#8. Early 18th Century art.

The Toilette of Venus

François Boucher  (French, Paris 1703–1770 Paris)

 

Francois Boucher is represented one of artists in golden age of France Rococo painting. Boucher enjoyed immense and widespread public popularity from not only aristocrat and noblesse patronage but also ordinary people by reflecting exactly about taste and trend in that period. In 18^th century, France culture trend is dominated by indulging beautiful thing (le joli) and Boucher’s painting shows them a yearning to beautiful which is simple, bright, luxury, elegant, classy, decorative, and erotic image. Rococo style is made in France and spread to all over the Europe. In Boucher’s painting, there is typical image of France. In this painting, nude Venus is make-up with putti and it looks like she is barely moved. Her bedroom is decorated by velvet curtain and silk bedding, also pearl, ribbon, gold plate and silver tray thing and flowers are strewed. In the background, a marble pillar is also emphasis her social position. Three of putties are make-up her hair and pearl necklace, also white doves are surrounded by her. Boucher’s The Toilete of Venus looks beautiful and elegant but her skin is so pale and it makes unrealistic somehow. I guess that the meaning of the goddess of love become faint and only seek for the value of beauty and joy is related to pleasure tendencies of the age in the Rococo. Throughout his work, an ambience of splendor and luxury is implying the model’s social authority and wealth, also sparkle satin and soft silk things also imply the opulent lifestyle in France court. I think that in this painting, splash of colors, sensual express texture, and full of detail is typical characteristic in Rococo style. According to Boston College, Boucher's success was greatly enhanced by the patronage of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to history as Madame (or Marquise) de Pompadour, the beautiful and talented mistress of Louis XV. Her favorite painter was Boucher and she wanted to decorate her country house by Boucher’s painting. ‘The Toilete of Venus’ is one of the panels in her luxury bathroom. This painting appears the goddess of love with putti which is winged little angle babies and it is symbols of love. According to Boston College, while it is clearly only a decorative panel, the dazzling surface technique, sensuous textures, and profusion of objects that seem to spill over at the boundaries, typify Boucher's work. In this painting, the model for the Venus was Madam de Pompadour herself. I guess that this scene which is image of Venus’s make-up frankly shows women’s desire for chasing beauty. In this subject, mirror is important symbolic icon. Usually, mirror was connected to Venus, the goddess of beauty, so back side of bronze mirror in ancient Greece was make-up or bath scene of Venus. However, in this painting, even though the mirror is on the bed, it is covered by curtain so it is not recognizable. Boucher might not want to express traditional Venus’s make-up, but he wanted to reveal the attractive and beautiful figure and high social status of Madam de Pompadour.

http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/110000172?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=the+toilet+of+venus&pos=1

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/anc_bou_toil.html

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bouc/hd_bouc.htm

http://arts.search.naver.com/service.naver?where=arts_detail&query=%EB%B9%84%EB%84%88%EC%8A%A4%EC%9D%98+%ED%99%94%EC%9E%A5&os=686462

#7. Baroque Art.

In different time period, Bernini and Michelangelo made two different David statues. Basically period and size are difference between both of them but the way how to express David in two different ways is the big difference. David statue by Michelangelo made in 1501-1504 and it is about 17 inch out of marble. In High Renaissance period, artist usually expressed their ideals such as humanism, naturalism, idealism, and visual harmony. Also, in this David statue, Michelangelo shows us everything in it. The reason why Michelangelo’s David is became a masterpiece is that it visually epitomizes the principles of humanism. And this David is nude statue and I think that this should be express naturalism. In addition, as we known that Michelangelo always made a visual harmony as perfectly and it shows in this David as well. Instead of showing active movement, Michelangelo shows us an ideal, muscular, mature David with every single detail in our body such as hair, eyes, hand with rock and tiptoe things. Also, Michelangelo depicted the moment of just before David battling with Goliath. I guess that he used to like Classical sculpture because David is made out of contraposto pose. Essentially, for the contraposto pose, the typical Greek face, and muscular body should be in the form. When we skim through this David, it might be hard to find any subject things. However, when we look closely in face, hand, and tiptoe, we could know that this David is ready to fight with Goliath. In his face, he is looking straight at someone and pulling a long face. In his right hand, it is exaggerated but we could know that rock must be in side of his hand. Also his foot is exaggerated and we could know that he is just about to start fight with Goliath.  In Italian Baroque period, Bernini made another David statue and it is made in 1623 about in 5feet 7inches out of marble. In Baroque period, artists are rejected Renaissance ideals and expressed what they wanted. As we can see, this David statue have really active pose and it is expressed the moment of during the fight with Goliath. Bernini shows that angry David just about to sling the rock to front of Goliath. David’s face looks angry and his mouth tightened into a thin line express that a man who have duel ahead and determined will. I guess that this David depicted simply than Michelangelo’s David because this David expressed all the things through his body and it feels like no more stories beyond that. The muscles in his legs are tight for stepping to Goliath and his arms and chest looks like full tensed before make a power for throwing the rock. This David is not nude statue compare with Michelangelo’s David but I think also it could be good way to express their feel. We could not see the all the Renaissance ideals but I feel like I can see the realism through this David.

