Early 18th Century Art - The Meeting

The Meeting by Jean-Honore Fragonard created in 1773 is a product of the Rococo period. We are seeing a lighthearted scene of a young man and woman in a very serene garden. We can see that this is from the Rococo period due to several distinct stylistic characteristics. We can see that loose brushstrokes were used in order to create the trees, bushes, and flowers in the painting. The colors in the background are somewhat muted and more on the pastel side in comparison to the red of the young man’s jacket and the bright white and yellow of the woman’s dress. The majority of this painting is based around organic forms showing an extreme interest in nature and the outdoors. A large amount of interest is put on the trees and flowers, seeing that the setting of this painting is a garden. Emphasis on nature and organic forms is something that we see over and over again in artwork being produced during the Rococo period. We can see that there is a sculpture placed in the center of the garden of Venus and cupid. Showing these mythological figures adds to the theme of love between the woman and man in the painting. Depicting mythological figures is again something that we see quite frequently in artwork from the Rococo time period.

The scene being depicted is that of an affair. We are seeing the young man cautiously climbing over the wall and starting to enter a private garden. The young woman is putting her arm out towards him as if telling him to stay still while she checks to see no one is around to catch them together. Both the garden and mythological figures give off a sense of sexuality and fertility. It is interesting because this painting was specifically commissioned by a woman to be created by Jean-Honore Fragonard. Fragonard didn’t finish this painting until the end of the Rococo period causing this painting to be rejected by the woman who commissioned it because she felt that the style was old and now out of date. However, it has been discussed that the reason she truly did reject the painting was because the young man and the young woman looked a little too familiar. To me the man and woman seem to be quite ambiguous and hard to identify as one particular individual however the woman who commissioned this said the woman looked a little too much like her and the man looked a little too much like Louis XV. They in real life were having an affair so it makes sense that the woman rejected the painting and didn’t want it to be seen and bring her affair to light.

            Jean-Honore Fragonard created some absolutely amazing artwork during the Rococo period that displayed themes of love while incorporating organic forms, aristocracy, and mythological figures, all created with loose brushstrokes. The Meeting fulfills all the ideals of the Rococo period and depicts quite an obvious affair.

Source: 

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/fragonard-the-meeting

Baroque Art - Option #2

            It is well known that Caravaggio had great influence over many other artists during the Baroque period. His stylistic characteristics are like nothing people had ever seen before. Caravaggio’s light and dark contrast, strong diagonals, and intense naturalism were what made his artwork so intriguing. In both artworks Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew and Mary Magdalen with the Smoking Flame we can without a doubt see Caravaggio’s stylistic influence.

            When looking at Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew created by Jusepe de Ribera there are several distinct characteristics that are similar to Caravaggio’s stylistics characteristics. For example, we see the two men being pushed to the foreground because of the monochromatic background. There is an intense light hitting the face and arms of St. Bartholomew that is contrasting violently with the extremely dark shadows on his back and the very dark background. An intense contrast between light and dark is something commonly seen in the work of Caravoggio, as well as light coming from an unknown source. Looking at this painting we can see no light source that would make this light contrast possible. There is also an intense naturalism to this painting. We can see the muscles tensing up underneath the skin of St. Bartholomew, the wrinkling of his forehead due the expression he is making, and veins running through his arms and neck. We can also see naturalism in the man looking back at him. He has a wrinkled brow, thinning hair, and what appears to be dirty hands and finger nails. Similar to Caravaggio, Jusepe de Ribera did not idealize this painting at all. These figures are very true to life and very individualized. The arms of St. Bartholomew create a strong diagonal in the foreground adding drama to the painting. We can also get a sense of drama from the facial expressions of both men, the lighting, and in the way St. Bartholomew’s body is positioned.

            In the painting Mary Magdalen with the Smoking Flame created by Georges de La Tour we can also see a “Caravaggesque” style. She too is placed against a monochromatic background with intense contrasts between light and dark. In this painting we can see that the flame of the candle is the light source. The flame is casting a very bright light on Mary Magdalen’s face, which creates a large amount of drama because that bright light is contrasting so violently with the dark walls and nearly black room around her. This depiction of Mary Magdalen is very naturalistic and true to life. Due to the use of tenebrism this is very similar to work done by Caravaggio. While this is dramatic because of the lighting the subject matter is not very dramatic. We are in fact seeing a very reflective and peaceful Mary Magdalen.

            Caravaggio influenced a large number of artists to start creating more drama filled artwork similar to his own during the Baroque period. His influence was widespread and he was greatly respected for his innovative stylistic characteristics. Due to his great influence a large amount of “caravaggesque” artwork was produced during the Baroque period all throughout Europe. 

Century Art in Northern Europe - Option #1

            Albrecht Dürer is the most widely known and respected artist from the German Renaissance who created a variety of different works that are still highly revered today. Being from Nuremberg Dürer had the freedom to create an array of different works seeing as there was no guild system. When looking at the artwork produced by Dürer, such as his self-portrait from 1500, it is apparent that he was greatly influenced by Italian and early northern European art.

            Due to Dürer’s travels he gained a large amount of knowledge on different stylistic characteristics that were popular in areas such as Italy at the time. In his Self Portrait we can see several Italian influences. When first looking at the portrait we can see that it has a triangular composition, which is often seen in art works from the High Renaissance. The portrait’s triangular composition gives a sense of balance and harmony within in the artwork. Again, we often see balance, harmony, as well as perfection from the Italian’s in the High Renaissance.

            However, Albrecht Dürer’s Self Portrait has a large number of stylistic characteristics from early northern European art. When looking at Dürer’s Self Portrait it can be said that he draws a great amount of influence from early northern European traditions. For example, we can see a great interest in rich textures, small details, naturalism, and luminous colors. The interest in textures can be seen in the realistic depiction of hair, the luminous quality of his skin, the softness in his jacket, as well as the fur collar of his jacket. Dürer’s interest in small details can be seen in the individual hairs growing off his chin, the depiction of veins in his hand, and the fur that is lining the collar of his jacket. When looking at this self-portrait of Dürer it is obvious that there is an extreme naturalism to the painting. When looking closely at the painting one can see that Albrecht’s right eye has a slight downward sag to it with a hint of discoloration underneath it. Rather than making himself look idealized and as perfect as possible he made himself look very naturalistic and as true to life as possible. Naturalism is something that is seen over and over in early northern European art. Something that can’t go unnoticed in this painting is the use of oil paints that create a luminous quality. We can see in his skin that it has a healthy glow to it, and his eyes appear to also have a gloss or wetness to them created by the oil paints. The luminous quality of the paint gives the painting a resplendent and naturalistic appearance. All of these qualities are characteristics that are often found in early northern European art.

            After viewing Albrecht Dürer’s self  portrait and other works of art produced by Dürer it is easy to see that he was greatly influenced by both Italian and early northern European artistic traditions. He pulls stylistic characteristics from both and creates absolutely unforgettable pieces of art.