

Zero Interest in People, Banksy 2010, Toronto

This work by Banksy commentates on how modern society can treat its workers and how workers themselves might treat others. A common trait with Banksy's works seems to be that much of his street art is not overly complex in its presentation, while still having some deeper meaning. In this we can see a businessman in a suit wearing a sign with red text. As for art elements, lines create the outline for this figure and the sign worn. Color as a contrast is also used to pull the viewer's attention to the words in the otherwise black & white piece. Lastly there appears to be a minor use of optical texture on the mans face creating shadows along the contours of the face. This piece's political commentary focuses on the modern business model and companies that in many cases put their sole focus of 'profit' first, therefore leaving 0% Interest in People. This work can also be interpreted as a commentary on how modern workers can, at times, be so busy and wrapped up in their occupation that they may not have any time to interact with other people socially and form any lasting bonds. Which would leave them to have a 0% Interest in People. While the subject matter is kind of dull, this work does not give me the emotion of pessimism but rather hope. While there is no issue with having a job and being committed to work, it is also important to remember the connections you have with people in your life. And I think this piece helped me remember that.

Keith Haring

Ignorance = Fear, Keith Haring 1989, New York

In this poster by Keith Haring in collaboration with the New York activist group known as ACT Up, we can see Keith Haring's signature style combined with important symbolism. This work was made with the intention of inspiring activism to fight the AIDS epidemic. At the time, there was a lot of misinformation and negative stigma around aids and people diagnosed. There were many deaths  that were a result of this. Keith himself was diagnosed with aids a year before this poster was completed. In the poster we can see three figures marked with a pink 'X' symbolizing their diagnoses with the disease. These individuals either have their eyes, ears, or mouth covered representing their inaction to speak up about their condition presumably due to the possibility of social ridicule. Because of this inaction or silence, death is essentially a given especially when considering AIDS was the cause of 14% of all deaths among men in 1989 according to the CDC. This work aimed to bring people together to fight against the ignorance and silence regarding aids to bring an end to the horrible epidemic that plagued the 80s and 90s. The primary art element that I first noticed was the use of lines to create the figures while adding motion to them. We can also see color as a symbol. The pink triangle was a symbol that was reclaimed by the gay rights movement, originally being used to identify members that were targeted for homosexuality during the holocaust. Lastly abstract shapes are used for the figures that represent the people affected by AIDS. This work gave me the emotion of anger. I feel anger because while this is before my time, I still see how many lives were lost due to people's ignorance at the time.

Free South Africa, Keith Haring 1985, New York

This lithograph by Keith Haring demonstrated his support for the Free South Africa movement. The message portrayed was simple, Keith was advocating for the overwhelming black majority in South Africa to fight against the apartheid state that was only controlled by a minority. Beginning as a painting that turned into lithograph, Keith eventually made over 10,000 posters and distributed them across New York to show his advocacy and to urge others to support the oppressed in their fight against their oppressors. As for art elements we can see abstract shapes and lines as they are commonly used in Haring's works. There is also optical texture on the ground giving the illusion of texture. This work gives me the feeling of discontent. This is because while South Africa on paper, ended apartheid almost 30 years ago, there is still the lasting affect of it and rampant inequality within the country. And I feel like it is not talked about enough among political activist groups.

Blu

Lisboa, Blu 2010, Portugal

From what I have gathered Blu is a prominent street artist primarily active in Europe. Blu chooses to remain anonymous therefore not much is know about their personal life. Despite this, Blu's upfront political activism is very apparent in his works. In Lisboa we can see a man dressed in a suit wearing a golden crown with several logos of petroleum companies on it. This man is sucking something  from the earth with a straw. This is commentary on how these many of these companies are essentially sucking the earth dry of its resources and damaging its climate and ecosystems as a result. As for art elements, I can point out some of the most creative use of physical texture that I have yet seen. As this mural is on the side of a building the physical texture of the building is actually incorporated as the man's eyebrows. Not only that, we can also see optical texture on the man's suit. And lastly the extensive use of lines in the facial expression, suit, and even the hands! This piece gives me feelings of anger, as the man clearly does not give the slightest regard to the earth's wellbeing.

