Galatea and the Swing paintings - Essay Example

“Galatea” and “The Swing” Always and everywhere the art was considered important and inevitable part of the life of our society. There were also periods in the history when art was undervalued and even denied. Art itself, especially classical, was considered to be unnecessary, outdated and limiting the views of the youth. Luckily in the modern world art is valued very high and everybody tries to learn more about it, The given paper will discuss two different styles of art: High Renaissance and Rococo.

Raphael Santi is one of the most outstanding representatives of High Renaissance art style. He is considered to be the one of the most gifted painters and architects in the world. The gift of Italian painter was recognized not only by his contemporaries, but also in the next centuries. According to experts, this painter is an absolute authority in the area of classical art and the most famous picture galleries try to get his paintings. It is essential to consider the fresco of Raphael Galatea.

It was created in 1512 and represents a part of wall-painting of the villa, which belonged to one of the richest men of that time. If to look at the painting, it is possible to notice that it is a typical representative of high Renaissance art. “It is perhaps no accident that the factuality of the Italian Renaissance has been most vigorously questioned by those who are not obliged to take a professional interest in the aesthetic aspects of civilization—historians of economic and social developments, political and religious situations, and, most particularly, natural science—but only exceptionally by students of literature and hardly ever by historians of Art” (Panofsky 38).

The main distinguishing features of High Renaissance were glorifying human body and the resurrection of antiquity ideals (Reynolds and Wilson 15). Galatea was based on the Ancient Greek myth about the theft of Galatea. The fresco shows the beautiful Galatea, who is moving fast along the waves in the shell surrounded by the tritons and naiads. Galatea skillfully directs two dolphins. Fresco shows merry beauty of the images and the feeling of triumphant happiness. These emotions are reflected by the smooth, resilient lines of the nude bodies.

The picture is full of resonant coloring in which light goodish colors of bodies are shaded by the clean blue sea. The next painting to consider is The Swing by Jean-Honore Fragonard. It was created in Rococo style. Speaking about Rococo it is impossible not to mention the refinement of the style, which appeared in France in XVIII century. Thin lines and tender colors are typical for Rococo style. It is deservingly considered to be one of the most perfect and beautiful. Jean-Honore Fragonard, a plumpish ruddy-faced man with big bright eyes, witty and charming, was the real son of the XVIII century (Kimball).

The nature gifted his with a great talent, fantasy and self-contained temper. He became famous by creating pictures with love scenes, which perfectly reflected the distinguishing features of Rococo style. The theme of love, lyricism and sensitivity, tender light colors, puffy scattering clothes are so typical for Rococo style, the main goal of which is to make people happy and reflect happiness (Reynolds and Wilson 15). The topic of this wonderful picture that is so typical for Fragonard work is archly sensual.

Young beauty flying on the swing throws out her shoe in selfless thrill. In the bushes there is her lover watching her. The picture was ordered by baron de Saint-Julien, who was famous by the freedom of his views. Making the order he asked the painter to put him on the picture so that he may see the legs of the beautiful girl. The thrown out shoe is a wonderful windfall of the painter. This detail attracts the attention of the spectator and provides the composition with dynamics (Schonberger and Soehner).

The conclusion can be made that Rococo and High Renaissance are the most respected, perfect and outstanding styles of art. There many differences between them: High Renaissance still prefers the themes of religion and mythology, notwithstanding that it already represents the characters as real people with beautiful bodies and human feelings; Rococo style is wonderful due to its refinement and the representation of the theme of love that is full of life and coquetry (Levey). Dull and serious themes of religion are forgotten, on the picture we can see real people with their vicious but still so beautiful and pleasant feelings.

    Works Cited Panofsky Erwin, Renaissance and Renascences in Western Art, Renaissance News Vol. 14, 1969 Reynolds, L. D. and Wilson, Nigel Scribes and Scholars: A guide to the transmission of Greek and Latin Literature Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1974 Kimball, Fiske (1980). The Creation of the Rococo Decorative Syle. New York: Dover Publications, 1980   Schonberger, Arno and Soehner, Halldor The Age of Rococo Published in the US as The Rococo Age: Art and Civilization of the 18th Centur, 1960 Levey, Michael.

Painting in Eighteenth-Century Venice. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1980