WELCOME FRIENDS, FAMILY & FACULTY!

This blog is an art history experiment for our Italian Renaissance travel course. We hope that you, our visitors, will not only take some time to read about what we are studying, but will ALSO feel free to make comments or ask us questions...especially after we see (most of) these things in person. As we travel, we will offer personal reflections on our experiences. After we fly out on the 17th, follow us as we visit Rome (May 18-20), Florence (20-24), and Venice (24-25). We return on Thursday, May 26...just in time for the holiday weekend.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Baptism of Christ, Verrocchio


Andrea del Verrocchio
•Verrocchio- “true eye” not referring to exceptional vision but a Florentine family were his early patrons
•Piece begun in 1468 or 1471
70 in x 59 in
First time this scene was portrayed in an altarpiece
John the Baptist is the patron saint of Florence
Bony figures, emphasized muscles and tendons
Traditionally balanced composition
Figures of Christ and John the Baptist self absorbed and self contained
Areas including the angel seen in profile, part of the landscape, and Christ’s face, were repainted or added by the young Leonardo da Vinci
Beams of the white dove symbolize Jesus’ divinity

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