 Beograd, Blu 2009, Belgrade

In yet another piece by Italian artist, Blu, we can see Blu's full passion for environmental activism on display. There is some strong symbolism in this one too. There is someone with buildings representing teeth holding a tree while preparing to take a bite. This most likely represents urban expansionism and how it can destroy the environment if left unchecked. Blu's intentions are probably to raise awareness and inspire people to engage in activism to protect the environment. As for art elements there are two types of patterns. Natural patterns in the tree's leaves and man-made patterns in the building-teeth. The color green is also used not only to add color to the tree but also to represent nature as a whole. And finally lines exaggerate the facial features of the building-teethed man. This also elicits inspiration in me to pay more care and attention to the environment, and to watch out for carelessness that might harm it.

Works Cited

Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower) by Banksy Background & meaning (no date) MyArtBroker. Available at: https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-banksy/series-love-is-in-the-air-flower-thrower (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

Editorial, T.A. (2023) The World of Banksy: 50 iconic artworks of banksy, The Artist. Available at: https://www.theartist.me/art/50-iconic-artworks-of-banksy-paintings (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

Current trends mortality attributable to HIV infection/AIDS -- United States, 1981-1990 (no date) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001880.htm#:~:text=In%201989%2C%20among%20persons%20in,%2C%20respectively)%20(2). (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

Street art legends: Best of Keith Haring Art (no date) Widewalls. Available at: https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/street-art-legends-best-of-keith-haring-art/keith-haring-ignorance-fear-2 (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

editor1 (2020) Lisboa, BLU. Available at: https://blublu.org/b/2010/06/10/lisboa/ (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

editor1 (2020a) Beograd, BLU. Available at: https://blublu.org/b/2009/02/01/beograd/ (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

Early Modern Blog

 Influences of WWI on Early Modern Era Art

World War One was a catastrophe on a scale that's likes had never been seen before at the time. With it being the cause of over 20 million deaths while only lasting 4 years, from 1914 to 1918. Despite its atrocities, WWI influenced much of the world that we see today. From modern warfare to borders, and even art. 

Around the time of the first world war, there was an emergence of various new art styles that have left their mark to this day. Many of these styles and pieces that were influenced by the war and its aftermath.

Art Pieces

In this next section I will briefly analyze three art pieces on how relate to the first world war. 

The first piece is titled Gassed and it is an oil painting by John Singer Sargent, finished in 1919 in London.

This painting is directly influenced by WWI as the artist, John Singer Sargent, was actually commissioned to document the western front by the British government. It depicts soldiers walking towards a field hospital in the aftermath of mustard gas attacks. Bodies, presumed dead, cover the ground leaving a narrow path for the survivors. WWI was the first war in history to see frequent use of chemical weapons, such as mustard gas being the most common. Warfare at the time had not yet adapted to these weapons resulting in countless deaths. This painting uses many art elements to amplify the feeling and depressive nature of the subject. Tone is utilized in this to create a depressing atmosphere. Man-made patters are used for the surrounding heaps of bodies. And finally shapes are used to convey the body language of the individuals in the line. All of these factors in conjunction create a depressing and honestly horrifying depiction of the aftermath of a singular gas attack.

This next piece is titled The Menin Road (1919) by Paul Nash, completed in London.

Here we can see another example of an art piece commissioned by the British government. 

Here we can see another depiction of what life on the front lines would be like. In my opinion this is a depiction of what is often referred to as "no man's land", the area between two trenches. Trench warfare was a new development during WWI. It involved two opposing trenches being dug with a wasteland stripped of all life from the constant bombardment of weaponry. Here we can see two figure crossing this wasteland, possibly in the aftermath of a major battle. This piece gives off less feelings of depression or despair and more of hope. As for art elements used color is one. There are intense white beams of  light piercing the clouds in the background. Tone is also used to create depth and distance with the background of the painting. Lastly abstract shapes are also put to use to create abstraction within how the painting may be interpreted. It is worthy to not the Paul Nash was a typically a surrealist style painter, according to 'The Art Newspaper'. These elements, especially the open landscape and beams of light shining through give me the reaction of that optimistic hopefulness feeling.

