A coffee with Art

Girl and cat 1937 Oil on the table (88x78 cm) Private collection ******* To create a painting, one does not necessarily have to resort to majestic scenes. Here we are faced with a moment of daily simplicity: a seated teenager, the lonely and desolate darkness of a room, a placid cat. The picture, however, has something disturbing: the girl does not seem to have that innocence typical of her age but she is more sensual than one would expect. Balthus was not satisfied with portraying a person and an animal in one place; wanted to do much more: he portrayed that moment of transition that everyone has experienced in which he passes from the innocent childhood age (of which the cat is an echo, for the many hours spent playing and the daydreams that lead us to talking to animals) to adulthood. It is no coincidence that the light falls unequivocally on the girl's legs. Balthus never studied at the academy but this did not prevent him from deepening the work of artists such as Pierre Bon...

Hans BALDUNG GRIEN - The three ages of man and death (1539)

The three ages of man and death 1539 Oil on the table (151x61 cm) Prado Museum, Madrid ******* Four simple figures, an allegory: the three ages of human life together with inevitable destiny. A sleeping girl is childhood, a girl is youth and an old woman is old age. Death is easily recognized by itself. Does the end of all things have an hourglass in your hands, a symbol of time that passes inexorably or the inevitable that sooner or later arrives? A strong realism permeates the bodies created by Baldung, the result of his very careful and prolific studies on real life models. He received very practical help from his engraving techniques, an activity that unites him with his famous master: Albrecht Dürer. With Hieronymus Bosch he shares a passion for terror and suffering represented through fantasy. Thanks to his Art he was able to enjoy great fame and well-being, when he died in Strasbourg he was one of the most important and influential members of the community. Comparing artis...

Fra' BARTOLOMEO - Resurrection of Christ and saints (1516)

Resurrection of Christ and saints 1516 Oil painting on canvas (284x204 cm) Palazzo Pitti, Florence ******* This painting is characterized by a strong dynamic sense, infused by the drapery, the raised arm of Christ, the arms and heads of the saints pointing and turning. The figure of Christ is imposing in the construction of the picture, an aspect due to convey to the observer a profound sense of adoration and contemplation. Baccio della Porta studied painting in Florence, the city where he met and suffered the strong influence of Savonarola, after whose death he decided to join the Dominican order and take the name of Fra 'Bartolomeo. It seems that he too reacted in the manner of Botticelli, burning all his previous paintings in which there were nudes; these facts can be attributed to Savonarola and his ability to manipulate weak minds like those of the two artists. Fra 'Bartolomeo could boast the presence of Michelangelo and Raphael in his group of friends. His art took shap...

Andrea del Sarto - Assumption of the Virgin (about 1526)

Assumption of the Virgin about 1526 Oil painting on canvas (379x222 cm) Palazzo Pitti, Florence ******* The painting is divided in a physical and spiritual way, two large rooms characterize it: sky and earth. The Virgin ascends to heaven, surrounded by angels, while on earth the apostles watch the scene with great amazement. St. Thomas is characterized by his scientific spirit: I must ascertain and prove that Mary is no longer in her tomb and that she is actually taken up into heaven even with her body. In front of the scene two important saints: Nicola and Margherita; the patrons of the donor and of the city for which the altarpiece was designed. The painting is somewhat rigid, a typical aspect of the Italian Renaissance. The Florentine painters enjoyed the fame of great draftsmen and Andrea del Sarto no less; there is no doubt that he made several preparatory drawings to achieve the desired balance. Andrea del Sarto received many commissions in life, especially frescoes and was known...

Gentile BELLINI - The miracle of the Cross (1500)

The miracle of the Cross 1500 Oil painting on canvas (323x430 cm) Accademia Gallery, Venice ******* During the Venetian Renaissance the architecture and beauty of the city on the water were the greatest pride of the inhabitants of the area; the custom of the time was to commission works for the most important anniversaries. Subject of the work in this, it seems to be the "miracle" from which it takes its name; however, it must be said that the real subject of the composition, once again, is Venice and her daily life. Gentile gives space to gondoliers, friars, women and men of high society, as well as the palaces and canals of his beautiful city. We have to spend a lot of time looking at this painting, the details are many and amazing: the jewels of the ladies, the bricks of the fireplaces, ... everything is painted with great precision. The light used by Gentile Bellini is delicate and allows you to easily distinguish one figure from another, and highlights the buildings. G...

Hans BELLMER - The spinning top (about 1937-1956)

The spinning top about 1937-1956 Oil painting on canvas (65x65 cm) Tate Gallery, London ******* The subject of the work is a skeletal female figure spinning a top, held in her bony hands. Bellmer's idea was to make a sculpture that symbolized the woman's power to turn men's heads and hearts, while she herself whirls in zero gravity. Undoubtedly, we are faced with a work with a strong disturbing character. This painting has undergone many reworkings by the author, who only signed the painting in 1956 when he found an interested buyer. Bellmer was of Polish descent and moved to Paris in 1938, a time when she joined Surrealism. This work represents many features of Surrealism, such as the distortion of the image that appears to float in a space that could represent the artist's subconscious. The reference point of Hans Bellmer's art is the female body, very often treated in an erotic way, almost obsessively. By the same artist, we usually know his articulated female ...

John James AUDUBON - Rose spoonbill (1835-40)

Rose spoonbill 1835-1838 Engraving on paper (65x95 cm) from Birds of America, 1835-38, Vol. 4 ******* John James Audubon has crafted every single detail of this strange bird with exceptional care. The artist has undertaken an encyclopedic work: cataloging all the birds of North America; result: 435 illustrated tables. His training is neoclassical and he chose Jacques-Louis David as a model. Not just theory and study, much less a search for beauty as an end in itself; Audubon wanted to give practical value to his technique, giving a strong impulse to his ornithological passion. The titanic work took a lot of time and as much money, which he also had to look for in the UK. It was worth it: even today it is considered an important work of art and a precious scientific document. Given the success of this adventure, he also dedicated the last seven years of his life to quadrupeds. Comparing artists: Agasse, Catlin, David, Stubbs

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