AndrewVelasquezFinal

8/6/2019 AndrewVelasquezFinal

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AndrewVelasquez

Ms.NancyHart

MaymesterItaly

5June2011

MadonnaandChild

NumerousartistshaveportrayedtheMadonnaandChildovertime.Each

artistusesaverydifferentcomposition,which

aidsinenhancinghisinterpretationofthe

MadonnaandbabyJesus.Ducciopaintedthe

imageattherightwithmanystylistic

enhancementsaddedaswell.Heemphasizes

theangelicfiguresonthesidesmorethanthat

ofGiotto.Theperiodinwhichhecreatedthis

piecehadgreatinfluenceonitsoverall

compositionaswell.Thegoldenbackground,

halos,andotheraccents,givethepaintinga

senseofpower.Expensiveartisticmaterials

generallymeantthatawealthyandinfluential

personinthecommunityhadcommissioned

thepiece.DucciogavetheMadonnaaverysimplisticandsomewhatmanlyfacial

structure,whichsteeredawayfromtheideaofabsolutebeauty.Thispiececurrently

residesintheUffiziGalleryscollectioninFlorence,Italy,rightnexttoacomparable

piecebyGiotto,anothergreatartistofthesameperiod.


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Velasquez3

PietrodiGiovanniTedescosculptedthispiece,titledMadonnaoftheRosein

1399.Thoughthisisnottheoriginalworkitisanexactreplicaofthepiecethatnow

residesinthemuseum.Thisisoneofmultiplesculpturesbuildintothefaadeof

Orsanmicheleandisoneoftwo

Madonnaandchildthemedworks

thataccenttheexterior.As

understoodbythetitle,the

Madonnaholdsabushelofrosesin

herhandastheChristchildalso

placeshishanduponthem.The

pieceistheonlyonedoneinan

entirelygothicstyleinthebuildings

exterior.Also,ofthesixsculptures

thatremainintheirgivenconcaves,

thisistheonlyonethatdepictsa

woman,orthatofChrist.Thestyle

ismuchmoresubduedandhasless

dramaaddedtotheclothing

choicesandthefacialfeatures.Itis

averysimplisticexpressionthat

Tedescowasattemptingtoexpel,unlikethatofthecolorfulpiecesbydellaRobbia.


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Velasquez4

ThesisterpiecetotheMadonnaoftheRose.LucadellaRobbiacreatedthis

pieceasaradialwalltoken,orroundel,in1464.Thepiecehassuchvibrantcolorin

thesculpture,whichwasunheardofduringdellaRobbiasperiodandmadehim

standoutagainsttherestoftheartistsinhis

time.Heofferedsomethingthatmany

otherartistshadnotpursuedor

evenattempted.The

effervescentblueistheiconic

colorofthevirginandcanbe

noticeablyseendayornight

ontheexteriorof

Orsanmichele.Theglazed

terracottahassurvivedover

fivehundredyearswithout

completelycrumbling.Manyfindthis

tobeoneofthebiggestsurprisesofthepiece

duetothefactthatterracottaisgenerallyverybrittleandoftenbreaksquiteeasily.

LucadellaRobbiafoundamiracleinthismediumandcreatedasimplemasterpiece

ofcolortoadornawallfilledwithmuchmoreiconicartistssculptures.Hedesigned

theotherroundelsofthebuildingbutthisishismostfamousandmostdetailedof

thegroup.


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Velasquez5

PeruginodepictedaverybroadfacedcastinhisMadonnaandchildrendition

featuringatthesides:SaintLaurence,LudwigofToulouse,ErcolanusandConstance,

protectorsofthecity.Peruginoisknownforhisharmoniousandbalanced

compositionsasintheonebelow.Heusesperspectiveinhispillaredcoveringover

thecastandfindsgreatdetailinthesaintsclothingandlessdetailinginthatofthe

Virginandchild.Hefinds

abalanceofsoftnessand

sternattitudesbetween

thecharactersandforces

thecentertostandout

morethantheother,

lessercharacters.The

altarpieceisonlyahalfof

amuchlargerpiecethat

Peruginowas

commissionedtodoby

theCouncilofPerugia,

wherehewasfrom.TheotherhalfisstillinPerugiaandthishalfisintheVaticans

artcollectioninVaticanCity.


