Contrapposto

The art during the Renaissance was the forefront to the discovery of “realism”. The time period consisted of great artist’s such as Cimabue, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. One of the paintings that I have chosen to compare was painted by Giotto di Bondone. “Lamentation”, casted in 1305, can be found in the Arena Chapel, in Padua, Italy (Kleiner). Giotto emerged during the Proto-Renaissance in the 14th Century. During the 14th century, Italy was threatened by the Bubonic…

Daphne Choy Prof. Kenfield Marble Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons The Roman Sarcophagus with the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons made from marble, is displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and dates back to the Late Imperial, Gallienic period around 260-270 A.D. Its accession number is 55.11.5 and can be found in the museum’s Greek and Roman Art Gallery. This piece was brought to the Metropolitan Museum from a collection of the dukes of Beaufort, where it had…

Regardless of nearly 2000 years separating the creation of Polykleitos’s Doryphoros and Donatello’s David, the two sculptures share astonishingly similar features, yet both remain true to the stylistic characteristics of each respective time periods. The artists incorporated both predictable and cutting edge ideas in their work. Doryphoros, also known as the Spear Bearer, is a marble remake of Polykleitos’s original bronze sculpture circa 450 - 440 BCE. Most ancient Greek statues were made of…

Ancient Greek architecture can be divided into three major periods: the Archaic period (700-480 BC), the Classical period (480-323 BC), and the Hellenistic Period (323-146 BC). All three periods reflect the culture of that time in Ancient Greece and follow the advancements in Greek society. For example, sculptures from different periods have different aesthetics. This means that the idea of what is beautiful changed in Greek culture over time. Art and architecture of Ancient Greece also reflects…

The advertisement used for this semiotic reading is for the Schick Company that manufactures razor blades for shaving unwanted hair. The ad is located in Shape magazine, which endorses fitness, and supplies tips to help people keep their bodies in shape. Easy access makes this physical copy of the advertisement attainable to people who are most likely working out in gyms, or is insecure with their bodies. However, the marketing of this particular ad is towards women who want to keep their bikini…

Located in front of the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia is a statue of the Greek architect-sculptor Phidias. The statue of Phidias fits in well with its surroundings. It is centered by four other statues. The surrounding statues are also iconic artists: Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Raphael. The artists’ statues are purposefully placed in front of the Telfair Museum because the Telfair is an art museum. All of the statues are lifted on pedestals. The Phidias statue is about four…

In between these two characters are The Three Graces who are splendidly intertwined into one another. Focusing back on Venus, she expresses modest mannerisms which can be seen from the calmness of her raised hand with the subtle and relaxed contrapposto of her figure. Her head is slightly tiled towards one side of her body which shows the delicacy of the womanly persona. It is believed that the characteristics of Venus derives from a letter written by Marsilio Ficino to Lorenzo which uplifts…

coat of arms with the crescent moon appears both on the roundel on the arch and on the capital of the column on the left. As I analyzed the painting I felt a sense of nurturing and gentleness between Mary and Infant Jesus. The artist 's use of contrapposto creates a human like appearance and figure. It appears that Mary is supporting baby jesus in order to sit him up. One of her hands is placed under infant jesus armpit and the other on his lower right leg. It appears that baby Jesus is…

Art communicates various social, religious, and political messages, and it is the patrons, artist, and public who are crucial in receiving and conveying these messages. Western art was a highly influential tool and was used as a conduit for political ideologies and historical events. It could associate its subject with greatness, power, and divinity. However, it remains debatable on who had a greater hand in shaping the artistic direction of Western art — the individual or the state. While both…

The Statue of Bacchus and a Faun The National Gallery of Arts, at the center of the United States capital, is home to different paintings and sculptures from around the world; one of them is the statue of Bacchus and a faun. This 16th century sculpture was purchased by the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust and given to the national gallery of arts as a gift in 1937. The exact sculptor who made this statue is not known, however, it is believed to have been a Milanese artist. The…