AP Art History
PowerPoint Project
by Jake Schrass
zzzl_giambologna_rape of s_c1583_schr
100 WELL KNOWN
WORKS OF ART
#87 Giambolonga, Rape of the Sabine
Women
Interpreted Using
The
Feldman Model of Formal Analysis
Feldman’s Model of Art Criticism
From the work of Edmund Burke Feldman,
During the late 1960’s and early 70’s
1. DescriptionList the visual qualities of the work that are obvious and immediate.
“What do you see in the artwork”?
Include content and subject matter in representational worksInclude abstract elements in nonrepresentational pieces.
2. AnalysisFocus on the formal aspects of elements of art, principles of design.
“How does the artist create a center of interest?
How does the use of color impact the painting?”
3. InterpretationPropose ideas for possible meaning based on evidence.
“What was the artist trying to communicate”?
4. JudgmentDiscuss the overall strengths/success/merit of the work.
How and why has this work achieved cultural value?
Giambologna (Jean
Boulogne)
Rape of the Sabine Women
1579-1583
Renaissance
Sculpture
167.5 inches tall Florence,
Italy
1.DESCRIPTION
a. Sculpture
b. Single Marble Slab
c. 167.5 inches tall
d. Two men abducting a woman
e. Vertical/static
f. 3-Dimensional, real
g. The lines are contour lines on the people,
and the people are a real form
h. Variety in the people
i. white
j. Real texture in the marble
k. Florence, Italy – 1579-1583
2.ANALYSIS
a. Similar to the Roman myth when
Romulo’s companions rape a Sabine
women
b. Emphasis on form and shape, also is balanced and can be
viewed from any side.
c. Vertically oriented in the bodies of the people
d. The three people are unified by their intertwined bodies
e. There is only a white color in the work, showing the pureness
of the love.
f. Naturalistic space in the shapes of the bodies, all at one
level.
g. Dynamic composition in the fake movement of their clothes
and their bodies.
h. The sculpture is influenced by the specific marble he made
the work with.
i. The overall impact is a rushed, anger and sadness as the
woman is taken from the older man.
3. Interpretation
a. Focuses on the universal metaphor of
love, and highlights the power of youth.
b. This sculpture focuses on the strength
of youth and the power of love.
c. The expression of grief on the faces of the
older man and the woman show their
separation, and the younger man appears to
be lusting after the woman as he holds her.
4. Judgment
a. What sets this work apart and makes
it worth studying? Giambologna Sculpture
Info
b. How does this work fit into the context
of what came before and after it?
Encyclopedia Britannica
c. How have critics, historians, and the public
reacted to this work? The Great Masters
d. How has this work changed the way art is
viewed? Oneoneta
Compare and Contrast
Bluffon.edu
ArtCyclopedia
The Florence Art Guide
Mannerist School
1520-1600
Derived from the Italian maniera, used by sixteenth-century artist and
biographer Giorgio Vasari, the term Mannerism refers to the movement in
the visual arts that spread through much of Europe between the High
Renaissance and Baroque periods. It originated in Italy, where it lasted
from about 1520 to 1600, and can be described as "mannered" in that it
emphasized complexity and virtuosity over naturalistic representation.
While the formal vocabulary of Mannerism takes much from the later
works of Michelangelo (1475–1564) and Raphael (1483–1520), its
adherents generally favored compositional tension and instability rather
than the balance and clarity of earlier Renaissance painting. Some
characteristics common to many Mannerist works include distortion of
the human figure, a flattening of pictorial space, and a cultivated
intellectual sophistication.
Interesting Facts About Artist
• When he died in 1608, he was buried in the beautiful
chapel he had designed for himself using caste
bronze.
• He would do all types of art, from architecture to sugar
sculptures.
Floor plan of the SS. Annunziata, the church
where Giambologna was buried.
References
1. Encyclopedia.com Giambologna Article