03 Works, RELIGIOUS ART – Contemporary 20th C. Interpretation of the Bible!, František Drtikol’s Étude de la Crucifixion – #12

František Drtikol
Étude de la Crucifixion, c. 1914
Private collection

František Drtikol (3 March 1883, Příbram — 13 January 1961, Prague) was a Czech photographer of international renown. He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs, often nudes and portraits.

He had his own studio, until 1935 where he operated an important portrait photostudio in Prague. Drtikol made many portraits of very important people and nudes which show development from pictorialism and symbolism to modern composite pictures of the nude body with geometric decorations and thrown shadows, where it is possible to find a number of parallels with the avant-garde works of the period…

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01 Work, CONTEMPORARY Interpretation of the Bible! Georges Rouault’s CRUCIFIXION, with Footnotes – #49

Georges Rouault (French, 1871–1958)
CRUCIFIXION, circa 1935-40
Oil and gouache on paper laid down on paper mounted on canvas
41¾ by 29½ in. (106 by 75 cm.)
Private collection

Much of Rouault’s work remained indebted to his apprenticeship with glaziers as a teenager. The artist retained an enduring passion for this craft, and the juxtaposition of the vibrant greens, yellows and reds and the use of heavy contours resembling lead tracery reflect his early training. Rouault returns to the craft with the present work, a design for a stained-glass window executed by Jean Herbert-Stevens in 1939. More on this work

Georges Rouault, (French, 1871–1958), was a French artist whose work melded Fauvism and Expressionism with its jewel-like tones and bold graphic lines. Alongside Henri Matisse, André Derain, Rouault culled from his spiritual fervor and knowledge of medieval stained glass to produce resonating portraits, landscapes, religious scenes, and still lifes. In one of his hallmark works The Old King (1916-1936), the painter poetically explores the power of symbolism and primary colors. “For me, painting is a way to forget life. It is a cry in the night, a strangled laugh,” he once reflected. Born on May 27, 1871 in Paris, France, he apprenticed with a stain glass artisan while studying at the École des Arts Décoratifs, he later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under the famed Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau, who became an influential mentor. Between 1895 and 1898, the artist became a devout Roman Catholic as well as going through an emotional breakdown. He came out of this revitalized, moralistic and religious, Rouault displayed an interest in the flaws of society and began frequenting Parisian courts of law to find subjects to paint. Throughout the remainder of his career, much of his work was devoted to the depiction of prostitutes, clowns, and Christ. Rouault died on February 13, 1958 in Paris, France at the age of 86. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and the Tate Gallery in London, among others. More on Georges Rouault

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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15 Works, June 25th. is Robert Scott Lauder’s day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #172

Robert Scott Lauder (1803–1869)
The Shepherdess
Oil on canvas
H 75 x W 111 cm
Paisley Museum and Art Galleries

Robert Scott Lauder RSA (25 June 1803–21 April 1869) was a Scottish artist who described himself as a “historical painter”. He was one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy…

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23 Works, Today, June 3rd. is William Hilton’s day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #152

William Hilton (1786-1839)
Preparatory study for “Massacre of the Innocents”
Oil on canvas
4.5ins x 14ins
Private collection

The Massacre of the Innocents is the incident in the nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The Catholic Church regards them as the first Christian martyrs. A majority of Herod biographers, and “probably a majority of biblical scholars,” hold the event to be myth, legend or folklore. The Massacre of the Innocents

William Hilton RA (3 June 1786–30 December 1839), was a British portrait and history painter…

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Renato Guttuso, The CCrucifixion 02 Works, 20th Century Interpretation of the Bible! With Footnotes – 37

Renato Guttuso, (1912 – 1987)
The Crocifissione/ Crucifixion
Oil on canvas
200 x 200 cm.
Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna and Contemporanea, Rome, Italy

Crocifissione is the painting for which Renato Guttuso is best remembered. At the time it was derided by the clergy, who labelled Guttuso a “pictor diabolicus” (“a devilish painter”). The fascists also denounced it for depicting the horrors of war under a religious cover. Guttuso wrote in his diary: “it is the symbol of all those who endure insults, jail, torture for their ideas”. Guttuso also spoke publicly about “The Crocifissione”, saying “this is a time of war. I wish to paint the torment of Christ as a contemporary scene… as a symbol of all those who, because of their ideas, endure outrage, imprisonment and torment”

Renato Guttuso (26 December 1912 – 18 January 1987) was an Italian painter. His best-known works include Flight from Etna (1938–39), Crucifixion (1941) and La Vucciria (1974). Guttuso also designed for the theatre and did illustrations for books. Those for Elizabeth David’s Italian Food (1954), introduced him to many in the English-speaking world. A fierce anti-Fascist, “he developed out of Expressionism and the harsh light of his native land to paint landscapes and social commentary.”

He was born in Bagheria, near Palermo in Sicily, but from 1937 lived and worked largely in Rome. In his youth he joined the Gruppo universitario fascista, but later he became an anti-fascist and atheist. He joined the banned Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1940 and left Rome to become an active participant in the partisan struggle from 1943. He was also an opponent to the Mafia. In 1972 Guttuso was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize. In 1976 he was elected to the Italian Senate as a PCI representative for the Sicilian constituency of Sciacca…

 

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Gustavo Aceves; The crucifixion of Jesus 01 Work, CONTEMPORARY Interpretation of the Bible! With Footnotes – 29

Gustavo Aceves (b. 1957, Mexico City)
Untitled/ The crucifixion of Jesus, c. 2009
Oil on canvas
210 x 170 cm
Private collection

The crucifixion of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely between AD 30 and 33. Jesus’ crucifixion is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles.

