Museum Visit/ Art Analysis

(These three pieces of art are held at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C)

The first painting is The Alba Madonna by Raphael, which is a

painting of Mary, John the Baptist and baby Jesus. This painting
contains many key elements of renaissance art. First off, it contains
nudity; the renaissance was the first period of time since Rome and
Greece where this was considered okay. The painting also shows an
interest in nature, showing the figures in an open field with trees and
mountains in the distance. The painting also shows the religious figure
of Jesus, John the Baptist, Marry and a cross, but all in a realistic way.
Their figures appear to be human and have no halo. Lastly is shows
realistic shadows or shading, the color of Marys clothing appears dark,
almost black as it goes into the shade under her leg. In the painting
she is doing the everyday task of taking care of children.

The second painting is titled Ginevra de Benci, which was

painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. It is a portrait of Ginevra de Benci which
was believed to be a wedding gift. This paining contains what was
thought of as a an ideal or perfect woman at the time, a person of very
light skin with no imperfections on her face, which is a characteristic of
renaissance. In addition to that, the painting contains nature in the
form of trees, a river and the sky in the background. The face has great
expression and detail, showing a lady who has no thoughts or

excitement. The painting is also balanced, containing a strong

darkness on the left side to counteract the brightness of the right hand
side.
The third painting is titled The Adoration of the Magi, painted by
Sandro Bottocelli. The painting shows the event of the Adoration of the
Magi as told in the bible. The painting contains several elements of the
renaissance such as a deep background of perspective, which is
obvious in the rafters of the ruins as it shrinks backwards. The painting
is also symmetrical containing men on each side of the key figure baby
Jesus. The paining is obviously religious, but is also realistic. The
people surrounding Jesus seem to be doing real tasks such as holding
horses, conversing or praying. There is also realistic lighting, with
shadows falling on some people as well as as the sides of some of the
pillars. Lastly, the painting contains classicism in the form of pillars,
which is a tribute to Greek architecture.