The Literal Middle Ages

Hieronymus Bosch - Last Judgment (fragment of Hell) - 1504-08 - Oil on panel, Private collectionMedieval culture was quite literal. Hell really did consist of flames, Heaven was a place of beautiful gardens, and monsters most definitely existed to the people of the Middle Ages. This mindset offered endless possibilities to the artists of the age--and none was more creative in this regard than Hieronymous Bosch. For centuries, artists, illustrators, puppeteers, set designers, and art directors have been looking to medieval art for inspiration--and to feed their imaginations. Click on the link above to learn more about this fascinating, rather paradoxical--and most creative artist!

March 21st - "Finding the Past in the Present" at the Burbank Art Association

I will be speaking at the March 21st Meeting of the Burbank Art Association with a presentation entitled  "Finding the Past in the Present":

The artists of the Modern Era were determined to shake off the dust of the Renaissance—and the canons of classical approaches that had “ruled” them for over 400 years. It is perhaps ironic that many of the primary resources for the Moderns came from the Medievals! Modern Art draws heavily upon medieval art—in its approaches to color, line, surface imagery, abstraction and subject matter. In addition, art forms invented in the Middle Ages—such as woodcuts, wood carvings, and everyday items elevated to the status of art—were revived during the Modern period. We will explore the influence of medieval art on Modern Art—to identify medieval modernism, with all of its character and innovation. Modern artists examined will include (but not be limited to) Romare Bearden, Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse, Emil Nolde, Marc Chagall, Georges Rouault, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff.

The Presentation begins at 7:30 PM, 301 E. Olive Ave, Rm. 102, Burbank, CA. Park and enter at the rear of the building. Guests are welcome! Members are admitted for free--guests are asked to pay a $3 fee.

'Oldest' Images of Christ's Apostles Found in Rome

Restorers used new laser technology to uncover the images.Reprinted from 22 June 2010 - BBC Mobile News EuropeArt restorers in Italy have discovered what are believed to be the oldest paintings of some of Jesus Christ's apostles.

Faces of Apostles Andrew, John, Peter and Paul were uncovered using new laser technology in a catacomb in Rome.

The paintings date from the second half of the 4th Century or the early 5th Century, the restorers and Vatican officials believe.

The images may have influenced later depictions of Christ's early followers.

"These are the first images that we know of the faces of these four apostles," said Fabrizio Bisconti, head of archaeology for Rome's numerous Vatican-owned catacombs.

Read the rest of the story here...

Hieronymus Bosch

Hieronymus Bosch. Temptation of St. Anthony. Central panel. 1500. Oil on panel. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, Portugal.

Bosch was a brilliant and highly original Flemish painter of the late Middle Ages. His work is characterized by unusual, fantastic, iconography--and embodies a complex and wholly individual style. Bosch was regarded as a highly imaginative “creator of devils” and a powerful inventor of seeming nonsense full of satirical meaning--which in and of itself is quite a feat. Closer scrutiny also reveals a demonstrated insight into the depths of the human mind and spirit. Hieronymous Bosch is most definitely one of my greatest mentors--and a powerful source of inspiration for me, as a painter. When examining such creations as his--and of other medieval painters, like Ambrogio Lorenzetti, I cannot help but wonder what all the fuss is about with regard to the characters in James Cameron's film, Avatar. Frankly--they cannot hold a torch to these guys!

Ambrogio Lorenzetti

Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Allegory of Bad Government (detail) c. 1338-39 - Palazzo Pubblico, Siena

Ambrogio Lorenzetti is one of my all-time favorite painters! His genius was cut short by the Black Death--and one can only wonder at where his skill and imagination would have taken him. He ranks among the greatest of the Italian Sienese painters. Although his style was influenced by Duccio, by his older brother, Pietro, and by the great proto-Renaissance master, Giotto--a fierce individualism and unique inventive powers--as well as a stellar understanding of composition and form--are embedded in Ambrogio's works.