Laura Jeanne Grimes, artist
  • Home
  • Various Subjects
  • Mask Series
  • Cellphie Series
  • Fathers
  • Digital Photography
  • Blog
  • Women and Dogs
  • Hijab series
  • Field Sketches
  • Drawings
  • Paintings
  • Books

Back from Italy!

6/25/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
I recently returned from a two-week visit to both Florence and Bologna, Italy.  Such a grand trip!
I had a goal of doing a drawing a day while there.  So, I am going to share a select few with you, with commentary.  At left, see my favorite photo taken of the River Arno which bisects Florence.  Then, on to drawings. All of these drawings were done on my iPad, using the Sketch Club app.

Picture
This early work by Michelangelo is part of a much larger piece, the Arca of San Domenico, which contains the remains of Saint Dominic, in the church which bears his name: Basilica San Domenico in Bologna, Italy.

I stood and drew for about on hour on my iPad, using the Sketch Club app.  My back was killing me afterwards!  People think doing artwork is relaxing.  Tell that to Michelangelo, doing hard labor, chipping away at the marble to release the statue he believed it already contained.

Do we see a foreshadowing of the David in this face, in this hair?  I hope my quick sketch gives you at least a feeling for the so much greater mastery of the young Michelangelo.



Picture
At the Accademia at Florence, along with Michelangelo's famous David, you will find a number of his unfinished works.  Yes, he actually left quite a bit of sculptures before they were done.  He would get a commission, start to work.  Then, the funds might get lowered, or taken away entirely.  His unfinished work seems to struggle for release from the rock. Most of these works are known as the Unfinished Slaves.  But, not all of them.  I sat (yes, the luxury of a seat!) and drew his sculpture of San Matteo (Saint Matthew).  A powerful figure emerges from the rock.  How I wish my drawing could do him justice!

The Bargello in Florence contains extremely important works, including works by Michelangelo.  Instead, I focused on a carved wood crucifixion, purportedly by Michelangelo (which means probably not).  It profoundly moved me.  Christ is completely naked, which is historically accurate.  The victims were stripped naked, this being part of the shame and humiliation of the Cross.  Where the piece strays from historical accuracy is in the smooth, unmarked skin (except for the wounded hands, feet and side).  The physical torture before crucifixion would have left Him horribly mutilated and bloody.  The smooth, unmarked skin, the serene face of the traditional crucifix?  It was a few centuries after the beginning of Christianity that people began using the Crucifixion as a subject of art.  They had to get away from the reality first.  I drew, again for about an hour, and I show you his nudity, as the artist portrayed it.  The New Testament describes Jesus as wholly man and wholly God. In the Crucifixion, we see the weakness, the utter vulnerability of human flesh. My name circles behind Him, not simply to watermark the image, but to say, simply, He died for me.
Picture
I think we are at an appropriate place to stop for now.  Perhaps tomorrow I will post other drawings.  For now, I leave us to reflect.
2 Comments
top essay writing reviews link
4/30/2019 06:17:47 pm

When you get the chance to go to Italy, you must never miss the chance of having a tour in different churches and other religious museums in the said country. That's going to be the highlight of your trip if ever. Though we still don't have any plan of going there this year, I am sure that this is going to be part of my itinerary. I just have to wait for that day to come so that it will be more fun and meaningful vacation for me and for my friends.

Reply
Abby M link
7/13/2022 11:00:18 am

Greatt read

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    November 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    October 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    August 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010

    Categories

    All
    9th Grade Art
    Abbey Road Illustrations
    Aldo Giorgini
    Angels
    Animoto
    App
    Art
    Art Apps
    Artist
    Artrage
    Art Rage
    Bert Monroy
    Birth Of Venus
    Botero
    Botticelli
    Bronzino
    Byzantine
    Catacombs
    Christian Art
    Christo
    Coal Mining
    Collaboration
    Comics App
    Daily Draw
    Daily Drawing
    David
    David Hockney
    Da Vinci
    Destruction Of Shalom
    Digital Art
    Drawing
    Drawing A Portrait
    Eduardo Gutekunst
    Ethel Caution-davis
    Figure
    Figure Drawing
    Fra Angelico
    Ghent Altarpiece
    Giotto
    Grunewald
    Half Tone
    Human Figure
    Ipad
    Ipad Art
    James Janknegt
    Lazarus
    Leon Golub
    Lifedrawing
    Life Drawing
    Lifedrawing. Figure Drawing
    Masks
    Maus
    Michelangelo
    Mona Lisa
    Museums
    Nativity
    Nicholas Evans
    Nina Mae McKinney
    Painting
    Parable
    Photography
    Photography Apps
    Pieta
    Plein Air
    Poetry
    Poor Man
    Portraits
    Ps Express
    Quantel Paintbox
    Ravenna
    Renaissance
    Rich Man
    Rogier Van Der Weyden
    Sculpture
    Self Portrait
    Self-portrait
    Simply HDR-HD
    Sketch Club
    Snoopy
    Spirits
    Stephen Spender
    Still Life
    Sunflower
    Texas
    Torture
    Underwater
    Vandalism Of Shalom
    Vann Nath
    Vasari
    Virgin Of The Rocks
    Wales
    Yeats
    Yellow Rose

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly