Piece of Art from San Francisco's Legion of Honor - Essay Example

Phillip Kirk November 25, 2005 The Missing Link St. John the Baptist Preaching, is a wonderful work of art painted my the artist Mattia Preti The painting was created in 1665, while Preti was still located in Malta. There are many unique elements within this painting that make it of the utmost caliber for its time, and even today. First and foremost has to be the religious and spiritual impact of the painting itself, but we’ll get to that at the end. St. John the Baptist Preaching is a painting made during the Venetian High Renaissance. This was a period of time marked by increasing number of religious and spiritual works, some of which were used to ward of the evil plague which was cascading throughout Europe at the time. In fact, Preti was commissioned by the town of Malta to produce works of art depicting religious figures on the gates of the city to prevent the plague from spreading. The artistic value of the painting is just as important as the history and meaning of the work of art. Not only does Preti use vividly dark colors which give a brooding aura, but the painting also uses solid brush strokes and proportionate spacing for all of the figures throughout the painting. The deep reds and darker greys help to signify the meaning of the painting, which is to portray the message of Jesus and the ending of John’s own life. He is preaching not only to the Christians but also to the Muslims, who both hold the Saint as a holy and prodigious prophet. There are many smaller elements which help to give off Preti’s message as well, such as John’s staff. It is a segmented staff and holds Latin words on it to display the time when John wasn’t allowed by god to talk. All John has to do is point to the sky to reassure the people that he is going to a better place and to head his call. Also, the angel in the corner displays the fact that the same angel who gave the message of John’s arrival on earth. But, Preti is not the only man with a strong view and image of Saint John. El Greco, another artist from Crete originally, but eventually in Spain, created a similar work of art on John the Baptist nearly a hundred years earlier, in the middle of the 1500s. To truly show the difference between the two, I have listed the images below with captions and a brief comparison between the two. There are several differences between the two paintings. So, to make it easier to see these differences, I have decided to number the key changes in similar areas between the two paintings. 1. In the painting by El Greco, I decided to point out the different staff held by El Greco’s Saint John. I believe there is a different symbolic meaning of the cross staff made from an entire section of wood. It shows the faith in God that Saint John has, and although he knows his fate, Saint John remains ever vigilant. In the painting by Preti, I showed the angel, which, using only the corner, shows how John’s guardian angel still watches over him. 2. I decided to display the difference in colors of the body and the posture of the body. In El Greco’s painting, the skin is a lighter tone which gives more of a happy yet almost dramatic feel, whereas Preti’s painting shows darker colors, and John leaning over a rock rather than standing. This shows a dramatic last stand pose, telling the people his last words of wisdom before he passes to the great beyond. 3. In El Greco’s, I pointed out the sleeping sheep and it’s placement near John’s feet, which displays the happiness in El Greco’s painting. In number four on Preti’s, I showed the sheep as a symbol of John’s sacrifice for the greater good, and similarly placed near John’s feet. In Preti’s, I pointed out the cross in the dark sky, symbolizing rebirth and regeneration in heaven. 4. In El Greco’s painting, I decided to display the color of the sky and its apparent aura around St. John. This conveys a feeling of power to John by taking up a majority, and leaving a deeper blue color around the body of John. 5. In Preti’s painting, Preti clearly displays the fact that most the Muslims and Christians revered John, as he was a prophet for both religions. In El Greco’s, there is harmony amongst the land, displaying a similar message, but not taking up nearly as much room, giving more of a feeling of righteousness for Heaven. 6. Lastly, I saw a comparison between the grey ring in the sky in El Greco’s painting to the writing on John’s staff in Preti’s painting. Preti wanted to convey John’s prophetic and protective message, whereas El Greco was once again heightening the almighty power of heaven by showing a circular split in the sky around the figure of St. John. The overall feeling that I felt from the powerful painting by Preti was that god is always watching over all people, and is in-selective. By using darker tones, Preti was able to convey a more powerful effect of drama, to remind people constantly about the unjust suffering that John had received. Using circular patterns throughout the painting (circular formation of worshipers, circular formation of John’s hands and the circular formation of the rocks) he was able to give a sense of profound hope and faith. Circles represent fertility and new life, and thus help to display that although John may have died in life, he will live on forever in Heaven alongside God or Allah, whichever is the belief. And lastly, the most profound feeling I receive is Preti’s realization that both Christians and Muslims revere St. John as a universal prophet who cared not for religious backgrounds 3. This painting helps to illustrate the link between Christianity and Islam. Works Cited Page 1. Saint John the Baptist Preaching, Preti, circa 1665 http://search.famsf.org:8080/view.shtml?record=64452&=list&=1&=&=And The artist’s image and various information within the article on Preti 2. Saint John the Baptist, El Greco, circa 1600 http://search.famsf.org:8080/view.shtml?keywords=%65%6C%20%67%72%65%63%6F&artist=&country=&period=&sort=&start=1&position=3&record=64577 The artist’s image and various information pertaining to El Greco 3. John the Baptist, Wikipedia, most of article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist Various articles of information referenced from the document Read More