Zeng Fanzhi: Hare 2012

This is a painting done my Zeng Fanzhi done in oil. the reason why chose this painting because the entangle of the branches and the hare. The thing that caught my eye in this painting is the color and the random branches. "This is suppose to place the viewer inside a panoramic view of wild brambles and vibrant. It's suppose to put you in a state of awareness the mysterious and spiritual."

Zeng Fanzhi: "Meat"

"Meat" is an oil painting by Zeng Fanzhi done in 1992. Fanzhi is known for achieving for his signature fleshy red tones. Articles have described this painting as portraying the trauma, sorrow, and horror that he encounters daily. They also say that the uncooked meat shows that raw vulnerability of humans. By using red he connects the skin and the meat on the bodies. The two men have oversized hands which is Fanzhi's signature for his work. I chose this painting because I like the color tone and how it reminds me of food.

"Blue" by Zeng Fanzhi

Out of Zeng Fanzhi's paintings, I enjoyed this one the most. It is an oil canvas painting and was just done in 2015. It is a painting of a landscape, which what looks to be of some sort of thunderstorm happening. The blue in the painting could also be taken as the ocean with clouds and branches over it. It seems as if most of his paintings are more eerie and have the use of branches, similar to this painting, in them. I chose this painting, because I enjoy the different shades of blue which I perceive as a symbol of water, or the ocean.

Zeng Fanzhi 7月22日/ On 22 July , 2016 摄影

             I picked this piece by Zeng Fanzhi because his other works that were similar to this one with the branches lining the canvas with shades of colors seemed repetitive and a little drab. This one caught my eye cause part of the title was in Japanese and wanted to understand why. This piece is displayed beautifully in a tradition zen garden in Shanghai making this painting more alive.

Zeng Fanzhi Blue

Not only is my favorite color blue, but I like paintings that have to do with landscapes. That's why this painting caught my eye. When I read about Fanzhi and his paintings, I learned that much of his work was nocturnal landscapes. The word nocturnal stood out to me because that could be something calm or something stressful. The contrast of the branches could be meant to show chaos, while the background is blended smoothly and softly. The choice of blue is a calming color, but can also represent sort of melancholy. It is a beautiful piece in choices of color and technique.

Zeng Fanzhi: Hare

This painting is called Hare and was painted by Zeng Franzhi in 2012. He used oil paint to create this. It currently hangs in Beijing with about sixty other paintings by Zeng Franzhi. This is his largest exhibit and shows thirty years of his work. I liked this painting because he has a unique style and you can really tell from this painting.

"Zeng Fanzhi: Blue"

This painting is by Zeng Fanzhi which is an oil painting, was painted in 1990. I really liked this painting because it reminded me of a dark night. I like the blue gradient that's going on. I also like how the clouds are blended with the sky and a little bit of black. Out of all the paintings, this caught my eye the most.  Overall, it was a great painting.

"Death of Marat"

The name of this painting is called the "Death of Marat" by David. The painting is said to be created in 1793 and is currently located in the Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels. The detail and contrast in this painting is great. This is an oil painting and is considered to be in the french neoclassicism movement. David painted the slain revolutionary hero like a modern day Christ. You can see what the artist was going for when painting. In conclusion the painting is very detailed and a unique painting because it is based off of history.

Parcours

This painting is called "Parcours," but Zeng Fanzhi. Fanzhi is known for depicting the "isolation and instability of contemporary life." This painting shows what seems to be a statue, but can also be seen as a man, in agony. The man's coloring is mainly grey, but the highlights of pink bring him to life. I really like the emotion this painting conveys. It almost feels as if the subject is moving. Fanzhi's prominent brush strokes add drama and emphasis on the emotion in the man's body. The background is also very dark while the subject's face is in direct light. This frames the subject and draws your eye to him. I would like to know who the subject is and what aspect of contemporary life this pertains to because he resembles a greek statue.

Zeng Fanzhi; Lucian Freud Portrait (2011)

This is a portrait of another painter by the name of Lucian Freud that was done by looking at a picture of this person. I don't know much about Lucian, himself, but this portrait paints a dark and moody tone of him. What caught my eye about this painting was that it was very different from Fanzhi's other famous paintings. This has aspects of realism to it,given that it's a portrait, so the figure has no mask like in Franzhi's mask serious nor does it have branches or barb wire like lines blocking the perspective of the viewer. The painting is very clear and doesn't have a background. 

