Chinese Stone Carving

Chinese jade carving reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty, a period from 1644-1911. The popularity of the skill gradually declined after 1840 until its resurgence in the 1950s. Jade carving is an important part of Chinese culture, as the stone itself has aesthetic and magical properties. Over the years it has evolved to reflect popular folk tales, customs, religion, and art. The most popular types of jade used are jadeite and nephrite. The most popular precious stones used for carving are white jade, jadeite, emerald, agate, crystal, and coral. The beauty of the raw stone is brought out through the artist’s skill in carving it, creating meticulously detailed and incredibly beautiful works of art.

The “Jadeite Cabbage” is by far one of the most famous works of its kind. The sculptor is unknown, though it is believed to have been made sometime during the Ch’ing Dynasty, and was first displayed in the Forbidden City’s Yonghe Palace in 1889. This piece is a beautiful example of the ability of the sculptor to utilize a stone’s imperfections to create a brilliant piece of art. The stone itself is very imperfect, being made of two colors and riddled with cracks and blotches and other imperfections. The artist incorporated these imperfections into the piece, making them the veins in the cabbage’s stalks and leaves. A beautiful carving is supposed to be made of one solid color, as pure a stone as a carver can find. What’s so interesting about this piece is that it was anything but perfect, undesirable even, until fell into the hands of the right carver that was able to draw the hidden potential from the stone. The piece is also thought to be an allegory of female virtue. The white stalk symbolizes purity, the leaves fertility, and the two small insects are children.

This unusual piece is called the “Meat Shaped Stone” and was created by an unknown artist during the Qing Dynasty. It was made from a piece of banded jasper, and made to look like a piece of tung-p’o meat, or stewed pork. The artist enhanced the naturally occurring layering and unique appearance of the stone, and meticulously carved it, creating the appearance of hair follicles and veins. The stone was then dyed to match the colors of the food. The end result is striking as the piece looks so realistic.

This piece, “Jade Tablet,” was believed to have been created during the late Neolithic age in China, and the artist is unknown. This piece is interesting not only because it shows how long the Chinese have valued jade for its beauty, but also because of the rich history of this piece. It is believed that the tablet was once a half finished jade knife from the Neolithic period, but was reworked in court workshops during the Ch’ien-lung reign, 1736-1795, to gain its present appearance. The tablet was once blank, until the Emperor of the time had his craftsmen engrave two poems he had written in praise of the stone onto its surface. To have an emperor himself compose not just one, but two poems glorifying a stone truly shows the spiritual power that the Chinese placed in these stones, revering them and reserving their use for the royal family.

“Cup in the Shape of a Lotus Leaf” was created sometime during the Song and Ming Dynasties, 10th-17th century, by an unknown artist. The piece is shaped like a dried lotus leaf, curling up to display the veins underneath. The stalk follows the curve of the leaf, and additionally functions as a handle. Jade carvings were used to create nearly everything from cups and bowls to decorations for tombs and hairpieces. Many of the pieces were functional like cups, bowls, hairpins, and vases.

The “Jade carving with fairy-landscape motif in mountain style” was created during the Qianlong Reign of the Qing Dynasty by an unknown artist between 1736 and 1795. This intricate piece is finely carved, and much easier to see the minute details of the landscape. It resembles the traditional shan shui style of painting, depicting natural landscapes focusing on mountains, rivers and waterfalls. The pillars of the pagodas are carved out, giving the tiny buildings space inside their frames. The detail that went into this piece is incredible, as it is only about sixteen centimeters high.

“Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth — Chinese Jades through the Ages.” Taiwan – Culture and Nature. Taiwan E-Learning and Digital Archives Program, n.d. Web. 5 Aug. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fculture.teldap.tw%2Fculture%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26id%3D1960%3Aart-in-quest-of-heaven-and-truth-chinese-jades-through-the-ages>.
Cup in the Shape of a Lotus Leaf. 10th-17th C. Jade sculpture. National Palace Museum, Taipei.
Jade Carving with Fairy-landscape Motif in Mountain Style. 1736-1795. Jade sculpture. National Palace Museum, Taipei.
Jade Tablet. 3300-2000BCE. Jade sculpture. National Palace Museum, Taipei.
Jadeite Cabbage. 1644-1911. Jadeite sculpture. National Palace Museum, Taipei.
Meat-shaped Stone. N.d. Jasper sculpture. National Palace Museum, Taipei.
“Site Map.” Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth. National Palace Museum, n.d. Web. 5 Aug. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npm.gov.tw%2Fexh99%2Fchinese_jades%2Fen_sitemap.html>.

Faces

Faces can reveal so much about a person, an emotion, an idea, a concept, really anything. They can also hide just as much. With faces it is both the presence and the absence of certain pieces that make up an expression. Utilizing them in art adds another dimension. Just as faces are unique to each individual, each artist creates a unique face each time they sit down to paint a portrait.

“Mona Lisa” by Fernando Botero was created in 1978, in Colombia. His art style is interesting, because his chubby characters seem more like a kind of parody than anything else. Botero is actually an abstract artist because of the ideology and process behind his paintings, which he says that he begins to paint before he even knows what the end result will be. This piece in particular is an interesting tribute to the Mona Lisa, as the strange art style is so far removed from the delicate and graceful figure of the original portrait as to make it almost seem grotesque if it were not still poised.

“Matador” is another one of Botero’s works, created in 1984 in Colombia. This one is interesting because Botero actually left matador school, and his dream of becoming a matador, to become an artist. Bullfighting and the arena were some of the first subjects for his work. His love of the fight is shown in his art, depicting festive, colorful celebrations and the traditional clothing as well. I think his pieces lend an extra expression to expressionless characters through his odd artistic style. For example, the way the matador is built is different from his Mona Lisa. His matador is stout, but heavily built, with his chest being very broad, as though his character was inherently proud of his craft. The feminine figure of the Mona Lisa is warped, but still gives way to gentle curves, and emphasizes the head more than anything else, framing the face instead.

Botero’s “Cabeza de Cristo” was created in 2010 in Colombia. Many of his works have to do with religious themes, many of which focus around Christ the savior. This piece is unusual, I think, because Christ is in profile. Not many of his works are in profile like this, but it adds to the dramatic appeal of the piece. The question is then left to the viewer, what does Christ see? It may be his tormentors or his loving heavenly father. The picture is very dramatic, dripping blood and wearing a crown of thorns with a pitch black background for emphasis. The pudgy Christ figure, while odd as few depictions are ever anything but thin or unhealthy, starving body shapes, is strangely compelling. I feel like it makes the Christ figure more human, because the strain is so obvious, rather than showing Christ as an idea it makes him a person. The pain is clearly shown, with the panting mouth and drooping, red eyes.

Andy Warhol’s “Self Portrait” was created in 1978, in America. Warhol’s subjects were well known objects and people. He created art to demystify it, making it look cheap and colorful, as though anyone could have done it. Among his famous faces was his own. He frequently used his own face in his art, making himself just as much of an icon as Marylyn. This one I find particularly interesting because of the angels. To be able to see one face in several different angles at once gives a new depth, making the subject appear to have more dimension or motion, even on flat, colorful silkscreen paintings.

Andy Warhol’s “Mona Lisa Four Times” was created in 1978 in America. This piece I find especially interesting because of the different expressions that can be seen from slight changes in each of the repetitions due to the silkscreen medium. The vague smile of the Mona Lisa can be seen in sharp contrast to her skin as well as fading into the picture, making interesting contrasts, and a whole new take on an old classic.

