Top
Like Us!

Follow Us!
Worth Watching
  • Empires - The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance
    Empires - The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance
    A fascinating and highly entertaining look at one of the most important families of the Renaissance era--the Medici.
  • Sister Wendy - The Complete Collection (Story of Painting / Grand Tour / Odyssey / Pains of Glass)
    Sister Wendy - The Complete Collection (Story of Painting / Grand Tour / Odyssey / Pains of Glass)

    “Sister Wendy Beckett has transformed public appreciation of art through her astonishing knowledge, insight and passion for painting and painters.” This set includes Sister Wendy's Story of Painting, Sister Wendy's Odyssey, and Sister Wendy's Grand Tour. Simultaneously delightful and scholarly--this is a must have for anyone interested in art history.

  • Exit Through the Gift Shop
    Exit Through the Gift Shop
    When British stencil artist Banksy traveled to Los Angeles to work, he came across obscure French filmmaker Thierry Guetta and his badly organized collection of videotapes involving the activities of graffiti artists. Inspired, Banksy assembled them with new footage to create this talked-about documentary, and the result is a mind-boggling and odd film (so strange as to be thought a hoax by some) about outsider artists and the definition of art itself.
  • The Impressionists
    The Impressionists
    A dramatization of the Impressionist movement as seen through the eyes of Claude Monet. Highly entertaining and informative.
  • The Impressionists: The Other French Revolution
    The Impressionists: The Other French Revolution
    A very personal and revealing look at the personalities that created Impressionism.
« Quote of the Day | Main | Get Ready for Spring! »
Monday
Jan302017

Beccafumi: Chromatic Lyricism

DateMonday, January 30, 2017 at 9:00AM

Domenico Beccafumi - Head of a Youth Seen in Profile - 1529-35 - Polychrome oil on paper, 28 x 21 cm - Musée du Louvre, Paris (click photo for larger image)The marvelous Sienese artist Domenico Beccafumi (c. 1486-1551) was (with Parmigianino) the most interesting of the non-Florentine Mannerists and the last of the great Sienese painters. Although he was part of the High Renaissance generation of painters—Beccafumi’s works point toward the eventual modern era, in their strong effects of perspective and contrapposto, intensity of emotion, subtle, shot color, and lurid effects of light.

Mannerism rejected Renaissance harmony and balance in favor of emotional intensity and ambiguity—a uniquely modern idea. It was an enormously popular movement for a time, however the Church favored the more conservative Baroque for its Counter-Reformation commissions.

This “bozzetto" on paper is a study for the head of the youth seated in the foreground in one of the frescoes of the vault of the Sala del Concistoro of the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena. While it maintains certain classical elements found in sixteenth century painting—it also responded to a demand for something different—something new—in the Italy of its day.

AuthorJill | CommentPost a Comment | Reference3 References |

References (3)

References allow you to track sources for this article, as well as articles that were written in response to this article.

Reader Comments

There are no comments for this journal entry. To create a new comment, use the form below.

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>

Notify me of follow-up comments via email.