Visual Analysis Paper: The Holy Family Portrait by Anguissola - Essay Example

Visual Analysis Paper: The Holy Family Portrait by Anguissola Introduction Admittedly, one of the most amazing pieces of art in the Lowe Museum at the University of Miami is the painting of Holy Family with Saints Anne and John the Baptist. The painting portrays revered characters of Christianity religion. In the painting is John the Baptist, Saint Anne, and two children. The Holy Family painting features as one of the most aesthetically appealing paintings by Anguissola Sofonisba, an Italian painter. Technically, the Holy Family portrait was painted by Anguissola in 1592, at the height of the Renaissance era. Historically, Anguissola relied on the artistic techniques of 16th Century Renaissance. Prior to emergence of Renaissance in Italy, Christian art techniques dominated the representation of Christian images (Elliot and Lindsey 19). In 1592, Anguissola disregarded the dictates of Christian art, and portrayed the Holy Family in a humanistic and realistic manner. Culturally, Anguissola was inspired by the Christian elements of family virtues in Italy at the time. Portrayal of Holy Family members, especially Jesus’ grandmother, Saint Anne, and John the Baptist were popular in Italian societies. Therefore, the Holy Family portrait underscores the popularity of Christianity culture in Renaissance art period within Italian societies in the late 16th Century. After close examination of the painting, it is undeniable that Anguissola succeeded in portraying the Holy Family through artistic techniques of the Renaissance period. Description With respect to physical parameters, the Holy Family portrait is a two-dimensional image measuring 125.7 centimeters long and 110.5 centimeters in breadth. Images and sceneries of the portrait are inscribed using colored pigments bound onto the canvas using drying oil. The Holy Family image contains five people; three adults and two toddlers. One of the three adults is a man while the other two are women. The two toddlers are portrayed as being naked, with minute male organs visibly painted on one of the standing toddler. Technically, the portrait depicts John the Baptist seated next to Saint Anne, Mary’s mother (Sofonisba 01). John the Baptist is clad in a brown, hooded gown while Saint Anne is covered in a red gown. Dressing and other physical appearance details of the third woman are sketchy and blurred. Probably, the unclothed toddler standing next to John and Anne is baby Jesus, while the on looking toddler inside the baby basket could be Jesus’ sibling. In the portrait, a sleeping dog is painted on the bottom left corner, adjacent to John the Baptist’s feet. Another item included in the portrait is a long burning candle placed on top of what looks like a tall stool towards the upper right corner of the portrait, next to the on looking toddler (Sofonisba 01). Apparently, all the other four persons on the portrait are visually focused on the standing toddler; baby Jesus. In fact, John the Baptist and Saint Anne are affectionately holding the toddler, while the other toddler is keen on the affection surrounding the important baby. Analysis Elemental Analysis In the context of formal art analysis, understanding the technical elements of an artwork is paramount is deducing the basic building blocks of a portrait. With respect to the Holy Family portrait, one artistic element of interest is the articulate use of lines in depicting the aspect of space. Apparently, there is limited use of horizontal lines in the portrait. Lack of horizontal lines is responsible for the absence of landscape delineation, especially towards the right and left sections of the artwork. However, the painter employed fully developed vertical lines in conveying a sense of height (Elliot and Lindsey 29). From the portrait, one can perceive the vertical proportion between the toddlers and the adults. Despite John and Anne being seated and the toddlers standing, the vertical lines communicate a sense of perpendicularity and height difference between the portrayed persons. Finally, the painter employed the use of diagonal lines in convening a sense of instability. Observably, the admired toddler is diagonally inclined with respect to the other persons in the portrait. In this case, diagonal inclination means that the toddler is young and unstable; hence must be supported. Besides the element of lines, the painter was also successful in using the elements of color and texture. In painting, color is used to convey specific moods or time. Primarily, dark colors means presence of either misery or night time, while bright colors signifies either daytime or warm moods. Based on the Holy Family portrait, Anguissola heavily used the bright colors of red, blue and white in conveying a sense of light moods and happiness (Elliot and Lindsey 37). For example, Saint Anne’s gown is red while the skin complexion of all the portrayed persons is white, which signifies joy and purity. However, the painter used the dark colors of brown and black in portraying the senses of interior environment and nighttime. With respect to the element of texture, the synergistic effect of color and line conveys a sense of smoothness. Technically, bright colors with intense hues create a sense of smoothness in portrayed fabrics. In addition, use of vertical lines in portrayal of persons and materials indicates presence of calmness. Based on the Holy Family portrait, it emerges that the red color used in portrayal of Anne’s gown and the white color in skin complexions convey a sense of soft touch and smoothness. Stylistic Analysis Apparently, the Holy Family portrait by Anguissola belongs to the Italian Renaissance period, specifically the High Renaissance period. Close analysis of the portrait unearths the key artistic features and techniques popular during the Renaissance period. First, paintings from the High Renaissance era incorporated substantial elements of realism and naturalism. Previous artistic periods like Greek and Medieval eras were fond of supernatural themes and depiction of heavenly bodies. However, the Italian Renaissance of