就是关于欧洲历史，艺术，宗教，理性，等等等等。。。的一篇无所适从的东西 ^^
El Greco’s Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation (1605-1610) closely follows Mannerist traditions in its use of chiaroscuro, or the dramatic contrast of light and dark.
Here the face and hands of Saint Francis are cast in ethereal light, while the rest of his body is shrouded in darkness. This contrast (along with the stigmata on his
hands) serves to highlight the divine nature of Saint Francis and connects him to the object of his veneration, the crucifix. Although the Manneristic style is largely a
reaction to and therefore a radical departure from Renaissance tastes, the subject matter usually represented by Mannerist painters remains to some extent traditional
(mythology and religion). Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation demonstrates perfectly this stylistic innovation and topical conservatism.
The use of chiaroscuro is also apparent in Goya’s Yard with Madmen (1794), where ambient glow juxtaposed against the darkness of the courtyard sets the somber mood of the
artwork. Although by this time Manneristic themes and techniques in art had largely given way to those associated with Neoclassical and Romantic styles, Goya chose to further
a sense of tension and drama with this throwback to tradition. However, his choice of subject was all but traditional. Instead of selecting a topic from Greek
mythology or Christian ritual, he chose to depict a scene that seems to negate all classical aesthetics. The subjects of Yard with Madmen are the antithesis of stateliness,
piety, and order. The faces of the madmen are portrayed in various forms of distress, further emphasizing the sense of isolation and despair and giving the piece a sense of
anonymous, absurd struggle, which can be argued to be a reaction to the new scientific rationalism that had begun to permeate European society by the late 18th century. Also, at
the time he painted this piece, Goya had just recovered from a serious illness that left him permanently deaf, which could have contributed to the switch to a darker theme.
The progression of artistic styles from the time of Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation to Yard with Madmen reflects a shift of focus from larger-than-life personages to the
common individual. The same technique of portrayal is used to illustrate divinity in one and human frailty in the other. To me, personally, Yard with Madmen holds more
appeal. The concept of madmen struggling against something they have no hope of overcoming seems in many ways more accessible and addresses certain often-neglected issues in
contemporary society (treatment of prisoners/inpatients), whereas Saint Francis in all his holiness seems distant and removed as an almost mystic figure, burdened with history,
tradition, and all that, if brought to Goya’s time, would have been seen as backwards and against the new Enlightenment spirit.
附：Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation
El Greco’s Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation (1605-1610) closely follows Mannerist traditions in its use of chiaroscuro, or the dramatic contrast of light and dark.
Here the face and hands of Saint Francis are cast in ethereal light, while the rest of his body is shrouded in darkness. This contrast (along with the stigmata on his
hands) serves to highlight the divine nature of Saint Francis and connects him to the object of his veneration, the crucifix. Although the Manneristic style is largely a
reaction to and therefore a radical departure from Renaissance tastes, the subject matter usually represented by Mannerist painters remains to some extent traditional
(mythology and religion). Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation demonstrates perfectly this stylistic innovation and topical conservatism.
The use of chiaroscuro is also apparent in Goya’s Yard with Madmen (1794), where ambient glow juxtaposed against the darkness of the courtyard sets the somber mood of the
artwork. Although by this time Manneristic themes and techniques in art had largely given way to those associated with Neoclassical and Romantic styles, Goya chose to further
a sense of tension and drama with this throwback to tradition. However, his choice of subject was all but traditional. Instead of selecting a topic from Greek
mythology or Christian ritual, he chose to depict a scene that seems to negate all classical aesthetics. The subjects of Yard with Madmen are the antithesis of stateliness,
piety, and order. The faces of the madmen are portrayed in various forms of distress, further emphasizing the sense of isolation and despair and giving the piece a sense of
anonymous, absurd struggle, which can be argued to be a reaction to the new scientific rationalism that had begun to permeate European society by the late 18th century. Also, at
the time he painted this piece, Goya had just recovered from a serious illness that left him permanently deaf, which could have contributed to the switch to a darker theme.
The progression of artistic styles from the time of Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation to Yard with Madmen reflects a shift of focus from larger-than-life personages to the
common individual. The same technique of portrayal is used to illustrate divinity in one and human frailty in the other. To me, personally, Yard with Madmen holds more
appeal. The concept of madmen struggling against something they have no hope of overcoming seems in many ways more accessible and addresses certain often-neglected issues in
contemporary society (treatment of prisoners/inpatients), whereas Saint Francis in all his holiness seems distant and removed as an almost mystic figure, burdened with history,
tradition, and all that, if brought to Goya’s time, would have been seen as backwards and against the new Enlightenment spirit.
附：Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation
