Spotlight Artist: Lorenzo Ghiberti
One of the most important early Renaissance sculptors, Ghiberti is best known as the creator of the bronze doors of the Baptistery of Florence. Synopsis The son of a goldsmith, in Florence, Italy, Lorenzo Ghiberti would become one of the most influential artists of the early Renaissance. A child prodigy, he received his first commission at age 23. Ghiberti multi-tasked much of his work including the doors for the Florence baptistery and numerous statues. He was a student of
Spotlight Artist: Egyptian- Menkaura and Queen
Egyptian
Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reign of Menkaura
2490–2472 B.C.
Greywacke, with traces of red and black paint
Height: 54 1/2"
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Art Code: "Stay Curious" Synopsis At twilight on January 10, 1910, a young boy beckoned George Reisner to the Menkaura Valley Temple. There, emerging from a robbers’ pit into which they had been discarded were the tops of two heads, perfectly preserved and nearly life-size. This was the modern world’s first glimpse of
Spotlight Artwork: Caves Paintings of Lascaux
Hall of Bulls ca. 15,000 BCE
Lascaux, Dordogne, France
Paint on limestone
Largest bull approx. 12' long. Art Code: "Be Curious" Synopsis Lascaux Cave is a Palaeolithic cave situated in southwestern France, near the village of Montignac in the Dordogne region, which houses some of the most famous examples of prehistoric cave paintings. Close to 600 paintings – mostly of animals - dot the interior walls of the cave in impressive compositions. Horses are the most numerous, bu
Spotlight Artwork: Woman of Willendorf
c. 28,000 - 25,000 BCE from Willendorf, Austria Limestone approx. 41/4” tall Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna, Austria Synopsis (NOTE: This sculpture was originally the "Venus" of Willendorf and you will still see that title used frequently. The term, "Venus," the Roman goddess of love, refers generically to nude female figures. Since Venus came into mythological existence far later in history than this sculpture, it is fairly inaccurate to use this term and so contemporary a
Spotlight Artist: Raphael
The School of Athens Raffaello Sanzio (or Santi) da Urbino 1509-1511 Fresco Rome Read and take notes: (adapted from https://www.raphaelsanzio.org/biography.html) Raphael was one of the finest draftsmen in the history of Western art, and used drawings extensively to plan his compositions. Raphael's art marks "a shift of resources away from production to research and development". When a final composition was achieved, scaled-up full-size cartoons were often made, which were th