Andy Warhol’s 1986 “Self Portrait” was created in America. He often used his stark pale complexion to the fullest effect when painting himself. He made his own image into his artist’s persona. This piece was made a year before his death, and shows him wearing a pale wig to compliment his complexion, and make the image stand out more. It’s interesting to see how Warhol can mess around with the way he displays shadows, as his work is made up of colored and dark areas for the most part, and relies heavily on contrast. The end result is starling and somewhat haunting, a fitting portrait for an artist entering his last year.
“Biography.” Fernando Botero. FernandoBotero.com, n.d. Web. 29 July 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fernandobotero.com%2F>.
Botero, Fernando. Cabeza De Christo. 2010. Oil on canvas. Botero Museum, Bogota.
Botero, Fernando. Matador. 1984. Oil on canvas. Botero Museum, Bogota.
Botero, Fernando. Mona Lisa. 1978. Oil on canvas. Botero Museum, Bogota.
“Fernando Botero: 1932—: Artist – Trained As Bullfighter.” Artist-Trained-Bullfighter. Net Industries, n.d. Web. 29 July 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fbiography.jrank.org%2Fpages%2F3285%2FBotero-Fernando-1932-Artist-Trained-Bullfighter.html>.
“Freeing the Feminine Other.” Freeing the Feminine Other. Csudh.edu, n.d. Web. 29 July 2015. <https://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/poemhyp40.htm&gt;.
Warhol, Andy. Mona Lisa Four Times. 19. Acrylic paint and screenprint on canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.
Warhol, Andy. Self Portrait. 1978. Acrylic paint and screenprint on linen. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh.
Warhol, Andy. Self Portrait. 1986. Acrylic paint and screenprint on canvas. New York and DACS, London.

Science and Inovation Influenced the Arts

New innovations in science and technology allowed society and its consequential culture and art to rocket into new, previously unexplored areas. This was a time of rejecting antiquity and tradition. Everything was new and bold and completely unheard of or never seen before. The new scientific and technological innovations and reaches of the time only helped to develop this new mindset, making older methods and traditional focuses no longer necessary and sometimes even obstructive.

The Eiffel Tower was an architectural marvel of its time. Completed in 1889 and named after Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, an engineer whose company designed and built the tower, it was the largest standing man-made structure in the world for forty-one years. Though it was meant to be taken down after the 1889 World’s Fair, the structure still stands in Paris, France today and is easily one of the world most recognizable structures. It was a modern marvel in architecture at the time, and Eiffel himself even said, “not only the art of the modern engineer, but also the century of Industry and Science in which we are living, and for which the way was prepared by the great scientific movement of the eighteenth century and by the Revolution of 1789, to which this monument will be built as an expression of France’s gratitude”(Loyrette).

Photography had made realistic art, depicting visual scenarios, rather unnecessary, as a camera could now capture all of the realistic representation in a moment. Instead, artists started looking at art differently, a major influence in the popularity of abstraction. White on White,” by Kazimir Malevich was created in 1918 and is now housed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Malevich created the Russian artistic movement known as Supremacism, or “the supremacy of pure feeling or perception in the pictorial arts.” While the painting at first may seem odd, two off white squares and nothing else, this painting was revolutionary in its time. He used abstraction to help explore and rediscover the use of pure colors, which then translated into his ideologies.

“Gray Tree” by Piet Mondrian was created in 1911 and is housed at The Hague in Netherlands. This was one of Mondrian’s first explorations into cubism. With cameras now making realism obsolete, abstraction, like cubism, allowed artists to not only reinterpret the images they saw, but also redefine them from the basics up. The tree has been reduced to lines and planes, all in shades of gray. This work is largely considered his first step towards pure abstraction, as his many tree-centric paintings later on all become less and less tangible and recognizable, all while still drawing upon images from nature.
Eiffel Tower. Digital image. A Digital Archive of Architecture. Boston College, n.d. Web. 19 July 2015. <http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/1900fair.html&gt;.
“History of Modernism.” History of Modernism. Mdc.edu, n.d. Web. 19 July 2015. <https://www.mdc.edu/wolfson/Academic/ArtsLetters/art_philosophy/Humanities/history_of_modernism.htm&gt;.
Loyrette, Henri (1985). Gustave Eiffel. New York: Rizzoli. p. 116. ISBN 0-8478-0631-6.
Malevich, Kazimir. White on White. 1918. Oil on canvas. Museum of Modern Art, New York City.
“MoMA.” Kazimir Malevich. Suprematist Composition: White on White. 1918. N.p