Jesus was arrested and tried by the Sanhedrin, and then sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally crucified by the Romans. Jesus was stripped of his clothing and offered wine mixed with myrrh or gall to drink before being crucified. He was then hung between two convicted thieves and died some six hours later. During this time, the soldiers affixed a sign to the top of the cross stating “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” which, according to the Gospel of John, was written in three languages. After Jesus’ death, one soldier pierced his side with a spear to be certain that he had died. More on The crucifixion of Jesus

Gustavo Aceves (b. 1957, Mexico City) currently lives and works in Pietrasanta, Italy. Aceves is a self-taught artist who quickly built up a reputation as an influential painter working in Latin America. His paintings and works on paper focusing on the human figure draws upon Western pictorial traditions whilst using the large-scales common in Mexican murals. Aceves’ work has been exhibited around the world since the late 1970s including in the Museo del Palacio Bellas Artes in Mexico City, the Venice Biennale and the Beijing Biennale. His work can be found in the permanent collections of Museo Memoria y Tolerancia, Mexico City and the Vatican Museum, Rome. More on Gustavo Aceves

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, And visit my Boards on Pinterest

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Andrea Solari, Mary Magdalen 01 Works, RELIGIOUS ART – Interpretation the bible, With Footnotes – 114

Andrea Solari,  (1460–1524)

Mary Magdalen, circa 1524

Oil on panel

DH: 29 3/4 x W: 23 5/16 x Approx. D: 1 in. (75.5 x 59.2 x 2.5 cm)

Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Mary Magdalene went to anoint Christ’s dead body, only to discover that he was resurrected. She is shown here transferring the ointment from a maiolica pharmacy jar to a smaller vessel.

According to Church, Mary Magdalene was a sinful woman, who upon meeting Christ repented her former ways. She was present at the Crucifixion and later went to anoint Christ’s dead body, only to discover that he was resurrected. As in this painting, the Magdalene is often depicted as a great beauty with long golden hair. She is shown here transferring the ointment from a maiolica pharmacy jar to a smaller vessel. The artist has represented the Magdalene in a style influenced by the works of Leonardo da Vinci, particularly in the subtle “sfumato” technique that invisibly blends light and shade and make contours appear soft. More on this painting

Andrea Solari (also Solario) (1460–1524) was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Milanese school. He was initially named Andre del Gobbo, but more confusingly as Andrea del Bartolo a name shared with two other Italian painters, the 14th Century Siennese Andrea di Bartolo, and the 15th Century Florentine Andrea di Bartolo.

His paintings can be seen in Venice, Milan, The Louvre and the Château de Gaillon (Normandie, France). One of his better-known paintings is the Virgin of the Green Cushion (c. 1507) in the Louvre

Solario was one of the most important followers of Leonardo da Vinci, and brother of Cristoforo Solari, who gave him his first training. In 1490 he accompanied his brother to Venice, where he seems to have been strongly influenced by Antonello da Messina, who was then active in the city. The two brothers returned to Milan in 1493. The Ecce Homo at the Poldi-Pezzoli Museum, notable for its strong modelling, may have been painted soon after his arrival.

In 1507 Andrea Solari went to France with letters of introduction to the Cardinal of Amboise, and was employed for two years on frescoes in the chapel of his castle of Gaillon in Normandy.

Andrea’s last work was an altarpiece representing The Assumption of the Virgin, left unfinished at his death and completed by Bernardino Campi about 1576. More on Andrea Solari 

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, and The Canals of Venice

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Virgin of Mercy 01 Antique Religious Carvings – Sculptures from the Bible, with footnotes, 9

Late 15th century carved wooden figure of the Virgin of Mercy, presumably Central German

Detail

The crowned Virgin is depicted in contrapposto, wearing a long richly draped gold cloak and holding the nude Christ Child in Her left arm, the right arm would have formerly held a sceptre, which is now lacking. Two angels to the left and right of the Virgin extend Her cloak to shelter fourteen figures kneeling in prayer. On the left we see a Pope, Cardinal, Bishop, monks, and a nun as representatives of the ecclesiastical caste, and on the right the worldly order is depicted in the guise of a King, knight, and soldiers. More on this carving

Late 15th century carved wooden figure of the Virgin of Mercy, presumably Central German

The Virgin of Mercy is a subject in Christian Art, showing a group of people sheltering for protection under the outspread cloak, or pallium, of the Virgin Mary. It was especially popular in Italy from the 13th to 16th centuries, often as a specialised form of votive portrait, and is also found in other countries and later art, especially Catalonia and Latin America. In Italian it is known as the Madonna della Misericordia (Madonna of Mercy). More on The Virgin of Mercy

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Ivory diptych with the Crucifixion 01 Antique Religious Carvings – Ivory Sculptures from the Bible, with footnotes, 8