#6. 16th Century Art in Northern Europe.

Albrecht Durer is respected as father of German art. Also he accomplished Renaissance from Northern Europe art as first and greatest artist. When he was 19, he went to travel for four years. He went to Italy two times and when was there, he saw some of the great artist’s works such as Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea Mantegna. At this time, in 1494 he made his first self-portrait.  In 1500, Durer made self-portrait as bilateral symmetry in frontal side and it remained secular portrait in Italy. Because of that after his death, worship for Durer has taken on religion character and his works considered as halidom. I guess he wanted to show pride of creator. Before his self-portrait pose also slightly toward front but this one is fully toward to front.  In 1500 and after, the frontal pose in the painting was connected with images from medieval religious art and above all the images of Jesus.

In this painting, he is staring intensely and directly to the viewer. I guess he did not care about the background and maybe he did not regard to time or place. His face is symmetrical and little bit elongated also he has brown long curly hair drop down on soft fur. It feels like he is wearing a good quality fur clothes. In bottom of middle, his right hand elongated upward and it feels like this gesture express something and it could express blessing. In addition, the light falls down irregularly and his right side is more bring into relief so it makes realism. As people well known, he made is signature on his works also in this painting on his right and left side, his signature is there. It is become famous and unique in that period, so copy of this signature was popular for a while.

Durer was always an innovator, also he studied and influenced by the Italian Renaissance art works such as the rules of proportion, perspective, and harmony propounded.  Especially, in this painting, the three-quarter pose is related to Italian Renaissance. The three quarter pose and triangular composition makes painting stable so it constant with Italian High Renaissance norms of harmony and balance and it reflect that Durer influenced by Italian Renaissance art. His long curly hair extended to his shoulder and it makes more three quarter pose. Also, the uneven highlight makes more intense mood and triangular composition.  In all of his self-portrait, he highlighted to his fashion and hair style. His fashionable sense also makes good looking.

I guess that after Albrecht Durer traveled and learned about Italian High Renaissance, he got impact and inspired many things. So he could have made a lot of beautiful and great art works. Woodcut is also one of his famous works and we could see his personal creative in that. Because of his brave adventure, we could see the great works of art and great history.

#5. Late Renaissance/ Mannerism

 Basically, 'Mannerism' a word of meaning is style and it is from Italian. According to Stokstad textbook, Mannerism was an anti-Classical movement in which artificiality, grace, and elegance took priority over the ordered balance and life like references that were hallmarks of High Renaissance art. In short, Mannerism period artworks are focused on human and depicted complex poses, so it is not a realistic and it also feels stale.
 Among the Mannerism painting, I would like to compare the Pontormo's Entombment and the Bronziono's Allegory with Venus and Cupid. There are some similarity between these paintings. First thing is that proportion of figures and space look unrealistic. Figures look like exaggerated and each figures have complicated poses. Even figures look moved limply, so it feels like distracted. I think that artist made these figures randomly. Their face expression and poses are looking separately, so overall the paintings look not unite at all.  Also, artists used weird colors in juxtaposition. They mixed and matched with improper colors, so it also made the paintings look not unite. In addition, viewer impossible to guess the background. These is no clue where it is and artist just put abstract things in the background. I think that because there is no linear perspective, these paintings could look unrealistic and boring. Unless any perspective thing is in the painting, it looks much better than these.
 About the Pontormo's Entombment, it is the fresco and altarpieces. I cannot easily guess about the story of this painting but i think that a woman is sad for a man's dead. Shadowy ground and cloudy sky made this painting as doom and gloom. I think that these is no space of beauty at all. All the figures located randomly so what I thought at the very first time is that I don't know what they are doing. I guess that there is supposed to be linear perspective in this painting. In the back, one woman looking down but her location looks so weird. I don't think that she looks like flying so every view must be felt same way as what I got. Also, Pntormo used really weird colors such as baby blue and pink with accents of olive green,yellow, and scarlet. Because of the weird color match, the painting looks unstable. 
 About the Bronziono's Allegory with Venus and Cupid, the artist Bronzino, his real name is Agnolo di Cosimo and he was assistant of Pontormo. According to textbook, it says that this painting is one of the strangest paintings of the sixteenth century. It contains all the formal, iconographical, and psychological characteristics of Mannerist art. There are two masks on the right under side, a dove interweave on the left under side.This painting break away formal composition of formal paintings. I even didn't know that there is a story til i read the textbook. I think that three figures in the foreground are the main characters in this painting. However, i guess because of the colors, the background figures and colors more catch my eyes. Blue fabric background looks weird, and this one also impossible to recognize the background. In addition, on the left side, a screaming man with tearing his hair is the most inapprehensible thing in this painting. I really don't know why the artist Bronzino made this painting just like this.