We all know that children have an amazing imagination, and often their drawings need long explanations for adults to understand them. But a group of artists took some children’s drawing as concepts and then turned these into professional paintings. The results are quite interesting…
We have all heard about magnificent carvings that prisoners have made in jail from things such as bone, teeth and wood. But convicted forger A. Schiller who was serving his time in Sing Sing prison in the late 1800s, took it one step further. When his guards found him dead in his cell, on his body they found seven regular straight pins whose heads measured the typical 47/1000ths of an inch or 1.17 millimeters in diameter. Under 500 magnification it was found that the tiny etchings seen on the heads of the pins were the words to The Lord’s Prayer, which is 65 words and 254 letters long. Of the seven pins, six were silver and one was gold - the gold pin’s prayer was flawless and a true masterpiece. Schiller had spent the last 25 years of his life creating the pins, using a tool too small to be seen by the naked eye. It is estimated that it took 1,863 sepatate carving strokes to make it. Schiller went blind because of his artwork.
It seems such a waste of talent, but perhaps now at least people will remember him, whereas if he was not incarcerated he would be just another forgotten forger.
The painting commonly known as the Mona Lisa was painted between 1503 and 1506 in
The painting is probably a portrait of Lisa Gheradini, commissioned by her husband, a cloth merchant from
A very rare photograph of the back of the Mona Lisa painting, showing the reinforcing strips of wood
This official stamp on back of Mona Lisa was essential in the identification of the painting in 1913 when the work was rediscovered after its disappearance from Le Louvre in 1911. This theft occurred on the morning of August 21, 1911, though it was not discovered until the following afternoon. The Mona Lisa was kept in a protective box-like frame, but the frame did not prevent the thief from removing the painting from the wall and walking away with it. The frame itself was later found discarded in a hallway, with the thief’s thumbprint preserved on the glass.
Vincenzo Perrugia after his arrest
While investigators immediately suspected many menials and craftsmen who worked for Le Louvre, they did not investigate the man who had constructed the protective box frame himself, an Italian patriot named Vincenzo Perugia.
A close-up infared image of the paint from the Mona Lisa. This was used to verify the date and authenticity of the stolen painting after it had been recovered
Curators are concerned by the disintegration of the painting over time. The back of the painting now reveals not only the official stamp, but also reinforcing strips of wood and a dove-tailed wood patch which is intended to repress further cracking near the top center of the painting. Recent examination of the edges of the work (where the paint has been protected by the wooden frame) indicates that many layers of aging varnish have altered the original colors of the painting. The sober tones of the subject’s skin, gown, and the landscape behind her were undoubtedly brighter when the portrait was originally painted.
A copy of the Mona Lisa held in the Walters Gallery. This may show the original Mona Lisa’s colour more accurately, as although it is almost the same age, it has not been subjected to the same enviromental damage as the original. Notice the sky appears bluer, the skin and hair are lighter, and there is a clear distinction between the nearer and more distant background colouration.
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Damien Hirst, whose London show closed this month without a sale of his diamond skull, has found buyers for £130 million ($265 million) of art at the White Cube galleries, said exhibitions director Tim Marlow. A split shark fetched £10 million, “three crucified sheep sold for 6 million pounds, and talks to sell the skull were ongoing,” Marlow said in a telephone interview yesterday. Frank Dunphy, the artist’s business manager, has valued Hirst’s art in the White Cube shows at £200 million ($410 million) or more.
Damien Hirst : For the Love of God - 2007
The platinum skull, originally belonging to a 18th c. man aged 35, studded with 8,601 diamonds weighing a total of 1,106.18 carats, and priced at £50 million ($103 million), costs about 12 times as much as hedge-fund manager Steven Cohen paid to buy Hirst’s shark from collector Charles Saatchi. The discrepancy in price, and the skull’s status as a bejeweled object, may explain why contemporary collectors didn’t rush to buy it, art experts said. The central diamond on the forehead of the skull cost£4.2 million ($9 million) alone.
“A work of art does not owe its importance to the fact that it is made of precious materials,” said Jean-Jacques Aillagon, president of the Chateau de Versailles, and through June 2007, director of Francois Pinault’s Palazzo Grassi in Venice. “In the price, how much corresponds to the work of Damien Hirst, and how much to the materials he used for the work?”
George Michael
The White Cube shows drew collectors from Eli Broad to five museums who purchased Hirst’s works, including at least two from the U.S., according to the gallery.