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Velasquez6

Thispainting,thoughtitledandattributed,itisstillbelievedthatitcould

not havebeendonebyBeatoAngelico.There isnoreason for disbelief, but

there isnothing that absolutelyproves him tobe the artist.The title of thepieceis:MadonnaandChildbetweenSaintDominicandCatherineofAlexandria.The painting was finished in 1435. It is awood panelwith a tempera base

material. Because of the playfulness of the Virgin with the Child Jesus it is

attributed to a Tuscanstyle common in the13th century.Mary is holding a

rose, which is a

symbol of

wisdom.

Because the

piece itself is so

small in scale it

is believed to

have been

painted as a

personal prayer

totem and was

for singular use

unlike the

previous panels

that covered

wallsofchurches.


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Velasquez7

Sassoferato,orGiovanniBattistaSalvi,waswellknownforhiscradling

Madonnaandchild,whichherecreatedmanytimesinmanydifferentcolor

schemes.Theoilpaintinghasaverydifferentidealthatisportrayed.Sassoferato

showstheVirginrestinginthecloudsuponacrescentmoonwithmanycherubs

arisingfromthecloudssurroundingher.ShecradlesaclothedJesus,whichisrarely

seeninmostdepictionsoftheVirginandchild.Andagain,thereisarose,butthis

timeithangsontheendof

arosaryinthehandsofthe

childandshowsastrong

senseofwisdomforthe

bothofthem.Sassoferato

usesamuchmoreformal

andconservativeapproach

todepictingreligious

subjects,whichbecame

andidentifierofhiswork

andmadetheviewers

growtoembracehisvery

stylizedmethod.


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Velasquez8

Cimabue,Giotto,andDuccioallusedthesamebasisfortheiralmostidentical

altarpiecesthatallshowtheMadonnaandchildwithabackgroundofangelic

figures.Cimabuehadamoregothic-esquestyleinhispaintingthatstandsopposite

oftheprevioustwoshown.Hehasa

muchmorerestrainedtechniquethat

allowsforhimtofindtheextreme

detailinthedraperyandthefeathersof

thewings.Eachpieceofthethroneis

meticulouslypaintedwiththeideasof

perspectiveaccountedforaswell.

CimabuewasaRenaissancepainter

alongsidethelikesofDuccioandGiotto

butmadeanameforhimthatstill

standstodistinguishhimtoday.His

facesonthefiguresallresemblealike

personbutnotinawaywhereittakes

fromthebeautyofeachfaceinitself.

Thepatronsandcommissionersare

featuredbeneaththethroneofthe

Virginandkeepstheminvolvedinfocus

butnotdrawingfromthetruemeaningofthepaintingandwhatheistryingto

portraywiththeoilsonthewood.


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Velasquez9

Again,Giottoshowshissurrealisticfigures.Thechildsortofresemblesa

smallCapuchinmonkeyinsteadofaninfant,whichdrawsfromtheideaofthe

MadonnaandChild.ItisoneofafivepanelseriesthatGiottowascommisionedto

doforachurchaltar.Inperson,Ifoundthe

otherfourpanelsofthepiecetobemuchmore

beautifulthanthecentralpanel.Theother

panelshavesuchintricatedetailthatIwanted

tolookatthemlongerthantheonedepicting

theViriginandchild.Giottousesthegold

leafingtoaccentuatethefiguresandgivethem

aglowingqualityinthenegativespace,but

alsomakesitsomewhatclichatthesame

time.Thereweresomanyaltarsthatbecame

overcomebythegoldaccentsthatthey

becometiresometolookat.Itisbeautiful,but

therewasnotasenseofrestrictiononwhat

couldbedoneinart,esceciallyinreligious

worksofartinthechurch.


