Fra Angelico

For as long as I've been exposed to Christian art, I've always found it rather repetitive and uninteresting. I'm starting to realize that my opinion is a little biased because there's a lot of beauty to be found in some, including early Renaissance Christian art.

I chose to do my artist/artwork presentation for art history on an Annunciation fresco by Fra Angelico, a Dominican monk/painter from Florence whose artwork is just beautiful. The scenes he creates are so serene and elegant. They're filled with so much spirit and soft light.
I find it unique how Fra Angelico portrayed Mary in comparison to how she was being portrayed in Christian art from the Middle Ages. Normally she's shown wearing bold, dark blue that makes her the immediate focal point of a piece of art. But here the colors are pale. I like it when Mary seems more like a real person instead of an exalted queen.

My favorite painting!

Well folks, I'm finished with my box for Illustration! I worked on it last night from about 11:30 pm to 2:30 am and for a couple hours today. I will have a post for it following this one!

You know, much as I've been involved in art, I can't say I've ever come upon a particular work that I can call my favorite... until now!

There is something captivating about ''La nascita di Venere'' (''The Birth of Venus'') painted by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1482-1486). It would be worth your time to see a larger image of the painting by clicking here.

When I first saw this in Janson's History of Art, I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Anyway, according to an introductory segment on this painting in Perspectives on Western Art (vol. 2), ''Venus, the Greco-Roman goddess of physical beauty and sensual love, was exalted in the Renaissance as the embodiment of ideal beauty and as the channel to spiritual love.'' The painting depicts Venus emerging from the sea. On the left, Zephyr, the god of the spring winds, blows Venus upon her shell to the shore while Chloris clings to him. On the right, a nymph prepares to clothe her.

There are so many things I love about this painting. I love the rich color, especially Venus' hair, I love the movement in her hair, the movement in the garment she's about to be clothed in, the movement in the water, and especially the light... I can't even name everything.

Some day, I shall venture to the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence to see it.