The singer George Michael paid £3.5 million ($7 million) for “Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain” - a glass tank containing a black calf, its suspended body tied to a post and pierced by dozens of arrows.
The skull represents a price increase for Hirst that exceeds even those of Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol, which trebled or quadrupled their auction records in May. Hirst’s record of £9.7 million pounds ($20 million) - the highest for a living artist - was set in June at Sotheby’s, when a telephone bidder bought a pill cabinet, “Lullaby Spring,” that cost the New York seller about £730,000 ($1.5 million) in 2002, auctioneers said.
Joel Mallin, a sculpture collector who sold the pill cabinet in London, said the appreciation was beyond his expectations.
“I only sold this piece because the art market has gotten so outrageous,” Mallin said in a telephone interview. Still, “the price was a surprise.”
The take from the White Cube shows, including bisected animals and paintings of operations, will probably break the record for a dealer sale of an artist’s works, said Marlow. It would also enrich Hirst, 42, whose fortune has been valued at £130 million ($265 million) by the Sunday Times and who may get 75 percent or more of the proceeds of a sale, according to art professionals.
The amount of art sold to date by White Cube was reported earlier by the Sunday Times.
Schwarzenegger
The U.K. artist’s previous show at Gagosian in Beverly Hills, which drew California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the February opening, sold about 30 butterfly pictures at $1 million to $2.5 million, Gagosian said.
“We’re very confident that the skull will sell, but it’s difficult to say exactly when,” said Marlow. He wouldn’t say if the artwork would be discounted, or if potential buyers were well-known contemporary collectors or new buyers, such as the Russians and East Europeans who patronize the auction rooms. Hirst would prefer a buyer who would show the work publicly, he indicated.
“The skull was shown five weeks in London,” Marlow said. “One issue to consider is whether it can have public access.”
Price
Museum buyers of Hirst’s works would issue releases once they agreed with their trustees about the purchases, or had paid the gallery, he said.
Hirst’s skull, titled “For the Love of God,” cost £10 million to make, according to Dunphy. It is known as the 50 million-pound skull.
“You have to get the price right, or it will come back into the market,” said Hirst, wearing jeans and a blue shirt imprinted with a black bat-winged skull, in an interview at London’s White Cube gallery in June. “A lot of people buy things and flip them,” making a quick profit if the work has been underpriced, he said.
A sale of the skull for £50 million would put Hirst on a price level with Pablo Picasso and Gustav Klimt, dead artists who produced some of the 20th century’s most famous works.
Hirst is a boon for dealers and auction houses. About 80 artists and support staff at his studios help turn out new works, often on the themes of death and disease. His art factory system resembles that of Warhol, who died in 1987.
Was Mona Lisa a Real Person?
The Mona Lisa was originally identified as Lisa Gherardini as early as the mid 16th century when Vasari put together his biography of Leonardo Da Vinci and described the Mona Lisa. Everyone was intrigued to know “who was the model” for the Mona Lisa and in Gherardini, she was believed to be found.
Leonardo Da Vinci : The Mona Lisa - c.1503 - 1506
Born in 1479, Lisa Gherardini was raised in the Villa Vignamaggio in Tuscany, where she lived until she was eventually married at the age of 16. Her new husband, Francesco del Giocondo took her as his third wife in 1495 and very soon the two started their family. Giocondo was a silk merchant in Florence and it was there that the two most likely met Leonardo and the inklings of the Mona Lisa were first concocted.
Who Was Mona Lisa?
Little is known about the woman known as Lisa Gherardini and until recently, it was not even verifiable that she ever existed outside of Vasari’s biography. In a recent book published by Guseppe Pallanti titled Mona Lisa: Real Woman, the Italian historian outlined and gathered evidence that supported much of what Vasari wrote almost 500 years ago.
His research suggests that the origins of the working relationship were born when Leonardo’s father likely commissioned the painting. Pallanti suggests that he was great friends with del Giocondo and that it was highly likely that he might have done such a thing as he had done in the past with Adoration of the Magi.
Leonardo Da Vinci : Adoration of the Magi (unfinished) - 1481 - 1482
Gherardini herself would have been 24 years old in 1503 when Leonardo started work on the painting, coinciding with the birth of her second son. The evidence in the painting itself suggests that the model was possibly pregnant. Pallanti went on to gather evidence that reveals the actual burial place and death certificate for Gherardini in Sant’Orsola, a convent in Florence. Deceased on July 15, 1542 she was 63 years old and had raised five children with del Giocondo in her lifetime, whom she outlived.
