Example Of Learning Activity 3- Domenico Ghirlandaio, Old Man And His Grandson, C. 1490 Essay

The artist created a portrait of an old man with his young grandson. The two figures seem to be seated in front of a window, outside of which the viewer can see a landscape of trees, mounds and a river. The man’s age is shown by his grey hair and the marks of age in his face. He is wearing a deep red robe and looks tenderly at the boy. The two figures have eye contact, as the child looks at the old man with equal love and affection and places his little hand on his chest. He too, is dressed in red, with a robe covering his body above a black shirt and a red cap covering part of his long blond hair.
What is very interesting is that the representation of the two figures is very realistic. The old man’s nose is presented deformed, probably a result of an illness, but this does not affect the tenderness of the picture. Renaissance artists were interested in depicting their subjects realistically, but it seems to me that Ghirlandaio had one more reason for portraying the man’s deformity in such a realistic and unflattering way. He aimed at showing that appearance is not as important as the character of a man. This representation of a tender moment certainly presents this man as a good and loving grandfather, a family man, close to Christian ideas and beliefs. After all, Renaissance scholars and artists were interested in reconciling the art of the Classical past with the beliefs of the Christian faith and this work shows in the best possible way how this could be achieved.