Adam and Eve Redux
It wasn’t that long ago that I chanced upon Cranach the Elder’s iconic painting of Adam and Eve, hanging in London’s Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery. So it was rather interesting to stumble upon another strikingly similar work by the same painter in Brussel’s Royal Museum for Fine Arts. And here it is:
I wonder how many Adam and Eve depictions did the great master produce? Was it a favourite subject of his? What's the background to it? And how did it come to be that the version that Desperate Housewives used for their opening sequence was the one in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery?
The Cranach work was one of the many gems in the museum, which I visited this past Sunday. It’s an enormous institution, exhibiting art pieces from the medieval era right up to today. It had a huge collection of ancient religious art, and of works from Flemish and Dutch painters. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with that school, and as such, had a hard time digesting what must undoubtedly have been pretty significant offerings.
I was delighted, however, to find an entire room devoted to the works of Pieter Brughel the Elder – yeah, another one who fathered a successful artist son as well. He was one of the earliest noted artists to focuses almost exclusively on secular scenes, mostly centred around a peasant theme. In fact, works by Brughel the Younger were on display as well. But besides creating his own painting, he frequently reproduced copies of paintings by his father.
I had the good fortune of seeing my favourite Brughel painting in Berlin last year. Many of his other works have the same quality, with what I call a Where’s Wally type of representation. Instead of a clear focal area, one sees multiple points of action within the frame, each telling a bit more of the story. It’s fascinating and endlessly captivating.
I wonder how many Adam and Eve depictions did the great master produce? Was it a favourite subject of his? What's the background to it? And how did it come to be that the version that Desperate Housewives used for their opening sequence was the one in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery?
The Cranach work was one of the many gems in the museum, which I visited this past Sunday. It’s an enormous institution, exhibiting art pieces from the medieval era right up to today. It had a huge collection of ancient religious art, and of works from Flemish and Dutch painters. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with that school, and as such, had a hard time digesting what must undoubtedly have been pretty significant offerings.
I was delighted, however, to find an entire room devoted to the works of Pieter Brughel the Elder – yeah, another one who fathered a successful artist son as well. He was one of the earliest noted artists to focuses almost exclusively on secular scenes, mostly centred around a peasant theme. In fact, works by Brughel the Younger were on display as well. But besides creating his own painting, he frequently reproduced copies of paintings by his father.
I had the good fortune of seeing my favourite Brughel painting in Berlin last year. Many of his other works have the same quality, with what I call a Where’s Wally type of representation. Instead of a clear focal area, one sees multiple points of action within the frame, each telling a bit more of the story. It’s fascinating and endlessly captivating.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home