Comparison of Vision of St John by El Greco and the Triumph of Marius - Essay Example

?Arielle Dabbah Dr. Hofrichter Survey of Art II Due November 13th El Greco was a speculator painter who lived from 1547-1614; he was an influential architect of the Spanish Renaissance. He was born in Venice at a place known as Crete the infamous centre of post-byzantine art. He travelled to Venice at the age of 26 after training and making a master within the confines of his tradition, just as his fellow Greek artists of his times (Zeri p 14). He later moved to Italy, at this time he enriched himself with mannerism and Venetian renaissance. In 1557, he moved to Spain where he executed various works of art until his death. While in Spain, he produced his most famous pieces; he also received major commissions at this time. El Greco is well known for his various paintings including the Vision of St john, a painting depicting a passage in the bible revelation. Giovanna Battista Tiepolo was a printmaker and a famed painter from the republic of Venice born on March 5th 1696. He was revolutionary, and his works were not confined in Italy alone but also in Spain and Germany. He made up masterpiece paintings from the onset of his career, which became highly successful. He is known as one of the greatest painters of the 18th century, also touted as the most impressive craftsman ever. Giovanni was a student of the famous painter Gregorio Lazzarini. Among his most famed works is the painting of the triumph of Marius 1729. The African king Jargutha is depicted coming down a hill before his captor the roman general Gaius Marius. At the time, he drew this painting Giovanni was thirty years old. The painting shows a procession believed to have happened on January 1st 104 B.C. The painting is evidence of Giovanni early proficiency in art it’s touted as one of his best masterpiece. All through his works were known to elicit different reactions from different aspects with some criticizing the different styles he used. The two paintings are thematic and draw their components from two different aspects. El Greco’s painting draws its illustration from the bible in the book of revelation 6:9-11. It was Cossio who first noted that these features were visualization of the Book of Revelation (6:9–11) Describing the opening of the fifth seal at the end times and the giving of white lobes of those who will have been slain for the work of God and for the witnesses they had borne, it was a great piece of inspiration that even Picasso used as an inspiration. The triumph of Marius by Giovanni Battista was drawing its illustration from an event believed to have taken place back in 104B.C after the roman general Gaius Marius defeated African jargutha. The painting shows a procession in progress with the African king Jargutha in chains walking before the roman general after his defeat. An inscription at the top of the painting illustrates the purpose of the procession the people are seen carrying busts of the mother goddesses Cybele. The vision of St-John was painted roughly around 1608 while the triumph of Marius was done around 1729. They feature similar mediums of painting, which is oil on canvas though they show clarity and precision (Anderson p 124). They depict the mode of painting at these times. It illustrates how they are used to convey the roman traditions at those times. They both draw a Venetian style in them though typically Tiepolo’s drawing depicts insistence on dramatic and narrative clarity. The human form articulation in both paintings is quite different with the vision of St-john’s painting showing an occurrence prophesied that will take place during the end times. While the triumph of Marius depicts a celebratory procession after victory in war one of the most principle difference between the two is the fact the event depicted in triumph of Marius already took place back in 104b.c when the African king was defeated and captured by the Roman general. Triumph of Marius has a historical perspective while the Vision of St. John is from a feature expectation point of view. Color and the distribution of light depict the uniqueness in each of the paintings. In the vision of john painting shows, a kind of shadow cast exposed to a given amount of light from a unique angle. The colors also used are not reflective evidence of relatively smaller amounts of light. While in the triumph of Marius, there are reflective colors and a clear blue sky this depicts there is a amount of light. The set up in the triumph of war is a daytime illustration while in visions of John paintings depicts darkness and signifying the end times when darkness will cover all the earth. The paintings can be used to identify the inspiration behind their paintings which is evident from their past uses in hospitals. El Greco was commissioned to paint in 1608 for the church of the Hospital of Saint John the Baptist (the Tavera Hospital), which used to offer physical care as well as spiritual inspiration promising salvation for those who feel short of breath behind their walls. The triumph of Marius was among series monumental canvases in the roman history paintings done by Giovanni (Anderson p 235). It was used for display at the reception of Pallazo Dolfin in Venice. Where they remained until 1872, as opposed to that of the vision of john the triumph of Marius was used to depict and appreciate the history of the Roman’s by showing their practices. Like the canvas that had taken place several centuries before, it was symbolic of culture, and it appealed to many Romans due to the sense of attachment they drew from it. In totality, the two paintings have differences which are evident from physical examination, their history, their uses, their relevance in both their times and even currently. With the Vision of St-John showing that the painter’s intention may not have fully materialized it’s regarded as being in an incomplete state. Despite this, the painting remains powerful due to its dematerialization of form and visionary use of space. These two unique aspects are believed to have influenced and played a significant role in Picassos development of Picasso’s Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907; Museum of Modern Art, New York) Picasso came across the painting when he went to visit the Paris studio owned by painter Ignacio Zuloaga, who had obtained it in 1905. The triumph of Marius is believed to have been one of the latest pictures in his triumph cycle along with the Tarantine triumph that is believed to be among the earliest of his works. The two paintings have different dimensions. With the triumph of Marius painted in an irregular surface, it was done in 1729 while the vision of john is estimated to have been painted around 1608-1614. Works cited Drawings and Etchings by Giovanni Battista and Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo: An Exhibition. London, 1955. Print. Zeri, Federico. Italian Paintings: A Catalogue of the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vicenza: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973. Print. Anderson, Jaynie. Tiepolo's Cleopatra. Melbourne: Macmillan, 2003. Print. Eschenfelder, Chantal, and Giovanni B. Tiepolo. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 1696-1770. Ko?ln: Ko?nemann, 1998. Print. Read More