A late 14th century French carved ivory relief of the Crucifixion

A diptych is any object with two flat plates attached at a hinge. From the Middle Ages many panel paintings took the diptych form, as small portable works for personal use; Eastern Orthodox ones may be called “travelling icons”. Although the tryptych form was more common, there were also ivory diptychs with religious scenes carved in relief, a form found first in Byzantine art before becoming very popular in the Gothic period in the West, where they were mainly produced in Paris. These suited the mobile lives of medieval elites. More on diptychs

High-relief depiction with a plain border, formerly the right wing of a hinged diptych. The piece depicts numerous figures attendant at the Crucifixion. We see Christ being offered the sponge and Longinus with the lance below him. The mourning Virgin is depicted on the left with Saint John and Mary Magdalene, two prophets are seen on the right, and in the upper arches we see two angels with symbols of the sun and moon.. More on this carving

When ivory reappeared in northern Europe in the mid-thirteenth century, artists and patrons quickly renewed the art of ivory carving. Instead of a revival of earlier forms, however, the Gothic period saw the revival of a new range of ivory object types: statuettes and statuette groups for the church or the private home; small paneled objects called diptychs (two panels), triptychs (three panels), and polyptychs (many panels) with scenes in low relief that unfold for private meditation; and luxury objects for personal use, such as combs, mirror backs, writing tablets, and caskets. The golden age of Gothic ivory carving spanned a century and a half, from about 1230 to 1380, at which point the supply of ivory to northern Europe again dwindled. More on Ivory Carving in the Gothic Era

The crucifixion of Jesus occurred in 1st century Judea, most probably between the years 30 and 33 AD. Jesus’ crucifixion is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and is established as a historical event confirmed by non-Christian sources.

According to the canonical gospels, Jesus, the Christ, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally crucified by the Romans. Jesus was stripped of his clothing and offered wine mixed with gall to drink, before being crucified. He was then hung between two convicted thieves and according to Mark’s Gospel, died some six hours later. During this time, the soldiers affixed a sign to the top of the cross stating “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” in three languages. They then divided his garments among them, but cast lots for his seamless robe. After Jesus’ death they pierced his side with a spear to be certain that he had died. More on the crucifixion

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I don’t own any of these images – credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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Ivory diptych with the Annunciation and the Crucifixion 01 Antique Religious Carvings – Ivory Sculptures from the Bible, with footnotes, 7

Late 14th century French carved ivory diptych with the Annunciation and the Crucifixion

A diptych is any object with two flat plates attached at a hinge. From the Middle Ages many panel paintings took the diptych form, as small portable works for personal use; Eastern Orthodox ones may be called “travelling icons”. Although the tryptych form was more common, there were also ivory diptychs with religious scenes carved in relief, a form found first in Byzantine art before becoming very popular in the Gothic period in the West, where they were mainly produced in Paris. These suited the mobile lives of medieval elites. More on diptychs

The panel on the left depicts the annunciation to Mary with the angel Gabriel and the dove of the Holy Spirit and on the right the Crucifixion with the Virgin and John the Baptist, both scenes beneath Gothic arch borders. More on this carving

When ivory reappeared in northern Europe in the mid-thirteenth century, artists and patrons quickly renewed the art of ivory carving. Instead of a revival of earlier forms, however, the Gothic period saw the revival of a new range of ivory object types: statuettes and statuette groups for the church or the private home; small paneled objects called diptychs (two panels), triptychs (three panels), and polyptychs (many panels) with scenes in low relief that unfold for private meditation; and luxury objects for personal use, such as combs, mirror backs, writing tablets, and caskets. The golden age of Gothic ivory carving spanned a century and a half, from about 1230 to 1380, at which point the supply of ivory to northern Europe again dwindled. More on Ivory Carving in the Gothic Era

The Annunciation referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Yehoshua , meaning “YHWH is salvation”.

According to Luke 1:26, the Annunciation occurred “in the sixth month” of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, an approximation of the northern vernal equinox nine full months before Christmas, the ceremonial birthday of Jesus. In England, this came to be known as Lady Day. It marked the new year until 1752. The 2nd-century writer Irenaeus of Lyon regarded the conception of Jesus as 25 March coinciding with the Passion. More The Annunciation

The crucifixion of Jesus occurred in 1st century Judea, most probably between the years 30 and 33 AD. Jesus’ crucifixion is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and is established as a historical event confirmed by non-Christian sources.

According to the canonical gospels, Jesus, the Christ, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally crucified by the Romans. Jesus was stripped of his clothing and offered wine mixed with gall to drink, before being crucified. He was then hung between two convicted thieves and according to Mark’s Gospel, died some six hours later. During this time, the soldiers affixed a sign to the top of the cross stating “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” in three languages. They then divided his garments among them, but cast lots for his seamless robe. After Jesus’ death they pierced his side with a spear to be certain that he had died. More on the crucifixion

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I don’t own any of these images – credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

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03 Works, RELIGIOUS ART – Contemporary 20th C. Interpretation of the Bible!, František Drtikol – 12

František Drtikol

Étude de la Crucifixion, 1914

Private collection

František Drtikol (3 March 1883, Příbram – 13 January 1961, Prague) was a Czech photographer of international renown. He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs, often nudes and portraits.

