Metallic Venus - Jeff Koons

Metallic Venus

Jeff Koons
2010-2012
Mirror-polished Stainless Steel with Transparent Color Coating, Live Plants
100 x 52 x 40 in
Musee de L'Art Modernes
Paris, France

            Jeff Koons is a contemporary artist from Pennsylvania who seeks to enlighten others on the human experience and sources of shame, pleasure, and life patterns.  Inspired by American pop-culture and minimalism, his work started as cheap displays that exemplified grander schemes.  Koons’s earliest art was plastic inflatables and appliances from a store that he coordinated to reflect an aspect of human life.  As Koons developed his style, he began to imitate historical styles from Baroque, Classical, Paleolithic, and other periods. 

            Koons’s oeuvre appeals to a wealthy crowd of art connoisseurs.  Koons would develop a series of art displays connected by a common theme.  His first series was called Inflatables.  In this display Koons related inflatable animals to humans because “…objects that contain air….are very anthropomorphic.”  Koons soon developed an extremely minimalistic style.  His most famous work of art is Hanging Heart, part of his Celebration series.  This piece sold for a record-breaking $23.6 million.  For this reason, Koons is able to use edge-cutting technology to create his masterpieces. 

            In 2007, Koons began a series that reflected on the use of art throughout history.  One of the pieces in this series is the Metallic Venus.  This statue is based on a Roman statue Callipygian Venus, informally known as Venus of the beautiful buttocks.  This statue was excavated in Rome and is believed to be the Roman copy of a Greek original dating to 300-400 B.C.  This statue had to be restored several times, and because of this is somewhat discontinuous and disproportionate.  

            Koons designed his own Venus statue as a variation of the original with different materials to emphasize the modernity of the piece.  Metallic Venus was created using computer-aided imaging and cutting of stainless steel.  This material and method of formation provides the statue with a surreal sheen that, when looked into, reflects the viewers face.  This represents the role that art plays in the modern art world.  Koons wanted to say that people value art as a reflection of themselves. 

            The new Venus also lifts her shirt up above her head in a very modern sort of way.  Koons demonstrates the role of eroticism in human life despite the changes in methods.  In fact, eroticism and sex are prominent themes in Koons’s work.  Koons wanted sex to be seen merely as a primal instinct of humans and useful for pleasure and procreation without shame.  He presents eroticism as part of this primal rite.  Koons added live flowers to the display in order to demonstrate the importance of procreation to sustain life. 

            Koons’s genius is his recognition of the change that has taken place in how humans display risqué beauty. It is essential to understand the societies from which these statues came in order to grasp how these statues demonstrate eroticism within their respective cultures.  While both Metallic Venus and Callipygian Venus are statues of the Roman god Venus, they display different parts of the human narrative.  What Koons did with Metallic Venus was unify the present human experience with that of the past.

Report by Benjamin Mills - 2015

Ceiling Frescoes of La Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio - Andrea Pozzo

Ceiling Frescoes of La Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio

Andrea Pozzo - Painter

A.D. 1891

Fresco on Ceiling

La Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio

Rome, Italy

Photo Credits: http://photos.foodrepublik.com/st-ignatius-church-ceiling/

The church in Rome dedicated to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, built in the Baroque style, features ceiling frescoes by Andrea Pozzo.  The church was built between 1626 and 1650, during the time of the Counter-Reformation.  The Counter-Reformation was an era of shaming the Protestant movement and outdoing any religious competition with the Catholic Church.  If one looks to the ceiling of Sant'Ignazio Church, he can see a group of humans being shoved down into the corners as snakes coil viciously around the victims.  The people depicted are Protestants, and the image is symbolizing the fact they were evil heretics who will be damned to Hell. 

The artist, Andrea Pozzo, was an Italian Jesuit Brother.  He was also one of the most skilled painters of the Baroque period, specializing in quadrata and di sutto in su - techniques used in art that is meant to be viewed from below.  This ceiling, which is arguably Pozzo’s most famous commission, features frescoes which create a three-dimensional illusion on the flat space so high above the ground.  This ceiling has become a prime example of art from the Baroque period because of its breath taking architecture so intricately combined with painting.