Impressionism is Okay

Overall, I don’t like the Impressionism style as much as I do other styles. I don’t hate it because it does create some unique effects, especially with how light is shown. It’s more vibrant in its colors and shapes, objects standing out while being blended into the colors of the background. It’s a beautiful style, but I don’t find it as appealing as works with more definition and emotion.

“Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son” was painted by Claude Monet in 1875. The angle of this piece is lovely, looking up at the figures with the contrast of the shadows against the bright blue sky. The clothing worn by the woman whips about her in the wind, as though she were covered in clouds. The delicate covering of her veil making her seem as though she were another piece of the sky, yet standing out so far from it. I love the sense of depth created, yet it seems to airy, as though the characters are intangible, a blurry photograph almost.

In contrast to the almost sweet and calming effect of the strokes and swirls of the impressionism style is the baroque style. Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Judith Beheading Holofernes” was created between 1614 to 1620. I absolutely love the depth of the stories behind baroque pieces, even if most of them are religious. They just feel so much more bold and passionate, and the figures are continually searching for a more realistic perfection. Perhaps I’m just morbid, but I always love a good murder story. The emotions are raw and often troubled; there is always a conflict to be found, whether in mind, body, spirit or all three. I like the paintbrush strokes and how they blend into the picture, rather than making themselves the main attraction like impressionism. I most like the ones that rely more on shadows, allowing the subjects to emerge from the scene. The detail is incredible, and inspirational, sometimes to a strangely deterring point in light of the religious motivations behind them. But that makes it no less amazing. What people did was create art that was worthy in their minds of adorning a house of god, of being offered as a glimpse into a small piece of the angelic beauty so common in heaven. They were making art worthy of god.
I guess if anything I don’t like the peaceful scenes in impressionism.The lighter colors and swaying objects are not as good as firm movements and decisive placement. The use of brush strokes, making them bold and obvious is both appealing and deterring. I feel as though it makes the painting seem unfinished, but at the same time I love the airy and swirling blending of scene and objects that makes certain points stand out more with just a touch of well-chosen color. The effects of light especially are brilliant, contrasting shadows with sunlight and coloring the twists and turns of each leaf. I really can’t love impressionism paintings, but I can still appreciate their merit and beauty.
Gentileschi, Artemisia. Judith Beheading Holofernes. 1614-20. Oil on canvas. National Museum of Capodimonte, Naples.

“History of Art: Baroque and Rococo.” All-art.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 July 2015. <http://www.all-art.org/history252_contents_Baroque_Rococo.html&gt;.
Monet, Claude. Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son. 1875. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

\<http://www.all-art.org/history252_contents_Baroque_Rococo.html&gt;.
Monet, Claude. Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son. 1875. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

The Influence of the Ideas of the French Revolution upon the Arts

The French Revolution brought about a very sharp and rapid change from the softer and more peaceful Rococo style to the Neoclassical style. Obviously, the French Revolution was the subject of many a French painting at the time. The Revolution was also an accumulation of Enlightenment ideals, displaying the reactions to the times, and aggravations with the ruling powers. The Neoclassical style often used revolutionary new ideas about human rights, like those that were so turbulently changed in France. They portrayed stern figures, and often heroic characters, both current and of antiquity. The much loved historical Greek and Roman mythology and stories were often portrayed because of the supposed ethical superiority of the past, the same morals related to the artists’ own times. Artists were also fond of martyrs, painting those that gave up themselves in self-sacrifice or denial. This was, in a way, the attitude towards the revolution, to give up oneself for the betterment of the society. Unfortunately, reality is much harsher than the expected glorious battle for the rights of man against the unfair first and second estates.