He had his own studio, until 1935 where he operated an important portrait photostudio in Prague. Drtikol made many portraits of very important people and nudes which show development from pictorialism and symbolism to modern composite pictures of the nude body with geometric decorations and thrown shadows, where it is possible to find a number of parallels with the avant-garde works of the period.

He began using paper cut-outs in a period he called “photopurism”. These photographs resembled silhouettes of the human form. Later he gave up photography and concentrated on painting. After the studio was sold Drtikol focused mainly on painting, Buddhist religious and philosophical systems. In the final stage of his photographic work Drtikol created compositions of little carved figures, with elongated shapes, symbolically expressing various themes from Buddhism. In the 1920s and 1930s, he received significant awards at international photo salons. More on František Drtikol

František Drtikol

Étude de la Crucifixion, 1914

Private collection

In 1910, Frantisek Drtikol opened his studio in Prague and rapidly developed a reputation as a portrait photographer. At first, his personal work – mostly landscapes – diffused a symbolist-like pictorialist aesthetic. In the 1920s, he created daring and inventive nude studies that mingled Cubism, Abstraction and Art Deco – ‘I am inspired by three things: decorativeness, motion, and the stillness and expression of individual lines.’ To do so, he enjoyed contrasting the curves of the feminine body against solid geometric Art Deco forms, fragmenting shapes, using the light techniques of silent films and integrating expressive dance moves. More on Frantisek Drtikol

František Drtikol

Femme crucifiée, 1913

gelatin silver print on bromide paper

22 x 16.4 cm. ( 8 ¾ x 6 ½ in.)

Private collection

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07 Paintings, RELIGIOUS ART – Interpretations of the Bible! by The Old Masters, With Footnotes # 61

Central Italian School, 13th Century

Madonna and Child with Saint Peter and an Apostle

Tempera on canvas, laid down on panel

98 x 67.5 cm

Private collection

The present panel painting represents the enthroned Virgin Lactans. The Christ Child is shown holding a scroll in his left hand. Behind them, on a much smaller scale than the foreground group, are an un-identified apostle saint also holding a scroll, and Saint Peter with his characteristic attribute, keys. This refined painting belongs to a type of devotional production that derived from the abstracted, hieratic, Byzantine style, in which however it is possible to note, in contrast to the typically fixed rigidity of the Madonna, a greater degree of animation in the expressions of the apostles at her shoulders. More on this painting

The Nursing Madonna, Virgo Lactans, or Madonna Lactans, is an iconography of the Madonna and Child in which the Virgin Mary is shown breastfeeding the infant Jesus.

Saint Peter (AD 30; d. between AD 64 and 68), according to the New Testament, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, leaders of the early Christian Church. He is also the “Apostle of the Apostles”. The Catholic Church considers him to be the first pope, ordained by Jesus in the “Rock of My Church” dialogue in Matthew. More on Saint Peter

In the Middle Ages, the middle and upper classes usually contracted breastfeeding out to wetnurses, and the depiction of the Nursing Madonna was linked with the Madonna of Humility, a depiction that showed the Virgin in more ordinary clothes than the royal robes shown, for instance, in images of the Coronation of the Virgin.  More on the nursing Madonna

 

Italian School, 13th Century. Italian painting began to develop beyond the influence of Byzantium in the Duecento or 13th century, with Cimabue, Duccio and Giotto, maintaining its lead throughout the Italian Renaissance, and reaching a particular peak in the High Renaissance of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, despite great political turbulence. Italy retained its artistic dominance into the 17th century with Mannerism and the Baroque, and cultural tourism became a major prop to an otherwise faltering economy. More on Italian School, 13th Century

Anthony van Dyck, (1599–1641)

Maria with child and the saints Rosalia , Peter and Paul, c. 1629

Color on canvas

275 × 210 cm (108.3 × 82.7 in)

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Antwerp

Santa Rosalia is depicted on the right, before St. Mary

Saint Rosalia (1130–1166), is the patron saint of Palermo in Italy, and three towns in Venezuela: El Hatillo, Zuata, and Anzoátegui.

Rosalia was born of a Norman noble family that claimed descent from Charlemagne. Devoutly religious, she retired to live as a hermit in a cave on Mount Pellegrino, where she died alone in 1166. Tradition says that she was led to the cave by two angels. On the cave wall she wrote “I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses, and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ.” In 1624, a plague beset Palermo. During this hardship Saint Rosalia appeared first to a sick woman, then to a hunter, to whom she indicated where her remains were to be found. She ordered him to bring her bones to Palermo and have them carried in procession through the city.

The hunter climbed the mountain and found her bones in the cave as described. He did what she had asked in the apparition. After her remains were carried around the city three times, the plague ceased. After this Saint Rosalia was venerated as the patron saint of Palermo, and a sanctuary was built in the cave where her remains were discovered. More on Saint Rosalia

Sir Anthony van Dyck, ( 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England, after enjoying great success in Italy and Flanders. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next 150 years. He also painted biblical and mythological subjects, displayed outstanding facility as a draughtsman, and was an important innovator in watercolour and etching. The Van Dyke beard is named after him. More Sir Anthony van Dyck

Paul Gauguin,  (1848–1903)

The Yellow Christ, c. 1889

Oil on canvas

92.1 × 73 cm (36.3 × 28.7 in)

Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

The Yellow Christ is a painting executed by Paul Gauguin in 1889 in Pont-Aven. Together with The Green Christ (below), it is considered to be one of the key works of Symbolism in painting.

