Mini Post 1

Albrecht Durer's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
(1497-1498)

      Albrecht Durer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is estimated to be from 1497-1498.  This is often known as Durer’s most famous work of art; however, he does have much other print/woodcut art. This is a woodcut type of printmaking art in which wood is carved and then ink is rolled on the art, and as a result from the carvings some parts of the work have ink and other parts do not. Also, since it was woodcut, Durer was able to have text printed on the back of each of his pieces.

      In this piece of work, we can see four horsemen. Each one of the horsemen represents something different. The one with a bow represents Conquest, the one with a sword represents War, then there is a black horse in the center that represents Famine, and finally, the rider and horse on the bottom represent Death/Sickness.  These men on their horses are depicted attacking or stomping on their foes. The meaning of this work is in the fact that this is a visual depiction from the Book of Revelation. (6:1-8) This piece of art is significant because previous artists have depicted the scene with the horseman side by side, however, Durer has them overlapping as the horse’s stomp over their enemies.

      Finally, to truly make sense and understand the depiction that Durer was imagining. We must take a look at the words from the Book of Revelation. Once the passage is read, it is clear the detail/passage that Durer is depicting with his art.

            "And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come!' And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come!' And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand; ... When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given great power over a fourth of the earth; to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth." (Book Of Revelation (6:1-8)).  

Links: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/336215

Masaccio Trinity

Trinity, Massacio 1427

Masaccio's painting, Trinity, was considered Renaissance art. Renaissance art was driven by this new notion of humanism.  Masaccio includes this idea of humanism in his painting because he imagines God as similar to mankind and not as a force or an abstract figure but simply as a man. Masaccio included humanism into the Renaissance period by depicting god as a man since God was usually painted as an abstract figure that could not be captured. He was a man among the people rather than a figure that individuals blindly believed in. 

 The painting depicts the trinity of God the father, Christ the son and the holy spirit. Masaccio depicted the painting to be from a low view point, giving off the illusion that the viewer is looking up at Christ. Christ is seen as being crucified as Mother Mary and God surround Christ. The holy spirit is depicted as a dove which is common in many religious Renaissance paintings during the 1400's since the holy spirit is seen as coming down as a dove in the bible. The depiction of the architecture is also very interesting in this painting due to the fact that it was seen to be based off Ancient Roman architecture. 

Michelangelo, Pietá, c 1498-1500, marble

The Pietá refers to the Virgin Mother Mary holding her son Jesus in her lap after he has been crucified.  This sculpture was created in the late 1400s during the Renaissance period.  The sculpture that was originally intended for a French Cardinal's tomb can be seen at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.  The Pietá is the only art piece Michelangelo signed, the reason being him not wanting to be mistaken by a different artist.  Michelangelo decided to create this Pietá as a challenge to make an art piece out of marble; also, he worked in the church, so he was influenced religiously.

The name of this art piece represents both subject and meaning.  The artist wanted to show in detail the beautiful mother Mary trying to comfort her son after going through hardships and sacrifice.  In a mother’s point of view, it is difficult to see her child in pain, therefore the mom experiencing a “double-pain.”  Despite that “double-pain,” Mary manages to support her son, looking like a strong, youthful woman.  Michelangelo sculpted Mary to look younger because she was a virgin and believed virgins would not age like non-virgins did.  Mothers would do anything to keep their child safe.  Being that there was not much Mary could do at that point, one can imagine her telling Jesus that everything was going to be okay.

"The Transfiguration" 1520.... Michael Matusz

This painting titled "The Transfiguration" was created in 1520 by an Italian painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino; better known simply as Raphael. "The Transfiguration" was painted during the Renaissance period. This painting came about when Cardinal Giulio de'Medici commissioned Raphael to put together a painting of Narbonne, which is a city in France. This is a very religious painting that depicts Christ elevated in the air with the prophets Elijah and Moses to his side. The bottom of the picture displays the Apostles attempting to get the demon out of a boy who is apparently possessed by the devil. This painting holds a lot of details and is ultimately trying to get across one main point. That point being that everybody has flaws and Jesus Christ knows that. However, Jesus still watches over his people on earth and keeps them safe.

Raphael started this painting in 1516 but it was put on pause when Raphael unexpectedly passed away. After his death, his painting was kept by the Pope until it was donated to the church of San Pietro which is located in Rome. It is believed that one of Raphael's students, Giulio Romano, completed "The Transfiguration" once Raphael passed away. He completed the painting in 1520 and it is now kept in the Vatican Museum.

During the Renaissance period (1300-1600), religion was a very important aspect of everyone's lives. The Pope allowed Raphael to draw a painting that involved the Power of Christ in the town of Narbonne. This painting relates to today's society because there are a countless number of religions that people follow. For the most part, back in the day the Roman Catholic religion was followed by the majority of people. As a result, this painting related to the greater half of the population during this time period.