My favorite aspects of this painting is the blur/fade/break-away effect on Lucian's head and torso and Lucian's expression. Though it's meant to be a realistic piece, this effect makes it seem surreal and dreamlike. Lucian appears to have either a blank or worrisome expression, which adds to the dark and mood vibe of the painting. There's even smears of red in the effect on Lucian's head. It almost seems like he is fading away slowly...The fox looks content and peaceful in Lucian's arms, as well, but the colors used for the fox makes it blend in with Lucian's shirt a bit. The fox doesn't stand out as much. 

Zeng Fanzhi "Blue" (2015)

Initially I was drawn to "Blue" by Zeng Fanzhi. I like the use of multiple different blues from dark navy to light turquoise.I think the branches were painted with a lot of detail and carful precision. I like how you don't really know what is in the background and it kind of lets the viewer choose what they see. To me it looks like the refection of the water with white fluffy clouds. This painting is so wonderful because it was done on a canvas with oil paint. I think his great detail to blending was made easier by the oil paints he used; however it made the time it took to paint this painting much longer. He highlights and draws the viewers attention to the center of the painting by darkening the edges of the painting. 

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Willem Claesz. Heda's "Still Life"

             Willem Claeszoon Heda was a Dutch Golden Age artist from the city of Haarlem devoted exclusively to the painting of still lifes. Since Willem Claeszoon Heda devoted all his time and effort in to creating still life he has perfectly captured the real feel of these objects he paints. The way the glass and metal all shines perfectly shows just how incredible of a painter he was. 

"Windmill at Wijk-bij-Duurst-ede"

This painting is an oil on canvas painting by the dutch painter Jacob van Ruisdael. It is located in the Amsterdam Museum. This painting conveys a suspenseful mood through the dark sky, the rain clouds and the contrasts between light and shadows between the clouds. The details in this painting are more than meets the eye. If you look to the left there is two sail boats, there is a castle that is left of the windmill, and to the right of the windmill there is a house and a church. There is also 3 women in the right corner below the house. He made the horizon very low. He wanted to display exactly how a flat Dutch countryside looks in this landscape.

Jackson Pollock

I really liked Pollock's oil painting entitled Stenographic Figure. As soon as I looked through some of his work, the bright colors drew me in. His works are layered heavily at times, and I liked how this one was clear and had empty spaces, even though the entire 3'4" by 4'8" canvas is of course covered, the spacing allows the painting to remain clearer than most of his other works. Also, the word stenographic refers to short hand so I understand why the title is what it is. Even though this is an extensive piece, the seems like for Pollock there's a lot of non-utilized space.

The Deep - Jackson Pollock

The Deep by Jackson Pollock was done in 1953, and its oil paint on a canvas. He began avoiding color in 1951, and started painting only in black. At first, I thought the painting was smoke, but reading more into it, Pollock wanted to create some sort of abyss either to be avoided or to get lost inside. It was said to be that the black in the painting was something dark and secretive and how the white was trying to hide it and never be looked into. I thought this painting was very interesting because of how he used the essentials colors black and white, I was actually drawn to it because of its colors. It seemed dark as if it was something evil that was truing to be hidden under the truth or good.  

The Deep

"The Deep" by Jackson Pollock was painted in 1953.  The painting is an oil painting and uses white black and yellow paint.  I like how Pollock used white as a contrast to the black.  It looks as though the darkness is being covered by white as a message of good and evil.  Its very simple yet still complex.

 

Las Meninas

"Las Meninas" was painted in 1656 by Velazquez in Prado, Madrid. In this painting we see Velazquez painting the king and queen. We can see them in the reflection of the mirror in the background. The main focus of this painting is Infanta Margarita, the daughter of King Philip IV. He creates form through color and light instead of lines which creates a very real image of the human figure. It is an interesting perspective and cool that the artist added himself to the painting.

