What better way to end the holiday weekend than a grand tour of Italian Renaissance paintings. View works from masters of the early-13th to the late-16th century, such as Duccio, Leonardo, Verrocchio, Botticelli, Giorgione, Bellini, Raphael, and Titian. Their works trace the rise of culture and ideals that manifested themselves in the revival of classical humanism.
Tour times: Mon–Sat at 2:30, Sun at 1:30
Location: National Gallery of Art, West Building, Sixth Street and
Constitution Avenue NW.
Admission: Free
Contact: 202-737-4215.
Also, tomorrow is the last day for another Italian exhibit, "Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection: 1525–1835," also in the West Building on the ground floor.
Have you visited either of these exhibits? Let us know what you learned, what you liked best, or even the preferred times to visit!
Showing posts with label National Gallery of Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Gallery of Art. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Capitoline Venus Leaves Rome for First Time in 200 Years, Arrives in D.C.!
Washington's newest visitor is also one of the best-preserved sculptures to be passed down from Roman antiquity. The famed Capitoline Venus, on display in the grand West Building Rotunda of the National Gallery of Art, was inaugurated by the Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno on June 7th. It will remain there for visitors to marvel at its impressive six and a half foot stature until September 5th 2011.
This momentous occasion is significant for several reasons. This is the first time that the Capitoline, derived from the celebrated Aphrodite of Cnidos, created by the renowned classical Greek sculptor Praxiteles around 360 BC., has left Italy in almost 200 years. In addition, it marks the beginning of a new chapter of cooperation with a city that long been our friend. On June 8th, just before the public opening of the Capitoline of Venus, Rome's Mayor Alemanno and Mayor Vincent C. Gray of DC, signed a proclamation signifying the newly formed sister city relationship of the two world-capital cities.
Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington and Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, Ambassador of Italy to the United States were also there to give remarks on the importance of the Capitoline's arrival in DC.
Powell noted that the appropriateness of the statutes placement in the National Gallery's Rotunda, as it is modeled on Rome's Pantheon.
This momentous occasion is significant for several reasons. This is the first time that the Capitoline, derived from the celebrated Aphrodite of Cnidos, created by the renowned classical Greek sculptor Praxiteles around 360 BC., has left Italy in almost 200 years. In addition, it marks the beginning of a new chapter of cooperation with a city that long been our friend. On June 8th, just before the public opening of the Capitoline of Venus, Rome's Mayor Alemanno and Mayor Vincent C. Gray of DC, signed a proclamation signifying the newly formed sister city relationship of the two world-capital cities.
Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington and Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata, Ambassador of Italy to the United States were also there to give remarks on the importance of the Capitoline's arrival in DC.
Powell noted that the appropriateness of the statutes placement in the National Gallery's Rotunda, as it is modeled on Rome's Pantheon.
When in Rome, the Venus is housed at the Capitoline Museum, a complex of buildings located on the Capitoline Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome that served as the religious and political heart of the city in ancient Rome.
According to a 17th-century account, the Capitoline Venus was unearthed in Rome in the 1670s from a large garden where it was found in the remains of an ancient building. In 1752 the Venus was given to the Capitoline Museum by Pope Benedict XIV, where it remained until 1797 when it was taken to France by Napoleon, who had invaded northern Italy a few years earlier.
Luckily, the statue survived and was returned to the Capitoline Museum in 1816, the year after Napoleon fell from power. It is now on view here in DC for Washingtonians to enjoy as part of The Dream of Rome and the Italy@150 series. The exhibition of the Capitoline was organized by Roma Capitale, Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali–Musei Capitolini, and the National Gallery of Art, with the partnership of the Knights of Columbus and the Embassy of the Republic of Italy, Washington. The Dream of Rome project was initiated by the mayor of Rome to exhibit timeless masterpieces in the United States from 2011 to 2013.
According to a 17th-century account, the Capitoline Venus was unearthed in Rome in the 1670s from a large garden where it was found in the remains of an ancient building. In 1752 the Venus was given to the Capitoline Museum by Pope Benedict XIV, where it remained until 1797 when it was taken to France by Napoleon, who had invaded northern Italy a few years earlier.
Luckily, the statue survived and was returned to the Capitoline Museum in 1816, the year after Napoleon fell from power. It is now on view here in DC for Washingtonians to enjoy as part of The Dream of Rome and the Italy@150 series. The exhibition of the Capitoline was organized by Roma Capitale, Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali–Musei Capitolini, and the National Gallery of Art, with the partnership of the Knights of Columbus and the Embassy of the Republic of Italy, Washington. The Dream of Rome project was initiated by the mayor of Rome to exhibit timeless masterpieces in the United States from 2011 to 2013.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Canaletto and His Rivals at the NGA, Now through June
In March we introduced the CiaoDC community to the hallmark exhibit of the Italian embassy's and DC Tourism's La Dolce DC, Canaletto and His Rivals
I had the opportunity to visit the exhibit this Saturday with a special group from NOIAW, with the most fabulous docent. Tiffany Meadows Hunt, an M.A. Candidate at American University with an ebullient demeanor, was a refreshing contrast to many of the stern docents I've experienced in the past.