Darryl Jon Guinto, Mini Post 

Artemisia Gentileschi

Judith Slaying Holofernes

The painting above Judith Slaying Holofernes 1910 was a creation of Artemisia Gentileschi, she was an Italian Baroque painter towards the end of the 1500s and early 1600s. At this time it was very rare to see or have acknowledged female painters. Art in history is a very male-dominated space but she was one of the few females to stand out. The depiction above is of two women murdering a man with a dagger that looks like he was just trying to sleep. Just like many paintings of this time, it is an oil canvas. The painting recounts a story from the book of Judith. Holofernes is the man that is being murdered in the painting. He is was Assyrian General who captured the city of Bethulia where Judith lived. Judith a beautiful woman, was invited to meet with Holofernes where you can guess what happened. She beheads Holofernes to avenge her city.

But why is this painting so important? First, it is important to know a bit about Gentileschi's life. A detail that everybody needs to know about her is that at a young age she was raped by a man named Agostino Tassi. For a big part of her life, she lived with males because her mother died when she was 12. It can be assumed with these details that she has an underlying resentment towards men which is reflected through her artwork. Her life was dark and her art may be a representation of it. The painting represents the power of women in society, it is a depiction of the importance of women no matter what position. Judith is seen as a tool to the man (Holofernes) but to her city, she is somewhat of a hero. At this time the culture was centered around men but if Artemisia was alive today she would want to tell the world that without women society would collapse through her art. Women hold an equal amount of influence in a place where women are not seen as working-class citizens of this time.

Mini Post #1: Martina Michelato

This sculpture was made in the Renaissance period, it is one of the most famous sculptures in the world. This sculpture is very similar to Greek work which shows by its heroic, powerful and strong naked man look. It symbolizes what a young and healthy man looks like in this era.  It was the first time such a huge naked male sculpture was made.  Two other men attempted to build David but left it abandoned, Michaelangolo took over and built him with leftover marble that was left as waste.  He became a lot more known and famous after finishing this sculpture. They say Michelangelo is one of the best, the sculpture is detailed and very well done.




The reaction to David was better than expected people loved it and wanted it to receive as much attention as possible.  At first people were shocked to see a naked man and didn't understand how this could relate to religion.  Since he is cradling a string and clutches a rock in his hand it is said that he is the David that fought the vicious giant Goliath in the Bible. People also discuss his facial expression and question if he was anxious or nervous. Many people create their own ideas as to what he was thinking or doing at this moment which is also what keeps this statue so intriguing. The Renaissance era focused a lot on Greek and Roman art.  This statue represents both of these things, it is an era also known for its famous artists in this time including Michelangelo.  Political issues in Florence in the 1500s were at its best, Florence was self governed and people were happy.  This also helped the writers, painters and architects during this time. This statue is placed in Florence inside the accademia galleria, I have visited it many times and every time I see it I am speechless.

David by Michelangelo made in the Renaissance period (1501-1506). 

Marah Siyam , Mini Post #1

Marah Siyam
Art History II
Professor Cacoilo

               Mocking of Christ With The Virgin Mary and St. Dominic 

   by Fra Angelico.

Mini Post #1


The painting I chose to analyze is the Mocking of Christ With The Virgin Mary and St. Dominic by Fra Angelico. This an altarpiece made for the Monastery of San Marco in Florence in 1441-1445. The genre of this work was made relates to its time period during the 1400’s art was used to worship and to exhibit people's devotion to Christ and to the Church, and or the genre of the early renaissance. Creating these altarpieces to be seen by other worships creates a space where people can come reaffirm their beliefs, and this piece, in particular, does that. The piece shows Christ being ridiculed and his followers also being ridiculed for believing in him and the bible, but in turn this shows that even people are belittling Christ and his followers that the halo around his head in the piece remains and His white robe remains holy portraying that in the end Christ and his followers will prevail. This work highlights some of the religious persecution the people during the time of Christ were facing, but as the piece ages, it still holds true to that narrative. Religious persecution is still around today. In every time period with every religion that has ever existed religious persecution came with it and with that came art like this one that was made to make those who were affected feel a sense of pride and steadfastness in their religion. This piece shows that if Christ himself could be painted on a red humble box and have someone spit in his face but still hold his halo on his head, then anyone following him will be okay.














Works like this highlight these issues through incredibly subtle yet powerful imagery and details. And these details help us today to better analyze and understand the way people felt at the time of Christ and at the time the piece was created which was in the 1400s. Even today it helps explain those times while relating to us now, no one has never felt persecuted against in one way or another but this piece creates a sense of confidence that anyone who is not even Christian can learn and feel.