The Arrival of Marie de' Medici at Marseilles by Peter Paul Rubens

Exhibited at Louvre, Paris, 1622-1625
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Opinion: I have always loved fantasy and Ruben’s piece has a certain whimsicalness that draws me in. Looking at the individuals in the water, I am reminded of mermaids and sea creatures. The grandeur of the arrival makes me think of kings and queens in a faraway land.

Theory: The Arrival of Marie de’Medici at Marseilles was painted by Rubens during the Baroque period. A friend of the court, Rubens made many portraits and often used mythological themes. This particular painting is actually considered a historical document- the arrival of Marie de’Medici in southern France to marry a French king. Characteristic of the Baroque period, Rubens loved pomp and drama, which is shown by: depicting her arriving in elegant/ flamboyant clothing, the extravagance of the golden vessel, and his marrying of real figures with mythological figures. He is showing that heaven and below the ocean are celebrating her arrival. His distortion of the women creates movement and theatricality. Additionally, the classical building in the background adds prestige to the piece (Madame Oyler). 

Battle of Issus by Albrecht Altdorfer

Exhibited at Alte Pinakothek, Munich, 1529
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Opinion: The Battle of Issus reminds me of one of my favorite films- Lord of the Rings. The massive number of soldiers resembles the ork army with their torches and flags. In the background, the sun looks like the Eye of Syron and the mountains the land of Mordor. The entire setting of the painting seems to be more like Middle Earth than an actual historical place.  

Theory: The Battle of Issus was made during the Reformation by Albrecht Altdorfer and depicts the historical defeat of Darius in 333 B.C. by Alexander the Great at a town called Issus on the Pinarus River. There is an ulterior motive to paint the scene because it became a northern piece of propaganda that the German leader could use as a symbol of victor. Particularly interesting is that the movement of the soldiers is mirrored in the sky, insinuating that the soldiers are so powerful, they’re a force of nature. The minute detail in the army, the landscape, and the sky are characteristic of northern european (Gardner, Page 703). 

School of Athens by Raphael

Exhibited in Vatican Palace, Rome, Italy, 1509-1511
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Opinion: The School of Athens appealed to me because of it’s depth. I like how the viewer seems to be looking in on this meeting of the minds. It’s subject matter seems to have an almost cartoon basis. I could imagine a similar picture of a congregation of United States presidents appearing in a newspaper. Without, of course, the artistic talent of Raphael.  

Theory: The School of Athens was created by Raphael in 1508 for the Papal apartments. It depicts a congregation of classical thinkers and is typical of the Renaissance in terms of its use of perspective, reference to the classics, and subject matter. The piece uses linear perspective, an innovation of the Renaissance which appealed to many artists because of its ability to rationally portray the world. The preeminence of classics is also obvious- classic architecture, including barrel vaults and columns, as well as mythological statues, contribute to the overall intellectual mood of the piece. The central figures are Plato and Aristotle. Thinkers that are concerned with matters beyond this world stand on Plato’s side while those concerned with matters of this world stand on Aristotle’s side. This sort of artistic gathering demonstrates the influence of the classics on Renaissance society, specifically art. 

David by Michelangelo

Exhibited at Galleria dell'Accadmia, Florence, 1501-1504
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Opinion: I saw the David when I was in Florence, Italy with my nana the summer before freshmen year. I was in awe of its magnificence and considered it to be the high light of my trip. In all honesty, I didn’t understand how a human being could create something so massive and perfect out of stone.

Theory: The David was created by the High Renaissance master sculpture Michelangelo in the early sixteenth century. David is shown in the moments before he slung the rock at his foe. His whole muscular body, as well as his face is tense with gathering power and conveys the psychological tension. The physique of David and the fact that he is nude is a reference to the classical style. Michelangelo not only captured the psychological insight of the Hellenistic, but moved beyond it by having David emotionally and compositionally connected to an unseen presence. 

Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

Exhibited at Galleria degli Uffitzi, Florence, 1482
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Opinion: I love the Botticelli women. In this work, Venus is an ideal, serene, fluid goddess. Her copper hair ripples with the wind as her sinuously curved body stands on a shell. Botticelli’s ability to make art into poetry is what distinguishes him from other artists. 