Mask by Jackson Pollock

Mask was painted by Jackson Pollock in 1941. Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. This is an oil painting painted on a canvas. It is located at the Museum of Modern Art and it was painted in the style of Expressionism. I found that it resembled the art of Picasso which is why I choose this painting.  Pollock makes it his own with that twinkle in the mask’s eye and the rich amount of clutter of the color that surrounds the object. There happens to be a lot of black paint around the structure of the face. Besides that, I think the bright, white face sticks out from the more richer colors in the background.

Caravaggio; The Calling of Saint Matthew

Caravaggio was believed to have "injected new life" into Italian painting. He created large paintings with incredible detail in a "down and dirty" style, rather than soft and nude technique of Mannerism. He recreated religious art in that he made saints and miracles seem ordinary.

What I like a lot about this painting is that the light shines on many faces. Each person that looks at this painting could see a different person the light shines on. It is as if the light is supposed to show who Saint Matthew is. I would assume that that would be Jesus and an Apostle on the right side of the painting, and they are pointing to which person Matthew is, but "Jesus's" feet show that he is leaving. I think Matthew is the man hunched over on the table counting coins. Some may think that it would be the man at the table pointing, because the light is shining on his face, but I think he is pointing to the man over the coins. He looks the most "ordinary" of all the men.

One thing that took me by surprise was how big the painting was. It is 10.5 feet by 11 feet, which was bigger than expected. Also, it is believed that he used camera obscura to allow him to trace his piece on a canvas.

The Penitent Magdalen

This painting interested me because of many things. The first being the candle being the only light source in the tiny room, which causes an intense contrast of shadow and light on Mary Magdalen face. The candle represents spiritual enlightment. The skull is another thing that caught my eye, it is a symbol of her mortality. Another thing was that she looks as if she is staring into the mirror, in deep thought, contemplating. The mirror is a symbol of self-examination and vanity. She is staring in deep thought because she is feeling remorse for her sins and prays for forgiveness.

"Burial of Phocion"

The name of this painting is called "Burial of Phocion" by Poussin. It was created in 1648 and is currently located at the Louvre in Paris. At this time France, was the most powerful country in Europe and took over as the art center for a time period. The painting is very balanced and its orderly scenes shaped Western art for 200 years. In the painting someone is being brought to their grave. I like the painting because it is extremely detailed, shows great color contrast and just a unique painting. As an observer you can see the difference in a Italian artist and a French artist due to their different styles.

Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock: Number 31, 1950

This is one of the three wall-size paintings that Pollock realized in swift succession in the summer and autumn of 1950. In 1947, Pollock began laying canvas on the floor and pouring, dribbling, and flicking enamel paint onto the surface, sometimes straight from the can, or with sticks and brushes. The density of interlacing liquid threads of paint is balanced and offset by puddles of muted colors and by allover spattering. The pictorial results of this tension is a landmark in the history of abstract expressionism.

"The Art of Painting" by Johannes Vermeer

               

"The Art of Painting," also known as "The Allegory of Painting," is an oil on canvas painting done in the 17th century by Johannes Vermeer. Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch painter. This painting is currently owned by the Austrian Republic and on display in a museum in Vienna, Austria. This is Vermeer's most famous painting. People found this painting to be "perfect," because of the technical detail put into it. It was also found to be the most interesting, creative, well illuminated, and complex painting to exist; which is why it is also called "The Allegory of Painting." It is a painting of a man painting a woman in a blue dress, standing in front of a map. She is wearing a crown on her head and holding a trumpet. There are many different theories as to why he is painting this woman and who she is supposed to resemble. 

The Flame by Jackson Pollock

The Flames by Jackson Pollock was painted in 1934 when he was only twenty. This canvas was his first painting, which in my opinion is nicely painted. This painting looks like it was an oil painting by looking at the texture of the painting. You an see how the red and yellow oils represent the fire and the black represent the smoke that is caused by the fire. It also looks like the black parts are either peoples arms or branches. 

Figure with meat

In 1954, Francis Bacon painted "figure with meat" with oil paint. The painting presents Pope Innocent X in the center, between two bisected halves of a cow. Bacon was inspired by Velazquez's portrait of Pope Innocent X. However, Bacon was influence by postwar existentialist thoughts. Bacon wanted his views to be reminded that life is fragile, and at any moment anyone can end up being a carcass. What I loved from this painting was how gruesome Bacon presented in his work. The painting was so gruesome that Tim Burton featured it in his 1989 Batman film. 

