The Coronation of the Virgin
This is an excerpt from the paper...
This paper will analyze The Coronation of the Virgin, an altarpiece by Guariento di Arpo. Guariento was a painter from Padua in northern Italy. Documents show that he was active between the years 1338 and 1370. Guariento's The Coronation of the Virgin altarpiece was completed in 1344. In addition to this work, Guariento created numerous frescoes as well as paintings. His paintings include a series of scenes from the life of Saint Sebastian and a series of panels showing the hierarchy of angels ("Gothic Art," 1962, pp. 603-604). One of Guariento's most famous works is related to the altarpiece which is the theme of this paper. This is his fresco, The Coronation of the Virgin, which was commissioned for a room in the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) in Venice. This fresco, painted in 1365, has since been damaged by fire. Nevertheless, it is still considered to be a masterpiece of Guariento's later style. His altarpiece of the same name, created in 1344, is considered to be representative of his earlier style. Guariento is chiefly known for his merging of Gothic elements with the Venetian style of painting (Masterpieces from the Norton..., 1989). The Gothic style was primarily decorative and its painted images were often flat and iconographic. In addition, the works of the Gothic style were generally focused on religious themes. By contrast, the Venetian style of painting emphasized the use of light and color for the creation of a sense of "luminosity" (Gilbert, 19
. . .
rast to the flat, unrealistic style of the Medieval period, Giotto's "garments always tend to cling rather than to hang" (Martindale, 1988, p. 185). Yet another contribution by Giotto can be seen in his efforts to express emotion through his paintings. Through his vividness of style, Giotto helped the viewers of his works to "become aware of the weight of human bodies and the air in their lungs, and we almost hear their voices" (Payne, 1972, p. 321).
Many of the elements characteristic of Giotto's style can be seen in Guariento's altarpiece. For example, the work as a whole shows a sense of realism and detail which is lacking in earlier Medieval models. In addition, Guariento's work shows the interplay of light and dark which is associated with Giotto. Giotto's style of draping clothes can also be seen in Guariento's painting. Furthermore, Guariento's altarpiece shows a weighting of important figures which is reminiscent of Giotto. Most notably, the central figures of Christ and the Virgin are heavily weighted at the bottom. This sharply contrasts the lighter approach which is seen in the depictions of less important figures in the work. Despite all these similarities between Guariento and Giotto, Robert Payne indicates
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Coronation Virgin, Virgin Mary, Martindale Giotto, Giotto European, Masterpieces Norton, Robert Payne, Guariento's Venetian, Palace Venice, Creighton Gilbert, Christ Virgin, coronation virgin, guariento's altarpiece, gothic art, gothic style, seen guariento's, gothic elements, draping clothes, merging gothic, virgin mary, light dark, lack anatomical detail, gothic elements seen, crown virgin's head, altarpiece coronation virgin, guariento's coronation virgin,
Approximate Word count = 1861
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
