Finding Words / Art Speaks
Lately I have found myself completely unable to write; like I have all these words, thoughts, and ideas swirling in my mind that, when I sit down to write, will not translate onto the page. I don’t know when this…
Salome, the femme fatale
According to Mark’s Gospel, Salome’s mother Herodias wanted John the Baptist dead because he spoke out against her marriage to her brother-in-law, Herod. Herod would not put John to death, because he “feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and…
The Disruptive Art of Giorgio de Chirico
Giorgio de Chirico (1888 – 1978) was a Greek-born Italian surrealist painter. His father was an Italian nationalist who moved to Greece for his job as a railway engineer. Coupled with the family’s support of a new Italy was a…
Caravaggio the Leader
In her biography of Caravaggio, Helen Langdon refers to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s “evangelical call to young artists,”1 welcoming and encouraging them to pursue his new and modern style. Historical documents paint a different picture, of a Caravaggio who fiercely guarded…
On Anthropomorphism
In the March 2012 issue of the Art Bulletin, Notes From the Field discusses anthropomorphism. What is it? Is it a good term, or bad? Does it make sense in the modern world? Is it in the eye of the…
Heaven
In the sixteenth century and seventeenth centuries, the Catholic Church was engaged in an ideological war with (among others) Martin Luther, the young professor and preacher from the North. As his teachings spread across Europe, the Church needed a way…
Dancing Seductress: Salome
Salome is one of many “bad girls” in art history. The step-daughter of King Herod, she was partially responsible for killing John the Baptist. You can read the full story in Mark 6:14-30. Herod was hesitant to kill John, for…
Callous Viewers and Heart-Wrenching Art.
We’re not supposed to be callous toward art. And yet, we are, especially with art that is meant to and was created for the purpose of welling up emotion within our spirits. I suppose this has to do with modern…
Baroque Spain: Experience Christ.
Save the art of Baroque Italy, nothing approaches the intense spirituality of Spanish Baroque art. Through a series of short essays over the next few weeks, we’ll explore the art, religious history, and politics of this militant, devoutly Catholic country in…
It’s hard not to love Caravaggio.
What’s not to love about Caravaggio? He was talented, considerably wealthy, popular, and maintained a sultry bad-boy image. He created an in-demand artistic style that attracted the most powerful patrons in Rome and numerous followers. For all his merits, he…
King David: Hero, Sinner, Friend of God.
King David. When he was only a teenager, he was anointed by Israel’s prophet, Samuel, to be Israel’s next king. God needed to restore purity in his appointed earthly rulers after Saul defiled his divinely appointed post by disobeying God and taking…
A Haggardly Beautiful Mary Magdalene
This Mary Magdalene was sculpted by Donatello. Artistically and materialistically, the sculpture departs from his smooth bronze and marble work. Mary stands over 6′ tall, made of wood and gesso. More than stone or marble, I believe the wood and…