"The Conversion of St. Paul" by Caravaggio

"The Conversion of St. Paul" was painted by Caravaggio in the year 1601, in the city of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. Caravaggio was criticized and looked down upon by his patrons because his style involved displaying religious figures and events as ordinary events in ordinary places, using ordinary people as models. "The Conversion of St. Paul", for example, showcased Pharisee Saul simply falling from his horse, as opposed to the excessive amount of religious symbolism that would have been painted in the renaissance era of painting. Many people would scoff and insult Caravaggio's work, but he would inspire three artists who would later create their own styles based off Caravaggio's paintings. These artists are Rubens, Velaquez, and Rembrandt.

The Kitchenmaid

"The Kitchenmaid" was painted by Johannes Vermeer in 1658. Vermeer is known as the master of light and called the "Sphinx of Delft," due to the mystery about his life. I chose to talk about this painting because it really stuck out to me. It's really remarkable how Vermeer was able to catch the light and portray it so perfectly in this painting. His use of shadows are really well, especially at the side of the ladies head where she is tilting it. This painting also has a lot of great detail in it, you are even able to see how crusty the pieces of bread are, it almost looks real. I also like how it is a simple painting rather then the more complicated ones I have been coming across.

Jackson Pollock's Blind Spots

Jackson Pollock's "Blind Spots" grabbed my attention because it reminds me of Rorschach ink blot test. This test is used to determine someone's personality. Jackson Pollock was an American influential painter who started an abstract movement in the painting world. Pallock often used a drip technique and preferred canvases over painting on walls. You can notice that he first dripped brown paint then the black afterwords. He was famous and known for layering paint which adds interesting texture. The color choice and shapes remind me personally of a cow. I enjoyed looking at Pollock's art work because they were very abstract and interesting to look at because everyone can perceive them differently. 

"The Bleaching Grounds near Haarlem"

"The Bleaching Grounds near Haarlem" is an oil canvas painted by Jacob van Ruisdael. The textbook refers to Ruisdael as the most versatile landscape artist. Also saying that although he painted sharply defined details, he drew attention to open stretches of the sky, water, and fields and used impressive differences of light and shadows. As you can see he painted the sky prominently showing the shadows and light from the sunbeams and how they cascade over the entire landscape. Ruisdael brings your attention to the sunlight that reflect on the land. The low slope edge including the skyline stretch over the whole width of this painting, while the buildings and trees follow the same path. I chose this painting because it brought back the same feeling I had when I viewed his other painting “Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede."

The Deep

This painting is called "The Deep," by Jackson Pollock (1953). Some say that the black in this painting is reminiscent of a persons deepest secrets. It has been said that Pollock believed this part depicted someone's true self, even if that person never dared to acknowledge it. I like how this painting has so much texture even though it's mainly black and white. The brush strokes Pollock used create a light, feathery feel on the part that "covers" that deep, black crevice. At first glance, I could appreciate Pollock's art, but I personally would not have hung any of them in my home. Then I came across The Deep. After seeing its simple yet dynamic look, I realized that this is probably one of my all-time favorite paintings.

Velazquez, "Las Meninas"

A first look at the painting, and you see little girl being the center of attention. That little girl is Margarita Theresa who would later become the Holy Roman empress, Archduchess consort of Austria, and Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia. The paining is more of a behind the scenes paining as you can see Velazquez incorporated himself into the piece as well as her servants and even her parents right above her head in the small mirror. I chose this paining because the first thing I noticed was the little girl which appears to me as some sort of royal princess and also the painter and I wanted to know why he was in it. So it was interesting to find out that Velásquez's point was to make it look like a behind the scenes painting so the audience can feel like they are there watching him paint Margarita. 

