Art is the Solution

Vanitas Source: Wikimedia Commons Happy October to all the art lovers out there! It is now October first, or, as I like to call it, the start of spooky season. Throughout October, I plan to bring you a selection of the creepiest, weirdest, most disturbing, and overall spooky pieces of art in the Western canon. To kick off October, I want to share a very atmospheric painting: Vanitas by Willem Claesz Heda. As the title of the piece might suggest, this painting is an example of the vanitas genre, a style of painting that became popular in the Netherlands in the seventeenth century. The purpose of a vanitas painting is to remind viewers that life is short, and it is folly to dwell on the earthly pleasures in life. Vanitas paintings share a lot in common with the memento mori genre, which centers around a similar message. However, vanitas pieces are usually still lifes, using the symbolic meaning of particular objects to convey their meaning. Among Dutch painters, Heda was particul...

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post entitled “ Five Female Artists You Should Know .” I enjoyed writing the post, but it didn’t give me nearly enough space to talk about all the female artists I wanted to mention. So, today, I’m going to give you five more! The world of art is vast and varied. However, in almost every culture around the world, female artists have been undervalued or dismissed at some point in history. That being said, female artists have persisted in creating amazing art throughout the ages, and we’re going to continue discussing that today. Lavinia Fontana - Lavinia Fontana was one of great Italian mannerists of the sixteenth century and also happens to be one of the first Western, female artists with a well-documented career (there, of course, were many female artists before the sixteenth century, but their work was often anonymous or misattributed). She was (and is) quite famous in her home city of Bologna and was much in demand as a portrait artist as well as a ...

Medusa Source: Wikimedia Commons There are few artists of the Baroque movement more famous than Dutch painter Peter Paul Rubens. The Baroque period was truly an extraordinary time for painting. Although style varied widely between artists, the art of the Baroque period—which is characterized by drama, energy, motion, and heightened emotion—holds a special attraction, appealing to the human psyche on a deep level. In particular, Rubens is known for his paintings of women, which are characterized by full-figured, semi-nude ladies with skin so pale that it’s bluish.  I’m typically not a fan of Rubens paintings, but I have to give him a nod for his rendition of the Greek mythological monster Medusa. His Medusa is terrifying, gory, and perfect for spooky season. The piece depicts the severed head of Medusa, one of Greek mythology’s darkest and most horrifying characters. According to legend, Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, monstrous sisters with snakes instead of hair. Medusa hers...

Self-Portrait with Magic Scene Source: Google Arts & Culture Happy October to all the art lovers out there! It is now October first, or, as I like to call it, the start of spooky season. Throughout October, I plan to bring you a selection of the creepiest, weirdest, most disturbing, and overall spooky pieces of art in the Western canon. To kick off October, I want to share one of the weirdest and most dramatic self-portraits I’ve ever seen: Self-Portrait with Magic Scene by Pieter van Laer. I had the privilege of seeing this painting in the MET Museum in New York City (although, I don’t think it usually resides there), and I had to stare at this painting for at least four minutes before I understood what I was looking at. The painting depicts the artist in the guise of a sorcerer, surrounded by alchemical instruments. His mouth hangs open in a scream of fear, while the scarlet claws of a demon or devil reach out towards him from outside of the frame. Presumably, the sorcerer has s...

The Jewish Bride Source: Wikimedia Commons Today, I want to continue the discussion of Dutch Golden Age art that I started yesterday with an artist that nearly everyone has heard of: Rembrandt van Rijn. Though his name has become synonymous with art, many people are not very familiar with his actual work. To my mind, his work can be best characterized as Baroque. It is dark (in terms of color) and is characterized by a certain eccentric, brushy style that is particular to Rembrandt. His paintings are energetic and expressive, undoubtably the qualities that originally made them precious to collectors of art. Rembrandt is known for his portraits and self portrait; however, one of his most famous portraits is also his most enigmatic. For decades, art historians have debated the subject of The Jewish Bride . According to my research , the painting obtained its title in the nineteenth century when a collector described it as a Jewish father embracing his daughter on her wedding day. Althoug...

The Proposition Source: Wikimedia Commons The seventeenth century was a golden age for Dutch art. During this time period, the Dutch Republic enjoyed a period of unparalleled economic success that was paired with a flourishing of science, art, and culture. Many artists—including the famous Rembrandt van Rijn—made their reputations during this time, including an unprecedented number of female artists. Although female artists were limited by social expectations, many found success in painting the still lifes and domestic, everyday scenes that were popular during the Golden Age. Judith Leyster was one such artist. For many years, art historians misattributed Leyster’s paintings to her contemporary Frans Hals, a well-known artist in his own right. However, Leyster has since been recognized for her incisive paintings of everyday life and her expressive style. While Leyster produced a large oeuvre throughout her career, one of her most ambiguous and daring paintings is entitled The Propositi...

Flowers in a Glass Vase Source: Detroit Institute of Arts The prosperity of the Dutch Golden Age gave many artists from the Netherlands the chance to flourish. Economic growth in the Netherlands fueled a desire for art and other luxury items, giving rise to an explosion of artistic production. Female painters were among those to benefit. Although painting has traditionally been seen as an inappropriate profession for a woman in the Western world, Dutch female artists were often able to circumvent this social taboo by focusing on still-lifes, a subject deemed acceptable to women. Still-life paintings also experienced a rise in popularity during the Golden Age, creating an ideal environment for the female artists of the time. Rachel Ruysch was one such artist. Ruysch is one of the most successful female painters in the history of Western art. She painted for over six decades and enjoyed critical acclaim and financial success throughout her life. Ruysch’s artistic specialty was flower...

