Abraham Bloemaert, The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1612, 113
Abraham Bloemaert (Dec. 25, 1564 – Jan. 27, 1651), the Dutch painter and printmaker living in Utrecht, was born on Christmas Day. A devout Catholic living in the Netherlands, Bloemaert had a thriving business creating religious works of art for the few Catholic churches … Continue reading
© 2013 Sally Whitman Coleman, PhD. All rights reserved.
What’s going on in this painting? The artist didn’t want it to be easy to figure out. An Italian Renaissance painter would have made the subject clear and provided easily identifiable figures in a clearly defined space. Jacopo Pontormo, a … Continue reading
Federico Barocci, The Nativity, 1597, oil on canvas, 52.75
Working near the end of the Mannerist era, Federico Barocci was given to unusual compositions and colors, as is seen in his Nativity with the steep, diagonal recession into space where Joseph opens the door to let the shepherds into … Continue reading