The final work is by the English painter CRW Nevinson and is titled La Patrie. This final painting was also completed in Britain in 1916.

It seems that the majority of art I could find centered around the theme of WWI was all commission work by the British Government and this is no exception. La Patrie depicts many wounded soldiers inside a field hospital. Within the many casualties of soldiers that passed during the war, not all of them died on the battlefield. Some died after. According to Encyclopedia Britannica there was over 21 million who suffered injuries. This painting is but a minuscule portion of that. This final piece uses art elements brilliantly in conveying the loss of hope and despair within the setting. There are dark tones conveying the dimly lit, what appears to be a barn, that the wounded are in. Color is used but as a symbol. The colors used are very bleak and monotone symbolizing the depressive nature of the subject at hand. And finally shapes are used in the facial expressions of the wounded. The sharp shapes displaying the pain on the faces stand out to me the most. All of these elements combined with the context, once again, give off intense feelings of despair and sadness.

Works Cited

James C. Harris, M. (2005) Gassed, Archives of General Psychiatry. Available at: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/208146 (Accessed: 04 April 2024). 

Jenkins, D.F. (2022) The little-known role of design in the art of paul nash, The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. Available at: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/02/07/a-fresh-look-at-paul-nash (Accessed: 04 April 2024).

British art and literature during WWI (article) (no date) Khan Academy. Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/xdc974a79:italian-art-before-world-war-i/art-great-war/a/british-art-and-literature-during-wwi (Accessed: 04 April 2024).

Gerry              Retired college teacher living in Liverpool et al. (2014b) A terrible beauty: British artists in the First World War, That’s How The Light Gets In. Available at: https://gerryco23.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/a-terrible-beauty-british-artists-in-the-first-world-war/ (Accessed: 04 April 2024).

Killed, wounded, and missing (no date a) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I/Killed-wounded-and-missing (Accessed: 06 April 2024).

Romantic Era Blog

Regarding the Romantic Era, there are various prominent art styles that emerged. The Romantic Era spanned from the early 1800's to around 1900. In this post, I will analyze and compare four total art pieces from two different styles from the Romantic Era. The first will be Realism, and the second will be Romanticism.

Realist Style

The first piece from the Realist art movement is titled A Burial At Ornans and it was painted by Gustave Courbet in France.

The second artwork is titled The Third-Class Carriage, it was completed in France by the painter Honore Daumier.

Both of these works, as well as many other works from the Realism movement, use various art elements to convey the artist's intentions to add to the subject matter. The first element that stands out to me is color. Color as a mood to be more specific. The dark color palate gives off the moods of melancholy and sadness. Tone as a contrast is another example of an art elements applied to these paintings. The background as well as the clothing worn by the people depicted has a much darker tone compared to the faces and other body parts. This puts an emphasis on the individuals depicted and their expressions, rather than the surroundings. Finally these Realist works use jagged lines to depict the more rigid and realistic situations. The jagged lines stand out to me especially in The Third-Class Carriage as the facial features depict a state of anxiety or uncertainty in the people. Personally I prefer  the works of Realism as they particularly stand out to me with their depictions of real life situations. I find this much more thought provoking compared to other styles of this time period.

Romantic Style

The first work I selected to represent the Romantic Style is a popular one, titled Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, created in Germany by Caspar David Friedrich.

The final work I selected is by the Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky, it is titled View of Tiflis, and is was completed in Russia.