I should warn you at this point that I am not an art history buff, or even a novice. However, I felt inspired to write something by the veduta paintings that conjured up my own memories of Venice. (Feel free to leave any corrections in the comments.) The exhibit takes visitors through the three stages of Canaletto's painting career in Venice. As you travel through each room, you witness the maturation of Canaletto's style, all juxtaposed against those of his rivals: Carlevarijs, Marieschi, Belotto, and Guardi. All were competing in the same commercial art market for wealthy Englishmen. Rather than working on commission for the church, they catered to the Englishmen who traveled through Venice as part of their Grand Tour.
Canaletto was originally trained by his father as a scene painter. This was somewhat unusual at the time, as many artists in training were sent away to do an apprenticeship with a maestro. Therefore, Canaletto's original vistas reflect the style in which he learned to paints scenery for the theater. The sharp contrast of light and dark creates a chiarascuro effect, with almost a baroque-esque feel.
His earlier works also portray a somewhat gritty reality, of the everyday Venetian life, catching them in their day to day labor and activities. Whereas the, literally, picture perfect paintings of Carlevarijs were proof of the ostenatious Venetian celebrations.
Carlevarijs learned that it was advantageous to paint for those buyers who wanted to captivate and impress folks at home about their journey. Marieschi placed less emphasis on the details of the figures in his paintings, but used a somewhat brighter color scheme.
Bellotto, the nephew of Canaletto, actually started off as Bellotto Canaletto, using his more prominent uncle's last name. His style was also somewhat similar to his uncle's in the beginning, but as his skills developed, he began to experiment with the use of more natural lighting.
The last of the rivals explored in the exhibit is Guardi. He became well known for his pittura di tocco, or use of small dots to paint, which created tighter composites. His paintings are somewhat reminiscent of Canaletto's earlier work, if only for the similar mood they evoke.
One of the recurrent themes of the gallery visit was that of fictitious vedutas. Canaletto and his rivals used camera obscura to sketch the actual skyline by hand, but then would play with the lines to create iconic scenes of Venice that did not actually exist that way to the naked eye.
Views of Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals is on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC until May 30, 2011. The exhibit is free of charge.
I had the opportunity to visit the exhibit this Saturday with a special group from NOIAW, with the most fabulous docent. Tiffany Meadows Hunt, an M.A. Candidate at American University with an ebullient demeanor, was a refreshing contrast to many of the stern docents I've experienced in the past.
I should warn you at this point that I am not an art history buff, or even a novice. However, I felt inspired to write something by the veduta paintings that conjured up my own memories of Venice. (Feel free to leave any corrections in the comments.) The exhibit takes visitors through the three stages of Canaletto's painting career in Venice. As you travel through each room, you witness the maturation of Canaletto's style, all juxtaposed against those of his rivals: Carlevarijs, Marieschi, Belotto, and Guardi. All were competing in the same commercial art market for wealthy Englishmen. Rather than working on commission for the church, they catered to the Englishmen who traveled through Venice as part of their Grand Tour.
Canaletto was originally trained by his father as a scene painter. This was somewhat unusual at the time, as many artists in training were sent away to do an apprenticeship with a maestro. Therefore, Canaletto's original vistas reflect the style in which he learned to paints scenery for the theater. The sharp contrast of light and dark creates a chiarascuro effect, with almost a baroque-esque feel.
His earlier works also portray a somewhat gritty reality, of the everyday Venetian life, catching them in their day to day labor and activities. Whereas the, literally, picture perfect paintings of Carlevarijs were proof of the ostenatious Venetian celebrations.
Carlevarijs learned that it was advantageous to paint for those buyers who wanted to captivate and impress folks at home about their journey. Marieschi placed less emphasis on the details of the figures in his paintings, but used a somewhat brighter color scheme.
Bellotto, the nephew of Canaletto, actually started off as Bellotto Canaletto, using his more prominent uncle's last name. His style was also somewhat similar to his uncle's in the beginning, but as his skills developed, he began to experiment with the use of more natural lighting.
The last of the rivals explored in the exhibit is Guardi. He became well known for his pittura di tocco, or use of small dots to paint, which created tighter composites. His paintings are somewhat reminiscent of Canaletto's earlier work, if only for the similar mood they evoke.
One of the recurrent themes of the gallery visit was that of fictitious vedutas. Canaletto and his rivals used camera obscura to sketch the actual skyline by hand, but then would play with the lines to create iconic scenes of Venice that did not actually exist that way to the naked eye.
Views of Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals is on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC until May 30, 2011. The exhibit is free of charge.
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