Michelangelo
What is there to say about Michelanelo, other
than that he was a very talented sculptor, painter, and architect. He was born in the late quattrocento, so he
began his work during the early cinquecento.
Of his many famous works, including his David, the Pieta, and his work on
the Sistine chapel, one painting sticks out to me. Now in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the
Doni Tondo is a very beautiful painting.
It is in the style of Tondo, or circular work of art. The subjects of this painting include the
Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and Christ the child.
Although this painting is of the Holy Family, it was most likely commissioned
by Agnolo Doni, to honor his wedding or the birth of his first daughter. Among the family, St. John the Baptist is
there in a pool which could have been used to symbolize the baptism of
Christ. The way this painting was done
includes the very popular subject of the “male nude” that Michelangelo has done
in many of his works. These nudes bring
together the Pagan and Christian worlds together. This painting a very beautiful painting that
we learned about, and as a class were able to see in person at the trip to the
Uffizi gallery. The framework is very
beautiful, including five heads that represent Jesus, two prophets, and two sybils. The frame also depicts the coat of arms of
both Agnolo’s family, and the family of his wife; Maddalena Strozzi.
Michelangelo's Doni Tondo
Uffizi Gallery
Wikki Commons
Titian
Titian
had followed, for a long time, the art of Bellini, but after sometime he
changed his ideas. After observing the
method and styles of Giorgione, he as Vasari states, “abandoned the style of
Giovanni Bellini.” Giorgione had this
ability to make paintings with softness, without first trying them on paper. Titian was able to follow this and perfect it
quickly. After the death of Bellini,
Titian worked to finish an incomplete scene that Bellini had left behind. The changes he made were noticed, by the
Senate who rewarded him with an office in the Fondaco de’ Teceschi. This paid three hundred “scudi” each
year. Titian’s genius and understanding
of art mostly included his understanding and talented use of color in his
paintings. He was recognized by many as
a great painter. One of the people he
befriended in life was a poet named Messer Ludovico Ariosto, who once wrote in
his Orlando Furioso “and Titian to
whose mastery is due such glory that Urbino shares no more, and Venice shines
no brighter than Cador.” This is a
compliment considering the way he states that the small town of Cadore is just
as bright as Venice, because the wonderful painter Titian was from there. There is no doubt that Titian was an amazing
painter.
Titian
Self portrait
Wikki Commons
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