If one examines the entire fresco on the ceiling of Sant’Ignazio, one sees that there is a lot that was meant to be conveyed by Pozzo.  Mary and Saint Ignatius are the main focus of the piece, as Mary welcomes Saint Ignatius into heaven in celebration of his works and the works of the Society of Jesus.  They are surrounded by representations of the four continents, which were all destinations the Jesuits pursued in their hopes to spread Catholicism.  Angels, clouds, and gold are used to present the heavenly atmosphere.  Rich colors are also featured which was prominent in art during the Baroque time period.  In each of the corners of the ceiling there are men being pushed down out of the heavenly realm.  These are the Protestants who newly arose out of the Reformation.  In response to the growing Protestant movement, a new and more determined focus to spread Catholicism took place.  The Jesuits were among the most educated Roman Catholics and were extremely convicted to stop the heresy of the Protestant.

References:

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/old-masters/andrea-pozzo.htm

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/140219/Counter-Reformation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Ignazio_Church,_Rome#Frescoes_of_Andrea_Pozzo

Report by Robin Heft - 2015

David and Goliath - Michelangelo Buonarroti

David and Goliath

 Michelangelo Buonarroti - Painter

1509

Fresco

570 x 970 Cm
Sistine Chapel, the Vatican City

In this painting depicting the ancient story of David and Goliath, one sees David straddling Goliath and raising his right hand up in the air, about to strike the back of Goliath's head.  David's left hand is placed on the back of Goliath’s neck.  When looking at this depiction of the biblical story of David and Goliath, the posture of the figures forms a hidden message that Michelangelo has cleverly embedded in this painting.  The shape formed by the two fighting figures resembles the shape of the Hebrew letter gimel.  Why would Michelangelo include Hebrew letters in his work on the Sistine Chapel?  It was presumed that during his time at the court of Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy, he came to the knowledge of Judaism. While Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel, it was said that Michelangelo was influenced by his knowledge of Judaism to create the chapel with the same proportions as the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.  By copying the proportions of the Holy Temple, Michelangelo painted a “lost mystical message of universal love” into the Sistine Chapel.  The hidden Hebrew letters were meant to be discovered and decoded so that this message could be conveyed. The specific Hebrew letter in David and Goliath, the Hebrew gimel, symbolizes strength.  Michelangelo cleverly paints this symbol of strength into the story of David and Goliath, where David triumphs over the enormous Goliath with the strength bestowed upon him by God. 

References:

http://www.oddee.com/item_98643.aspx

http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/m/michelan/3sistina/5spandre/00_4pe2.html

Report by Lindsay Holden - 2015

Assumption of the Virgin - Nicola Filotesio

Assumption of the Virgin and Saints Laurence, Benedict, Mary Magdalen and Scholastica

Cola dell’Amatrice AKA Nicola Filotesio detto Amatrice - Painter

A.D. 1515

Triptyc

Oil on Wood Panel

Originally Located in the Church of S. Salvatore in Force, Ascoli Piceno

Città del Vaticano, Palazzi Vaticani, Pinacoteca Vaticana  

Vatican City 

Photo Credits: http://www.comune.amatrice.rieti.it/images/img/cola2.jpg

Not very much is known about Nicola Filotesio of Amatrice, painter of Assumption of the Virgin and Saints Laurence, Benedict, Mary Magdalen, and Scholastica.  Nicola Filotesio is known by a variety of names including: Cola Filotesio, Cola dell’ Amatrice, and Cola Amatricius.  The painter was born in Amatrice, “in the Papal State of Latium” (Wikipedia 2014), around either A.D. 1480 or 1489, as records vary.  He studied painting under Dionisio Cappelli and also exercised his talents as an architect and sculptor by designing churches (Comune di Amatrice 2009).  Filotesio painted using “elements of the Crivelli and Umbro-Roman cultures overlapped with the more specific aspects of Abruzzi culture” (Comune di Amatrice 2009).  When Filotesio traveled to Rome, he met Raphael and soon afterwards his painting shifted in style, and Filotesio produced his most mature works between 1519 and 1533 (Comune di Amatrice 2009).  The date of Nicola Filotesio’s death, like his birth date, is questioned.  It is likely that the painter/sculptor/architect died in A.D. 1547, but another date of 1559 is also recorded (Wikipedia 2014).