The Yellow Christ is a symbolic piece that shows the crucifixion of Christ taking place in nineteenth-century northern France as Breton women are gathered in prayer. Gauguin relies heavily on bold lines to define his figures and reserves shading only for the women. The autumn palette of yellow, red and green in the landscape echoes the dominant yellow in the figure of Christ. The bold outlines and flatness of the forms in this painting are typical of the cloisonnist style. More on the Yellow Christ

Paul Gauguin,  (1848–1903)

The Green Christ, or Breton Calvar, c. 1889

Oil on canvas

92 × 73 cm (36.2 × 28.7 in)

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium

The Green Christ depicts a Breton woman at the foot of a calvary, or sculpture of Christ’s crucifixion. Calvaries are common in town squares in Brittany.

Topographically, the site depicted is the Atlantic coast at Le Pouldu. But the calvary depicted is an amalgam of calvaires from different sites; the cross is based upon that in the centre of Névez, a community close to Pont-Aven and several miles from the coast. The figure of Christ is based upon the calvaire at Briec – also some distance from the sea. More on the Green Christ 

Christ of the church of Trémalo, at Pont-Aven

Seventeenth century

 189 x 133 cm

Gauguin first visited Pont-Aven in 1886. He returned to the village in early 1888 to stay until mid-October. Early in 1889, Gauguin was back to Pont-Aven to stay there until spring 1890. It was only for a short visit in summer 1889 to Paris to see the Exposition universelle and to arrange the Volpini Exhibition that Gauguin interrupted this sojourn. Soon after his return to Pont-Aven he painted The Yellow Christ.

Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French post-Impressionist artist. Underappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of color and Synthetist style that were distinctly different from Impressionism. His work was influential to the French avant-garde and many modern artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Gauguin’s art became popular after his death.

He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer. His bold experimentation with color led directly to the Synthetist style of modern art, while his expression of the inherent meaning of the subjects in his paintings, under the influence of the cloisonnist style, paved the way to Primitivism and the return to the pastoral. He was also an influential proponent of wood engraving and woodcuts as art forms. More on Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin

Circle Peter Paul Rubens

The Miracles of Saint Ignatius of Loyola

oil on copper

49.5 x 34.5 cm

Private collection

 

Saint Ignatius of Loyola (October 23, 1491 – July 31, 1556) was a Spanish Basque priest and theologian, who founded the religious order called the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and became its first Superior General. The Jesuit order served the Pope as missionaries, and they were bound by a vow of special obedience to the sovereign pontiff in regard to the missions. They therefore emerged as an important force during the time of the Counter-Reformation.

Ignatius is remembered as a talented spiritual director. He recorded his method in a celebrated treatise called the Spiritual Exercises, a simple set of meditations, prayers, and other mental exercises, first published in 1548.

 Ignatius was beatified in 1609, and then canonized, receiving the title of Saint on March 12, 1622. His feast day is celebrated on July 31. He is the patron saint of the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Biscay as well as the Society of Jesus, and was declared patron saint of all spiritual retreats by Pope Pius XI in 1922. Ignatius is also a foremost patron saint of soldiers. More on Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Sir Peter Paul Rubens (28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish Baroque painter. A proponent of an extravagant Baroque style that emphasized movement, colour, and sensuality, Rubens is well known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects.

In addition to running a large studio in Antwerp that produced paintings popular with nobility and art collectors throughout Europe, Rubens was a classically educated humanist scholar and diplomat who was knighted by both Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England.  More Sir Peter Paul Rubens

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10 Paintings, RELIGIOUS ART – Interpretations of the Bible! by The Old Masters, With Footnotes # 49

Follower of Hieronymus Bosch, circa 1600

THE MOCKING OF CHRIST

oil on panel

33 1/2  by 24 1/8  in.; 85.1 by 61.3 cm.

Private collection

The composition derives from Hieronymus Bosch’s Christ Mocked (circa 1510, National Gallery, London).  Other versions can be found in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp.

The mocking of Jesus occurred several times, after his trial and before his crucifixion according to the canonical gospels of the New Testament. It is considered part of Jesus’ passion.

According to the gospel narratives, Jesus had predicted that he would be mocked. The mocking of Christ took place in three stages: immediately following his trial, immediately following his condemnation by Pontius Pilate, and when he was being crucified.

The New Testament narratives of Jesus being mocked are filled with irony, while the mockery focuses on Jesus’ prophetic and kingly roles. More on The mocking of Jesus 

Hieronymus Bosch (1450 – 1516) was an Early Netherlandish painter. His work is known for its fantastic imagery, detailed landscapes, and illustrations of religious concepts and narratives. Within his lifetime his work was collected in the Netherlands, Austria, and Spain, and widely copied, especially his macabre and nightmarish depictions of hell.

