This semester I studied Michelangelo Buonarroti, Diego Velázquez, and Allegory of the Outbreak of War, by Peter Paul Rubens.
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Michelangelo was a painter and sculptor during the High Renaissance. The most famous paintings he was commissioned to do were the ceiling and the back wall of the Sistine Chapel. Despite this, he preferred sculpting over frescoing. He sculpted the David, which is one of the greatest sculptures ever made because Michelangelo had a weirdly shaped stone to start with, he made the proportions to be correct when looked at from below (it’s a very tall sculpture), and he sculpted the anatomy perfectly. Another one of his famous works is the Pietà (my favorite - the fabric is stunning). To put it briefly, Michelangelo was celebrated during his life as a genius.
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Diego Velázquez was a painter during the Baroque Era. He was a court painter for Philip IV, so he ended up painting a lot of portraits. On a trip to Rome, Velázquez was invited to paint Pope Innocent X. To practice, Velázquez painted Juan de Pareja (my favorite). Velázquez let his brushwork show in this portrait and in the portrait of Pope Innocent X, which later inspired impressionist artists like Édouard Manet. These portraits were described as, “Truth,” because of their natural brushwork and their resemblance to the subject. One of his most famous works is Las Meninas. It is studied heavily because no one is sure who the subject is. In conclusion, Velázquez had a huge impact. He inspired impressionist artists with his brushstrokes and his works were recreated by famous artists like Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí.
I also studied Allegory of the Outbreak of War, by Peter Paul Rubens. Rubens was a painter during the Baroque Era. He lived during the Dutch Revolt and the Thirty Years’ War, which most likely inspired him to paint Allegory of the Outbreak of War, which, to me, is pretty much an argument against war. In the painting, the monsters represent plague and famine, the woman who was thrown to the ground with a broken flute represents how harmony is absent in times of war, the woman with a child in her arms represents how fertility and procreation become nonexistent during war times, the architect who was thrown backwards (with tools in his hands) represents how the buildings made to enhance cities and serve people are destroyed, the book and drawing being stepped on by Mars (the man with the sword and shield) represent how war tramples literature and other refinements, and the woman in black with the torn veil represents unhappy Europe. One thing about this painting a lot of sources say is that Mars is the subject. I don’t agree. I think Venus (the woman holding Mars back) is the subject because when I look at the painting I immediately look at her. Her contrast makes her pop out. I like to think that Rubens, who was also a diplomat, did this on purpose to promote the prevention of war, which Venus was trying to do in holding him back and distracting him.