The Cure of Folly Source: Museo del Prado Yesterday, I introduced the topic of Hieronymus Bosch in my post about his Triptych of the Temptation of Saint Anthony . Bosch is perhaps one of the most interesting painters of the Northern Renaissance period. I wrote a fairly lengthy piece about Bosch’s work, but his oeuvre is very rich and complex, so I thought I’d bring you another one of his paintings. The Cure of Folly is probably my favorite Bosch piece, largely because it’s just so strange. The painting depicts a man wearing a metal funnel on his head who is busily engaged in cutting something (the so-called stone of madness) out of another man’s head. Two other figures look on, including a woman with a book balanced on her head who is thought to represent folly. This scene has been the subject of art historical debate for many years, and the long and the short of it is that no one knows exactly what this painting is supposed to represent. However, everyone seems to agree that the ...

Triptych of the Temptation of Saint Anthony Source: Wikimedia Commons I don’t know how I’ve managed to write this blog for four months without mentioning the work of one of the strangest painters of all time, Hieronymus Bosch. Bosch was active during the period of the Northern Renaissance, although, in my opinion his work owes a lot to the Medieval period. Although I wouldn’t say Bosch is one of my favorite painters, I do find his work to be endlessly interesting and entertaining. This is mostly because it’s just so strange ! Bosch’s work is highly imaginative, and his style is instantly recognizable (although that can sometimes lead you astray, as many artists tried to replicate his style). In case you’re wondering what I mean by “highly imaginative,” I want to draw your attention to the man and woman riding on the back of a fish that is flying through the air at the top of the right panel (and, I should note that I’m using this example because some of the things in this tr...

The Last Drop Source: Google Cultural Institute I saw this painting on the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Instagram account recently, and I thought it would be a fun piece of art to discuss today. This painting, entitled The Last Drop , was created by Judith Leyster, one of the most famous female artists of the Dutch golden age. As I mentioned in my last post, the Dutch Golden Age was a period of great prosperity in the Netherlands that is associated with an explosion of artistic production. Paintings from this period often depict domestic scenes and scenes of everyday life. Leyster in particular is famous for her genre paintings, pieces of art that focus on everyday life. Although Leyster’s style doesn’t have strong appeal to me personally, her paintings are prime examples of the Golden Age style. The Last Drop portrays two merrymakers, busily drinking and smoking themselves into a state of deep intoxication. Tavern scenes are common among genre paintings; in general, they can ...

Young Herdsmen with Cows Source: MET Museum In this stressful time, I thought I’d offer you a calming scene: Young Herdsmen with Cows by Aelbert Cuyp. This painting dates to the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great prosperity in the Netherlands that is associated with an explosion of artistic production. Paintings from this period often depict domestic scenes and scenes of everyday life. In this time of prosperity, Dutch art tended to look inward, celebrating the cultural and social values that brought wealth to the Netherlands (or, at least, that was what contemporary Dutch society believed). This painting, entitled Young Herdsmen with Cows , follows this model. As the title suggests, the piece depicts a herd of cows being tended by two young men. The majority of the painting is dominated by a placid blue sky, tinged with golden light. The animals look out over a river or lake, the surface of the water luminous and smooth. Although it seems like a simple scene, Cuyp relies...

Barbershop with Monkeys and Cats Source: Kunsthistorisches Museum In honor of April fools day, I want to talk about a particularly silly, humorous painting: Dutch painter Abraham Teniers’ Barbershop with Monkeys and Cats . This painting is undeniably whimsical. It depicts monkeys waiting on cats in a seventeenth century barbershop. Throughout the history of Europe, it was common for barbers to act as dentists and sometimes even surgeons in addition to cutting hair. Here, we see cats having their whiskers trimmed and injuries tended in comically complete detail. The painting is a highly accurate depiction of everyday life (notwithstanding the lack of people); the barber’s implements are depicted in meticulous detail and the poses of the cats and monkeys are remarkably human. This sort of piece (one that depicts everyday life) is known as a genre painting. These paintings gained popularity in the early modern period, correlating with the rise of the middle class in Europe. As me...

View of Delft Source: The Mauritshuis  Today, I want to talk about the work of my favorite Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Although Vermeer is probably best known for his painting Girl with the Pearl Earring , one of his most interesting pieces is — in my opinion — View of Delft . View of Delft (the Dutch city where Vermeer lived) is a cityscape painted during a time in which cityscapes were not the norm. What the artist chooses to depict in this painting is as interesting as what he does not depict. Vermeer’s image of Delft is stark, orderly, and clean. Boats are visible in the middle ground, dotted with industrious workers. Neatly dressed men and women stand speaking together in the foreground. The scene is capped with great expanses of cloudy sky. The overall impression is one of serenity. Although all of Vermeer’s paintings are meticulously detailed and nearly photorealistic in their execution, View of Delft is unrealistic in its subject matter. Here, Delft is the idea...