Jackson Pollock: Landscape with Steer 1936-37

This painting was done by Jackson Pollock in the 1930's. The images presented in the painting are meant to represent a part of the American western scene, to which Pollock was raised. The name of the painting is very interesting, as a landscape means all visible features of land. The painting does show visible features of land, more specifically the western countryside. I am not exactly sure as to what, "steer" means in this context though. The general definition of, "steer" is to give direction. So, "Landscape with Steer" can mean, "the features of a land with a given direction". This is represented by what looks like two opposing forces (one orange, one black) coming at each other from opposite directions in the painting. 

Another thing that is also interesting and quite noticeable about the painting is that there are four specific colors used-- black, orange, yellow, and blue. The red represents one opposing force, the yellow is an open field, and the blue must be the sky or is symbolic of a storm in the sky. The black represents rocks and the other opposing force. I debated a bit on whether the "orange" force was actually red, orange, or a reddish orange. I decided to stick with orange.

The two opposing forces look like skeletons of animals, but it is a bit difficult to tell. The one on the left hand side looks like the skeleton and shape of a bull. Beneath the orange force, there are more skeleton-like shaped objects on the rocks. It's amazing that some of this was also done with an airbrushing technique! This was also very different from his other paintings that had more wild and abstract strokes with few distinct shapes. This painting has a lot more distinction with objects and more solid strokes with a purpose (or as the title suggests, with direction).

Jackson Pollock for Thursday

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-the-story-of-pollock-guggenheim-and-the-masterpiece-created-in-one-night

Post a different picture by Jackson Pollock other than the one for Peggy Guggenheim

Leonardo da Vinci's "In the Womb"

       Leonardo was genius born in an era that it was not prepared for people like him. His great mind harbored some of the early design of inventions we use today. Besides being a great thinker and inventor he create some of the most beautiful pieces of art. I chose a piece that displays all his skills the genius he truly was. While the female reproductive system may be not entirely accurate it still shows how advanced he was in a time where the Church ruled most things and were very closed minded.

Leonardo, "The Last Supper,"c.1495

This painting has caught my attention because it has been the most known religious painting for five centuries. It is painting in a dining hall in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. As I read about this painting I read that Leonardo tried to show their emotions/ characters through facial expressions, and gestures. This painting to me is very unique due to Leonardo trying to use his own recipe of oil/tempera, and emulsion in order to do this mural. Throughout, this painting Leonardo was trying to portray the reactions the apostles had when Jesus told them one of them would betray Him. It amazes me how someone can express so much emotion although they were never physically there in that moment.

The Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus was painted by Sandro Botticelli in the 1480's. I chose this painting because I have always liked it and when I saw it it caught my eye. It measures 5'8" by 9'2" which surprised me because of the great detail used. On a smaller canvas it is easier to disguise details whereas on a big canvas everything is amplified. I love the movement in the air of this painting. Venus' hair is blowing in the wind and the clothes are flowing as well. I find that to be a hard aspect of painting so that's a goal I have for myself that I see executed well in this painting.

The Creation of Adam

This painting is called "The Creation of Adam" and was painted by Michelangelo between 1511-1512.  The painting is located in the Sistine's Chapel's which resides in the vatican city. It is a fresco painting and one of the most recognizable paintings ever.  I chose this painting because of how detailed and powerful it is.  The painting depicts "Adam" who is believed to be the first man ever according to Roman Catholicism, and his creator God, both masterfully painted.  As well as angels with God and a detailed portal showing where they came from.  I liked this painting because seeing how religion was depicted during that time in history is very interesting.   

The Unicorn in Coptivity

Ashely Mejia
Painting Class
September 15,2016





The unicorn painting caught my eye for many reasons. First;y the paint has a very strong meaning/ belief behind it. Back then they believed that in order to catch a unicorn in this era you had to get a bait which was a virgin and it had to sit in the forest. Apparently the unicorns attention would be caught by the virgin and it would go and fall asleep on her lap. The unicorn was also a symbol of love. This belief also has a religious belief behind it, showing similarities to Jesus Christ. By analyzing this painting my self i notice that the unicorn doesn't exactly look like a unicorn it just has the characteristics of a unicorn, because it has the horn and tail. But looking closely it actually looks like a goat. It has the face of a goat, and even the beard. Aside from that it looks very happy and peaceful and its trapped in a cage but not in a bad way. The unicorn is surrounded by flowers and other plants as well.

