#3rd assignment

[btlouganart]

 The project, Mark Variety is made of 100 squares, 10 x 10, each measured at about 1 inch x 1 1/2 inches, and each requiring the need to have a different design on them to form a variety, but still unify in a general direction, flow, and form.

 For my work, I thought it would appear graceful if a figure of a woman was emphasized by the tree body and the branches and leaves of the tree.

[denise-in-spain-blog]

Prado Museum and the Artists

Diego Velázquez: Las Meninas (1656)

Velázquez was the most famous Spanish artist of his time. Born in Seville in 1599 and died in 1660. He was chosen as a court painter in Madrid in 1623. But he spent most of his time painting portraits of the royal family. Among his most famous paintings are: “The Water Carrier of Seville” (1619), “Pope Innocent X” (1650), and the one that attracted my attention when visiting El Prado, “Las Meninas” (1656), also known as “The Family of Felipe IV”.

The portrait is one of the best-known works in Western art. It is a portrait focusing on the young Spanish Princess Margarita. Which exhibits a typical Baroque style. It is said and considered to be an excellent study of light, color and space.

Francisco de Zurbarán: Lamb of God (1635-1640)

This ritual image was wide-spread in seventeenth-century Spain. It represents an Agnus Dei or “Lamb of God,” in allusion to Christ's sacrificial death to save humanity. The straightforward composition consists exclusively of an image of the young animal with its legs bound, lying on a windowsill and brightly light by a single light source, using to symbolically represent the sacrifice Christ, the Son of God made.

This image without explanation or knowing the meaning behind it, I automatically assumed its allegorical representation because of my background in Catholic school, which is also why I was automatically attracted to research more about Zurbarán considering his most famous works include: “Christ Crucified, with the Sponsor” (1640) and “The Immaculate Conception” (1630).                                                                                           

Alonso Cano: The Miracle of the Well (1638-1640)

Cano was born in Granada. Known as a painter, sculptor, and architect, is often called the Spanish Michelangelo for his array number of talents. He moved to Seville in 1614, but had to flee to Madrid because of a feud with his contemporary artists. He was appointed a painter of a court in Madrid, but lost his job when he was suspected of the murder of his wife, leading him to escape to Valencia.

He then returned to King Philip IV and successfully solicited a position as canon in the cathedral in Granada in 1652, but he was expelled for misbehavior in 1656. Returning to Madrid, he took holy orders and was appointed chief architect of the Granada cathedral, a position he held until his death.

I found the history behind his work to be extremely interesting considering all the controversies and negative publicity that followed this talented artist which is what attracted me to one of his most famous paintings, “The Miracle of the Well” (1638-40). Other famous paintings of his include: “Dead Christ held by an Angel” (1646-52) and “Saint Benedict's Vision of the Globe and the the Three Angels” (1658-60).