John-Rountree

Venus and Adonis by Peter Paul Rubens 1635 Elements Rubens used a mixture of dark and light to emphasize the scene he wanted to depict.  The main scene here is Venus trying to get Adonis to stay and not go out hunting while Cupid is holding onto his leg.  The partial nudity of Venus was put in there so as to depict the drama happening in the scene.  There is a factor of longing of the heart brought on by this painting with Venus wanting to hold onto Adonis and not letting him leave.  This is Ruben's take on this mythological scene that was also painted by another artist ( Tiitian ) depiction of the scene almost 100 years prior.  The Thirty-year War The above version was one of multiple renditions of the same seen from Rubens.  When he was commissioned to paint the first one Rubes it was just after the Thirty Year War and was happy to be able to do something that didn't have diplomatic ties.   Words Cited “Venus and Adonis (Rubens, 1635).”   Wikipedia , Wikimedia Foundation, 10

                                                                    Piece Introduction This piece is titled  'Madonna della Vittoria'   by Andrea Mantegna.  When looking at this piece the humanism in it really stands out.  This painting was created to celebrate an unlikely victory over the French in 1495. That is why it has so many military attributes. The central focus here is essentially paying homage to Saint Elizabeth and Saint John (pictured in the chair in the center).  Humanism is first and foremost in this painting. The artist here is trying to equate the military's faith in the saints to their recent victory. This all but gives the credit of victory to the saints while ensuring that the military is shown as being servant and grateful.  My Humble Opinion I do not care for much of the art in this era and this painting isn't any exception.  Don't get me wrong the painting was done well for its era.  I just have never understood why people have to take all the

Thought Process  I decided to look into geometric sculptures with a wildlife emphasis.  I really enjoy nature and the way things just flow with no rhyme or reason to it.  To me, nature doesn't follow conventional rules of art with things having to be a certain shape or way.  I also enjoy the aesthetics of how geometric shapes look because they follow strict rules with straight lines and sharp corners.  My brain enjoys trying to blend those things together. Chosen Art Piece The sculpture pictured below really caught my eye.  The sculpture was created by Ben Foster and is titled Golden Boy. My Perception When you first look at the placement of this sculpture it may seem out of place, but when you look deeper into the photo you see the snow-capped mountains in the background.  The artist blended the unnatural geometric lines of his sculpture with the surroundings of a New Zealand mountain range.  Seeing something as natural as a dog created with geometric lines and shapes is interesti