Artsy Fartsy...

While we were in D.C., Jeremy and I stopped in at one of my favorite attractions, the National Gallery of Art. We had some great discussions about several paintings, but I just wanted to highlight some of my favorite points.

This oil painting is titled "Daniel in the Lions' Den," by Flemish artist Sir Peter Paul Rubens.


This is one of my favorite paintings in the gallery. For starters, it is impossible to miss; It is 88 1/4 x 130 1/8 inches! It was painted in 1618, and it depicts the famous Old Testament story of the prophet Daniel, who was thrown into a lion's den and escaped unharmed.

Some notes: I love the facial expressions in this piece. You have Daniel, whose face reads as a mixture of terror and hope. He is fervently praying and obviously humbled, despite having God on his side. Also, his body language is interesting, because he is closed off and partially naked, despite the cloak laying beside him. This, to me, also represents humility.

I am also fascinated by the expressions on the lions' faces. Normally, you don't view lions as being expressive, but here we see lions basically being bored and uninterested. While the lions are obviously vicious (note the bones of previous victims on the ground), they appear to be unaware of Daniel's presence. It's just an excellent and telling depiction of a familiar story.

This is "The Adoration of the Magi," a 1440 Italian painting by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi.


We talked about the revisionist history that exists in this work, like many others of its time. This piece indicates Jesus' birth was celebrated by the masses. Seemingly wealthy masses, at that. As I recall, this was not how the birth of Jesus went down.

Additionally, we noticed a few other features. It appeared, from this and many other works, pink was a masculine/royal color at this time. Bright blue also seemed to indicate prominence.

An intriguing question from this work: There is a young man positioned behind Joseph who appears to be mimicking his emotions. His face is turned down in the same way, his feet are similarly positioned. Who is he? He doesn't have the symbolic gold halo (found in every 15th Century depiction of Jesus and Mary), yet he is given a position inside the huddle of the "royal family."

And finally, Jeremy's favorite, "Ginevra de' Benci," by Leonardo da Vinci.


This was the only work of da Vinci's at the gallery. It was painted in 1474. She is the daughter of a wealthy Florentine banker. It was likely commissioned to celebrate her engagement.

Although this woman was supposed to be a great beauty, we found it interesting how da Vinci seemed to tone down her features. She is very plain, seeming almost melancholy. This is particularly notable set against the background of a rich and glorious landscape.

The painting is supposed to represent virtue as beauty. I think da Vinci nailed it, as usual.

Anyway, those are only a few of our thoughts. Let me know what you think, or if you have a favorite piece of art to share!