Video Reviews: Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master & The Power of Art: Caravaggio

Video One: Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master

 

Northern Renaissance master, Albrecht Dürer, has always been one of my favorite artists. Although more well-know for his prints, I especially enjoy his oil paintings and drawings. He relied on the income that the prints gave him, for example, because he could make hundreds of images to sell from a single wood block. He created a number of self-portraits, which some consider to be a sign of narcissism. I choose to believe that his self-portraits were more of 'self-refeflection' and that he wanted to capture his image at different stages of his life.

Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight Years Old Wearing a Coat with Fur Collar, oil on wood panel, 1500

 Dürer was a child prodigy. His father, who was a goldsmith, recognized his artistic talents and apprenticed him to a local painter. It was interesting to learn that Dürer was both a contemporary and friend of Martin Luther, an important figure in the Protestant Reformation of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther sought to reform religion, while Albrecht Dürer "...dragged art out of the Middle Ages". Co-incidentally, I attend a Presbyterian church, and this Sunday we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

Dürer traveled extensively through Europe, and many new ideas were opened up to him from the Italian Renaissance. After one of his trip to Italy he discovered the appeal of landscapes and even noted as the first true landscape artist in Europe. His portraits are unique in that they are truthful and not idealized. His paintings of individuals did not glamorize them or dismiss their flaws, and were often ruthless in their honesty. I especially love to paint portraits, and also prefer not to 'air brush' flaws, I feel that our strengths and weakness are what makes us individuals and shouldn't be overlooked.

While our text indicates that Dürer's arranged marriage was childless and not a happy union, the film indicates that his wife Agnes did a lot behind the scenes to help and promote her husband. The film even showed a sketch he had created of his wife. My feeling is that Dürer was most likely an artist whose craft was all-consuming, and he most likely had little interest in anything else. He traveled extensively for his art, and it is never mentioned whether Agnes accompanied him, but I would assume that she stayed home.

The video was excellent, I learned new things about Dürer that I had never known before, I especially enjoyed learning that he loved to paint hands. I find hands the most difficult thing to draw or paint properly, and this also fits in with our assignment this week to draw two versions of our hands, one using our right hand to draw our left, the other using our left hand to draw our right. I only wish the video had been a little longer because their are so many more questions that I have about Albrecht Dürer!

 Video Two: The Power of Art: Caravaggio

 

Caravaggio is another favorite artist of mine, and I have been fortunate enough to see some of his works in person during my travels as a student in the Siena Program, as well as during a return trip to Italy in 1999. To stand in front of one of his paintings is an unparalleled experience. The intensely lit subject matter, powerful compositions, and beautifully rendered flesh-tones just cannot be properly duplicated in a photograph.

We know quite a lot about Caravaggio’s turbulent life as much through his painting commissions as we do through court papers documenting the many times he was in trouble with the law. Caravaggio became increasingly violent and out of control after the St. Matthew paintings commissioned by Cardinal del Monte. With the rise of his popularity and success as an artist, his personal life spun even more out of control, with many well-documented run-ins with the law. 

 

He chose ordinary people to be the models for his religious paintings, even to the point where he included the flaws of their humanity – soiled feet, dirty fingernails. Some felt this made it easier for the masses to relate to Christianity, while other patrons were deeply offended by the stark reality of Caravaggio’s depictions. Northern Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer also painted portraits that included the flaws of peoples humanity. This is something that I actually prefer, particularly when it comes to religious figures. It reminds us that Christ first lived a human life, and to see Jesus, as well as other religious figures, as everyday people, helps to make the Bible more 'real'.

 

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, oil on canvas. 1601-1602

 

Did his amazing talent thrive not in spite of, but because of his violent, reckless behavior and deviant nature? And were his glorious paintings of Christian Saints his way of atoning for his life as a self-proclaimed sinner? These are questions that I have about Caravaggio. Also, why was no mention made of the term ‘Chiaroscurro’ in this video? Caravaggio was celebrated for the use of dramatic lights and darks in his paintings, and the technique of light/dark (chiara/scurro in Italian) is almost always discussed when looking at Caravaggio’s body of work.

While the film left me with some questions, it is always exciting to see the story of an artist recreated by actors. With the absence of traveling through time, some of the best ways to learn about an artist includes seeing their work, reading treatises or biographies that may have been written during their lifetime, or watching well-researched documentaries such as The Power of Art: Caravaggio.