Jacques-Louis David’s “The Intervention of the Sabine Women” was created in 1799 and displayed in the Louvre. David had begun working on the idea for the painting in 1796 while he was imprisoned in the Luxembourg Palace, a result of his support of Robespierre during the Reign of Terror.
At first glance, one would assume that the image is a reflection of the turbulent and violent struggles the artist had witnessed in his participation in the Reign of Terror. The meaning is actually the opposite. It is a call for peace and love during a time of violent upheaval. The painting is based on the Roman story of the women of Sabine who were taken by the Romans, who were greatly in need of more women at the time to repopulate. They kidnapped women from Sabine, and thus the Sabines retaliated with war. However; the daughter of the Sabine leader was married to the Roman leader. She is depicted here with her children, caught between her father, Tatius, and husband, Romulus, to preventing them from fighting. The inclusion of children asks the audience to recall whom the fighting will affect most of all, and the similarly rounded shields that Romulus and Tatius display link them together as family because they both come from similar backgrounds and fight for the same end, much like the warring French people.

I had the good fortune to visit the Louvre last summer and this was one of the pieces that left a lasting impression on me. The paintings themselves were huge floor to ceiling masterpieces that could stretch the entire length of a large room.
The scene depicted is of the coronation of Emperor Napoleon I and Empress Josephine in the Notre Dame cathedral. Officially titled “Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine” by its creator, Jacques-Louis David, it was commissioned by Napoleon himself to celebrate his consecration. David had originally wanted to paint the event as it had happened, with napoleon crowning himself to avoid pledging obedience to either the Pope or the Holy Roman Empire. David realized that immortalizing this metaphorical slap across the face would not be the best of ideas, and instead painted Napoleon crowning the Empress, while the pope stands nearby and blesses her, rather than Napoleon placing the crown upon his own head.
The event in and of itself was revolutionary; the Emperor refused subjugation to the church and instead pledged loyalty to the state. Though David’s portrayal lessens the blow, the reality of the event was that the church had finally fallen so far from power in France that Napoleon could refuse to answer to God, and instead rule by his own power.

Above is an English production of the French play “Tartuffle,” written by Molière. Molière had the unique privilege of writing plays that were performed for the elite of Paris, and the king himself. “Tartuffle” was first performed for the royal court in Versailles in 1664. The play asks the question, “…what happens when a sovereign authority (here, in a private household) is somehow incapable of exercising sovereign authority?” (Baker). The head of the household is representative of a king, and in the play he abdicates his position to let someone he plucked off the streets, Tartuffle, rule for him. The problem comes when Tartuffle takes the power he has been given and uses it to evict the former head of house and his family. The story is a metaphor for bad kingship, saying that a king that hands over his power to councilors is responsible for transferring their responsibilities and the actions of their replacement.
This play, though it was created a few years before the revolution, embodied many of the problems recognized with the monarchy. Molière questions the divine right to rule that King Louis XIV and his predecessors claimed. He says that despite the king’s god given right to rule he still needs to make sounds judgements, answer for his actions, and listen to the ideas of others. By suggesting that the king needs to be prudent and wise in his rule and never shirk his duty, Molière promoted Enlightenment ideals, and preached controversial ideology directly to the king and court. His ideas, though subdued, were integral in bringing about Enlightenment ideals to France, which would eventually lead to the public acting upon those new ideals, bringing about the French Revolution.

Works Cited
Baker, Lyman Allen. “Tartuffe as Political Parable: Reason, Laughter, and Responsible Authority in an Age of Absolutism.” Introduction to Western Humanities: Baroque & Enlightenment. N.p., 07 Dec. 1996. Web. 01 July 2015. <http://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english287/sg-Moliere-Tartuffe-politics.htm&gt;.