Assumption of the Virgin and Saints Laurence, Benedict, Mary Magdalen, and Scholastica depicts an important scene from Roman Catholic Church tradition.  Paintings of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary represent a moment when “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Pius XII 1950).  Roman Catholics believe that the Virgin Mary was raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven in a manner similar to the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ, to whom she gave Earthly birth.

 

This triptyc painted by Nicola Filotesio is comprised of three panels in a gold-gilded wooden frame.  The Assumption of the Virgin occupies the largest and central canvas, while Saints Laurence and Benedict are to the viewer’s left.  Saints Mary Magdalen and Scholastica are on the canvas to the viewer’s right.  The primary message of this painting is contained in the central canvas showing the Virgin Mary ascending to Heaven.

In the central panel of the triptyc, one sees the Virgin Mary floating on clouds and surrounded by putti, or angels shaped like babies.  Below, in the background, is an idyllic village scene with green trees and a valley stretching into the distance.  The foreground of this piece is very busy, as it is filled with bodies and movement.  As in traditional paintings of the Assumption of the Virgin, the Twelve Apostles are gathered around the empty tomb of the Virgin Mary.  This scene takes place after the Virgin Mary has been resurrected from the dead and has ascended into Heaven.  In this piece, Nicola Filotesio painted all of the Apostles to appear very active.  All of the people standing in the foreground use hand motions and facial expressions to portray the mystery and excitement of the Virgin Mary’s Assumption.

Towards the left edge of the central panel, a mysterious red belt flies down from the Virgin Mary to be grasped by one of the Apostles who is waiting with his hands reaching up to receive the gift.  One immediately wonders what significance this symbol contains.  The red belt looks very out of place in the painting.

In Roman Catholic Church tradition, the red belt is known as the Girdle of Thomas.  The Girdle is a gift from the Virgin Mary to “Doubting Thomas,” one of Jesus’ original Twelve Disciples.  Mary bestows her red belt on Thomas so that he will believe and be able to prove the resurrection and ascension of the Virgin Mary.  In Assumption of the Virgin, the Apostle Thomas is seen reaching upwards to catch the belt cast down to him by the Virgin Mary.  The Girdle of Thomas is a common symbol found in paintings of the Assumption by various artists, especially those from Tuscany in Italy (Wikipedia 2014).

 

The girdle itself is symbolic of chastity, or abstinence from sexual intercourse.  Chastity is crucial to the story of the Virgin Mary giving birth to Jesus Christ.  The Virgin Mary conceived according to the power of the Holy Spirit and had never had sexual intercourse with her husband Joseph before Christ was born.  The Virgin Birth is important to the Christian faith because Christ shares none of his earthly father Joseph’s blood and thus He does not share in the sin passed down to all men born in the line of Adam.  By conception through a pure virgin, Jesus Christ was born completely without sin.

According to tradition, there are three possible accounts of how and why Thomas obtained the girdle of the Virgin Mary.  The first story states that the Apostle Thomas was returning to Jerusalem from missionary teaching in India, and missed the Assumption.  The Virgin Mary later appeared to Thomas and gave him the girdle, as a symbol and assurance of her own resurrection.  The second story states that Thomas “was miraculously transported from India to the Mount of Olives, to be present at the actual Assumption” and received the girdle of the Virgin Mary in the presence of the other eleven Apostles (Wikipedia 2014).  The third story places Thomas as the only eyewitness of the Virgin Mary’s Assumption, and “the Virgin left the belt as a proof for his story to the other apostles” (Wikipedia 2014).