When it comes to the Romantic Style the first thing that stands out is the vivid use of color. Color plays many different roles as an art element in these pieces. Both of these paintings and many others that fall under the Romantic Style use color as a light. In the first piece there is light colors representing the light reflecting off of the fog below. In the second painting light blue and yellow to represent the sun illuminating the city from behind the mountains in the distance. Natural patterns are also used. Whether it be the rocks below or the mountains in the distance seen in Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog or the trees and the mountains in the View of Tiflis, natural patterns can be seen throughout these paintings. Finally, optical texture is used to help differentiate between objects in these paintings. The artists create different textures to help the viewer see a clear distinction between different parts of the paintings. In the first painting, the individual "Wanderer" has a different texture compared to the rocks and the rocks, a different texture to that of the fog. In the View of Tiflis, the painting creates a clear distinction of texture for the buildings compared to the passerby below and to the mountains and cliffs. The art in the Romantic style has some of the most jaw-dropping visuals I have ever seen. While the paintings are amazing and a treat to look at, they are just that. No more than visual spectacles. These paintings would definitely qualify as ones I would want to own and display. Despite this, they contain no thought provoking themes, in my opinion. Which I usually tend to prefer.

Realism vs. Romantic Styles

Both the Realism and Romantic styles of the Romantic Era have their own goals and intentions. When it comes to the Realist styles the intentions lie in displaying the world as it really is. Not being afraid to touch on darker subjects and truths that some might be uncomfortable with seeing in a piece of art. Realism art's focus is on shedding light on the actual people who live and take up the majority of society. This would include middle class laborers and sometimes even lower class citizens. While these depictions might be seen as "unappealing" to some, I personally enjoy them for their down-to-earthness. While I do not relate to those depicted as the living standard has increased in modern society substantially since the time period of the Romantic Era, I still appreciate what the artists were trying to achieve. 

The intentions of the Romantic style is very different to that of Realism. For one, the Romantic style romanticizes life in an almost unrealistic manner for the time-period. While this does allow for the limits of artistic expression to be pushed which I think is a good thing, I think the idealized nature of it is not. Despite this the Romantic style had good intentions of depicting imagination and nature. Viewing some of the art just makes me want to go on an adventure or even live in that time period. Compared to Realism which would make me want to avoid that period of time. Despite this I think Realism and Romanticism go hand in hand, Realism would not exist without Romanticism and Romanticism would not be the same without Realism.

Works Cited

Gustave Courbet (no date) Artist Info. Available at: https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1174.html (Accessed: 25 March 2024).

Romanticism (2024) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism (Accessed: 25 March 2024).

 Secure (2023) What is realism in art? definition, artists, & examples, Sparks Gallery. Available at: https://sparksgallery.com/learn/what-is-realism-in-art-definition-artists-examples (Accessed: 25 March 2024).

DeGuzman, K. (2023a) Romanticism in art - definition, examples & traits, StudioBinder. Available at: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-romanticism-art-definition/ (Accessed: 25 March 2024).

Classical Blog Exhibit

 Art and Scientific Discovery in the 1700's

During the Classical era scientific discovery and ingenuity became more and more widespread as technology developed. From the massive strides in physics led by Sir Isaac Newton or the development of the Classification System by Carolus Linnaeus. This influx in scientific progress was widespread throughout the world during the 1700's. With the sciences in the spotlight, artists at the time had more inspiration for their work, whether it was to pay tribute or to record advances in science. For this post I have selected three works from the Classical era to analyze that additionally relate to scientific developments during this time.

The first piece is titled Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky is was painted by British-American artist Benjamin West. This piece was completed in 1816 in Philadelphia.

This piece relates to the sciences because the subject of the painting, Benjamin Franklin, is widely credited to being the first to discover electricity and the consensus on this painting appears to be a tribute of that. From the experiment conducted in the painting, it was found that not only metal can conduct electricity, but it can also be stored. As stated by the Smithsonian Institution "Franklin discovered that by linking multiple jars together they could increase the amount of electricity they could store". 

This painting uses the art element of tone to convey a contrast between light and dark. Ben's figure as well as the clouds in the background have a darker color palate, while the lightning is lighter. There is also symbolism for what appears to be angels guiding Benjamin and they have a lighter tone as well. When looking at this painting, I feel the emotion of hope and I think that is conveyed well in the presentation of this painting. I personally would be impartial to owning a copy of it. While the painting is nice, I don't particularly "like" or "dislike" it. Viewing this work in a museum would be most appropriate in my opinion.