This painting of the "Last Supper" by Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Da Vinci has tons of popular paintings that are still admired till this day. "The Last Supper" painting was created in 1495 and it is currently in Santa Maria delle Grazie. This painting pictures Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples eating at what is known as the last supper. This picture is interesting to me because it has a story behind it that has to do with my religious beliefs. I also learned that Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, is pictured in the painting not looking at Jesus. I picked this painting because it is an iconic painting and has been famous for many years.

Bacchanal of the Adrians

This renaissance painting is by Titian. The island of the Andros was so favored by the god of wine and love, Bacchus. This painting shows the people of Andros celebrating by the river that was filled with wine given to them by him. The people are portraying the effects of wine that was said to make men dominant, generous, and rich. They are awaiting Bacchus' arrival, you can see his ship in the distance. They look like they are dancing, but in graceful manner. I like the bright colors, it shows this is a happy setting.

"The Feast in the House of Levi"

The Feast in the House of Levi, or "Christ in the House of Levi," is an oil canvas painting by Paolo Veronese, an Italian painter. This was painted in 1573 and is 18.21feet by 41.99 feet. It was one of the largest paintings of the 16th century. It was painted for a wall of the refectory of the Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo. This painting was the next best banqueting picture. It was originally called "The Lord's Last Supper," because it was a painting of Christ sharing his last supper with his host, Saint Matthew. Veronese was attested to court and had to change the name of the painting due to the painting containing "buffoons" and obnoxious, drunk Germans who were dressed in elegant costumes in an extravagant setting.

Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus, painted by Botticelli was painted in 1489 in and is the most beautiful painting of the Renaissance. This painting releases a symbol of femininity and beauty. Venus, the lady standing in the middle is the goddess of love and standing on a seashell by being blown by the shore in the background by a goddess named Zephyr. I feel like the shell represents the female reproductive organs by how its on the bottom and how she is covering her own. This causes a birthing scene which is a symbol of human birth.  I like how the shore is painted in a gradient and how its defined. Also, I love how the shell is painted, you can see the individual folds. This piece of art is the first biggest canvas created in the Renaissance Florence that measures 6 feet by 9 feet. Overall, I think this painting is so beautiful and I really like it.

"School of Athens" by Raphael

Raphael painted the "School of Athens" over 505 years ago during 1510-1511 in the Vatican in Rome while being assisted by 50 students when the pope asked him to decorate the rooms of the Vatican. "School of Athens" is considered an embodiment of the high renaissance due to it's use of sculptural quality, architectural perspective, balance, and combination of christian and pagan elements. Raphael borrowed techniques used by other artists in order to make "School of Athens" a masterpiece. From Michelangelo, Raphael used full-bodied, dynamic figures and contrapposto poses. Raphael also borrowed pyramidal composition and the use of light and shadow in facial modeling from Leonardo.

"Arnolfini Wedding"

This painting is called "Arnolfini Wedding" and was painted by Jan Van Eyck in 1434. This painting is showing the wedding of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini, an Italian merchant, and his wife. It is considered the most original and complex paintings in Western art because of the use of the mirror reflecting the image. Almost every object in this painting shows the theme of the sanctity of marriage from the shoes on the ground, representing a quote from the Book of Exodus, to the dog, representing fidelity. This caught my eye because I thought the woman was pregnant and it was representing a scandal but after reading about it I found that she is just holding her dress in a contemporary fashion.

"The School of Athens"

The name of this painting is called "The School of Athens" by Raphael. It is said to be have created in the year 1510-1511 also it's located in the Vatican in Rome, Italy. This is an example of the many detailed paintings in the Renaissance Era. Some claim that as one of the golden age of art. The painting showed great detail, incorporated the church into the painting when religion was huge then and just the design of the painting is so advanced and unique. This painting is 10/10 painting and will always be referred to now and years to come

"Last Supper" by Tintoretto

  