David, Jacques-Louis. The Coronation of Napoleon. 1807. Painting. The Louvre.

David, Jacques-Louis. The Intervention of the Sabine Women. 1799. Painting. The Louvre.

“DAVID, Jacques-Louis.” Web Gallery of Art, Image Collection, Virtual Museum, Searchable Database of European Fine Arts (1000-1900). N.p., n.d. Web. 01 July 2015. <http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?%2Fhtml%2Fd%2Fdavid_j%2F4%2F405david.html&gt;.

“Jacques-Louis David’s “The Intervention of the Sabine Women”” Art and Coin TV Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 July 2015. <http://www.artandcointv.com/blog/2012/01/jacques-louis-david%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cthe-intervention-of-the-sabine-women%E2%80%9D/&gt;.

Moliere, Jean-Baptise Poquelin. “Tartuffe.” The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995. 307 -356.

Price, Lindsay. “Issue 82 Molière‎ and 17th Century French Theatre.” Theaterfolk. N.p., Aug. 2013. Web. 01 July 2015. <https://www.theatrefolk.com/spotlights/moliere-and-17th-century-french-theatre&gt;.

The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

“The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa” was created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1652, and was commissioned by Cardinal Federico Cornaro. The piece still stands in Rome, Italy in the in the Cornaro Chapel of the Santa Maria della Vittoria church.

Bernini’s work was heavily influenced by the new wave of religious art inspired by the patronage of the Council of Trent. While this piece was not directly funded by the organization, he was commissioned to create an installation piece for the Cornaro Chapel by Cardinal Federica Carnaro himself. The piece depicts the newly canonized Saint Theresa, an odd choice for the time because of her questionable claims of religious ideology and spiritual experiences. She is shown in a state of rapture, her much recorded spiritual encounters in which she was overwhelmed by the love of God. This particular scene is thought to have been inspired by a particular passage from her writings:

“… Beside me, on the left hand, appeared an angel in bodily form… He was not tall but short, and very beautiful; and his face was so aflame that he appeared to be one of the highest rank of angels, who seem to be all on fire… In his hands I saw a great golden spear, and at the iron tip there appeared to be a point of fire. This he plunged into my heart several times … and left me utterly consumed by the great love of God. The pain was so severe that it made me utter several moans. The sweetness caused by this intense pain is so extreme that one cannot possibly wish it to cease, nor is one’s soul then content with anything but God. This is not a physical, but a spiritual pain, though the body has some share in it-even a considerable share …” (PBS).

The piece is huge and imposing, taking up not only and entire wall, but also the ceiling and walls perpendicular to the central focus as well. The piece is ornate, using sculpture, carving, painting, theatrical staging, as well as lighting to create an overwhelming product. The central figures as well as the on looking audience on the perpendicular walls are all incredibly expressive. They are positioned in movement with expressions of interest, or in Theresa’s case, ecstasy. Bernini’s background in theater leant greatly to his dramatic staging of the characters of interest. He positioned the central scene under the stained glass window, so that the chamber in which Theresa and the angel are positioned would light up as if from the light of a heavenly power from above, reflected on the gilded beams raining down upon them. His piece served the purpose of overwhelming the audience with the power of faith, inspiring a stronger worship of god through the depiction of heaven’s divine glory.

I, personally, enjoy the splendor of works like this. The entirety of the piece is simply awe inspiring. The attention to detail is incredible, creating expressive unique characters from marble, and crafting flowing robes from the stone.

The scene is framed perfectly, the contrasting dark marble around the scene creating the presence of a stage. The figures appear to be floating in the center focus, in a state of rapture between the darkened representation of Hell below, and the figurative light of heaven above. The religious symbolism involved in the piece, besides the obvious is astounding, such as the small detail of the dove, the representation of the holy spirit, painted towards the ceiling, near the window so that the light of heaven seems to shine down upon the figures from where it rests. The contrasts of light and dark stone, shadow and light around the very sculptures themselves, utilize not only the actual marble, but also the empty space around the stone to better illuminate the movement and expression of the figures.