If Not Gherardini, Then Who is the Model for the Mona Lisa?
The original source of Vasari has long been disputed as he lived and wrote after Leonardo’s death and after the painting had been removed from Italy. For that reason, numerous other theories have been postulated to explain who the model might be.
Leonardo Da Vinci : Self Portrait - c. 1512 - 1515
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One such theory is that Leonardo himself is the subject of the painting. This theory has been presented using existing self-portraits of the artist as supporting evidence. Unfortunately, the supporting evidence is still rather thin as others still will argue that Leonardo often used the same facial structures in his painting and a few scholars have even argued that the purported self-portrait might actually be a portrait of Leonardo’s mother.
An interesting idea is that although the painting is of Lisa Gherardini, the inspiration for the face comes from Leonardo’s assistant, Gian Giacomo Caprotti, also known as Salai.
Leonardo Da Vinci (not confirmed) : Portrait of Salai, Gian Giacomo Caprotti - 1495
It should be also noted that because of the likeness between the portrait of St. John the Baptist and the Mona Lisa, it is often hailed as proof that either the model for the Mona Lisa is a man, or that Leonardo wanted to promote the sacred feminine through St. John being painted as a woman.
Leonardo Da Vinci : Angel Incarnate - c. 1513
Leonardo Da Vinci : St. John the Baptist - 1513 - 1516
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Other theories include the possibility of different models altogether, including Isabella of Aragon or Constanza d’Avalos. Both women were at one time acquaintances of Leonardo and had commissions with him. Isabella in particular was very persistent to have Leonardo complete her commission, and of the two sketches he did of her, Da Vinci kept one copy to himself, refusing to return it despite her pleas. Additionally, a painting of Isabella by Raphael greatly resembles the Mona Lisa. While theories abound though, it is still largely believed that the true face of the Mona Lisa is Lisa Gherardini.
Raphael Sanzio : Isabella of Aragon (detail) - c.1515 (exact date unknown)
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Icaro Doria is Brazilian, 25 and has been working for the magazine Grande Reportagem, in Lisbon, Portugal, for the last 3 years. He is part of the team that produced these flags as part of a campaign to highlight some of the world’s current issues. Whether you like it or not, you have to agree that it is at least thought provoking.
The Greeks colonized southern Italy, where they were in contact with the indigenous Etruscan culture. An ancient Greek wall painting from the so-called “Tomb of the Diver” in Paestum, Italy, probably reveals Etruscan influences. The dive taken by the figure could be interpreted as the passage of the deceased into the otherworld. The Greeks did not build large tombs to house their dead; for them, the realm of the dead seems to have been a vaguely defined, mysterious place.
Diver. c.480 B.C.
Ceiling fresco from a Greek tomb at Paestum, Italy. Height: approx. 40″ (102cm). Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Paestum
We know that in addition to vase painting, the Greeks painted large scale compositions on panel, what have not survived the tests of time. A few mural paintings do survive, like this one from a Greek tomb in Paestum, Italy. The dive taken by the youth perhaps symbolises the passage from life to death
In the fourth century B.C., the Greek city-states were dominated by the kings of Macedon, an area to the north of Greece. The most famous of these conquerors was Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), who also subjugated the Persian Empire and Egypt. In a Roman floor mosaic, based on a Greek painting of the battle between Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius III, the artist has applied foreshortening and shading techniques to create an effect of three-dimensional space. The emotional and physical intensity of this image - conveyed through the facial expressions of the participants and the depiction of dramatic movement - is probably typical of late Greek wall painting.
Perhaps by Philoxenos or Helen of Egypt. Alexander the Great and Darius III at the Battle of Issos. Roman mosaic copy after a Greek painting 310 B.C.
106″ x 200″ (270cm x 510cm), Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples
The 5th century Peloponnesian War weakened Greece considerably. By the end of the fouth century B.C. the Greeks were under Macedonian rule, the most famous leader of which was Alexander the Great. This Roman floor mosaic from a house in Pompeii is a copy of a large scale Greek painting and depicts the battle between Alexander and the Persian king Darius III. Foreshortening - note in particular the horse seen from behind in three quarter view in front of Darius’ chariot - is masterfully employed here. Light is reflected from the shiny surfaces of armour and figures cast shadows. The dramatic emotionalism of this image is probably typical of 4th century Greek panel painting, none of which survives
Both of these artists were known to suffer from mental illness. Munch had what is now believed to be bi-polar disorder. Van Gogh suffered from paranoia, and possibly a myriad of other mental ailments, including epilepsy and absynth addiction, that the psychiatric community still debates. It is clear that they both suffered in ways which most of us are fortunate to not understand, but how did it show up in their work.
