In today’s class, we took a closer look at Manuscripts, specifically those of the Duke of Berry. The Duke of Berry was an art collector and has several books commissioned for him. My favorite was a book made by the Limbourg brothers. I thoroughly enjoyed their February illustration. Professor Plesch explained that this image’s uniqueness comes from it being one of the first winter scenes with snow. In snow landscapes, the dominant color is white which requires a skillful artist. White is hard for shading and adding depth due, as artists run the risk of making scenes look muddy and dark with over shading. However, the Limbourg brothers executed the February scene really well. Furthermore, they added many different small details, like the breath of a man outside chopping wood.
Author: Adrian (Page 2 of 2)
The Nativity and the Coronation of the Virgin series by Durer highlights an interesting example of technological impacts on the art world. The series portrays the coronation of the virgin Mary by the Holy Trinity. Durer’s series is made with woodblocks enabling multiple copies of each scene to be produced. This reigns a new air to how society interacts with art. Prior there was a patron, artist, and singular work made, now Durer could distribute multiple of the same scenes. And in fact, in the 1500s, there were apocalyptic fears which helped with sales of the Virgin series. The printing press and other technological advancements coincide with the Renaissance time period, and thus, their impact on art is very interesting to observe.
Scenes from the life of St. Ursula by Carpaccio show the journey of St Ursula and her ultimate demise. However, the story stresses the divinity that St. Ursula embodied, as she convinced a paigan king to convert and led a caravan of 11,000 women on a religious journey. Carpaccio adds a level of intimacy for the viewer, as the members of the background in these scenes are engaged similar to the viewer. In the reading, the question of whether there is a true religious nature to a piece of art or if it is just a flex of wealth is brought up. For example, prayer books while seemingly religious are in fact a display of affluence. While objects may seem to embody a divine nature, patrons sometimes use the iconography to show the vast amount of money they have. In case I want to have a religious theme in my exhibition, I have to consider the context in which the art was created, as it may not always seem as simple as it first appears.
Today, we learned about the importance of relics within Renaissance art and religion in general. As a non-religious person, the culture surrounding relics was relatively unbeknownst to me. Relics are sacred and holy pieces connected to Saints and other important religious figures. The esteem that they are viewed in has both positive and negative associations. On one hand, they offer a closer connection to religion. On the other hand, there is a large black market in the production and existence of relics existing as far back as the 12th century. It is interesting to me to consider the importance of relics both in the religious context and artistic one. I feel like there is great power in viewing something that many find incredibly important. For example, even though I am not Muslim, I still deeply enjoyed visiting Mosques throughout Turkey when I visited. However, not everyone is like me, so I think it will be important to balance the cultural and aesthetic contexts in my exhibition.
Simply put, today was a graphic class. We examined photos and an artistic portrayal of ergotism. Side effects of ergotism include feet and limbs turning black while becoming exceedingly painful with death following. Such a grim situation was paid homage in an altarpiece from modern day France. The subject was St Sebastian who is an icon for suffering after he was brutally tortured by the Romans for converting to Christianity. I really enjoyed this altarpiece because it reminded me of the importance of historical context and how we can connect to the past over shared experiences. Specifically, with all this disease and plague talk, I was reminded of the Covid-19 pandemic. I wonder in my exhibition if I can effectively make a connection between present times and past to heighten the viewer’s engagement with the art.
Entombment by Rogier van der Weyden stood out most for me. I enjoyed seeing the expression in the faces of the people depicted and find it curious to observe this change from earlier Renaissance and Middle Age paintings. Specifically, Mary is grieving the death of her son and has a grave emotion on her face. Her sadness is reminiscent of her once existing passion she had for her son. Earlier works seemed to have less emotion, especially when it came to background characters, so I like seeing this shift. Thinking about my last reflection, I thought a lot about focal points, and in art, I enjoy when my eye is grabbing to the work initially and then is allowed to wander with equal fascination.
After looking at works of art that are showing a story, it is interesting to think about how the story is being told. Sometimes the narrative is more concrete and in other instances, they are more abstract. Typically, the works we are looking at provide a more concrete narrative. For example, we have been looking at “polyptychs”, which are altarpieces showing different scenes by using panels. However, back to thinking about storytelling modes, I find it fascinating to consider the intentionality of the artists. With larger works like Quarton’s Coronation of the Virgin, the piece is so large with so much going on that it is interesting to see where the eye is drawn and which areas have more finite detail. By breaking down the work into smaller sections, the differences become far more apparent.
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The class today continued to concern altar pieces and religious works of art. Many works’ subjects were the Madonna or the virgin Mary. Time period is a large determiner in the type of style and way in which this scene is shown. I noticed the different types of blocking among the other subjects drastically changed. For example, in Giotto’s Madonna Enthroned, the surrounding people’s position relative to Mary and baby Jesus is less overarching, in a position lower than when comparing the same scene as depicted by Cimabue. For me, this changes the level of importance that Mary is being presented. It also alters the focal points on each work. Giotto’s baby Jesus and Mary’s womb is far more emphasized. I think this is important to think about moving forward. With religious works of art, there can be similar scenes shown in a vast amount of ways. When thinking about the exhibition, I plan to analyze the works of art in the context of other similar works, as well as the time period they were made.
Today, the complexities of art handling and the setting in which museums present art was further explored. After visiting the museum, this topic was especially relevant. Dr. Plesch pointed out that often times works are presented in a totally different setting than where they were created. This causes a loss of meaning/feeling for the viewer. Dr. Plesch used the comparison of polar bears. These animals live in arctic climates but are sometimes moved to zoos. While visitors get to see the animals, they miss out as zoos are vastly different than the arctic. This same issue can be found while presenting art. For example, even though Giotto’s fresco in the Arena Chapel is still presented in the actual chapel, over the years many different renovations and changes have happened in the space. One can even see where these changes were made looking at a picture of the Arena Chapel.
Looking forward to the midterm and eventual final, I plan to think about how I can create the most authentic experience for my show. I will have to think about structural layout critically and will continue to think about how other museums are working on providing the best possible visit for their members.
Entering the Colby College Museum of Art, I can feel a level of comfort. In relatively rural Maine, such a cultural center for the arts is rare, and furthermore, because of the traditional layout and amenities the museum has, I feel transported to a more urban city. The lobby itself is reminiscent of modern art museums across the globe, with a welcome desk positioned next to a small cafe. The floors are separated by time, genre, and in some instances, there are areas designated for singular artists. The lighting varies from gallery to gallery but fits the tone of the work I was looking at. One of the only peculiar things I noticed was that the walls sometimes were painted different colors for different piatinings.
Something I enjoy looking at in museums is the acquisition numbers. I feel like which paintings a museum has out shows the current ambitions the institution has. However, when seeing the time the museum acquired the painting on display provides a more indepth look into the history of the museum’s culture. I have to admit that I did not spend enough time to gauge a sense of the College’s acquisition history, but I imagine this term I will reach that point. Also, curiously enough, I realized that this is only the second museum I have been in that was attached to academic buildings (the other being the Addison Gallery of American Art at my highschool). Going to museums in Yale and MIT, I think I enjoy being connected to academic space, especially when considering I am a student at the College. For me, I feel a sense of belonging more to the museum, and I hope that this emotion will only grow.