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Velasquez10

FraFilippoLippihas

manypaintingsofthe

MadonnaandChildinthe

UffiziGalleryinFlorence

alongsidethisone.Itis

doneintemperaon

canvasthathasaframe

withinaframeasthough

theMadonnaandthe

cherubarerestingonthe

edgeofit.Thispiecehasa

differingqualityalso,

becausetheVirginisnot

physicallyholdingthe

childasinmostother

versionswhereshe

cradlesthechildinher

arms.Theentirepaintingisverysoftandsubdued,allattributedtothestyleofLippi

andhisportrayaloffiguresinpaint.Softeneddetailsandfoldskeeptherealismand

alsokeepitwiththeholywithaveryfainthaloonboththeVirginandthechilds

heads.


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Velasquez11

AnotherofLippisworks,MadonnaandChildwiththelifeofSaintAnne,isa

radialbasedpiecewithaverycomplexbackgroundandamuchmorediversestudy

thantheprevious.Heattemptstouseagreatdealofperspectiveinthispiecewith

theleadinglinesintheceilingandfloorthatappeartoleadtoasingularvanishing

point.ThisMadonnahasasaddenedfaceandanalmostdisconnectedexpression

thatleavesherjustbeingthereinthemoment.ThelifeofSaintAnneunfoldsinthe

backgroundwithnodirectcorrelationtotheVirginandchild.Thereisatotalof

thirteenfiguresinthepiecewithnot

oneofthemdirectingtheir

attentiontowardthe

viewer,ordrawing

attentiontoone

placemore

thananother.

Allofthe

spaceremains

activatedwith

motionand

drivestheeyeto

seeeverythinginthe

paintingandtonotmissout

ononedetailthatLippiincluded.


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Velasquez12

BotticellialsohasnumerouspiecesintheUffizicollectionthatfeaturethe

Madonna.Theonedepictedbelowwascreatedasaroundel.Thecentralfigure,the

Virginhasaveryfemininelook,unlikemanyoftheearlierpiecesinprevious

centuries.Allofthecolorsareveryvibrantandlivelythatgiveitmoreofamodern

edgethattheothersdonotattainwithcolor.Thisdepictionisalsomuchmore

realisticandhasalate/post-Renaissancestyle.Botticelligivesgreatamountsoflight

tothefiguresandallowsforeverythingtobeshownandfortheretobenothing

extraaddedtothecomposition.Itissimplyapaintingofpeopleandnothingmore

andnothingless.Theexactbalanceofwhatheneededtogettheimagetobe

understoodbyviewersand

fortheaudienceto

adapttothe

changein

art.


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Velasquez13

TheUffiziseemstoholdagenerousamountoftheRenaissanceartandmost

ofthewell-knownartists.Botticellipaintedtheonebelowaswell.Thecolorpalette

ismuchmoresimplifiedandhasdarkervaluesaddedtogiveadreariereffectonthe

viewersinterpretation.Maryisadornedinhersignatureblue,withherbeingthe

primaryfigurewithanycoloratall.Botticelliusesafullcastofmalefiguresinthis

painting,whichisliketheoneabove,onlythesearemuchmoremanlymenand

theonesinthepreviouspaintingarelackinginthatquality.Thereisagloomyedge

tothispaintingwiththedarkerfiguresthatloomaroundtheenthronedVirgin.

Botticellifocusestheattentionofsoftnessonthelovelyandquaintwomensitting

boldlyinthecenteroftheimageandfindsawayofbalancingtheviewwiththe

negativespacebeingfilledwithmoreunrulycharacters.


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Velasquez14

AlbrechtDrerpaintedthisportraitMadonnain1526.Mostmodern

Madonnasarepaintedinasimilarstyletothiswithaverysimplecompositionand

theportraitjustfocusingontheMadonnaandchild.Hefoundacategorytobuild

uponbecausehelatercreatednumerousotherpiecesinthesamestyle.When

Drersworkislookedat

overhislifetime,hisskill

improvedandhelater

createdmorerealisticfigures,

unliketheonesshownhere.

