Murillo’s Return of the Prodigal Son
March 25th 2022
“The Return of the Prodigal Son”, Esteban Murillo, 1667-70, National Gallery of Art Washington. This large canvas was one of a series painted for the Hospital de la Caridad in Seville to illustrate the seven works of mercy. This
TINTORETTO’S ANNUNCIATION AT THE SCOULA GRANDE DI SAN ROCCO
March 19th 2022
“Annunciation”, Jacobo Tintoretto, 1581-2, Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice. Tintoretto’s “Annunciation” is very different to those of other Italian artists of the Renaissance. Usually, the Virgin is shown as calm, serene and located within a well ordered space reflecting
Bellini’s Tranfiguration in Naples
March 12th 2022
Christ stands before us dressed in white garments which are as bright as the band of white clouds on the horizon behind him, but are hardly the “dazzling white” to which the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke attest.
Stanley Spencer’s Christ in the Wilderness – The Hen
March 5th 2022
“Christ in the Wilderness -The Hen”, Stanley Spencer c. 1954, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth. Spencer noted that the gospels focus on the temptations and not on the 40 days preceding them. He resolved to paint a series
CIMA’S CHRIST AMONG THE DOCTORS
February 26th 2022
“Christ among the Doctors”, Cima da Conegliano, c.1504, Muzeum Narodowe, Warsaw. The scene is from the Gospel of Luke when the 12 year old Jesus is separated from his parents in the Temple. After three days Mary and Joseph find
CARAVAGGIO’S CRUCIFIXION OF ST PETER
February 19th 2022
“The Crucifixion of St Peter”, Caravaggio, 1602, Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome. The men who are crucifying St Peter wear contemporary working clothes. In 1602, it must have seemed as if St Peter’s martyrdom was taking place in
Jacopo Bassano’s Miraculous draught of fishes
February 5th 2022
“The Miraculous Draught of fishes”, Jacopo Bassano, 1545, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Jacopo da Ponte came to be known as Jacopo Bassano because he was from Bassano del Grappa which is a small town about 65km inland from Venice.
Giotto’s Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
January 29th 2022
“The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple”, (top) and “The Betrayal of Judas” (below), Giotto, c. 1303 -5, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. In the Scrovegni Chapel scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary are arranged in chronological order in three
Van der Weyden’s St Luke drawing the Virgin
January 22nd 2022
“St Luke drawing the Virgin”, Rogier van der Weyden, c.1435-40, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The tradition that St Luke was a healer or physican is based on Colossians 4.14. Another tradition says that he was an artist
Giotto’s Wedding at Cana
January 15th 2022
“The Wedding at Cana”, Giotto di Bondone, c.1305, Capella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padova. This is one of a sequence of scenes from the life of Christ by Giotto which adorn the walls of the Cappella Scrovegni. Often Christ and
