Compare Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow (figure 16.14 on page 260) with Whispering Pines on a Mountain Path by Tang Yin
Coldness and the desire to go inside to rest next to a burning fire is a sensation that reveals from Bruegel’s painting “Hunters in the Snow”, combined with the vivid desire to stay out and enjoy the excitement of winter, facing the cold. This is an antagonist view portrayed by Bruegel who surprises the winter season with its hardships and its joys: while some men and their dogs are coming back from hunting tired and seemingly dull, for having a small capture (solely a rabid seems to have been hunted) a group of women are in charge with their daily tasks, but they seem more fervent and more energetic in their activity, compared to the hunters. All this time, at the basis of the mountains groups of skiers slip easily on the ice, while the ravens are watching over the entire action from above. White and shades of grey are cold colors, indicating the freezing of the winter, but also the smoke that comes out of the chimneys as a symbol of the warmth within the houses. This is a vivid painting, combining in a perfect harmony the human spirituality, caught in the countryside, with the imminence of nature.
Nature is also the theme of Tang Yin’s painting “Soughing Pines on a Mountain Path”. Besides the fact that compared to Bruegel’s painting the coloristic of this Yin’s tableau is much more faded and the human element is not visible, the art work catches the immensity and solitude of nature, as opposed to Bruegel’s work, who surprises the harmony and the communion between man and nature.
“Hunters in the Snow” transmits me a familiar feeling of emotion and trepidation, reminding me of the winter holidays from childhood and of the immense joy of going out for a beating with snowballs while the adults are minding their own choruses. On the other hand, the second work, “Soughing Pines on a Mountain Path” transmits me the sensation of overwhelming nature, arid and mysterious, imposing respect and solemnity.
Compare David by Michelangelo with Natarajo, Shiva as King of Dance
David. This symbol of courage, youth, masculinity and beauty created out of medium carrara marble, reaching 517 cm tall is a representative piece of art of Michelangelo, capturing the essence of the Renaissance sculptures. The statue surprises accurately the elements of human body, bones, structure, shape, even the spirit estate of David before going into the battle with Goliath. He carries his sling gracefully, which indicates that for Michelangelo force and beauty defined the artistic sense. As he suavely reaches his left foot ahead, he drops the center of gravity on his right foot, allowing for his body to gently incline towards right and showing the curbs of his body, harmoniously described. The head and hands of this sculpture are intentionally disproportioned for illustrating David’s courage, strength and beauty, but also for following a technical objective: for being visible from the top of a Florentine cathedral, where it supposed to have been placed initially.
While David is a Christian, Biblical symbol, Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja), a Tamil Nadu traditional concept, is the symbol of Hyndu spirituality. Dance, magic, hypnoses, mystery, exoticism, these are some attributes that this bronze statue transmits. Compared to David, this statue also uses the gravity center, but the reasons are different in Shiva’s statue. The artist intended to indicate the move, the sensitivity specific to dance, but also the protection offered to the troubled souls, serving, therefore, as a metaphor stating that dance cures and protects the souls in trouble bringing them in another world, where there is no fear. Unlike David, this statue is mystical, unreal, as it has four hands, standing for Hindu symbols: protection, the fire of dynamic destruction, illusion and refuge. Shiva, this 11th century statue, is surrounded by a circle of protective hands, and the circle is supported on a large trapezoidal basis for balance.
In response to David’s statue, my admiration goes to the well-defined body lines and to the way the artist has caught all the humanly emotions: anger, restlessness, courage, passion, voluptuousness with grace and accuracy. Referring to Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja), I am impressed by the symbolical value that this statue holds, and also by the creative power of the artist of surprising Hindu spirituality, valuing its mysticism and exoticism.
Compare the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci with Reflected Beauty, Seven Beauties Applying Make-Up by Utamaor
Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” permanently gathers the most viewers daily in Louvre museum. The soft, pale colors of this portrait sets the feminine character of this painting in direct correlation with the nature that surrounds her. A middle aged woman, with a soft smile and an experienced look, seems to read our mind, to enter our deepest secrets. Da Vinci captured the life in the woman’s eyes and her understanding towards what she sees, through her subtle smile. The predominance of pale yellow and dark colors suggest maturity and sobriety and Mona Lisa’s smile resonates with these shades. Likewise, her position, the way she peacefully holds her hands indicates a self – control and the peace with herself, with the world. The portrait captures the robustness of Mona Lisa’s chest and her neck from up – front, surrounded by her loosened hair.
Looking at “Seven Beauties Applying Make - Up”, there can be easily identified several common elements: this is also a portrait of a woman, with her neck visible. It might be possible that the woman is middle aged, but this cannot be stated for sure. Unlike Mona Lisa, who is an European woman, the feminine character of Kitagawa Utamaro is Asian. Her hair is very well tight up, in a hairstyle specific to Middle Age Japan, allowing for her nape to be discovered from behind and her neck to be visible in the mirror she looks into. While Mona Lisa looks to somebody, the woman from Utamaro’s painting looks at herself, in a mirror. The mirror element is also distinctive from Da Vinci’s chef d’oeuvre and it is an impactful element, showing the consideration of Nippon women for their looks. Another common element between the two paintings is the pale yellow shade, but compared to Mona Lisa who integrates in that yellowish décor, the Asian woman contrasts with this décor, through her very white face and well defined figure: her dark hair, her sharp eyebrows and her red lips.
My impression about Da Vinci’s work is that Mona Lisa is a Renaissance beauty, transmitting a human, interior loftiness, rather than external beauty visible through her traits. Compared to this, Utamaro’s character seems less expressive of her interior grace, but she expresses the esthetic sense through her exterior appearance. Moreover, where Mona Lisa seems to show a wise and altruistic look over what she sees, Okita is self – concerned with her own looks.
Compare Villas Rotanda by Palladio (with Kandarya Mahadeva Temple
Villa Rotonda takes its name after one interior hall of the building started by Andrea Palladio and completed by his student, Vicenzo Scamozzi. The construction is specific to Renaissance architectural current, having a tall rounded dome, which is supported by four temple – front porticos. The main entrance of the building is imposing, as it follows a road of stairs, surrounded by two protection walls, which have been decorated with statues, as the entire building has been, later on. The porticos entrance is embraced by the main body of the building, which, in its turn is seconded by additional bodies. the building integrates very well in its landscape, serving as a symbol of the civilization, placed in the middle of the nature.
On the other hand, Kandariya Mahadeya Temple is placed on a large platform, for indicating the superiority of this building and its relation to divinity. Moreover, its stair - shaped structure transmits the idea of adherence, of high ideal, and of the road towards above, towards the place where the Gods live. The creation has a naturalistic focus, representing plants and animal life at its basis and a spiritual one, defining gods and semi – gods at the higher levels of the sculpture, as a manner of describing the Hindu believe that Gods are above everything.
Refined art, classical taste, sharpness and precision of the technique and a very pungent aesthetical sense reveal out of Palladio’s Villa Rotonda, giving the impression of perfectionism through its straight lines and its symmetry. Compared, Kandiriya Mahadeva Temple is very loaded, being overwhelming with its representations of gods, demi – gods statues, animals, plants and other spiritual stone drawings. The shapes and the stratified structure impress through the artistic solution identified for expressing the relationship between nature and divinity.