Furthermore, the Girdle of Thomas is a connection to the Eastern Orthodox Church, which has a similar account of the Cincture of the Theotokos (the Theotokos being the Virgin Mary).  In the Eastern Orthodox variation of this tradition, the Apostle Thomas was delayed to the Virgin Mary’s burial in Jerusalem and requested, three days after the burial, to see the body.  However, the body of the Virgin Mary was missing when the Apostles uncovered her tomb.  It was after her body was found missing that the Virgin Mary appeared in the sky and offered Thomas her belt as a symbol of her resurrection (Wikipedia 2014).

The Girdle of Thomas is featured in many other paintings for the Roman Catholic Church.  The Assumption of Mary by the painter Palma il Vecchio depicts the Virgin Mary in the act of removing her girdle and handing it to the Apostle Thomas.

Photo Credits: Palma il Vecchio - Assumption of Mary - WGA16930" by Palma Vecchio - Web Gallery of Art:   Image  Info about artwork. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palma_il_Vecchio_-_Assumption_of_Mary_-_WGA16930.jpg#/media/File:Palma_il_Vecchio_-_Assumption_of_Mary_-_WGA16930.jpg

The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches claim to have relics of the Girdle of Thomas/Cincture of the Theotokos.  Church tradition attests that the relic has medicinal properties, and one account records: “The Holy Belt has the unique grace to cure women's sterility as well as cancer patients, with a ribbon that has firstly been blessed on the Belt and is subsequently worn by the sterile women and patients” (Serfes 1999).

 

Understanding the context of Roman Catholic tradition in crucial when examining this painting.  Nicola Filotesio’s Assumption of the Virgin contains a symbolic reference to the Girdle of Thomas, an artifact in the Roman Catholic tradition.  However, some Roman Catholics, and certainly many Protestants, may no longer know the story of the encounter between the Apostle Thomas and the resurrected Virgin Mary.  The Girdle of Thomas is not mentioned in any of the four Gospels of the Christian faith, therefore knowledge of Roman Catholic Church tradition is necessary to contextually understand the significance of the red belt in Nicola Filotesio's painting.  The girdle itself is a symbol of sexual purity.  The Christian faith in Christ's birth through a virgin gives context to the girdle, which was meant to symbolize chastity when used in reference to Mary.

References

Comune di Amatrice. 2009. Cola Filotesio. N.D. N.D. Accessed March 24, 2015. http://www.comune.amatrice.rieti.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=37&Itemid=48.

Pius XII, Pope. 1950. Munificentissimus Deus - Defining the Dogma of the Assumption. Rome, November 1.

Serfes, Father Demetrios. 1999. "The Holy Belt of the Theotokos." Serfes.Org. March 1. Accessed March 26, 2015. http://www.serfes.org/orthodox/beltoftheholytheotokos.htm.

Wikipedia. 2014. Cincture of the Theotokos. November 28. Accessed March 26, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincture_of_the_Theotokos.

—. 2014. Girdle of Thomas. November 28. Accessed March 26, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdle_of_Thomas.

—. 2014. Nicola Filotesio. May 23. Accessed March 24, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicola_Filotesio.

Report by Austin D. Caldwell - 2015

Victoria Monument - Sir Thomas Brock & Sir Aston Webb

Victoria Monument

Sir Thomas Brock – Sculptor

Sir Aston Webb – Designer

A.D. 1901 - Designed

A.D. 1906-1924 - Sculpted

White Carrara Marble, Bronze, Gold Leaf

Bronzes Restored April 2011

Height: 25 Meters

Weight: 2,300 Tonnes (Entire Memorial)

Length: 104 Feet (Entire Memorial)

Buckingham Palace Memorial Gardens

City of Westminster

Photo Courtesy: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Sir_Thomas_Brock.jpg/200px-Sir_Thomas_Brock.jpg

Sir Thomas Brock sculpted the Victoria Monument standing in front of Buckingham Palace.  The sculptor was born on March 1, 1847 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England.  Sir Brock was educated in the Worcester School of Design and served as an apprentice at the Worcester Royal Porcelain Works (Wikipedia 2014).  His development as a sculptor continued under the tutelage of John Henry Foley in 1866.