The second work is titled Departure of Jacques Charles and Marie-Noel Robert's 'aerostatic globe' balloon from the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, on Dec 1, 1378. Not much is known about this work other than it was most likely drawn by Antoine Francois Sergent-Marceau in 1783 in Paris.

This drawing ties into the theme as it is an account of the first successful launch of a hydrogen filled balloon, and defined Charles' first ideal gas law. This law has had significant impact in chemistry up to this day. 

This artwork is simple yet interesting. The main art element used is lines. In this, many different line types are used, from horizontal to freehand and curved lines. This piece is what I believe to be a firsthand account of the balloon's launch from the artist's perspective. This art inspires awe for me as many specific details are included such as what seems to be thousands of people in the crowd, the building and its windows in the background, and the strings tying the balloon to the base. At first glance this piece seems simple, but it is actually has a lot of detail. I personally would not mind owning a copy of it because I usually gravitate towards well detailed and extravagant paintings, this is more unique and different. The most appropriate place to view this would, in my opinion, be in a science museum compared instead of an art exhibit as I think this is more important to the sciences than art.

The final piece is the painting titled Portrait of Denis Diderot it was completed in 1767 by Louis Michael Vanloo in Paris.

Denis Diderot was an important figure in the scientific community. This painting was a tribute to Denis and his work. Denis was primarily known for his work on the Encyclopedie which gave the public access to a lot a knowledge that wasn't as widely accessible before. As stated by Encyclopedia Britannica "the Encyclopedie was to bring out the essential principles of everyday art and science." Denis made strides within the scientific community allowing for the average citizen to learn, and this piece is a tribute to that.

This painting's color and tone give me emotions of inspiration and hope. The lighter colors for Denis and the darker background making him the focal point of this piece. Combined with the facial expression seen on Denis all give me those emotions. This is presented in a very respectful way portraying Denis very nicely. This gives me the impression that the artist looked up to and respected Denis. I personally would love to own a copy of this as I am also a fan of Denis and all that he's done, and this piece is a good way to represent that. This would also be appropriate to be placed and displayed in a history museum.

Works Cited

Benjamin Franklin drawing electricity from the Sky (no date) Philadelphia Museum of Art. Available at: https://philamuseum.org/collection/object/57044 (Accessed: 18 March 2024). 

Smithsonian Institution (1970) Benjamin Franklin’s pioneering electrical work influenced today’s technology, Smithsonian Institution. Available at: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/benjamin-franklins-pioneering-electrical-work-influenced-todays-technology (Accessed: 18 March 2024).

PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine (1783) [departure of Jacques Charles and Marie-Noel Robert’s ‘Aerostatic Globe’ balloon from the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, on Dec. 1, 1783] - picryl - public domain media search engine public domain search, PICRYL. Available at: https://picryl.com/media/departure-of-jacques-charles-and-marie-noel-roberts-aerostatic-globe-balloon (Accessed: 18 March 2024).

Jacques Charles (2024) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jacques-Charles (Accessed: 18 March 2024).

Denis Diderot (2024) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Denis-Diderot (Accessed: 18 March 2024).

Baroque Blog Post

This artwork, The Entombment of Christ or Deposition , was done by the Italian artist Caravaggio, it was finished in 1604 in what is modern day Rome

Art Elements

This piece utilizes tone to contrast the dark background and the lighter figures, this is also known as the technique "tenebrism". This painting gives me a feeling of desperation or despair. This is most likely due to the facial expressions and darker color pallate. 

Backstory

There is some brief history behind this work. In 1575, the pope Gregory XIII issued a decree that the chapel, The Santa Maria in Vallicella, was to be rebuilt. Then around 1602 The Entombment was planned and finished in 1604. The piece was hung in the chapel altar that was dedicated to the Pieta or the depiction of Mary holding Jesus' body after his descent from the cross in the Christian fairth. The subject of the Pieta relates to that of this painting.

