The museum I visited was the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Florida. There were three main exhibitions open, but the one I spent the most time in was the Bill Rutherfoord: Allegory of No Region. The exhibition was a culmination of eleven large scale pieces of art by Bill Rutherfoord that were done over an eight-year period. The main series, Allegory of No Region, contains paintings that take the viewer through a series of colorful allegories full of symbolism, form, and narrative. Rutherfoord, an American artist from Virginia, references contemporary and historical issues spanning from the 18th century to present times by taking the African folk character Brer Rabbit on an epic adventure through time.…
In the background of this painting, there are several other figures standing around to witness the repentance of the son to his father. In comparison from the father and son to the other figures residing in the shadows, the contrast in lighting can be interpreted as the homecoming of repentance and forgiveness aside from sin and sorrow. Altogether, Rembrandt wanted to show the importance of repentance and forgiveness of sins based upon his Protestant faith by illustrating a parable of Jesus and using extreme contrasts of dark and…
The incredible details and use of the elements of art allow the viewer to see this miraculous event as if it were happening before their very eyes. This painting allows the viewer to take in the event slowly, and really appreciate it. It also includes a lot of symbolism. For example, Christ’s posture, and gesture emphasizes the love, and sincerity He had toward his fellowmen. The whiteness of his robe is an indication of his purity and nobility.…
The Path Between The Seas was written by David McCullough in the year 1977. This book has the privilege of being the winner of the national book award in history. The book was published by Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. The book opens with the United States showing a great interest in a navigable connection between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.…
In the 1500's, explorers traveled across the seas in large ships that carried crew members, goods, and wealth. These ships navigated the ocean by using toois like the compass, chip log, astrolabe, cross staff, and many more. With the compass, one of the explorers of the 1500's, Christopher Columbus, noticed that north on the compass was not actually true north. He used this to predict his arrival in America. A chip log was a circle of wood that was attached to a line on a reel, Knots were tied at intervals along the line, and this helped measure how fast the ship was travelling.…
The March to the Sea is still one of the most destructive and devastating battles of the Civil War yet and more battles to come. This horrible tragedy started in Atlanta not long ago on November 15, 1864. This battle led all the way to Savannah on December 21, 1864. The Union General William T. Sherman did this to prove that the Confederate government could not protect their people from an aggressor.…
Standing alone in a case in the middle of an upper level gallery room, one will find a humbly sized diptych, which vibrantly grabs the attention of anyone who passes it. To a knowing viewer, it becomes almost immediately evident that this is the work of none other than Jan van Eyck himself. This piece juxtaposes two biblical scenes commonly depicted by Renaissance artists, but with a Netherlandish attention to detail, as well as other formal elements endemic to van Eyck’s style. These components include an emphasis on highly saturated colors, a strong use of spatial elements, and highly realistic physical renderings of the subjects depicted.…
When you walk into a church you may realize that there are serval paintings, but what you may have not noticed is their significance. If you look at each painting closely you may notice that they tell a story. The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel is a piece of art history which uses iconography and religion to create a narrative. The Nativity is not only a piece of art, but it also is an altarpiece. Since an altar is where offerings for a church are held, the images that appeared on the altarpiece carry the most significance.…
Paintings have been used as a representation of people since human race originated. Through time it has become very lifelike and realistic due to the advancement in materials and techniques used by some talented artists. This paper discusses two types of paintings through their similarities and differences, as the first one being David’s Oath of the Horatii, 1784. Oil on canvas, 10’ 10” * 13’ 11”. And, Goya’s The Third of May 1808, 1814.…
Introduction To write an exegesis we first have to understand what an exegesis is. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary an exegesis is defined as: “an explanation or critical interpretation of a text.” Now that we understand what an exegesis is trying to complete we can go ahead and do research on a passage of our choosing. For this paper I decided to choose the passage Jonah 4.…
In early Renaissance art, artists had a tendency to use the same biblical stories or themes in their artwork. One in particular is the Virgin and Child Enthroned, it was painted by two different artists, thirty years apart from each other. In the year 1280 the first Virgin and Child Enthroned was painted by Cenni Di Pepi, also known as “Cimabue.” (M. Stokstad, 536) The second Virgin and Child Enthroned was painted by Giotto Di Bondone in 1305-1310.…
The two artists present the paintings in a classical manner that enables the audiences to relate to them by evoking their religious feelings. The paintings are symbolic of the Biblical transformations that took place at the…
This use of dramatic perspective was mixed with the unusual artistic device of the ‘exploding center’ (Murray et al 608). The focal point of this image, Jesus and his halo, appear as a sort of explosion in the receding calmness of the rest of the image. The painting is dominated by darkness, the lightest point being Jesus at the side of the food-filled table. He is accompanied by his disciples at the table, and by ordinary people at the right bottom corner. The scene takes place in a low ceilinged room with tiles on the floor, a fire lamp illuminating the image.…
Resurrection is supposed to be universal, so every single person must face their “Last Judgement” with Christ, which is why the painting shows so much movement and activity between the people. This painting depicts all of mankind’s redemption period, and has universal appeal among the people and the world fills with hope to be redeemed by Christ. Throughout the painting, spectators can see that the people within the painting are holding on to one another either for comfort and support or out of anger trying to push the others away in order to get redemption from Christ. When looking at Christ in the painting, one can see that his two hands are facing two different directions, his right hand is facing up, as in a way pushing the people towards the top to Heaven, and his left hand is facing down pushing the people…
Heracles and Nessus We have all heard of the great and mighty Heracles, and all of his great adventures. This one myth grabs my attention because of the particular literary representation of the myth. All the stories and myth that we have hear about Heracles have always been of his accomplishment, like when he completed the twelve labors. This particular myth got my attention because, I have never heard of the myth of Heracles death. In Greek mythology the poetic and graphic representation do not necessarily represent each other, but appreciating a Greek vase with a particular literary work in mind enhance experience.…