Artist has signed the
portrait on the wall
Man’s hands are in
position of authority,
women’s hands are
submissive
oranges symbolize
purity (& wealth)
Artist
Arnolfini’s Wedding
Red curtains = sex,
brush on post =
housekeeping
White hat = purity,
green dress= hope
Van Eyck
She’s not pregnant,
that’s the style
Mirror in background
reflects the two people as
well as the painter
Shoes mean ceremony
is sacred and holy
Dog symbolizes fidelity
Symbols of capitalism vs
religious symbols
Holbein
Two men, one in
secular clothes, one in
clerical clothes, they
represent the uniting
(or dividing) of the
church and
capitalism/exploration
“The Ambassadors”
Painting may symbolize the
three levels of existence:
heaven, earth, and death
Do you see the skull?
“David with the head of Goliath”
He has a self-satisfied smirk
on his face, because he did
what no one else could do
Caravaggio
The bag has rocks in it, and
the sword is obviously heavy
David is obviously a teenager
Notice the mark on G’s head
where the rock hit him
Greek (classic) style clothing
Goliath has no life in his eyes
and looks shocked and in pain
– see the wrinkles between
his eyes?
Mary Magdalene
Donatello
John the Baptist
* Tragic heroes
* Realistically depicted
* Religious subject, but no
religious symbols are present
Judith and her maid
are working together, it
takes all their strength
to push the sword
through his neck
Notice how large H’s
hand is compared to
the woman’s face
Artemisia
Gentileschi
Notice where H. is
laying, and that he is
undressed
“Judith beheading Holofernes”
H. Has obviously been
startled awake by
someone grabbing his
hair