"Last Supper" is painted by the Italian Renaissance artist, Jacopo Tintoretto. An oil painting on canvas that was made in 1594 and it is placed in the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy. This painting is indeed based off the Christian belief in which Jesus had a last supper where he gave bread and wine to his 12 disciples and preached his beliefs to them. This is not the only Last Supper painting Tintoretto has painted. This painting is quite interesting because there are secondary characters right in the middle of the painting, not the apostles. In the forefront of the painting, there is the woman holding the dish out to the servants. He also included little animals like a dog in the front. He created a scene of more daily life. Christ is also easily recognizable because of the brightly red and blue colored garment and the huge halo light on top of his head. It is also interesting that in most Last Supper paintings, it is obvious who Judah is, but not in this painting. The apostles also stand out from the darkness of the painting by having little rings of light around their heads. I also found the spirits on the top of the painting to represent maybe the Holy Trinity, which is important in Christianity. There are various points to look out when it comes to light. (Halo around the head of Jesus, the lamp within the spirits, halos around disciples). Tintoretto used Mannerist style devices: deep colors, bright highlights, elongated figures. The table, which has been the main focus, frontal view of the past Last Supper paintings, was now diagonal in this painting.

The birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli created "The Birth Of Venus" during the early renaissance period (1484-1486). Botticelli was influence by ancient art history however, Venus marked the rebirth of classical mythology. Botticelli depicts several Gods throughout the painting, such as the Goddess of Love and the Goddess of the Season. Surprising, Venus brought major conflicts cause it contained nudity, and the Christians didn't portray public nudity. The thing that stood out from this painting was how Botticelli portray the beauty of women. The one thing I loved about this particular painting was how the woman was standing on a sea shell floating on the water surrounded by flowers, which reminded me of a mermaid.

Van Eyck, "Arnolfini Wedding" Oil Painting

The first thing that caught my eye about this painting by Van Eyck was the contrast between the husband and wife, or more specifically, man and woman. The man is in dark colored clothing and covered by a poncho like attire, while the woman is presented in much lighter colors of blue, green and white. The woman stands out much more in comparison to the man and their colors could symbolize light and dark, or good and evil. 

Another thing that caught my eye was the use of lighting. On the left, you can see a window and through the window you can see that it is during a sunny day because of how bright it is painted. The light of the window casts a shadow of the woman on the wall behind her, which can be seen clearly on the right. Objects that are not in front of the window are darker because they are not exposed to the light. 

The detail of this painting is quite great because of the artist's attention not only to lighting and shading, but also to objects and placement. The chandelier and mirror are perfectly visible in the center of the man and woman. At first, I was not sure whether the object below the chandelier was a mirror for certain until I zoomed in to get a closer look. I realized it was a mirror once I saw that the backsides of the man and woman in the same position were visible. This blew my mind. Eyck went to such great lengths to capture reality in this moment right down to the reflection in a mirror! Even the lighting from the window is captured in the reflection and the reflection is presented in like a, "fish eye" perspective. 

Mona Lisa

      Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," was painted through the years of 1503-1506. It is known as the worlds most famous portrait, not because she is famous, but because it set the standard for High Renaissance paintings in many ways. It is also the most reproduced image in all of art, in 1952 there was more than 61 versions created. It is also very famous because of its use of perspective, anatomy and composition.
      I chose this painting because everyone knows it and because I was in France a couple of months ago. When in France I went to the Louvre and the line to see the "Mona Lisa" was so incredibly long. I got a glimpse of the portrait and it was not what I had expected at all. It was smaller than what I imagined it to be and people were just going crazy over it. I could not believe the amount of people crowded around the small portrait. The Mona Lisa is obsessed over throughout the world, and it is very beautiful.

Van Eyck, "Arnolfini Wedding,”

This work is a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife done by Van Eyck in 1434. This portrait is actually not intended as a record of their wedding,and it may look like his wife is pregnant but she isn’t, she was actually holding up her dress. Van Eyck painted this on an oak panel with oil paint and mostly focused on the effects of lighting. It was also interesting to see how many objects in the painting symbolized something like with the dog representing fidelity and wealth and the cast-off shoes holy ground, also how Eyck managed to recreate the marriage scene in the small mirror in the back. I chose this pieces because it looked kind of creepy to me and the title had “wedding” in it and the bride looks very pregnant which wasn't very traditional to be pregnant before marriage back in the day, so I wanted to find out more about.