Vincent Van Gogh : The Starry Night - 1889
In looking at the paintings of both Munch and Van Gogh, it may be tempting to say that Munch was the more disturbed of the two. In fact, Van Gogh was an influence for Munch. He painted emotion, raw emotion. These emotions were dark and “negative” and his work had a depth of sorrow and madness to it that may be unsurpassed. On the other hand, while Van Gogh’s paintings were often somber, hey do not seem to embody the depths of sadness and despair that are seen in Munch’s work.
Edvard Munch : The Scream - 1898
Munch definitely has the privilege of having painted a painting that has come to symbolize our own modern feeling of despair and hopelessness. The Scream has become an icon of the world today and many people can relate to – that feeling of just wanting to scream!
His paintings were part of his therapy with his forward thinking doctors feeling that it would be beneficial for him to paint and express his feelings whilst in the asylum.
We will probably never know who had the more severe mental illness. Certainly Munch’s most likely stemmed from the fearful upbringing of his parents. His father instilled in him and his siblings the fear of eternal Hell and living in fear, especially as a child, creates deep-seated damage to the mind and soul. Van Gogh is for many the embodiment of the tortured artist. He cut off the earlobe of his left ear, an act of self-mutilation, after an argument with fellow artist Paul Gauguin. A year later he shot himself.
Vincent Van Gogh : Self Portrait with a Bandage - 1889
It is difficult to compare mental illness, each person and their experiences are so radically different. However, it is obvious that mental illness and insanity are not enough to stop geniuses from creating masterpieces that will be with us for eternity. In a way, both Munch’s and Van Gogh’s sadness and the torture they endured will be with us for eternity as well.
This is the result of high winds blowing water from a lake in Geneva during freezing conditions, causing the water spray to freeze almost instantly. “All the best art is found in nature” as they say.
The human form in art was infused with realism; the musculature was carefully modelled, movement was implied and drapery fell naturally over the body. This realism encompassed an ideal of humanity that resulted in dignified, confident, emotionally restrained, and rational expressions and postures. Painting at this time also reached great new heights, primarily in the form of wall and panel painting, virtually none of which survives. Vase painting, especially the red-figure style, continued, although it had reached its heyday during the Archaic period. Interestingly, the painters of late fifth century red figure vases seem to have been influenced by large scale painting, with mixed results. The compositions become complex and crowded, better suited to a flat wall or panel, while the Archaic harmony between the painted figures and the curved shapes of the vases is no longer as successfully achieved. Furthermore, vase painting is not conducive to the depiction of light and shadow or to the creation of the illusion of space receding into the distance, both advanced techniques in Greek wall paintings of this period.
Banqueting Scene, a Guest Reclines on a Coach Lsitening to a Musician Play the Double-Flute. 460-450 B.C.
Centre medallion of a red figured cup. Musee du Louvre, Paris
The youthful flute player, rendered in full profile (including the eye), is successfully depicted occupying space and stands with his weight concentrated on his right leg. The Greek artist’s keen interest in the rendering of the human form is clear here. Compare this figure with painted depictions of Egyptian pharaohs, with their awkward combined frontal-profile forms and rigid stances. Thin, black lines delineate musculature and drapery folds in this banqueting scene. The reclining figure holds a kylix, or drinking cup, similiar to the one which this image decorates.
It is, however, during the Classical period that white-ground vases became more popular. In this style, either the red-figure or black-figure technique served to decorate a white ground; in addition, artists employed tempera paint. Tempera allowed for a wider range of colours, but the tempera additions, unfortunately, often have not survived, given their tendency to flake off. The lekythos painted with a scene of a warrior taking leave of his wife was probably made to be placed either in or on a tomb. The graceful figures on this vase magnificently display the “noble simplicity and quiet grandeur” that the German scholar Johann Joachim Winckelmann considered to be characteristic of High Classical Greek art.
Achilles Painter. Warrior Taking Leave of His Wife. 440 B.C.
Eretria. Atiic white-ground lekythos. Height: approx. 17″ (43cm). National Archaeological Museum, Athens
[catch the next part in the “History of Western Paintings”, Ancient Greece (Part Five), next Sunday. Subscribe to our RSS feed to make sure you don’t miss out!]