Battle of Anghiari - My painting

After thorough  inspiration from the cartoon of the Battle of Anghiari. I took it upon myself to paint of scene from the familiar battle of Custers Last Stand or the Battle of the Little Bighorn. You can see the reference I made in the central theme of the painting where the one horse rears over the fallen horse in a circular composition. I contemplated entwining the horses but chose not to complicate that part of the scene. Instead, I made of heap of figures and mass of fighting Native Americans. The painting is oil on canvas and 30"x48". You can also see some other influences from paintings that I implemented into the scene.

Battle of Anghiari by Leonardo

Custers Last Stand  by James Corwin

Battle of the Ticino by Unknown

Horse Study by Leonardo

Raphael references Leonardo

I found something interesting while viewing the images in my reading. This reference is not mentioned in my reading but I have taken it upon myself to share this new discovery... I am sure it has already been discovered but I was still excited to find something the other did not mention.

The painting Madonna of Foligno by Raphael depicts a man pointing to the heavens and holding a cross. When I saw this man I instantly thought of Leonardo's St. John the Baptist. Raphael is noted for gathering inspiration from Leonardo and referencing him frequently in his paintings. Take a look at the 2 images and let me know what you think!

Madonna of Foligno by Raphael

St. John the Baptist by Leonardo

Comments on Smyth

Following after my previous post on Mannerism and its style, I wanted to continue on the topic with this reading.
Mannerism really found a decline in art as it tried to counter the High Renaissance, a rebellion (pg 27). Art became very stylized and with overt forms and construction. Although experimental, the painting remained generalized and intentional (not free) (27). Where did this desire to change the style originate from? The idea of painting changed. Painting became more of what it is today, a creative process that can be learned and practiced by anyone and studied in schools.... Rather than using painting as a way to express biblical text and lifestyle. The previous idea of painting was being destroyed. People were beginning to pick up a brush, trying to imitate Michelangelo and failing. With the freedom to paint, came the freedom to express that which was held in the imagination instead of focusing on nature. Mannerism really became the vehicle that brought painting from a highly respected profession to more of a hobby.

Here is my previous post from Freedberg's article.

I had difficulty grasping what Manniera in Art truly is. I found bits and pieces that describe the style in painting. For example “Forms are illumined by cool light, transmitted through air so thin it seems unbreathable.” The atmosphere is both transparent and clear. The figures and their behavior are aetheticized. Their form is deliberate and intentional, but graceful and civilized (pg 286). I was also intrigued by the commentary of plasticity and sculptural aspects of the painting. Raphael began to incorporate more sculpture-like figures into his later paintings, similar to those of Michelangelo. The mannerists would use this sculpturesque style as a guide to stylization in their paintings (pg 287).

Comments on Chapter 7

I had difficulty grasping what Manniera in Art truly is. I found bits and pieces that describe the style in painting. For example “Forms are illumined by cool light, transmitted through air so thin it seems unbreathable.” The atmosphere is both transparent and clear. The figures and their behavior are aetheticized. Their form is deliberate and intentional, but graceful and civilized (pg 286). I was also intrigued by the commentary of plasticity and sculptural aspects of the painting. Raphael began to incorporate more sculpture-like figures into his later paintings, similar to those of Michelangelo. The mannerists would use this sculpturesque style as a guide to stylization in their paintings (pg 287).

Michelangelo in Disguise

Some of you may have already known this, but it came as a surprise to me as I was reading Renaissance Rivals. Raphael painted the portrait of Michelangelo into the School of Athens. "He is Michelangelo in Michelangelesque guise, represented as a melancholy genius, an apt description of the man employing an imagery familiar to contemporaries, intellectually and psychologically isolated though surrounded by a society of great men" (Goffen pg122). It is considered that Raphael even referenced the engraving Melencholio by Albrecht Durer and Michelangelo's prophet Jeremiah.

Raphael's School of Athens portrait of Michelangelo

 Albrecht Durer Melencholia

The portrait can be seen as acknowledgement of Michelangelo's greatness, or his failure to complete projects such as the Battle of Cascina and the Saint Matthew

Ideas up for Interpretation - Steinberg on the Last Judgment

It fascinates me all the thought that is put into composing the Last Judgment. In such a massive and extraordinary painting, it makes sense that diagonals and line work need to be considered if Christ is to be the focus without distraction – “Two diagonals converging in Christ… Without this symmetrical order, it would have been impossible to give emphasis to the chief figure” (Steinberg pg1). It is difficult to decide whether Christ is sitting, or rising, standing, or springing into action. But all interpretations of his gestures carry equal value and weight, in my opinion.

However, at times (after reading further) I was a bit skeptical of some of the ideas mentioned towards the creation of the Last Judgment. Did Michelangelo really consider all those things before and while painting the frescoes? At least Steinberg continues to question Michelangelo’s intentions and leaves some of the ideas for interpretation. For example in #15, Steinberg says, “Nor can one resist the impression that Christ’s hands together sustain the motion of the entire system. Like those of a conductor,  raising a crescendo on his right side while muting the other, the lifted hand causing that universal updraft by which the resurrected are drawn” (pg 12). I can see the visual, and I am glad the word impression was used, but Michelangelo probably did not intend for that visual. Too him, it may have just been a dynamic pose. Again, in #8, discussing the ‘fictional demons for dramatic effect’ in hell and poetic sources, “one cannot be certain about his intention but it seems to me that he [Michelangelo] introduced his Underworld between quotation marks, as it were” (pg 6). In general, most of the interpretations and meanings/ideas are skeptical, and I finish feeling unconvinced.

I don’t understand what Steinberg means when he uses the word “sink” to describe the position of the figures. Perhaps someone can comment and explain. Or do I just need to take it literally?

Titian's Venus of Urbino - Goffen

                Titian is among the first artists to be considered an international artist during his time. His work extended throughout Europe and influential works contributed to his success. The Venus of Urbino is in particular, significant. Titian painted many nude women, a contrast to the women (mostly clothed Madonna’s) and nude men that his contemporaries painted.  The Venus has often been considered pornographic and misogynistic. I believe it is neither.

She is placed into a bedroom, a setting not typical used during this time, propped up by pillows on a bed. The pose is striking because of her stare and revealed breasts. Her empowering stare beholds the viewer’s eye, perhaps in a sensual sense (pg 9; 13). However, her stare and reclining and exposed pose does not impose a sense of misogyny or pornography. It is a celebration of the female form. Michelangelo explored the male form countless because of his attachment to its beauty. His male forms appear throughout his paintings as bystanders but none of which are sexual or explicit.  Raphael and Leonardo expressed the feminine form through their portraits and the Madonna. I believe Titian was searching for his niche – to unveil the beauty of the female form and reveal it in a non-religious context.

Prostitution was practiced during this time and it is considered the model is a prostitute, but if not, in what ways does this painting deliver a sexual nature? Goffen* does not explore this question much besides referring to Titian’s painted subjects to have independence and personality (pg11) and injected eroticism. I suppose the mystery remains as it can only solved by the eye of the beholder. It is difficult to understand Titian’s true intentions behind this remarkable painting.

*I do like Goffen very much as an author and she suggests information without a bias.