Answer

Analysis of Art- National Gallery of Art, Washington, Dc

The National Gallery of Art is an American Museum where numerous artworks are founded and operated by the federal government. Its location is at the east end of the Mall, Washington, D.C. The Museum was founded in 1937 and was opened in 1941and started with a few donations of artworks, particularly paintings by some masters from Europe. Since then, the Gallery has grown and now houses several and extensive artworks from American and European artists. The artworks found in this museum include paintings, decorative arts, sculpture, and graphic works. Most of the works are from between the 12th and 20th centuries and include the works of artists such as French Rococo, Spanish Baroque, Dutch, and the Italian Renaissance painters (Simmons 17). The museum’s visit was memorable and full of lessons and new knowledge from the historical works found there. From the many works on display, two of them are chosen for analysis in this paper, specifically the renaissance artworks.

Figure 1: The Virgin of Rocks

Artist: Leonardo da Vinci, Title: Virgin of Rocks, Date: 1483 and 1486, Scale: 189.5 x 120 cm. Source: (Grovier)

One of the works on display that got my interest in the National Gallery is the Virgin of Rocks, also called Madonna of the Rocks. This art was painted between 1483 and 1486 by Leonardo da Vinci, an artist from Italy. The measurements of the art are 189.5 x 120 cm. The artist used his favored technique called “sfumato,” which was later named after Leonardo’s smoke(Kopper). The technique involved using fine shading and dark and light subtle shifts providing an illusionistic atmosphere to the painting. The painting was also done in a wooden panel and was painted with the use of medium oil.

My choice for this artwork was mainly because of its unique style of painting and its historical context. The altarpiece stood in a chapel whose devotion was to the concept known as the Immaculate. It represents the Virgin Mary of the religious group belonging to the confraternity (Simmons 20). Two angles are painted and depicted holding a musical instrument and playing with them, each standing on either side of the larger Virgin sculpture. The painting that was meant to represent the conception was directly placed under the sculpture. On asking more about the painting, I learned that this interesting one was a second version of the picture. The current version was made to replace the old version, which the religious fraternity s said to have refused to pay enough to the artist, Leonardo (Grovier). My interest in this work was also driven by its religious meaning, whereby it portrays the Virgin Mary, who later came to be known as the mother of Jesus. In figure 1 above, the mother, Mary, Baby Jesus, Angel, and John the Baptist are featured from a scene with rocks used in naming the painting.

The artist’s message is mainly religious, taking the subject from the fact that John the Baptist adored Baby Jesus. Its depiction was the legend wilderness meeting between the holy people in the Bible, including John the Baptist during his infancy and Jesus going back home from Egypt. In the scene’s center, Mary, the virgin woman, is sitting and looking at John the Baptist. She firmly holds him by the right hand while John the Baptist leans forward to Baby Jesus. The baby is looking back at John and blesses him, and the angel holds Jesus by the left hand(Grovier). From this union, the message is probably the importance of sharing one environment and the love. They represented the objects in a unified manner showing a groundbreaking achievement. The painting also represents the important use of light and dark painting, representing the artist’s emotional heart in the painting.

The art has some cultural significance as it contributes to the societal culture of the renaissance era. It represents the evolution the society underwent over time to the invention era (Grovier). For example, this work was later used by scientists to invent important tools such as tanks, parachute, helicopters, and other crucial inventions. The artist was trying to show society how endowed they are naturally and how they can use the natural resources to build themselves. Using the natural rocks at the top of the mountain may have seemed risky for the artist, but this is important to society as it instills the courage to explore nature and gain knowledge and even build the society’s image. 

The painting portrays a deeper meaning of its features, showing a true connection between human beings (Mary and John the Baptist) and heaven (Jesus and the angel). Historically, the dark rocks symbolize the earth, which sins have dominated for years. It shows how people live a reckless life since the beginning. The featuring of John the Baptist in the art represents his act of preparing the way for Jesus Christ to bring light to the world and, hence, light in the painting (Grovier). Culturally, the art demonstrates the essence of purity in the connection between humans, particularly the religious ones, to the heavenly world. Jesus and the angel represent the purity of heaven, while Mary ad John the Baptist represents the humans in the impure world. The cave where the features seat makes up the basic historic element in the piece. Another historical element is Mary’s lobs that she wears in the art. 

figure 2: The Entombment

Artist: Michelangelo Buonarroti, Title: Entombment, Date: 1500 and 1501, Scale: 162cm and 150cm Source: (Kopper).

The second works on display that attracted me is the Entombment. This art is unfinished oil on a wood painting, representing Jesus’ body at the garden’s tomb. It was done by an Italian artist called Michelangelo Buonarroti between the years 1500 and 1501. The art was done on a medium of Tempera on the panel measuring 162cm and 150cm (Gillon 11) Like the first chosen art, this piece is an altarpiece depicting the religious history of the death and burial of Jesus Christ. His body is carried by a volunteer, Joseph of Arimathea, who offered to bury Jesus in his tomb. This art, however, has a deeper meaning more than religious beliefs and understanding.

I found this work very interesting because of its true representation of how a dead body is buried even in my community. Ground slab point of view is used to make it look like a butt out into the viewer’s space who is standing in the grave to receive Jesus’ body being lowered (Kopper). From the religious perspective, this idea demonstrates how one is saved when one receives Christ. Another idea in this point of view is how people can descent to hell or ascend to heaven. After the death and burial of Jesus Christ, he descended to hell for three days, saving those who would have gone there during that era. In figure 2 above, the hands of Jesus touch the ground, and then a figure in the rack raises her hands on the sky, representing hell and heaven, respectively. The painting has a black background with some stones and only one plant in the surrounding. This demonstrates the secret meaning of how curious one would think of what remains out there.

The basic message in this art is humility. In the art, a woman, Mary Magdalene, is shown bowing down to Jesus’ body even at his death condition. Other features, including Joseph of Arimathea, show their humility by carrying the dead body of Jesus to the tomb. Culturally, this art is significant as it shows the importance of humility in everyone’s life. It teaches people to have a culture of humility regardless of their social classes. Michelangelo’s painting contributed significantly to the culture of the West by shaping talents. For example, he trained the artist Raphael and inspired several buildings, sculptures paintings worldwide.

One of the historical elements portrayed in the art is the tomb, where people were buried even during the early years. Another element is the ancient lobs that characters like Mary Magdalene wore in the scene. Additionally, the characters display very odd facial expressions, looking bored and annoyed instead of showing true mourning (“The National Gallery, London”). The reason behind this could due to the use of live models instead of using a study composition. The figures hold the facial expression for a long time, becoming tired.

Finally, the National Gallery of Art visit in Washington, DC, was very interesting and full of knowledge from historical contexts. From the analysis of the two chosen works on display, the Virgin of the Rocks and Entombment, it is evident that arts convey messages differently. The Virgin of the rocks conveyed the artist’s message of the importance of unity through a shared environment and love. On the other hand, Entombment conveyed its message of humility by showing figures kneeling and associating themselves with death. The analysis also shows the importance of artworks in maintaining cultural heritage. From the two artists analyzed in this paper, it is evident how ancient artists focused on art life and made significant contributions.