Madonna with the Long Neck

This painting is only interesting to me because i cannot help but wonder why the painter decided to give Madonna the long neck, unlike most other paintings that have Madonna as a subject, also i think the child on Madonnas child is a little to big and placed in an awkward position compared to other paintings in this era and past. This was done by Parmigianino and can be seen in Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. It is an oil on wood painting.

Portrait of the Artist's Sisters and Brothers

I simply just adore this picture because of how realistic it looks to me. The first time i saw it, i actually imagined them sitting down just in place while the artist painted this. I really like how the facial expressions, motions and even clothing is very realistic. This kind of painting might be considered as been secular just because it has nothing to do with biblical matters. This beautiful work was done by Sofonisba Anguissola, it is an oil on panel painting and is a part of the Methuen collection.

Battista Sforza and Federico da Montefelro

 Piero Della Francesca really got my attention with this painting done on oil and tempera on wood in a modern frame. This belongs in the renaissance times in quattrocento Italy. i was captivated by this, because at first i wondered why the supposed wife was very pale in color with a veil over a face. At first i though it was a marriage ceremony: which would hav explained the veil. Research shows that Battista was actually dead, and this painting was a kind of tribute to her memory done for her by her husband Frederico but of course with the help of Francesca. They are both on different panels i guess to show the distinction between the living and the dead. The artist also only showed on side of their faces as at technique to cover up and injury Frederico has on the bridge of his nose.

Foreshortened Christ

Andrea Mantegna's Foreshortened christ belongs in Renaissance in quattrocento Italy, it is Tempera on canvas and can be found in Pinacoteca di Berera, Milan. This painting is very interesting and different yet simple. The angle on which Jesus is showed manages to find his whole body is shown which i find very amusing. The painter also shows his physical features carefully. the marks from his crucifixion are also seen on his feet and hand.

Gionanni Arnofini and his bride.

This painting is found in the late medieval era, it is an oil on wood painting and can be found in the National Gallery in London. On looking at this piece for the first time, one might think that this is a man taking a oath to his wife, or them just having a normal discussion. However, it is claimed that this is some kind of wedding ceremony between the man and his wife with a lot of symbolic items in the picture. For instance, the man standing by the window suggests that he is more involved in the outside world, business and all that the entails while the woman standing by the bed might suggest her duties as a house wife who cooks and looks after the domestic features of the house. This painting is considered to be a marriage ceremony because in the convex mirror on the wall, two images can be seen in it, and one is considered to be the Artist himself, and right above it he signs his name on the wall. These other two people in the painting can be considered as witnesses to whatever that is going on between the man and woman.

Deposition

This painting was done by Rogier Van Der Weyden, and it is a central panel of a triptych from Notre-Dame-hors-les-murs, and can be located Louvian, Belgium. It is oil on wood, and belongs to Late Medieval and early renaissance. The use of bold colors in this picture really won me over with the bold usage of colors. the story it tells, as Jesus is obviously seen as been lifeless and his mother Mary in pain and sorrow on the floor. I think the paint used these choices of color to distinct each of the characters in the painting. There is also a lot of emotions that can be gotten from each of the characters in the picture.

Betrayal of Jesus

This painting belong to the late medieval art, it was painted by Duccio Buoninsegna, with its detail at the back of the Maesta altar piece. It is done on Tempera and gold leaf on wood.
     I like this painting because compared to other paintings in its era, there is a lot of motion and emotion on each and every character in the painting. This painting tells the story of how Jesus was betrayed, and the artist managed very well to put the sequence of events and emotions in one picture, and his use of colors and lines really helped in distinguishing each events from eachother.