Six Days of Advent: The Annunciation to Mary
The Annunciation Triptych, 1440, by Rogier van der Weyden, has the compressed version from the Gospel of Luke, almost in comic-book form—Zecheriah praying in his lonely temple, Gabriel surprising Mary while she reads Scripture, Mary meeting with Elizabeth, in whose womb the young John the Baptist leaps in recognition. The story of the Incarnation opens …
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When artists retire
“This was the first window I did,” said Gowing. “The window represents Holy Communion with grapes standing in for wine, and to my delight, John found glass that looked just like matzoh, the original communion bread. He painted in the air holes and edges. To date, John still hasn’t ever seen a matzoh in person, …
A New Status Quo
The Death of Marat, 1793, by Jacques-Louis David, is imbued with both emotional connection and revolutionary fervor. Jacques-Louis David was not merely a painter; he was, above all, a revolutionary. Moreover, he had perfect pitch for the sentiments of the age. In the 1780s, as French opinion stiffened against the Ancien Régime, David was painting severe …
Selective Roman virtues
Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1783. A Welsh former lady’s maid, Sarah Siddons went on to be recognized as the greatest tragedienne of her age. As an actress she was outside social mores. She was painted by both Gainsborough and Reynolds, whose portrait of her is more typical of a …
Enlightenment family values
Sir Robert and Lady Buxton and Their Daughter Anne, 1786, by Henry Walton. Those of us who look with dismay on recent trends in family structure might be surprised to learn that we are not the only age that has redefined family relationships. Prior to the Enlightenment, very few children appeared in paintings. Unless you were …