Bernini, Gian Lorenzo. The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa. 1652. Sculpture. Santa Maria Della Vittoria, Rome, Italy.

“The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa.” Artble. N.p., 2015. Web. 22 June 2015. <http://www.artble.com/artists/gian_lorenzo_bernini/sculpture/the_ecstasy_of_saint_theresa>.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 22 June 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/powerofart/berbios.php>.

Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi

Artemisia Gentileschi’s first masterpiece was “Susanna and the Elders.” The piece is a depiction of the biblical story of Susanna, who was blackmailed by two elderly men that threatened to spread lies about Susanna’s promiscuity unless she were to lie with them. She refused and was sentenced to death until divine intervention turned the trial on her accusers, proving her innocence. The artistic renditions of the piece during the renaissance were usually used to tell a story of salvation by faith in God. What was so unique about Artemisia’s version of the painting was the meaning behind it. Her painting was not about triumph or salvation. It was about suffering and the darker nature of men. The painting was based on her own experiences, as she herself was raped by her painting tutor, Agostino Tassi, and was blackmailed into continuing a sexual relationship with him. He had promised to marry her, which would save Artemisia’s reputation and future after losing her virginity before marriage. The only reason Artemisia’s father was able to press charges against Tassi was because the man had taken Artemisia’s virginity, and thus lowered her worth as an unmarried woman. Even with all of the plots, thievery, and adultery surrounding Tassi that had come to light, he was only sentenced to a year of imprisonment, and never actually served his time. Artemisia’s own struggles and suffering because of her rape were glossed over and not taken seriously, much like her original painting was.

This x-ray of “Susanna and the Elders,” restored by the artist Kathleen Gilje, shows what was hidden underneath the finished product, a far more emotional and disturbing scene. It is not certain as to why the original picture was changed or by who, though it is thought to have been changed because the image did not fit the artistic norm of the time. For example, Alessandro Allori’s “Susanna and the Elders” below is a much more common depiction of the scene.

Artists would paint Susanna as voluptuous, calm, and even accepting of the lustful elders’ advances. This does not in any way resemble the traumatic struggle that Artemisia’s work depicts. The humanistic naturalism of her work depicts raw emotions, rage, and fear, even going so far as to arm her victim. Her realistic approach to painting women allowed for her paintings to treat women as characters with their own emotions, rather than ideals. Her painting was incredibly true to life, depicting the futile struggles of an innocent young woman doomed to suffer for being wronged by others.

Allori, Alessandro. Susanna and the Elders. 1607. Oil on canvas. Musée Magnin, Dijon.
Gentileschi, Artemisia. Susanna and the Elders. 1610. Oil on canvas. Schönborn Collection, Pommersfelden.
Gilje, Kathleen. Susanna and the Elders. 1998. Restored – X-Ray. Kathleen Gilje. Web. 10 June 2015.

Hello world!

Hello, my name is Caitlin and I’m working towards my BS in mechanical engineering. I still haven’t figured out what I want my focus to be, but I know that I want to be able to travel the world one day. I also have a borderline unhealthy obsession with books, and not nearly enough shelf space to support it.

I have always been interested in any sort of sculpting art. I have taken classes in fiber arts, ceramics, sculpting, and metalsmithing. I also taught myself to knit and crochet, albeit rather poorly. I enjoy creating smaller detailed pieces, and have attempted lampworking recently. I enjoy theater and film as well, but still prefer books, as I mentioned above. I am not a very musically inclined person, as I am very much tone deaf and have never really enjoyed playing instruments or listening to music.

I have always found movement in art pieces fascinating, so I find Theo Jansen’s works absolutely incredible.