Tintoretto's Last Supper

Jacopo Comin, also known as Tintoretto, was an Italian painter. His works are characterized by his muscular figures and dramatic gestures. He loved all the arts and played various instruments, some of them of his own invention, and designed theatrical costumes and properties.

Tintoretto is most famous for his painting of The Last Supper , which can be found in the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. The Last Super is about the secondary characters instead of the apostles in the center of the artwork. For instance, the woman carrying a dish or the servants cleaning the table. Tintoretto's, painting involves an imbalanced composition. He creates a dramatic scene to educate viewers about the Counter- Reformation and the Catholic Church's beliefs.

Consequently, he created a light, which comes into obscurity from both the light on the ceiling and from Jesus' auora. That little bit of light is what makes this one of my favorite paintings. I love that fact that Tintoretto wanted to focus on the secondary characters compared to the apostles. Many artist of the Renaissance/ Baroque time only focused on the apostles and didn’t ever think about the others. This picture has a lot of spiritual meaning and can really educate viewers from its obvious description. 

The Last Supper by Jacopo Tintoretto (1590- 1594) 

The Importance of Michelangelo's Name

We are all very familiar with Michelangelo, especially the PCC study abroad students in Florence, and most of his majestic masterpieces.  Georgio Vasari quotes, “Michelangelo acquired so much skill in his study of art that it was incredible to see his lofty concepts and difficult style, which he put into practice with such great facility that it terrified people unaccustomed to seeing such works as well as those accostumed to good ones, for the works that others were showing seemed nothing in comparison with his. “ (pg. 424) While Michelangelo’s sculpting techniques are the rarist of his time you can witness his artwork in the Saint Peter’s in the Chapel of the Madonna della Febbre, in the temple of Mars. This figure of the dead Christ stands out because its unimaginable beauty of it limbs and the way the body is carved. A nude man endowed with muscels, veins, and nerves stretched over the framework of the bones. In addition, the expression on the face is so very gentle, and there is such harmony in the joints and the articulations of the arms, torso, and legs. “Michelangelo placed so much love and labour in this work that on it he left his name written across a sash which grids Our Lady’s breast.” (pg. 425) This happened because one day he went into the church where the statue was placed and he saw a large amount of foreigners from Lombardy who were praising his statue. As he saw the foreigners praising his statue he realized that he himself was not receiving praise, but they were praising :Our Gobbo from Milian” instead. So, one night he snuck into the church and brought his carving kit and carved his name into the statue.   

The Delivery of the Keys

Renaissance artist Pietro Vannucci, also known as Perugia was the chief city of Umbria. Vannucci was one of the richest men in the town. He began to study painting in Perugia, in local workshop. According to Vasari, he worked alongside Leonardo Da Vinci and many others. Perugino was one of the earliest Italian successful artists of oil painting. Some of his early works were frescoes that usually  featured different cartoons.

My favorite piece of Perugino is The Delivery of the Keys. This fresco is found in the Sistine Chapel in Rome. While we visited the Sistine Chapel I was blown away by Pietro’s work. The series of the Stories of Jesus is a reference to Matthew 16, which shows the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" are being given to St. Peter. While I was doing further research on this piece I found out that the keys represent power and forgiveness by God. Which leads to giving that power and that forgiveness to others in the heavens. Christ hands the keys to St. Peter, who is surrounded by the other Apostles. Throughout the middle are two scenes from the life of Christ, which are the Tribute Money and the Stoning of Christ. The people featured in this piece of work are very graceful and elegant, consequently, their features are delicate with much detail. 

Perugino, 1450-1523.
The Delivery of the Keys, 1482.
Sistine Chapel, Rome.

The Kinnaired Resurrection

When it comes to artist Raphael, Vasari quotes, “This exceptional painter studied the old works of Masaccio in the city of Florence, while the things he saw in the works of Leonardo and Michelangelo made him apply himself with great intensity to his studies, and, as a result, make extraordinary improvements in his art and style.” (page 311) The Resurrection of Christ also called The Kinnaird Resurrection is an oil painting by Raphael. The painting can now be found in the Sao Paulo Museum of Art.  The Kinnaird Resurrection is one of the first works of Raphael. Nonetheless, while looking at it you see a poetic yet dramatic style. The composition combines all different elements of the scene. The painting shows Raphael's knowledge of the Florentine artistic scene. “In composing this painting, Raphael imagined the pain felt by the closet and dearest relatives.” (page 311)

The Kinnaird Resurrection

by: Raphael

The Beauty Within The Sistine Chapel

Pope Julius requested that Michelangelo paint the chapel ceiling. Julius wanted Rome to be rebuilt to its former glory. The ceiling is about 40 meters long and 13 meters wide, Michelangelo painted over 5,000 sq. feet of frescoes. The center of the ceiling shows scenes from the Book of Genesis. Adjacent to those scenes are endless portraits of prophets. My favorite part of the ceilings was not only the vibrant colors but the hidden stories of Jesus and all the ancient tragedy in Israel. I ‘m fascinated that there are more than 300 painted figures on the ceiling. It took Michelangelo over four years to finish this masterpiece. However, it wasn't Michelangelo's fault that the ceiling took four years. This masterpiece suffered many setbacks, such as, mold and damp weather. Nonetheless, a fun fact I learned while touring the Sistine Chapel was that Michelangelo did not lay on his back to paint the ceiling. He would bend backwards and paint over his head. This technique later led to neck and back ache, which would also permanently screw up his vision.

 

Sistine Chapel, Roma

The Concert Champetre

Titian’s famous piece of work Rape of Europa is presented as “the greatest Renaissance painting in the United States”. Titian was born around 1488 into a family of modest means living in the north of Venice, and studied with Giovanni Bellini, Venice's most prominent artist. Titian and Giorgione shared a workspace, so that their similarity of style in Titian's early career is hardly shocking.  It has led to confusion about the attribution of several Renaissance paintings, most significantly The Concert Champetre, or Pastoral Concert.

Titian’s painting The Concert Champetre Titian portrays three young people in a garden playing, while a woman is pouring water from a basin. Both the women are naked and the two men are dressed in costumes. Personally, I think this piece is very poetic. The two women in the painting represent the ideal beauty and shows the two men's fantasy. The two men playing with the lute represent lyrical poetry. The painting is a four element work of art representing water, fire, earth and air.

The Concert Champetre by Titian 

Salome

In Giorgio Vasari: The Lives of the Artists Vasari explains the achievements of Titian. As stated in Giorgio Vasari, “Titian was born in Cadore, a small town on the River Piave, five miles from the pass through the Alps, to the Vecelli family, one of the noblest in those parts, and when, at the age of ten, he showed fine wit and a lively mind, he was sent to Venice to the home of an uncle of his, a respected citizen, who saw that the boy had a real propensity for the art of painting and who placed him with Giovanni Bellini, a skillful and very famous painter of those times.” (Page 489). It was very fortunate that Titian’s uncle noticed Titians talent, which led him to his fine work we see today.

Titian oil painting Salome was presented in 1515 and now is placed in the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome. While observing this painting it is set in a dark room with an arch opened and shows the blue sky, which is sculpted angel. Salome is holding the head of Saint John the Baptist and is assisted with a woman helper.  The woman was shown in many of Titian’s pieces including; Woman at the Mirror and Violante. Vasari admits, “Although a large number of artisans studied with titian, not many of them can truly be called his followers, for he did not teach much, but each one of them learned more or less, according to what they knew how to take from the works Titian executed…” (Page 508).

Salome (Judith) by Titian