 

Sir Thomas Brock’s first major sculptural commission was the Albert Memorial remembering Prince Albert of England.  In 1901 Sir Brock was hired to sculpt the Victoria Monument in front of Buckingham Palace in the City of Westminster, London, England.  Seven statues of Queen Victoria were sculpted by Sir Brock, and he also fashioned the image of Victoria stamped on England’s coins from 1897 (Enclycopaedia Britannica 2013).  For his work, Sir Thomas Brock was knighted by King George V in 1911.  He died on August 22, 1922 in London, England at the age of seventy-five (Enclycopaedia Britannica 2013).

Sir Thomas Brock “is associated with the New Sculpture movement that reinvigorated the classicizing British sculpture with a new elegance and vitality drawn from Renaissance and Baroque models” (Enclycopaedia Britannica 2013).  The “New Sculpture” movement erupted in England in the late nineteenth-century in an effort to craft more life-like sculptures.  British sculptors like Sir Thomas Brock decided to pursue “naturalistic representation of the body and the detailed rendering of its surface variations” (Wikipedia 2014).  This movement hearkens back to the realistic High Renaissance depictions of the human body sculpted and painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Photo Courtesy: http://www.aviewoncities.com/img/london/kveen1132s.jpg

 The Victoria Monument is the focal point of a memorial for the English Queen Victoria, who died in A.D. 1901.  The monument is the grandest monument to any king or queen in English history (The Royal Household N.D.).  Surrounding the monument itself are the Memorial Gardens and the Dominion Gates, which include the Canada, Australia, South Africa, and West Africa Gates (The Royal Parks N.D.).  Collectively, these gates symbolize the territory controlled by the English monarchy during the reign of Queen Victoria.

The Victoria Monument itself is best described as the carved pillar at the center of Queen Victoria’s memorial.  The monument proper is carved out of white Carrara marble and capped with a bronze statue of Winged Victory gilded in gold leaf.  The monument has two distinct levels.  The lowest level consists of four carved statues.  Facing the long road leading up to Buckingham Palace, known as The Mall, sits a statue of Queen Victoria herself.  Flanking her, to the viewer’s right, is a statue of Justice, and to the Queen’s right (the viewer’s left) stands Truth.  Opposite Queen Victoria is a sculpture of Motherhood facing toward the gates of Buckingham Palace.  Above these sculpted figures is a bronze trio clad in gold leaf.  The upright figure at the top of the monument is Winged Victory, and underneath her are gilded-bronze statues Constancy and Courage (Wikipedia 2015).

Photo Courtesy: "Memorial a Victoria, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-07, DD 008" by Diego Delso. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Memorial_a_Victoria,_Londres,_Inglaterra,_2014-08-07,_DD_008.JPG#/media/File:Memorial_a_Victoria,_Londres,_Inglaterra,_2014-08-07,_DD_008.JPG

Each of the sculpted figures in Sir Thomas Brock’s monument to Queen Victoria possesses a special symbolism.  On the bottom of the central pillar, each of the statues are related to Queen Victoria directly.  Facing The Mall, the statue of Queen Victoria is seated on a throne and holds a ceremonial orb and scepter to symbolize her authority as the English monarch.  The three other figures grouped with Queen Victoria represent the virtues she embodied in her lifetime.  Queen Victoria was known for truth and justice in her actions as the English monarch (Wikipedia 2015).  The figure of Motherhood symbolizes Queen Victoria’s “great love for her people” just as a mother shows love when she nurtures her children (Qtd. in Wikipedia 2015).