Thechildsfaceisnot

proportionateandthe

Madonnasheadappearsto

betoolargeforherframe.

Thepieceistitled,Madonna

ofthePear.Hislaterworks

havemorecolorandshow

betterworkmanshipinhis

techniqueandskill.This

piececurrentlyhangsinthe

UffiziGalleryinFlorence,Italyalongsidesomeofthegreatestartistseverknown.


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Velasquez15

RaffaelloSanzio,orbetterknownasRaphael,isbyfaroneofmyfavorite

artiststohaveseeninperson.Thephotosdonotdohisworkjustice.Thefiguresare

asperfectaspossibleandthecolorsareawing.Thereisnotenoughtopraisehim

on.Thepaintingisdoneinoilonawoodpanelandistitled:Madonnaandthe

Goldfinch.Thechildren,ChristandayoungJohntheBaptist,areholdingthefinch

betweenthemwhiletheMadonnalooksdownonthem.In1506Raphaelgiftedthis

paintingtoafriend,LorenzoNasi,whosehousewaslaterdestroyedbyan

earthquake,inwhichthispaintingsplinteredintoseventeendifferentpieces.The

paintingfinisheditfinal

restorationin2008andis

nowre-hungintheUffizi

GalleryinFlorence

(Mail).Belowisthe

piecebefore

restoration.


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Velasquez16

TheclocktoweratSt.Markssquareholdsthisstatue.Thestatuewas

selectedtoreplaceapreviousstatueofDogeAgostinoBarbarigo.Thestatueisof

gildedbronzeandhasbeeninthealcovesince1797.(Goyonline)Becauseitisso

highuponthetower,itis

moredifficulttoseethe

detailofthepiece.From

thephotograph,it

appearstohaveavery

simplifiedstyle.Iwould

assumetheychose

somethingsimple

becausealargeamountof

detailwouldbewasted

ontheprojectandwould

notbeabletobeseen

fromthelevelofthe

square..


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Velasquez17

Thornsshootoutofthesidesfrombehindthissculpture.Thedraped

Madonnalightlycradlesthechildandlooksdownonhim.Theradiatinghaloaround

herentirebodycomesoutlikethornsyetaregildedingoldtorepresentthehigher

poweroftheVirginandchild.ThesculptureissetonthecornerofaSanMichelein

ForoinLucca.Thefacesofbothfigureshavebeendestroyedorruinedovertimeso

theyfeaturesareunrecognizable.Thechurchitselfhadsomanydetailsthatitwas

impossibletoseethemall,butthiscaughtmyeye

becauseofthe

goldendetailthat

surroundeditand

howsimplethe

sculpturewasin

itself.


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Velasquez18

IfoundthissculptureatsomepointwhilewalkingthroughFlorence.Iamnot

quitesureinwhatbuildingitwasthatIhappenedtowanderpast,butItwasan

amazingsculpturetojuststumbleupon.ThatwasthepartIlovedaboutItaly.I

lovedthatanywhereIwalkedtherewasalwayssomethingnewtoseethatImaynot

haveseenbefore,evenifIpassedthesamespottendifferenttimes.WhenIfirstsaw

thisinmyphotosIhadmistakenitfortheMadonnaatOrsanmichele.Though,when

Iputthemnexttoeachother,likedthisonemuchmore.Ilikethedetailofthetwo

figuresandthedraperyoftheclothovertheirbodies.Thehoodedveilisamazingly

doneoverherfacewithnofractureorbreak.Shebearsastonecrownandthechild

hasametalhalothatwasadded

afterthesculptures

completion.Ifeelthatthis

accomplishedabetterlook

thantheoneof

Orsanmichele.


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WorksCited:

Goy,RichardJ.BuildingRenaissanceVenice.YaleUniversityPress.2006.3June2011.

Online.http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300112924

MailForeignService.DailyMailUK.24October2008.3June2011.Online.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1080424/A-masterpieces-

renaissance-Raphaels-Madonna-Goldfinch-returns-painstaking-10-year-

restoration.html#

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