Masterpieces of Art History: From Baroque to Neoclassicism
Bernini’s *Apollo and Daphne*
Bernini’s *Apollo and Daphne* is a Baroque work with a mythological theme. It is a crucial piece for the study of Hellenistic sculpture. Commissioned by Cardinal Borghese for the gardens of his villa, the theme is the metamorphosis of Daphne as told in Ovid’s work. It is a Baroque sculptural group, where Bernini shows the action of Daphne culminating in full metamorphosis, a moment stopped in unstable equilibrium. Here, we see not the balance of the Renaissance but the
Read MoreHieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights: A Triptych of Sin and Salvation
The Garden of Earthly Delights is the best-known work of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. This is a triptych painted in oil, comprising a central panel and two side panels (painted on both sides) which can be closed on the central panel. It is considered that the work reflects a moralizing intention that would have been understandable for the people of the time. In this sense, King Philip II of Spain, soon suspected of heresy, purchased the painting because of his interest in it.
Triptych Opened
When
Read MoreGreek Sculpture: Evolution and Influence on Western Art
The Evolution of Greek Sculpture: Fundamentals of Greek Art and Its Projection in the Western World
No one can deny the important role played by the Greek civilization in Western culture. Philosophy, history, and democracy were born in Greece, and great advances were made in mathematics and artistic creation. Its aesthetic principles have endured to this day, playing a key role in Rome, the Renaissance, and Neoclassicism. Works of art have been valued for their proximity or remoteness to Greek aesthetic
Read MoreRenaissance Philosophy and the Rise of Modern Science
Renaissance Context and the Dawn of Modern Science
Modern philosophy emerged in the fifteenth century, following the crisis of scholasticism. This period saw the rise of a new cultural movement known as the Renaissance (XV-XVI). The defining characteristic of this era was a radical critique of medieval culture, with an alternative proposal to restore classical culture for two primary reasons:
- The Middle Ages were perceived as a time of barbarism and darkness.
- Ancient Greeks and Romans were believed
Italian Renaissance Domes: Brunelleschi and Michelangelo
Graphic Spoilers
The graph represents two Italian Renaissance domes: the dome of the Church of Santa Maria del Fiore, in Italian Quattrocento Florence (fifteenth century), created by Filippo Brunelleschi, and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, belonging to the sixteenth-century Mannerist style, made by Michelangelo.
Italy began in the fifteenth century an explosion of artistic and intellectual activity known as the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a cultural phenomenon that took up the principles of
Read MoreImpressionism: A Revolution in Art and the Birth of Modern Painting
The Rise of Impressionism: A Revolution in 19th-Century Art
The French bourgeois revolution achieved its goals, which were already well consolidated. The development of capitalism and industrialization meant that the upper and middle classes were going to collect the field. The Academy organized art, and the artist had no direct relationship with the buyer. The Academy ordered customers, and this was carried out through a set of fixed rules. The artist had to work with a theme that could be tied
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