Pinturicchio, (1454–1513)
St. Gabriel the Archangel, c. 1501
Fresco
Collegiate church Santa Maria Maggiore
Pintoricchio or Pinturicchio, whose formal name
was Bernardino di Betto, also known as Benetto
di Biagio or Sordicchio, c.1454–1513, Umbrian painter whose real name was
Bernardino di Betto. A prolific and facile painter, he was influenced by
Perugino, with whom he collaborated on the frescoes for the Sistine Chapel.
Pinturicchio worked chiefly in Perugia, Rome, and Siena. He decorated the
Borgia apartments in the Vatican and several churches in Rome. His most
elaborate project was the decoration of the cathedral library in Siena. In the
Metropolitan Museum are many panels of mythological scenes from the ceiling of
the reception room in the Palazzo del Magnifico in Siena. More on Pinturicchio
Gabriel, in the Abrahamic religions, is an archangel. He was first described in the Hebrew Bible and was subsequently adopted by other traditions.
Follower Francesco Solimena
The Archangel Gabriel appears to the Prophet Daniel
Oil on canvas
110 x 117.5cm (43 5/16 x 46 1/4in)
Francesco Solimena (October 4, 1657 – April
3, 1747) was a prolific Italian painter of the Baroque era, one of an
established family of painters and draughtsmen. He received early training from
his father, Angelo Solimena, with whom he executed a Paradise for the cathedral
of Nocera and a Vision of St. Cyril of Alexandria for the church of San
Domenico at Solofra.
He settled in Naples in 1674, there he worked in
the studio of Francesco di Maria and later Giacomo del Po. He apparently had
taken the clerical orders, but was patronized early on, and encouraged to
become an artist by Cardinal Vincenzo Orsini (later Pope Benedict XIII). By the
1680s, he had independent fresco commissions, and his active studio came to
dominate Neapolitan painting from the 1690s through the first four decades of
the 18th century. He modeled his art—for he was a highly conventional painter—after
the Roman Baroque masters. Solimena painted many frescoes in Naples,
altarpieces, celebrations of weddings and courtly occasions, mythological
subjects, characteristically chosen for their theatrical drama, and portraits.
His settings are suggested with a few details—steps, archways, balustrades,
columns—concentrating attention on figures and their draperies, caught in pools
and shafts of light. Art historians take pleasure in identifying the models he
imitated or adapted in his compositions. His numerous preparatory drawings
often mix media, combining pen-and-ink, chalk and watercolor washes. More
on Francesco Solimena
In the Hebrew Bible, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his visions. The archangel appears in such other ancient Jewish writings as the Book of Enoch. Alongside archangel Michael, Gabriel is described as the guardian angel of Israel, defending this people against the angels of the other nations.
Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494)
Announcement of the angel to San Zaccaria , c. 1480
Tornabuoni frescoes chapel in Florence.
Domenico Ghirlandaio (2 June 1448 – 11 January
1494) was an Italian Renaissance
painter born in Florence. Ghirlandaio was part of the so-called "third
generation" of the Florentine Renaissance, along with Verrocchio, the
Pollaiolo brothers and Sandro Botticelli. Ghirlandaio led a large and efficient
workshop that included his brothers Davide Ghirlandaio and Benedetto
Ghirlandaio, his brother-in-law Bastiano Mainardi from San Gimignano, and later
his son Ridolfo Ghirlandaio. Many apprentices passed through Ghirlandaio's
workshop, including the famous Michelangelo. Ghirlandaio's particular talent
lay in his ability to posit depictions of contemporary life and portraits of
contemporary people within the context of religious narratives, bringing him
great popularity and many large commissions. More on Domenico Ghirlandaio
El Greco
Anunciación, c.1600; Spain
Oil on canvas
91 x 66.5 cm
Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, US
Doménikos Theotokópoulos (1541 – 7 April 1614), most
widely known as El Greco; Spanish for "The Greek", was a
painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. The nickname
"El Greco" refers both to his Greek origin and Spanish citizenship.
The artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek
letters.
El Greco
was born in Crete, which was at that time part of the Republic of Venice, and
the center of Post-Byzantine art. He trained and became a master within that
tradition before traveling at age 26 to Venice, as other Greek artists had
done. In 1570 he moved to Rome, where he opened a workshop and executed a
series of works. During his stay in Italy, El Greco enriched his style with
elements of Mannerism and of the Venetian Renaissance. In 1577, he moved to
Toledo, Spain, where he lived and worked until his death. In Toledo, El Greco
received several major commissions and produced his best-known paintings.
El Greco's dramatic and expressionistic style
was met with puzzlement by his contemporaries but found appreciation in the
20th century. El Greco is regarded as a precursor of both Expressionism and
Cubism, while his personality and works were a source of inspiration for poets
and writers. El Greco has been characterized by modern scholars as an artist so
individual that he belongs to no conventional school. He is best known for
tortuously elongated figures and often fantastic or phantasmagorical pigmentation,
marrying Byzantine traditions with those of Western painting. More on El Greco
Mohammed receiving his first revelation from the angel Gabriel
Miniature illustration on vellum from the book Jami' al-Tawarikh by Rashid al-Din, published in Tabriz, Persia, 1307 CE
Edinburgh University Library, Scotland.
Islam regards Gabriel as an archangel sent by God to various prophets, among them Muhammad. The first five verses of the 96th chapter of the Quran, the Clot, is believed by Muslims to have been the first verses revealed by Gabriel to Muhammad.
James E. McConnell, (1903-95)
Noah's ArkNoah's Ark
Gouache on paper
Born in Bedlington, Northumberland, McConnell worked for a local blockmaker before moving to London where he continued in the same trade whilst studying part-time at St. Martin's School. He went freelance in 1933, working through the Partridge Agency with whom he remained until 1953.
McConnell's early freelance work was in advertising and designing book covers. After the Second World War he established himself as one of the leading artists for the burgeoning paperback market.
McConnell painted over 1,000 covers and frontispiece illustrations. He also contributed to the artwork in the American Roll of Honour, which lies in the American Chapel, St Paul's Cathedral, London.
As he was primarily a paperback cover artist, McConnell has rarely come to the attention of critics, although an exhibition of his Western artwork was held at the Association of Illustrators Gallery in London in 1976. More on James Edwin McConnell
The Latter Day Saints hold that the angel Gabriel is the same individual as the prophet Noah in his mortal ministry.
Melek Taus
Akshardham Temple, India, Delhi
Yazidis consider Gabriel one of the Seven Mysteries, the heptad to which God entrusted the world and sometimes identified with Melek Taus.
Please visit my other blogs: Art
Collector, Mythology, Marine
Art, Portrait of a Lady, The
Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The
Canals of Venice, Middle
East Artists, and visit my Boards on Pinterest
Images are copyright of their
respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright
I don't own any of these images -
credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your
images without your permission, please tell me.
I do not sell art, art prints, framed
posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting
expenses.
If you enjoyed this post, please share
with friends and family.
Thank you for visiting my blog and also
for liking its posts and pages.
Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.