More paintings ensured as I strolled casually into the next exhibit. By this time, I had been inundated with just a lot of paintings and I was beginning to feel just a bit weary of the sheer number of paintings. Indeed, I experienced what I consider to be a form of slight vertigo because perhaps because of the density of colors that I experienced while traversing these galleries. I found myself a place to sit down before continuing on my journey through the museum.
If I had to describe this painting, it would be that there seems to be much going on. The most prominent figure in this painting is the angel, who puts himself in a weird situation as far as Christian art goes - the angel is not floating, has no halos and the way he interacted with the mortals around him suggests a different image than how the Bible usually portrays angels - as secretive almost mythical beings. Instead, this angel appears to be offering some form of divine guidance by pointing towards the sky. Surrounding him is also an odd assortment of participants - a man with nothing but a loincloth on, a nobleman, a man with a turban and two other men. In fact, not all of them appear to be willing participants in this lecture as the man with the turban appears to be dozing off at the lower right hand corner. I am indeed interested in the painter's decision to depict a nearly naked man standing on top with a flag in his hand. If anything, perhaps this serves as allegory for two things: that both the commoner and rich believe in God but also serves to remind the viewer that Muslims are also monotheistic. The nondescript man with a turban is not emphasized perhaps because as a reflection of European religious sensitivity. The man with the flag is probably representing the idea that religion is one of the factors that unite a group of people in a specified territory. In terms of the color presented - all of the colors used are the dark or strong variant - there are no light or medium hued clothing colors to create a striking painting. Much like some of the paintings before them, the usage of the black background help emphasize all of these colors and the dynamics and intensity of the scene.
I choose this one because this is literally the complete opposite in terms of color palette compared to the previous painting. This one is much lighter colored and has a more open composition because of the open blue sky background implemented. The shade of blue is actually a slightly unrealistic shade of powder blue. Despite that, the lighter color definitely help set the tone for the entire painting. I apologize for the blurry image because I was in such a hurry to snap each photo. Regardless, this painting appears to depict heavenly beings communicating with mortal men. Despite the blurry left hand side, it is easy to point out the cherub on the left side clinging to the rock or cliff. Sitting above the cherub appears to be a woman lying back and expressing herself in an assertive manner. Her body language is supported by her hierarchic position on the painting - she is the tallest. Indeed, the man on the lower right hand side is sitting down and looking up at the woman. In the middle appears to be another woman also panning her head up - in a clear deference to the authority of the top-most woman. Otherwise, it is unclear what the topic between these subjects were but regardless it is cast in a much lighter tone than the previous painting which I felt was a breath of fresh air. When I observed this painting, I notice and felt almost like I could breath better after seeing this painting. This may be because the color contrast and overall theme is much lighter.
Hierarchic scale is a technique espoused by people as early as Egypt and Mesopotamia and this painting does an excellent job of continuing that trend. The subject of this painting needs no introduction - it's one of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus being greeted by admirers and followers. There is one exception to the admirer and follower role; the man on the right holding up a sheet of paper. Again, there is some speculation upon what the paper says or intends, but it also appears that the man on the left isn't complaining or begging. This fact may be purposeful to illustrate the gentle and forgiving nature of Virgin Mary. The man with the sheet could be an allegory for the ten commandments and other sacred Biblical texts With that assumption, it could be a form of trial in which Mary oversees which people are worthy of her attention. It is incredibly notable that the colors that the Virgin Mary wears is markedly more colorful than those of the two men underneath her (red, white and blue) vs (two shades of tan and black). The color dichotomy could be a nod to stereotypical gender colors - though a concrete, named term like sexism did not exist back then. Regardless, This is an interesting way to depict Mary and baby Jesus because they never assumed physical and mortal authority. If anything, this painting remains a deceptively simple painting with complex allegorical themes.
This painting is one of the more unclear paintings I've seen so far, but it clearly shows a cardinal or pope bestowing some form of religious blessing for the man in the shiny armor. In a deviation from color conventions, the pope in particular (to a lesser extent, the knight) unveils himself in a brilliant blue trimmed robe that signified his position. Indeed in Catholic tradition, Cardinals and other ministers are not known for their colorful robes, but this cardinal/pope demonstrates the inaccuracy of that statement. However, because this is probably an painter's conception of the event - it is actually unknown if the minsters actually wore different dyed clothes or not. Still, assuming that this holds true, then indeed the artist succeeds in framing the scene around the religious minister and the knight or soldier. Ironically, the ruler is wearing a brown shirt in direct contrast to the colorfulness of the knight and minister. Finally, the woman at the lower left hand color also seems to carry some of the blue tones. But what makes the woman most interesting is her relative position to the other men. She is seen lying down looking at the two men in front of her, looking at them. I have some personal speculation this was a sexist ruse again - especially with the way the painter decided to depict the woman on the floor. Still overall, the composition of this painting is decidedly inside out. In other words, the center portion is processed first before taking in the adjacent sections by using colors and the inclusion of depth at the back with the tower and arches. I liked this painting, but I also felt that the people on left hand side was more of a token inclusion than anything because of historical irrelevance. Continuing through the exhibit, I was able to rejuvenate myself after exploring these new dynamic paintings. Indeed, after a while, I was able to overcome the sense of "vertigo" that I described during the opening paragraph. Onto the next exhibit!
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