Little is known of Bosch’s life, though there are some records. He spent most of it in the town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he was born in his grandfather’s house. The roots of his forefathers are in Aachen, in present-day Germany. His pessimistic and fantastical style cast a wide influence on northern art of the 16th century, with Pieter Bruegel the Elder being his best known follower. His paintings have been difficult to translate from a modern point of view; attempts to associate instances of modern sexual imagery with fringe sects or the occult have largely failed. Today he is seen as a hugely individualistic painter with deep insight into man’s desires and deepest fears. Attribution has been especially difficult; today only about 25 paintings are confidently given to his hand along with 8 drawings. Approximately another half dozen paintings are confidently attributed to his workshop. His most acclaimed works consist of a few triptych altarpieces, the most outstanding of which is The Garden of Earthly Delights. More

 

Bruges School, circa 1540-1550

VIRGIN AND CHILD

Oil on panel

13 1/2  by 9 1/4  in.; 34.2 by 23.5 cm.

Private collection

The style and compositional type of this Virgin and Child developed in Bruges amidst a highly developed and collaborative artistic environment. Works such as this were popularized in the early 1500’s following the example of Gerard David, whose studio served as the training ground and source of inspiration for a number of painters who form part of a great generation of Bruges artists, including Adriaen Isenbrandt, Ambrosius Benson, Jan Provost, Albrecht Cornelis and Lancelot Blondeel, among others. More Bruges School

The Ghent-Bruges School is a manner or movement of manuscript illumination from about 1475 to about 1550 that developed in southern Netherlands, now Belgium. The term was first used in 1891 by Joseph Destree, author of Recherches sur les elumineurs flamands and art historian Paul Durrieu.

It replaced the “courtly style” of about 1440 to 1474 during the southern Netherlands reigns of Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. That mid-15th-century style consisted of works in primary colors of “wooden, clumsily painted stock figures”. 

The Ghent-Bruges School style created illuminated manuscripts with realistic images of people, including half- and full-length portraits, colorful landscapes and the use of bright and pastel colors. More on the Ghent-Bruges school

Castilian School, late 15th Century

STANDING SAINTS HOLDING BOOKS AND CROZIERS, PROBABLY SAINT BENEDICT OF NURSIA AND SAINT BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX 

Oil on panel

Each: 53 1/2  by 25 7/8  in.; 135.9 by 65.7 cm.

Private collection

The two saints depicted are thought to be Benedict of Nursia (in black) and Bernard of Clairvaux (in white).  Saint Benedict was the founder of the Benedictine order, the oldest Western monastic order.  Saint Bernard was a Cistercian monk and theologian.  The Cistercian order was a reformed offshoot of the Benedictines whose goal was to adhere more closely to monastic life as originally dictated by Saint Benedict. More on the two saints

Saint Benedict of Nursia (c. 480 – 543 or 547) is the patron saint of Europe and students. Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, Italy, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. The Order of St Benedict is of later origin and, moreover, not an “order” as commonly understood but merely a confederation of autonomous congregations. 

Benedict’s main achievement is his “Rule of Saint Benedict”, containing precepts for his monks. It is heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian, and shows strong affinity with the Rule of the Master. But it also has a unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness, and this persuaded most religious communities founded throughout the Middle Ages to adopt it. As a result, his Rule became one of the most influential religious rules in Western Christendom. For this reason, Benedict is often called the founder of western monasticism. More on Saint Benedict of Nursia

St. Bernard of Clairvaux,, Abbot and Doctor of the Church St. Bernard was born of noble parentage in Burgundy, France. Under the care of his pious parents he was sent at an early age to a college at Chatillon, where he was conspicuous for his remarkable piety and spirit of recollection. At the same place he entered upon the studies of theology and Holy Scripture. After the death of his mother, fearing the snares and temptations of the world, he resolved to embrace the newly established and very austere institute of the Cistercian Order. His superior soon after, seeing the great progress he had made in the spiritual life, sent him with twelve monks to found a new monastery, which afterward became known as the celebrated Abbey of Clairvaux. St. Bernard was at once appointed Abbot and began that active life which has rendered him the most conspicuous figure in the history of the 12th century. He founded numerous other monasteries, composed a number of works and undertook many journeys for the honor of God. Several Bishoprics were offered him, but he refused them all. He was commissioned by Pope Eugene III to preach the second Crusade. In obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff he traveled through France and Germany, and aroused the greatest enthusiasm for the holy war among the masses of the population. The failure of the expedition raised a great storm against the saint, but he attributed it to the sins of the Crusaders. St. Bernard was eminently endowed with the gift of miracles. He died on August 20, 1153. More on St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Castilian School. In Castile, where the style of the Italian painter Nicolas Florentino (fresco in Salamanca cathedral, c. 1445) was not echoed in local painting, the Flemish influence was predominant. Pictures imported from the Low Countries by the court and by other patrons of art, and Flemish works sold in the fairs of Medina del Campo, helped, as did German prints, to spread the taste for northern art, to which the local workshops now adapted themselves. Jorge Inglés (active 1450) and later Fernando Gallego (Salamanca) and his numerous followers (Master of St Ildefonso, Valladolid) were the most representative of these Hispano-Flemish artists, among whom were the Master of Avila and the Master of La Sisla, influenced, like Gallego, by Schongauer. Pedro Berruguete, who was originally influenced by Flemish artists but later followed the Italian style, was the dominant personality in Castile at the end of the Middle Ages (Burning of the Heretics, scenes from the life of St Peter Martyr, Prado). In Andalusia the Hispano-Flemish tendency had as its principal representatives Juan Sanchez de Castro and Juan Nuñez in Seville and, in Cordova, Pedro de Cordoba. More on the Castilian School, 15th C.

Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder, AALST 1502 – 1550 BRUSSELS

A TRIPTYCH: CENTRAL PANEL: THE HOLY FAMILY LEFT PANEL: THE ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS RIGHT PANEL: THE CIRCUMCISION

Oil on oak panel with shaped tops

central panel: 21 3/4  by 16 1/4  in.; 55.3 by 41.2 cm.

wings (each): 22 5/8  by 7 3/4  in.; 57.5 by 19.5 cm.

Private collection

The Adoration of the Shepherds, in the Nativity of Jesus in art, is a scene in which shepherds are near witnesses to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, arriving soon after the actual birth. It is often combined in art with the Adoration of the Magi, in which case it is typically just referred to by the latter title. The Annunciation to the Shepherds, when they are summoned by an angel to the scene, is a distinct subject. More on The Adoration of the Shepherds

Pieter Coecke van Aelst or Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder (Aalst, 14 August 1502 – Brussels, 6 December 1550) was a Flemish painter, sculptor, architect, author and designer of woodcuts, stained glass and tapestries. His principal subjects were Christian religious themes. He worked in Antwerp and Brussels and was appointed court painter to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Coecke van Aelst was a polyglot. He published translations of Ancient Roman and modern Italian architectural treatises into Flemish, French and German. These publications played a crucial role in spreading Renaissance ideas to the Low Countries. They contributed to the transition in Northern Europe from the late Gothic style then prevalent towards a modern ‘antique-oriented’ architecture. More

 

Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder, AALST 1502 – 1550 BRUSSELS

A TRIPTYCH

CENTRAL PANEL: THE HOLY FAMILY

Oil on oak panel with shaped tops

Central panel: 21 3/4  by 16 1/4  in.; 55.3 by 41.2 cm.

Detail

The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph. Veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first bishop of New France, who founded a Confraternity.

Matthew and Luke narrate the episodes from this period of Christ’s life, namely his Circumcision and later Presentation, the Flight to Egypt, the return to Nazareth, and the Finding in the Temple.[Joseph and Mary were apparently observant Jews, as Luke narrates that they brought Jesus with them on the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem with other Jewish families. More on The Holy Family 

Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder, AALST 1502 – 1550 BRUSSELS

A TRIPTYCH

 LEFT PANEL: THE ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS

Oil on oak panel with shaped tops

wings: 22 5/8  by 7 3/4  in.; 57.5 by 19.5 cm.

Detail

The Adoration of the Shepherds, in the Nativity of Jesus in art, is a scene in which shepherds are near witnesses to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, arriving soon after the actual birth. It is often combined in art with the Adoration of the Magi, in which case it is typically just referred to by the latter title. The Annunciation to the Shepherds, when they are summoned by an angel to the scene, is a distinct subject. More on The Adoration of the Shepherds

 

Workshop of Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Elder, AALST 1502 – 1550 BRUSSELS

A TRIPTYCH

RIGHT PANEL: THE CIRCUMCISION

Oil on oak panel with shaped tops

wings: 22 5/8  by 7 3/4  in.; 57.5 by 19.5 cm.

Detail

The circumcision of Jesus is an event from the life of Jesus according to the Gospel of Luke, which states that Jesus was circumcised eight days after his birth. This is in keeping with the Jewish law which holds that males should be circumcised eight days after birth during a Brit milah ceremony, at which they are also given their name. The circumcision of Christ became a very common subject in Christian art from the 10th century onwards, one of numerous events in the Life of Christ to be frequently depicted by artists. It was initially seen only as a scene in larger cycles, but by the Renaissance might be treated as an individual subject for a painting, or form the main subject in an altarpiece. More on The circumcision of Jesus

Flemish School, circa 1520

CHRIST AS SALVATOR MUNDI

Oil on panel

27 by 22 5/8  in.; 68.6 by 57.5 cm.

Private collection

Despite the clear derivation of the present work from northern prototypes, there is something unusual, particularly in the physiognomy of Christ, that has led some Northern scholars to speculate a possible Spanish origin for this painting or, at least, possible Spanish influence. The painting is on an oak panel and, therefore, probably of Northern origin, while the embellished gold rays around Christ’s head are more characteristic of works painted for the Spanish market.  The refined painting style and distinctly Flemish landscape within the orb indicate that this Salvator Mundi was probably painted by a Northern artist working in Spain and, therefore, painted more for the tastes of a Spanish clientele. More Salvator Mundi

Flemish art, art of the 15th, 16th, and early 17th centuries in Flanders and in the surrounding regions including Brabant, Hainaut, Picardy, and Artois, known for its vibrant materialism and unsurpassed technical skill. From Hubert and Jan van Eyck through Pieter Bruegel the Elder to Peter Paul Rubens, the Flemish painters were masters of the oil medium and used it primarily to portray a robust and realistically detailed vision of the world around them. Their paintings reflect clearly the changes in fortune of this narrow slice of country between France, Germany, and the Low Countries: first came the peaceful, pious, and prosperous 15th-century reigns of the dukes of Burgundy, then a long confused succession of religious crises and civil wars, and finally the imposition of autocratic rule by the kings of Spain. More on the Flemish art, art of the 15th, 16th, and early 17th

Ambrosius Benson, LOMBARDY 1495-1550 BRUGES

THE CRUCIFIXION, WITH SCENES FROM THE PASSION BEYOND, c. 1528–30

oil on panel, arched top

22 1/4  by 16 in.; 56.7 by 40.5 cm.