the 16th Century shifted the thematic focus of paintings to realistic aspects of humanity (Smith 50). As a result, portrayal of human bodies became popular. In fact, portrayal of naked human bodies became a popular branch of Renaissance art. With respect to the Holy Family portrait, Anguissola featured realistic objects in her painting. Technically, depiction of human images, especially the unclothed toddlers was an expressive technique that became popular during the High Renaissance period. In this regard, the elements of realism and naturalism depicted through the portrayal of anatomically correct human bodies qualify the Holy Family artwork as belonging to the Renaissance era. Still on the stylistic elements of realism and naturalism, painters during the Renaissance period were also fond of emotional expressions. In High Renaissance paintings, humans in portraits were depicted as openly expressing their emotions. In medieval art, expression of human emotions was not only discouraged but also uncommon in painting. However, Renaissance art took expression of humanism to another level; through the depiction of human emotions like love, affection and admiration. With respect to the Holy Family portrait by Anguissola, it is evident that the human emotions of affection and admiration are explicitly depicted. From the portrait, John the Baptist and Saint Anne are affectionately holding the toddler. Besides the affectionate touches, all the persons depicted in the picture are wearing gentle smiles; even the second toddler in the painting is smiling (Sofonisba 01). In this context, such expression of human love and admiration in paintings is a key feature of High Renaissance style of art. Interpretation Admittedly, Anguissola feature as one of the most accomplished painters of the High Renaissance period. Anguissola is specifically known for her naturalistic depiction of women, especially in the context of Christianity. Actually, Anguissola remains one of the most respected religious painters of Renaissance Italy. In most of her paintings, including the Holy Family portrait in subject, Anguissola depicted the social and religious position of women (Smith 64). Apparently, the painter wanted to portray Saint Anne as a reserved, obedient and modest woman in the Holy Family picture. Based on the simplicity of Anne’s dressing in the Holy Family painting, once can easily perceive the element of female demeanor. In addition, Saint Anne is portrayed as performing her motherly duties, which in this case is the gentle rearing of the children. Besides the modest portrayal of Saint Anne, the painter also intended to underscore the importance of affectionate and natural upbringing of children within a Christian context. From the image, the unclothed toddlers is seen as playing joyfully while being supported and admired by the adults. In this context, it emerges that the painter articulated both the elemental and stylistic techniques in delivering the intended social messages through the Holy Family portrait. Comparison Admittedly, Anguissola was not the only respected religious painter from the Renaissance period. Another similar portrait is the Entombment of Christ; oil on canvas portrait painted by Caravaggio in 1603. Despite engaging in other non-religious paintings in his career, Caravaggio would occasionally employ his artistic skills in representing religious concepts. Undeniably, the Entombment of Christ by Caravaggio feature as one of the leading altar pieces adopted by Christian societies to date, especially by the Roman Catholic Church. Essentially, Caravaggio’s Entombment of Christ portrait possesses multiple similarities with the Holy Family with Saints John the Baptist and Anne by Anguissola. First, both portraits have religious messages (Sofonisba 01). Secondly, both portraits employed stylistic techniques of High Renaissance art in depicting persons. In both paintings, specific human emotions are portrayed through a proportionate blend of artistic elements like color, texture and lines. Finally, both paintings are naturally expressive in nature. In both paintings, persons are painted in unclothed postures. In the Holy Family portrait, the toddler is wholly naked, while in the Entombment of Christ portrait, Jesus’ body is scantily clothed. In this context, it is evident that Caravaggio’s religious portrait possesses identifiable similarities with the religious portrait by Anguissola. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that Anguissola succeeded in her painting. The Holy Family with Saints Anne and John the Baptist painting of 1592 is a perfect piece of art that symbolizes the artistic superiority of the painter. From the portrait’s analysis section, it emerged that Anguissola was not only thoroughly conversant with basic elements of art, but also experienced in the use of Renaissance painting techniques. In fact, her deep conversance with elemental art and expertise in the painting techniques of her time enhanced the successful delivery of the portrait’s intended messages (Elliot and Lindsey 41). In comparison, it emerges that the Holy Family painting by Anguissola have multiple similarities with religious paintings developed by other artists from the High Renaissance period, especially the Entombment of Christ by Caravaggio. In this case, one can say that both artists were not only skilled in their art, but also possess heightened passion in the depiction of popular Christian topics in Italian societies during the 16th Century. Works Cited Elliot, Wesley and Lindsey, Johan. Evaluating and Assessing the Visual Arts in Education: International Perspectives. London: Teachers College Press, 2006. Print. Smith, Paola. Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation and Identity. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007. Print. Sofonisba, Anguissola. “The Holy Family with Saints Anne and John the Baptists, 1592 (Oil on Canvas).” Bridgeman Images. Web, April 02, 2015. http://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-GB/asset/410521/anguissola-sofonisba-c-1532-1625/the-holy-family-with-saints-anne-and-john-the-baptist-1592-oil-on-canvas Read More