Posts

Anthony Morelli Classical Blog

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Neoclassical Blog: Napoleon Crossing the Alps Introduction     One of the most famous examples of neoclassical painting,  Napoleon Crossing the Alps  a series of 5 paintings by Jacques-Louis David from 1801-1805. The paintings were originally commissioned by Napoleon himself to depict his crossing of the Alps in 1800 to reinforce his troops in Italy. When he commissioned the paintings Napoleon asked to portray himself "calm, mounted on a fiery steed" leading to the paintings we see today. Analysis     The five paintings in the series are mostly the same, but, there are slight color differences (especially the color of the horse) and quality, however, all paintings have the same telltale qualities that make the series neoclassical. This painting clearly exemplifies the principle of heroic patriotic self-sacrifice as it shows the soldiers in the background marching to Napoleon's command. Another neoclassical principle at play here is heroism, Napoleon is clearly displayed i

Anthony Morelli Baroque Blog

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  Baroque Art: Caravaggio's Crucifixion of St. Peter      Background    The  Crucifixion of Saint Peter is a baroque period painting by Italian artist  Caravaggio in 1601 in the city of Rome. It was painted as a commission for the catholic church and was to be displayed in a new chapel that was being built at the time, as since the Council of Trent in the mid-1500s the church was placing  emphasis  on realistic art that depicted biblical scenes.  The  Crucifixion of Saint Peter is one such piece, depicting St. Peter being crucified upside down. This solidified him as a martyr in Christendom because he demanded to be crucified upside down due to the fact that he did not see himself as worthy to be killed in the same way as Christ.   Analysis     This piece stood out to me compared to all of the other paintings I've looked at so because of its lack of background and the extreme detail in the figures. The  tenebrism is very clear in this piece with the deep dark shadows and light

Anthony Morelli Renaissance Blog

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  The Renaissance and The Garden of Earthly Delights By Anthony Morelli     Little is known about  Hieronymus Bosch other than that he was a Dutch painter in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, in regards to this piece specifically was first recorded in 1517. This level of mystery is definitely reflected in Bosch's art, which mostly consists of strange creatures or demons tormenting people. Without the artist to tell us what this painting represents it's up to the individual's interpretation, however, the basic message is fairly clear: On the first panel we have Adam, Eve, and God in the Garden of Eden, however, we see these demons coming into the scene from the hole in the bottom on the panel. In the next panel, we see all the naked humans interacting with these strange creatures and performing what we can assume are "earthly delights" and on the next panel, we can see the result. In the third and final panel, we can see these demons torturing the people for

Anthony Morelli Art Analysis

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Artistic Analysis of "HMS Erebus in the Ice" by François Etienne Musin Anthony Morelli Introduction       For my art analysis, I have chosen the oil painting entitled "HMS Erebus in the Ice" by artist François Etienne Musin. This is the same painting I had chosen for my introductory blog and I found it so interesting that I decided to dig deeper and do a thorough analysis of this work. I will analyze how all of the basic elements of art such as line, shape, color, space, symmetry, movement, scale, and pattern, all come together to help make this a great piece of art. But first, it's important to understand the historical context that gives this work meaning. History     The painting itself was made in 1846 by the Belgian, marine artist François Etienne Musin (1820-1888). The painting depicts the HMS Erebus, which was one of the ships two ships on the famous lost Franklin Expedition. The purpose of the expedition was to explore the waters of northern Canada, whic

Anthony Morelli's First Blog Post

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 Anthony Morelli's First Blog Post      Hello! My name is Anthony Morelli and I am from the suburbs of Philadelphia. I am currently in my second year at UAF and am pursuing my bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Some of my favorite hobbies include camping, hiking, skiing, shooting, and occasionally gaming. As you can tell from my hobbies I like the outdoors, this interest was instilled in me from a young age when I was a Cub Scout/Boy Scout. Academically, my favorite topic is history therefore I am looking forward to learning about the history behind different art forms.      My love for the outdoors and history have a strong influence on my relationship with art. My favorite art pieces are usually paintings of historical events like the one above of the famous Franklin Expedition. I also enjoy paintings of nature like those of Bob Ross that encapsulate the natural beauty of our world. As for my own artistic prowess, unfortunately, I have a very hard time creating art due to