The artist that painted this painting Frans
Floris was one of the most active
proponents of High Renaissance compositional
concepts in his native Netherlands.
He did many different kinds of art from the
Antwerp Guild of St. Luke in 1539-40,
to seven paintings of the Liberal Arts
in 1556-70 for Nicolaas Jongelinck,
a rich merchant and tax collector. He also was
commissioned by the church
to do many different pieces. His history paintings
influenced a generation of
Flemish artists, and for which Vasari a well know critic of this time, praised him,
though
stopping short of endorsing his nickname, the “Flemish Raphael.”
I have looked in many sources for information on who this girl was and could not find
anything. Either I looked in the wrong places or there is no information on who she was.
If not who could she have been? maybe a secret lover and Floris did not want anyone to know who she was, or maybe she really was of no importance and he just used her as a model to paint.
I love the different textures Floris puts in this
painting, from the soft
waves of her hair, the feathers in her head band even
her skin, if looks so soft.
The texture of the crown however looks more like
lace or cloth than meddle.
I do like the way he mixes the red in, her shirt, lips and
the rube in her crown.
He also put green bands in her hair to complement the
red.
The side profile composition used was very common in this time period.
She seams very intent or focused on something and I feel like an intruder.
She looks like a wealthy women, maybe even royalty, with the crown and the red colors.
For some reason my first impression of the ladies head was that its shaped like a peacock. The lighting hits her face harsher than her body making it its own separate piece which happens to resemble the shape of a peacocks body. The her hair flows along her scalp to an assortment of feathers. Even though the colors are nowhere near those of a peacock, its the shape that gets me. I imagine a neck comming out of her crown angling up th the head of a peacock. As silly as this all sounds its my take on the piece.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the piece itself I enjoy how it seems like it has a focal poing ot the ladies face. From there the textures loose their detail from her hair to the gown which is blurred and lacks contrast and fine detail.
I think it is painting with such a strong light source that makes this woman appear to protrude into the space. I love the gems imbedded in her hair; the texture is so pearl-like. Now, though, I cannot seem to see anything but a peacock. Thanks, Justice.
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