Private collection

Christ appears with head slumped onto His right shoulder, knees bent, His right foot placed over His left. Benson used this figure type in another work of the same subject now in the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Saint John is supporting the fainting Mary. The detailed background landscape is loosely based on Memling’s Passion in Turin. Mary Magdalene praying at the foot of the cross, while a group of figures to the right, fighting over Saint Joseph’s mantle. More on this painting

Ambrosius Benson (c. 1495/1500, in Ferrara or Milan] – 1550, in Flanders) was an Italian painter who became a part of the Northern Renaissance.

While many surviving paintings have been attributed, there is very little known of him from records, and he tended not to sign his work. He is believed to be responsible for mainly religious art, but also painted portraits on commission. He sometime painted from classical sources, often setting the figures in modern-dress, or a contemporary domestic setting. In his lifetime he was successful; he had a large workshop, his work was sold internationally and he was especially popular in Spain.

Benson became popular as a source for pastiche with 19th-century painters, who are sometimes known as the “followers of Benson”. In particular his many variations of the Magdalen and Sibilla Persica were further copied and became popular with contemporary buyers. Many have retained their relative value and held in the National Gallery, London and command high prices at Sotheby’s. More on Ambrosius Benson

Ambrosius Benson, LOMBARDY 1495-1550 BRUGES

THE CRUCIFIXION, WITH SCENES FROM THE PASSION BEYOND, c. 1528–30

 Saint John is supporting the fainting Mary

Detail

John the Apostle ( c. AD 6 – c. 106) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome. His brother was James, who was another of the Twelve Apostles. Christian tradition holds that he outlived the remaining apostles and that he was the only one not to die a martyr’s death (excluding Judas Iscariot who died by suicide). The Church Fathers considered him the same person as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, John the Elder and the Beloved Disciple, although modern theologians and scholars have not formed a consensus on the relative identities of these men. The tradition of most Christian denominations holds that John the Apostle is the author of several books of the New Testament. More

 

Ambrosius Benson, LOMBARDY 1495-1550 BRUGES

THE CRUCIFIXION, WITH SCENES FROM THE PASSION BEYOND, c. 1528–30

A group of figures to the right, fighting over Saint Joseph’s mantle

Detail

Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus, and is venerated as Saint Joseph. In both Catholic and Protestant traditions, Joseph is regarded as the patron saint of workers and is associated with various feast days. Pope Pius IX declared him to be both the patron and the protector of the Catholic Church, in addition to his patronages of the sick and of a happy death, due to the belief that he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. In popular piety, Joseph is regarded as a model for fathers and has also become patron of various dioceses and places.

Several notable images of Saint Joseph have been granted a Canonical coronation by a Pope. In popular religious iconography he is associated with lilies or a spikenard. With the present-day growth of Mariology, the theological field of Josephology has also grown and since the 1950s centers for studying it have been formed.

According to the New Testament, Joseph was the father of James, Joses, Jude, Simon, and at least two daughters. More on Saint Joseph

Manner of Johann Carl Loth, (German, 1632-1698) 

St. John the Baptist, 19th-century

47-1/2″ x 35-1/8″

Private collection

John the Baptist (sometimes called John in the Wilderness) was the subject of at least eight paintings by the Italian Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610).

The story of John the Baptist is told in the Gospels. John was the cousin of Jesus, and his calling was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. He lived in the wilderness of Judea between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, “his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.” He baptised Jesus in the Jordan, and was eventually killed by Herod Antipas when he called upon the king to reform his evil ways. More John the Baptist

Johann Carl Loth (1632 – 6 October 1698) was a German Baroque painter, born in Munich but active most of his life in Venice. He was the son and pupil of Johann Ulrich Loth (1590–1662) and was possibly influenced by Giovan Battista Langetti. He was commissioned to paint for the emperor Leopold I in Vienna. He worked together with Pietro Liberi in Venice, where he was during the years 1663-1698. His brother Franz Loth was also a painter in Venice and Germany. More

 

Hans Jordaens III, ANTWERP CIRCA 1595 – 1643

ENTRY INTO NOAH’S ARK

oil on panel

30 1/4  by 51 5/8  in.; 76.8 by 131.1 cm.

Private collection

Hans III Jordaens (1590 – 1643), was a Flemish Baroque painter. (his birth year and place is uncertain) He could have been born in Delft as a son of Hans Jordaens, or he may have been born in Antwerp as a relative of Jacob Jordaens. He painted historical allegories, interiors, animals, and art galleries. He also painted staffage for Abraham Govaerts. His works are often confused with works of other painters by the same name.

According to Houbraken, the widow of the lawyer Nicolaas Muys van Holy (1653/54-1717) owned a painting by him of the Pharaoh’s army crossing the red sea and drowning with horses and wagons. Houbraken confused him with the painter Hans IV Jordaens of Delft. More on Hans III Jordaens

Acknowledgement: Sotheby’s, and others

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