A common theme that has come up as I have been observing and learning more about art history
while in Siena is that of style. A style is something that an artist may use to convey an emotion, a
particular allegory, the period of time a work was created, and even to portray their own
perspective of a possible truth. And that is what has been interesting to me about some of these
works of art: it is not so much the insistence of a particular truth but the possibilities of what
truths could be.
In Perseus in the Wind, Freya Stark connects style and truth together when she observes that “style is fundamentally a truthful statement, if we take for truth something more careful than the not telling of a lie. There are layers and layers of truth; and style, whether in dress or life, art or literature is involved in their discovery” (81).
My personal discovery while studying this art, particularly the gothic art of the Medieval period which is almost entirely religious art, is that with the style of the artist, the iconography was made to represent and persuade the viewer of perceived (even imagined) truths...and the artist was powerful because of this, even held responsible by the Church depending on the style the artist used. As the views, understandings, and teachings of the Church changed over time, so did the style of the art.
For instance, there are multiple versions of The Annunciation - a depiction of the angel Gabriel informing the young virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ. There are three paintings from different time periods ranging from Middle Age to High Renaissance to Late Renaissance that I observed and compared. Perhaps three of the most famous paintings of this particular theme are the ones created by Simone Martini, an artist of the Medieval Era, and later the one painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, at the peak of the Renaissance Age - both of whose paintings can be seen at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy - and lastly the one painted by Giorgio Vasari of the Late Renaissance Age, whose painting can be seen at The Louvre in Paris, France.
The painting of The Annunciation by Simone Martini, created in 1333, depicts the virgin Mary as very closed off. She is leaning away from the visiting angel, her back towards him, and she is guarding herself with her right arm. Her face looks grim, and she appears scared. She is also wearing a dark blue robe with only a small bit of fabric from the red dress she is wearing underneath peeking out. This is in keeping with the Church discouraging, or outright forbidding, artists from depicting the Virgin Mary wearing crimson, which was considered the color of harlots. It is also evidence of a slight progression in how this theme was illustrated when compared to much earlier works of art of the same theme, in which the virgin was shown wearing all blue and no red at all (for instance, The Virgin and Child, currently on display in Saint Catherine’s Monastery, which was painted in the year 600.) She is also shown to be looking more regal with gold trimming around the hems of her robe and gown and a golden jewel-encrusted head adornment that appears to be a crown.
In Perseus in the Wind, Freya Stark connects style and truth together when she observes that “style is fundamentally a truthful statement, if we take for truth something more careful than the not telling of a lie. There are layers and layers of truth; and style, whether in dress or life, art or literature is involved in their discovery” (81).
My personal discovery while studying this art, particularly the gothic art of the Medieval period which is almost entirely religious art, is that with the style of the artist, the iconography was made to represent and persuade the viewer of perceived (even imagined) truths...and the artist was powerful because of this, even held responsible by the Church depending on the style the artist used. As the views, understandings, and teachings of the Church changed over time, so did the style of the art.
For instance, there are multiple versions of The Annunciation - a depiction of the angel Gabriel informing the young virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ. There are three paintings from different time periods ranging from Middle Age to High Renaissance to Late Renaissance that I observed and compared. Perhaps three of the most famous paintings of this particular theme are the ones created by Simone Martini, an artist of the Medieval Era, and later the one painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, at the peak of the Renaissance Age - both of whose paintings can be seen at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy - and lastly the one painted by Giorgio Vasari of the Late Renaissance Age, whose painting can be seen at The Louvre in Paris, France.
The painting of The Annunciation by Simone Martini, created in 1333, depicts the virgin Mary as very closed off. She is leaning away from the visiting angel, her back towards him, and she is guarding herself with her right arm. Her face looks grim, and she appears scared. She is also wearing a dark blue robe with only a small bit of fabric from the red dress she is wearing underneath peeking out. This is in keeping with the Church discouraging, or outright forbidding, artists from depicting the Virgin Mary wearing crimson, which was considered the color of harlots. It is also evidence of a slight progression in how this theme was illustrated when compared to much earlier works of art of the same theme, in which the virgin was shown wearing all blue and no red at all (for instance, The Virgin and Child, currently on display in Saint Catherine’s Monastery, which was painted in the year 600.) She is also shown to be looking more regal with gold trimming around the hems of her robe and gown and a golden jewel-encrusted head adornment that appears to be a crown.
Moving further along in time by almost 150 years, the Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci was
painted in 1472 at the height of the Renaissance Age. The mood and style of this painting is
somewhat different from Martini’s. It shows Mary in an open receptive position; she is facing the
angel, her hand is held upward and away from her body, and her face appears softer. She is also
shown with more of her red dress appearing from under the blue outer robe she wears, and her
clothing is less regal than that seen in Martini’s painting.
The final painting in this analysis of the Annunciation, created by Giorgio Vasari around 1565 during the Late Renaissance, shows an even more open and receptive depiction of the virgin and the visiting angel. He is closer to her than as seen in the two earlier aforementioned paintings, and she is wearing a red dress with no blue at all. She also appears to be very humble and simply dressed with no gold in her adornment.
I found it to be an interesting discovery and analysis of how the perception of truth can be influenced and even altered according to the style of an artist during a particular age. During the Medieval Age, when artists were influenced more by the Catholic Church, the style was to show the interaction of the virgin and angel as more stern, austere, and guarded with the virgin wearing little to no red. During the Renaissance, which was guided more by individualism than the Church, the theme is softer, more open, and she is wearing more red.
During a recent visit to the Santa Maria della Scala hospital in Siena, Italy, I saw an exhibit of what is considered to be a relic of the fabric that Mary wore, and it was red. Whether it’s true that this was actually a piece of her garment or whether it was sensationalized due to the “business” of relics and how important they were to a particular city in luring others to make a pilgrimage, I am not sure. However, I found this to be a notable observance informing my analysis which synthesizes with the statement Freya Stark made about style and truth perceived from art.
The final painting in this analysis of the Annunciation, created by Giorgio Vasari around 1565 during the Late Renaissance, shows an even more open and receptive depiction of the virgin and the visiting angel. He is closer to her than as seen in the two earlier aforementioned paintings, and she is wearing a red dress with no blue at all. She also appears to be very humble and simply dressed with no gold in her adornment.
I found it to be an interesting discovery and analysis of how the perception of truth can be influenced and even altered according to the style of an artist during a particular age. During the Medieval Age, when artists were influenced more by the Catholic Church, the style was to show the interaction of the virgin and angel as more stern, austere, and guarded with the virgin wearing little to no red. During the Renaissance, which was guided more by individualism than the Church, the theme is softer, more open, and she is wearing more red.
During a recent visit to the Santa Maria della Scala hospital in Siena, Italy, I saw an exhibit of what is considered to be a relic of the fabric that Mary wore, and it was red. Whether it’s true that this was actually a piece of her garment or whether it was sensationalized due to the “business” of relics and how important they were to a particular city in luring others to make a pilgrimage, I am not sure. However, I found this to be a notable observance informing my analysis which synthesizes with the statement Freya Stark made about style and truth perceived from art.
Simone Martini, 1333.
Leonardo da Vinci, 1472.
Giorgio Vasari, 1565.
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