Throughout my education I have had the privilege and opportunity to take numerous art history courses, and for this week’s blog post I want to share with others my favorite and most memorable pieces I have learned about and have come across.
When people think of art history they think of stuffy Baroque paintings or Greco-Roman sculpture or possibly the over-hyped Surrealist works of Dali. *Yawn*. Indeed, much of historical art consists of pieces under those categories, but I want to introduce and discuss a few of my favorite paintings that are quite different from the norm and have inspired me and my own works.
The first painting I want to discuss was created by Francisco Goya and finished in 1823; “Saturn Devouring His Son” is an oil mural transferred to canvas and is one of fourteen paintings from Goya’s Black Paintings. This collection of paintings was created during a dark time for Goya, as he was of old age and recently overcame two life-threatening illnesses. The Black Paintings were all originally painted upon Goya’s own home, and “Saturn Devouring His Son” was one of six of the collection that was in his dining room. The painting at hand is extremely gruesome. The subject matter is hard to swallow (ha ha) and the technique and mark making is rough and suggestive, giving the painting an entire moody and scary theme. The lore behind this painting is the titan Saturn chomping away at one of his sons out of remorseless fear of being overthrown by his own offspring. This painting is one of my favorites because it is just so different from other paintings created around the same time, and it proves that older pieces of art do not have to be stuffy or conservative but can be dark and terrifying and gross. I even recreated this painting in my undergraduate oil painting class last year out of pure fascination of the piece.
Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya
Oil on Canvas
Another favorite painting of mine is “Dante and Virgil” created by William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1850. The medium is oil on canvas. The subject matter is inspired by Dante’s The Divine Comedy, and the particular setting is in Inferno. Definitely one of my favorite pieces of classical literature, the subject matter of this painting has always been intriguing to me because of that fact. In The Divine Comedy, Dante (the writer of this piece) is taken through a journey through Inferno and Paradiso with his guide Virgil, the ancient Roman poet. The particular subject matter of this painting is when Dante and Virgil journey through Hell (Inferno) and view different circles and facets of human sin and divine rejection, and the scene depicted is in the eighth circle of Hell, of falsifiers and counterfeiters, where they are viewing two prisoners of the realm fighting and biting at each other. I am particularly fond of this work because of its striking and contrasting use of color, and its depiction and display of intense emotion with all of the subjects represented. Art can be dark and grotesque, which is really cool.
Dante and Virgil by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Oil on Canvas
The last piece I want to discuss is a little different from the previous two; “Las Meninas” by Diego Velazquez is an oil on canvas painting created in 1656 and depicts the Infanta Margaret Theresa surrounded by her Spanish court and help in an activity room during the Spanish Golden Age. This scene is extremely meta, and there is a large canvas in the frame, as if the characters onlooking the scene are currently being painted. There is a lot going on with this painting and it is quite fun to view and revel in the story being told. The coolest detail about this work is the mirror on the back wall, which is rumored to reflect the Infanta’s royal parents looking on towards the scene at hand, or perhaps the onlookers being the subjects of the painting in the scene.
Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez
Oil on Canvas
Thanks for reading, and I hoped you learned a bit about art and how cool and fun it can actually be! I always am open to educate others on my passions and inspirations, so I hope this tidbit of my favorite classic works sparked something within you.