Photo Courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Winged_Victory,_Victoria_Memorial,_London.jpg#filelinks

Powerful symbolism in the Victoria Monument is found when one examines the three gilded-bronze figures at the top of the monument.  The three figures are icons of Winged Victory, Constancy, and Courage, all of which are virtues of a successful ruler.  The twin figures Constancy, who holds a compass, and Courage, who grasps a club, are symbols of two essential traits for any leader who desires to achieve victory in battle.  By placing Constancy and Courage underneath the figure of Winged Victory, Sir Thomas Brock visually depicts that these two virtues lead to victory in battle.

In addition, Sir Brock designed Winged Victory to stand on top of a globe, which represents Earth.  The globe under the feet of Winged Victory is symbolic of the British empire, and “At [Queen Victoria’s] death, it was said, Britain had a worldwide empire on which the sun never set” because the British Empire occupied territory on almost every continent (The Royal Household N.D.).  During the reign of Queen Victoria, the British Empire was at its peak in terms of industry, economy, and territory.  Furthermore, the sculpted marble eagle underneath the gilded-bronze figures is another symbol of empire, dating back to the Roman Empire (Wikipedia 2015).

The final piece of symbolism in the Victoria Monument is the image of Winged Victory surmounting the central pillar.  The name “Victory” is the English form of the Latin “Victoria.”  “Victoria was the personified goddess of victory” to the Roman people (Wikipedia 2015).  Therefore, Sir Thomas Brock cleverly uses a classical Roman image to symbolically connect the power of Queen Victoria to the power and achievement of the Roman goddess known by the same name.  The monument’s name, the Victoria Monument, thus signifies both the gilded-bronze statue displayed at the apex of the sculpture and the queen to whom the entire memorial is dedicated.

Sir Thomas Brock’s Victoria Monument holds special significance for people of the United Kingdom.  The much-praised traits of England’s Queen Victoria are represented through the figures of Truth, Justice, and Motherhood.  Additionally, the British Empire expanded under Queen Victoria to an influence rivaling that of the ancient Roman Empire, and the monument's sculptor emblematically connects Queen Victoria to the Roman goddess Victoria (Victory).  The monument simultaneously honors one of Great Britain’s most beloved queens and, through the figure of Winged Victory, symbolically connects her much-praised reign to classical ideals.

The Victoria Monument is rightly understood in the context of British monarchy and empire.  The figures of Truth, Justice, Motherhood, Constancy, and Courage are symbolic of the attributes of a strong and wise ruler; they specifically symbolize Queen Victoria, to whom the monument is dedicated.  Scholars who understand Greek and Roman mythology will have the context to recognize the figure of Victory as a representation of Queen Victoria both in achievement and in name.  Citizens of Great Britain contextually understand the Victoria Monument as a descriptive monument filled with "adjectives" describing their much-beloved queen.

References

Enclycopaedia Britannica. 2013. Sir Thomas Brock. October 3. Accessed March 22, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/80636/Sir-Thomas-Brock.

The Royal Household. N.D. Famous Royal Memorials. N.D. N.D. Accessed March 22, 2015. http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/The%20House%20of%20Windsor%20from%201952/QueenElizabethTheQueenMother/MemorialProject/TheProject/FamousRoyalmemorials.aspx.

—. N.D. Victoria (r. 1837-1901). N.D. N.D. Accessed March 23, 2015. http://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensoftheunitedkingdom/thehanoverians/victoria.aspx.

The Royal Parks. N.D. St James's Park. N.D. N.D. Accessed March 22, 2015. https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/st-jamess-park/things-to-see-and-do/monuments-fountains-and-statues/the-queen-victoria-memorial.

Wikipedia. 2015. Eagle (Heraldry). February 16. Accessed March 23, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_%28heraldry%29.

—. 2014. New Sculpture. April 21. Accessed March 22, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sculpture.

—. 2014. Thomas Brock. December 22. Accessed March 22, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Brock.

—. 2015. Victoria (Mythology). March 18. Accessed March 23, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_%28mythology%29.

—. 2015. Victoria Memorial, London. March 2. Accessed March 22, 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Memorial,_London#Description.

Report by Austin D. Caldwell - 2015