Painted eye candy
Saturday, 27 September 2014
Let’s go for some image-bits, all from paintings. This young woman, hmm, relying on memory here (it’s been 6 hours and 6K paintings/labels in between now and when I read the placard), she was probably an orphan, although experts don’t know for sure who she is. Can’t really account for her expression…maybe “I got out of mass to sit with this…creep???” (Sorry, you’ll have to guess the date….)
These two are details from a very small part of a painting, meant to set the stage, fill in, and be background. To me, they give clues about the countryside at that time.
The first one is by Fra’ Bartolomeo and dates to 1509. The second is by Francesco Granacci, and dates to about 1515.
First, I see there’s lots of forested area and they both look Tuscan. Second, the buildings are large and scattered. This latter is generally consistent with the villa pattern. They both have small airborne bird-flocks (which suggests more birds than I’ve noticed today, or merely an impulse to fill “empty” spaces a bit). Love the bridge and smoke-whisp in the first one. Charmed by the vegetation indicating the ruined nature of the architecture in the second.
I took lots of foot-photos today (well, a few anyway), and I’m only giving you a ration of one. These are simpler sandals than most, but that is one fancy hat. I believe the scallop shell indicates the wearer is going on or has been on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (that being a shrine of St. James, and the shell indicating him). Also, the hat shape may indicate the pilgrimage, too. This is consistent with the walking stick(?). This is by the Pollaiolo brothers and dates to about 1467.