ILLUSTRATION B
Giotto
Madonna Enthroned: in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy, dated to around 1310; traditional Christian subject, the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child seated on her lap, with saints and angels surrounding them on all sides. This particular representation (a Maestà) was a popular representation at the time. Celebrated as the first Renaissance painting with its newfound naturalism and escape from the constraints of Gothic art.
Mantegna
St. Sebastian of the Louvre: illustrates the theme of God's Athlete (inspired to a spurious sermon by St. Augustine); the saint, tied to a classical arch, is observed from an unusual, low perspective, which enhances the solidity & dominance of his figure. The head and eyes turned toward Heaven confirm Sebastian's firmness in bearing the martyrdom. At his feet two iniquitous people (represented by a duo of archers) are shown to create a contrast between the man of transcendent faith, and those who are only attracted by profane pleasures. Apart from the symbolism, the picture is characterized by Mantegna's accuracy in the depictions of ancient ruins, as well as the detail in realistic particulars such as the fig tree next to the column and the description of Sebastian's body.
Vermeer
Milkmaid: oil-on-canvas painting of a domestic kitchen maid, painted 1658, photograph-like realism; strikingly illusionistic, conveying not just details but a sense of the weight of the woman and the table. The bright light doesn't wash out the rough texture of the bread crusts or flatten the volumes of the maid's thick waist and rounded shoulders. An impression of monumentality & a sense of dignity is lent to the image by the artist's choice of a relatively low vantage point and a pyramidal building up of forms from the left foreground to the woman's head; the painting is built up along two diagonal lines meeting by the woman's right wrist which focuses the attention of the viewer on the pouring of the milk.
Goya
The Parasol: one of a cartoon series of oil on linen paintings, 1777; a series of paintings was specifically made in order to be transformed into tapestries to be hung on the walls of the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, Spain. They illustrate serene events in everyday life, a nice addition to the dining room of Prince and Princess of Asturias—the future King Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma. The queen called on Goya because she wanted to decorate the dining room with cheerful scenes; The Parasol and the other tapestry paintings were his response.
