Giorgione, La Tempesta, c. 1504, Accademia, Venice. I’ve been asked to talk about Giorgione’s evocative and mysterious painting La Tempesta, which I’m very happy to do, even if it is something I have often avoided, for reasons which should become obvious. The best translation of the title would be ‘The Storm’, but, if translated at all, itContinue reading “Day 39 – La Tempesta”
Author Archives: drrichardstemp
Day 38 – Enrico Scrovegni
Giotto, The Last Judgement, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua Welcome back to Scrovegni Saturday! I dipped into three scenes from the top last week, but today I want to look at an entire wall – the Ecclesiastical West End. I am not referring to those theatres in London where musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell andContinue reading “Day 38 – Enrico Scrovegni”
Day 37 – Noah
Paolo Uccello, Stories from the Life of Noah, c. 1447-8, Chiostro Verde, Santa Maria Novella, Florence. I mentioned, a few days back (Picture Of The Day 32) – I think it was Sunday – that I would come back to the great polymath of the Renaissance, Leon Battista Alberti. And just a couple of days beforeContinue reading “Day 37 – Noah”
Day 36 – St George
Bernt Notke, St George and the Dragon, c. 1483-89, Storkyrkan, Stockholm My text for today is taken from Henry V, Act iii, line 1125: ‘Cry “God for Harry, England and St George!”’ Happy Birthday Shakespeare! Happy St George’s Day! Ramadan Mubarak! And while we’re about it, we should also remember the deaths of Shakespeare and Cervantes, bothContinue reading “Day 36 – St George”
Day 35 – Judith and Holofernes
Donatello, Judith and Holofernes, late 1450s, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. Talking about Judith Leyster yesterday I was reminded that I had said, when talking about Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Beheading Holofernes (Picture Of The Day 17), that I would talk about Donatello’s version of the same story – so here it is. And for those of you who have onlyContinue reading “Day 35 – Judith and Holofernes”
Day 34 – Judith Leyster
Judith Leyster, Self Portrait, c. 1630, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. For JW≈ – and any Dutch mothers I know. Yesterday we looked at Rembrandt trying to be someone else in 1640, but here, ten years earlier, with have an artist at the height of her powers and very happy to be herself: Judith Leyster.Continue reading “Day 34 – Judith Leyster”
Day 33 – Rembrandt at 34
Rembrandt van Rijn, Self Portrait at the Age of 34, 1640, National Gallery, London. A couple of days ago (Picture Of The Day 28) I posed a teaser: why would a right-handed artist tend to paint themselves so that their right shoulder appears to be closer to us? This self portrait by Rembrandt would seem toContinue reading “Day 33 – Rembrandt at 34”
Day 32 – Juno discovering Jupiter with Io
Pieter Lastman, Juno discovering Jupiter with Io, 1618, National Gallery, London. I started writing Picture Of The Day on 19 March – so I’m now beginning the second month! To celebrate I want to return to several of the themes of POTD 1: Jupiter, a great god, but a bad man; cows – Jupiter had disguisedContinue reading “Day 32 – Juno discovering Jupiter with Io”
Day 31 – The Suitors Praying
Giotto di Bondone, The Suitors Praying, 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. I ended yesterday’s Picture Of The Day with a lacuna. Apologies if I confused you, but I had said what was going to happen in the second sentence of the second paragraph… Today, I want to continue with a lacuna. Or rather, I want to talkContinue reading “Day 31 – The Suitors Praying”
Day 30 – The Supper at Emmaus
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Supper at Emmaus, 1601, National Gallery, London. People often ask me what would be the best book to read as an introduction to renaissance art, and my answer is almost invariably ‘the Bible’. And its value is not restricted to the Renaissance. Most ‘Old Master’ painting was produced in a profoundlyContinue reading “Day 30 – The Supper at Emmaus”
dr richard stemp 