Leon Battista Alberti and Bernardo Rossellino - Palazzo Rucellai

This architecture named Palazzo Rucellai was designed by Leon Battista Alberti and executed by Bernardo Rossellino from 1452-1470. Alberti adapted superimposed orders or the Roman use of different orders for each story to the edifice. As a result, he created an illusion that Palazzo Rucellai becomes lighter toward its top which is also my interest of the structure. 

Fra Filippo Lippi- Madonna With Child and Angle

This painting, Madonna With Child and Angles, is an artwork of Fra Filippo Lippi. He painted the picture from 1460-1465 using tempera on wood technique. I like this artwork, because it creates a more realistic picture of the holy family than any other artworks before. The color is vivid which also carries the feeling of humanization into the scene.  

Claus Sluter- The Well of Moes

   This fountain named The Well of Moes was designed by Claus Sluter in Chartreuse de Champmol, Dijon, France in 1395-1406. It was a lime stone sculpture and painted and gilded by Jean Malouel.  I found this artwork interesting for which it supposed to be a water source for the monastery, but water never spout from the fountain since the monastery committed to silence. Also even though the figures on the fountain recall French Gothic, the sculptures are far more realistic.

Jan van Eyck - Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife

          This artwork named Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife was painted by Jan van Eyck using oil on wood in 1434. The picture has two versions of interpretations. The first one is said that Jan van Eyck depicted the wedding of Giovanni, an Italian Financier, and his bride at Giovanni’s home. The second version states that the scene in the painting is a legal scene which depicts Giovanni gave his wife a special permission. Despite of the different interpretations, the picture mainly depicts a vow that was made between Giovanni and his wife and Jan van Eyck was the witness. This picture is interesting to me because several symbolic objects appear in the scene. For example, Giovanni’s shoes are near the window which represents the symbolic of a man who is always the one working outside, and the wife is next to the bed which characterizes the symbolic of a woman who should always takes care housing works. The colors of the picture are also vivid which help create three dimensional illusions as well as the depth of the painting. 

Giotto di Bondone - Lamentation 1305

This artwork titled Lamentation was painted by Giotto di Bondone in 1305 at the Arena Chapel which locates in Padua, Italy. This painting depicts the moment when Christ had been removed from the cross and his follower gathered around him. I like this picture because all of the elements were illustrated vividly and colourfully. I can feel the movement in the picture in which the people are mourning for the death of Jesus and the angles fly down from the sky to join the lamentation. The orientation of the picture makes viewers to focus on the main image which is Christ laying around his follower.The artist also used fresco painting style which create depth, mass and volume. This method also indicates a transition from medieval art to renaissance art.

Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus

This art work titled Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus was painted by the Italian Gothic artists, Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi, in 1333 for the Chapel of Sant’ Ansano in Siena Cathedral. I like this picture because it depicts vividly the Annunciation in which angel Gabriel announced to Virgin Maria that she would become the mother of Jesus. With the bright gold background and affluent polish of all characters in the painting, the picture shows the prestige of the commission in Annunciation day.