At some point around 1300 artists began to paint in a different way. They moved from the flat, stereotypical ways of portraying their subjects, which were almost all religious themes, into living human beings that showed deep emotion.
The current exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350” shows the bridge between medieval painting and that of the Renaissance. It is an extraordinary exhibit of 95 works of art which reflects the deep religious beliefs of the time. It is worth the trip into New York to see the exhibit, which ends January 26.
The Christ Child is no longer a plastic figure, but a playful baby, pulling on his mother’s veil. True, the old medieval images of Jesus and saints have golden halos, which by the time of Raphael were pretty much gone. We wonder: what is that created the shift in the eye of the artist? A spark of the divine, I imagine.
Prayer for the Day
Seeing how to depict the world in a new way,
The artist creates a new image of our reality;
Creating objects of devotion with love and care,
The eye sees a new way to present an image.
May we be transformed, O God, as artists of old,
Bringing beauty, care, and love into our world.
In the name of the One who transforms our lives,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Inspiration demands the active cooperation of the intellect combined with enthusiasm, and it is under such conditions marvelous conceptions, with all that is excellent and divine, come into being.
Giorgio Vasari, painter, from Lives of the Painters (1511-1574)
Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.
Leonardo da Vinci, artist (1452-1519)
The plans of the minds belong to mortals,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
All one’s ways may be pure in one’s own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the sprit.
Commit your work to the Lord,
And your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16: 1-3