Of The Sea of Clichés
Notes
This is perhaps the most boring piece that you will ever read here. It was an art analysis for my humanities class in high school. I had no real desire to write it and it shows.
Of The Sea of Clichés
Known for his painting “The Birth of Venus,” Sandro Botticelli painted another masterpiece known as “Madonna of the Sea.” Although it was early in his work, it is not a piece that should be overlooked because of its excellent methods in creating a focal point. The tempera on wood can still be found in Florence, Italy in the Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno as an example of Florence artwork from the Renaissance time period.
The painting itself depicts a virgin woman holding an infant child. Most Renaissance paintings with this common theme of virgin and child place focus on the child. The woman then becomes a secondary figure that becomes a tool to draw attention upon child. But in this painting, Botticelli takes this common theme and reverses it. Instead of the child, the woman is the focal point in this piece and Botticelli achieves this through various art techniques.
The most obvious technique Botticelli employed was the use of contrast. Most of the painting is painted in cool colors. There’s mostly a dark green throughout the painting and the woman is even clothed in a dark green robe. Even the woman’s reddish blonde hair seems to have a cooler feel to it than a fire red. But her shirt, her main garment, is a bright and strong red that instantly draws your attention away from the baby and the background. Now that Botticelli has your attention on the shirt, he forces your eyes to travel up through another technique.
Through linear perspective, Botticelli causes the viewer to look upon her face. The lines on her shirt travel up and down, but their source is northward. Thus, your eye will travel to the source of the action, the upper portion of her body. But these blatant lines are not the only lines. There are implied lines from the gaze of the baby. If your eye should travel to look at the baby, one will note that his eyes are on this woman. Other implied lines that exist are the framing lines of her hair and veil, which perfectly encompass her face.
Another interesting technique Botticelli is the attempt at creating form rather than shape. By trying to create form, he gives the painting depth and thus proportion. In this painting, this woman, if she were to stand, would be about seven feet tall judging by her elongated torso. Larger objects mean larger importance.This elongated torso also adds to the previously mentioned linear perspective. Instead of being blessed with a womanly figure, the virgin’s body narrows as it gets closer to her head, giving her a “vanishing point” at about her forehead.
I believe this piece is one that should not be forgotten. It takes a common theme and changes the direction of focus. While it is not the aesthically pleasing piece in my eyes, breaking away from the tradition is an important part of the Renaissance era and it is easy to say that this piece embodies that idea of breaking away from the drab. Sandro Barticelli’s painting “Madonna of the Sea” should most certainly not be forgotten.
This is perhaps the most boring piece that you will ever read here. It was an art analysis for my humanities class in high school. I had no real desire to write it and it shows.
Of The Sea of Clichés
Known for his painting “The Birth of Venus,” Sandro Botticelli painted another masterpiece known as “Madonna of the Sea.” Although it was early in his work, it is not a piece that should be overlooked because of its excellent methods in creating a focal point. The tempera on wood can still be found in Florence, Italy in the Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno as an example of Florence artwork from the Renaissance time period.
The painting itself depicts a virgin woman holding an infant child. Most Renaissance paintings with this common theme of virgin and child place focus on the child. The woman then becomes a secondary figure that becomes a tool to draw attention upon child. But in this painting, Botticelli takes this common theme and reverses it. Instead of the child, the woman is the focal point in this piece and Botticelli achieves this through various art techniques.
The most obvious technique Botticelli employed was the use of contrast. Most of the painting is painted in cool colors. There’s mostly a dark green throughout the painting and the woman is even clothed in a dark green robe. Even the woman’s reddish blonde hair seems to have a cooler feel to it than a fire red. But her shirt, her main garment, is a bright and strong red that instantly draws your attention away from the baby and the background. Now that Botticelli has your attention on the shirt, he forces your eyes to travel up through another technique.
Through linear perspective, Botticelli causes the viewer to look upon her face. The lines on her shirt travel up and down, but their source is northward. Thus, your eye will travel to the source of the action, the upper portion of her body. But these blatant lines are not the only lines. There are implied lines from the gaze of the baby. If your eye should travel to look at the baby, one will note that his eyes are on this woman. Other implied lines that exist are the framing lines of her hair and veil, which perfectly encompass her face.
Another interesting technique Botticelli is the attempt at creating form rather than shape. By trying to create form, he gives the painting depth and thus proportion. In this painting, this woman, if she were to stand, would be about seven feet tall judging by her elongated torso. Larger objects mean larger importance.This elongated torso also adds to the previously mentioned linear perspective. Instead of being blessed with a womanly figure, the virgin’s body narrows as it gets closer to her head, giving her a “vanishing point” at about her forehead.
I believe this piece is one that should not be forgotten. It takes a common theme and changes the direction of focus. While it is not the aesthically pleasing piece in my eyes, breaking away from the tradition is an important part of the Renaissance era and it is easy to say that this piece embodies that idea of breaking away from the drab. Sandro Barticelli’s painting “Madonna of the Sea” should most certainly not be forgotten.