I wrote an ArtMidtermEssay OdYssey with myself and Irene today. Would you like to read it? Okay. Copy and Paste.
Jerry Chen Period 2
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Rembrandt’s Self Portrait are two highly revered works by two of the Renaissance’s great artists. Both are paintings that portray the upper bodies of two humans. To those without a deeper aesthetic knowledge, the Mona Lisa and the Self Portrait may seem very similar. However, various components of art make the two works very different. The different painting techniques used is one factor that sets the two apart. Leonardo da Vinci was the first to use a transition technique called sfumato. He used this technique on the Mona Lisa to delicately blend paints, creating smooth shifts from color to color. Rembrandt instead used the technique impasto, which is defined by the use of thick paint application. Basically, da Vinci blended while Rembrandt chose to layer on the paints. The Mona Lisa was painted very carefully and using the technique of chiaroscuro while Rembrandt’s Self Portrait was painted more liberally. For instance, Rembrandt’s hair in his Self Portrait was done by thickly applying paint and then changing the appearance of it by using the end of a brush to make curves in the hair. The Self Portrait is a little like one of Monet’s paintings because close up, the features are hard to distinguish. But far away, everything falls into place. An allusion of perspective called an atmospheric background was used in the Mona Lisa. The background shows natural elements painted in such a way that it gives the painting an expressive depth. Rembrandt’s background in his Self Portrait was a solid color that lightens towards the top of the painting, where his face is positioned. An important part of the two works of art is facial expression. Facial expressions have the power of greatly altering a person’s perspective towards the work. Mona Lisa shows a woman who has a serene look on her face. The corners of her mouth are just barely turned up, but the smile seems to radiate from her eyes as well. The soft shadows on her brightened face (in contrast with her dark clothes) add to the calmness of the painting. Rembrandt’s Self Portrait shows himself with a look of sorrow on his face. It is not a blunt and direct sadness, but the elements in the painting help magnify the look of sadness. The entire background is devoid of any other objects and is painted very dark with the painting lightening up around Rembrandt’s head. This makes it seem as if Rembrandt is alone and surrounded by darkness. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and the Self Portrait by Rembrandt are very different in many ways. That, however, does not prevent the two from becoming highly regarded works in the artistic field.
Would you like to read it?
Okay. Copy and Paste.
Jerry Chen Period 2
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Rembrandt’s Self Portrait are two highly revered works by two of the Renaissance’s great artists. Both are paintings that portray the upper bodies of two humans. To those without a deeper aesthetic knowledge, the Mona Lisa and the Self Portrait may seem very similar. However, various components of art make the two works very different.
The different painting techniques used is one factor that sets the two apart. Leonardo da Vinci was the first to use a transition technique called sfumato. He used this technique on the Mona Lisa to delicately blend paints, creating smooth shifts from color to color. Rembrandt instead used the technique impasto, which is defined by the use of thick paint application. Basically, da Vinci blended while Rembrandt chose to layer on the paints.
The Mona Lisa was painted very carefully and using the technique of chiaroscuro while Rembrandt’s Self Portrait was painted more liberally. For instance, Rembrandt’s hair in his Self Portrait was done by thickly applying paint and then changing the appearance of it by using the end of a brush to make curves in the hair. The Self Portrait is a little like one of Monet’s paintings because close up, the features are hard to distinguish. But far away, everything falls into place.
An allusion of perspective called an atmospheric background was used in the Mona Lisa. The background shows natural elements painted in such a way that it gives the painting an expressive depth. Rembrandt’s background in his Self Portrait was a solid color that lightens towards the top of the painting, where his face is positioned.
An important part of the two works of art is facial expression. Facial expressions have the power of greatly altering a person’s perspective towards the work. Mona Lisa shows a woman who has a serene look on her face. The corners of her mouth are just barely turned up, but the smile seems to radiate from her eyes as well. The soft shadows on her brightened face (in contrast with her dark clothes) add to the calmness of the painting. Rembrandt’s Self Portrait shows himself with a look of sorrow on his face. It is not a blunt and direct sadness, but the elements in the painting help magnify the look of sadness. The entire background is devoid of any other objects and is painted very dark with the painting lightening up around Rembrandt’s head. This makes it seem as if Rembrandt is alone and surrounded by darkness.
The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and the Self Portrait by Rembrandt are very different in many ways. That, however, does not prevent the two from becoming highly regarded works in the artistic field.
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