Theory: The Birth of Venus was painted by Botticelli during 15th century Italy at the start of the Renaissance. It shows a stunning nude Venus standing on a shell and a god trying to keep her beauty from being covered up. Botticelli’s figures are ideally perfect and show little emotion. The background is unimportant with no perspective- everything takes place in the foreground. He seems to have ignored all of the mathematical and scientific knowledge artists had gained in their pursuit to comprehend the rational world favor of a poet, elegant, and beautiful style all his own. (Gardner, Page 615)

Madonna and Child with Angels by Fra Filippo Lippi

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Exhibited at Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, ca. 1455
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Opinion: I was drawn to this painting when we first studied it. The gentle softness of the Madonna moved me and I found the representation of her as a beautiful new mother to be unparalleled. The mood Lippi creates as she looks down upon the Christ child is both tender and delicate. 

Theory: The Madonna and Child with Angels was painted by Fra Filippo Lippi in 1455 during the Renaissance. The painting depicts a humanized madonna and Christ child with a realistic background. A wonderfully fluid line unifies the composition and contributes to the precise and smooth delineation of forms. “Whatever ideals of spiritual perfection may have meant to artists in past centuries, Renaissance artists realized such ideals in terms of the sensuous beauty of this world” (Gardner Page 623). 

Hagia Sophia

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            Located in Istanbul, Turkey, 523- 537
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Opinion: Hagia Sofia is one of the supreme accomplishments of world architecture. I hope to one day travel to Istanbul and see in person its floating dome and be awed by the halo of light that appears to support it. Just looking at the pictures sparked my interest in visiting Turkey- a country that had never been on my radar before. 

Theory: Hagia Sofia was built in Constantinople for Justinian by Anthemus of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus between 532 and 537. It has a huge dome that is one hundred and eighty feet in diameter. The minarets were actually added later. Although the outside is modest, the interior is spectacular with walls and floors covered with colored stones from all over the world. What distinguishes Hagia Sophia from similar Roman buildings, such as the Pantheon, is the canopy-like dome. With windows at the dome's base, light floods into Hagia Sophia, seeming as if the halo of light is supporting the dome itself and giving the monument a mystical quality. Two feats of the Byzantines allowed for such innovations: pendentives and squinches. Both pendentives and squniches solved the problem of setting a round dome over a square space and allowed for an even higher dome. (Gardner, Pages 331-332) 

Nike of Samothrace

Exhibited Louvre, Paris, ca. 190 B.C.

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Opinion: The Nike of Samothrace is an incredible piece. It almost seems to be in movement- flying into the wind. At first I lamented the lack of a head, but then I realized the piece itself is more powerful because it has no face. With no facial humanizing features, the Nike of Samothrace is an all-powerful goddess who is very much alive. 

Theory: The Nike of Samothrace is from is from the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greece. Nike has just landed on a warships prow- her wings are spread as the winds sweep her drapery. The theatricality of the statue was originally amplified by its being displayed in a two-tiered fountain. The statue’s reflection was shown in the water and the sound added to the drama. Characteristic of the Hellenistic was the rejection of the ideal self-contained statue on a pedestol. “The Hellenistic statues interact with their environment and appear s living, breathing, and intensely emotive human (or divine) presences" (Gardner, Page 154).  

Terracotta Warriors

Located at Shaanxi Province, China, ca. 210 B.C.

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Opinion: I first learned about the terracotta warriors when I did a report on the tomb of emperor Shi Huangdi- the first emperor of China in the third grace. I was fascinated by the individuality of the warriors and their purpose in guarding the tomb. This summer I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity of seeing the terracotta warriors in Xian on my trip to China with my nana. 

Theory: In 1974 excavations uncovered the burial mound of Emperor Shi Huangdi. Pits that are part of the burial site contain more than six thousand life-size terracotta figures of soldiers and horses. They served as immortal bodyguards to what is believed to be a massive underground funerary palace. Originally in color, every solder is unique with subtle face distinctions. “The style of the Qin warriors blends formalism- simplicity of volume and contour, rigidity, and frontality- with sharp realism of detail” (Gardner, Page 194).