Personal Thoughts

I personally would like to own this painting. Even though the subject matter is dark, I love the colors used and details on the painting. I believe I am particularly fond of works from the Baroque era and this is no exception. I can relate a little to the painting as I would have similar emotions as the ones depicted in the painting if someone I looked up to or admired, passed away and was buried before my eyes.

Influences

I believe that this work relates specifically to the Council of Trent and its reformations. As stated by Encyclopedia Britannica "The council was highly important for its sweeping decrees on self-reform". The council's aim was to lesson corruption and abuses of power and finances. This relates to the Deposition as the very chapel it was painted for, was able to be rebuilt adue to the reforms passed by the Council of Trent.

Works Cited

Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, Harris, Dr.B. and Zucker, Dr.S. (no date) Caravaggio, deposition (or entombment), Smarthistory Caravaggio Deposition or Entombment Comments. Available at: https://smarthistory.org/caravaggio-deposition/ (Accessed: 29 February 2024).

Caravaggio, deposition (article) | italy (no date) Khan Academy. Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/baroque-art1/baroque-italy/a/caravaggio-deposition (Accessed: 29 February 2024).

Council of Trent (2024) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/event/Council-of-Trent (Accessed: 29 February 2024).

 

Northern Renaissance Blog Post

 

Today, I will be analyzing a piece of work (seen below) painted by the Northern Renaissance artist Hieronymous Bosch. This piece is titled Tondal's Vision and was finished in 1479 in the city of Den Bosch, Netherlands.

Elements of Art

This piece features several different elements of art applied, but the one that stood out to me the most and the one I want to showcase is color. Bosch uses color as a symbol in this work to create a clear distinction of the concepts of heaven and hell. This piece utilizes color to demonstrate the contrast of what Bosch interpreted hell and paradise to be. Red and black symbolizing the fire and pits of hell while lighter colors symbolize paradise or "heaven". What stands out to me in this piece is that the entire piece gives me a sense of unease. This piece isn't simply just "heaven vs hell" where heaven is unequivocally good and hell is evil. In this portrayal, both sides present unease and even fear. There are strange creatures throughout the entire piece. I think the overarching theme of this piece is the representation of sin.

Personal Thoughts

While I love this and other works of Hieronymous Bosch, I would not want to own this. The artwork is honestly scary and gives me chills, which I would not want to display in my own home. I would be okay with seeing this occasionally, but owning a copy and displaying it would be too much.

The summarized story behind this painting is, that a knight is guided by an angel through hell and paradise, and as a result vows to lead a pious life. I personally am not very religious, but I can still relate to this work. If I was ever brought on a journey to witness the things Bosch has conjured up first hand, I too, would vow to live a very pious life. 

Connection to Humanism

I believe this work is connected to humanism, but not in a positive way. I interpret this work as being a critique of humanism. As stated in the article How Hieronymus Bosch Defied the Ideals of an Age written by Michael Prodger, "He was, for all the later claims of his psychological modernity, a painter of the Middle Ages: an orthodox Catholic who painted orthodox subjects".  Bosch was religious fundamentalist similar to that of the middle ages, who exclusively painted for the church. While his works might seem jarring, Bosch's works were most likely based on what he saw people who discredited or criticized the church to be. An explicit display of sin and its consequences. Compared to humanists where free thinking and critiques of the church were encouraged, Bosch wanted to show his interpretation of what he thought to be the consequences of forward thinking thought.

Works Cited

Marmion, Simon, and David Aubert. “Les Visions Du Chevalier Tondal (the J. Paul Getty Museum Collection).” Getty, www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103RWK. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024. 

Prodger, Michael. “How Hieronymus Bosch Defied the Ideals of an Age.” New Statesman, New Statesman, 13 June 2021, www.newstatesman.com/culture/2016/03/how-hieronymus-bosch-defied-ideals-age.

“Hieronymus Bosch.” Obo, www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780195399301/obo-9780195399301-0064.xml. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.