Masters of Venice - Exhibition Review

I went with my parents and aunt to the De Young Museum's Masters of Venice exhibition a few weeks ago and am still not sure how I felt about it. I was pleasantly surprised that the museum was practically empty...where all the regular weekend museums go-ers were, I have no idea, but it definitely made the experience more enjoyable as I was able to take my time in the exhibition.

The exhibition itself showcased some of the most beautiful and important artworks from Venetian artists on loan from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The major Venetian masters were shown including Titian, Giorgione, Tintoretto, Veronese and the museum did a good job of giving thorough background information on the artists and the culture of Venice during the Renaissance.

Examine paintings by artists one has studied in classrooms, in a up close and personal setting, is always a great reward; as past lectures from teachers play in your head you really get to know the hand of the artists' and recognize the fine details of the paintings and sometimes the symbols and meaning behind the works. Usually the De Young’s exhibitions are staged well but I did think, unfortunately, that this exhibition needed some more TLC.

The set up and walk-though is almost always the same with every exhibition in the lower level, fine that makes sense, but I felt that the walls were too drab for even this exhibition. At least one of the walls towards the end was left without a painting on it which really stops the visual flow of the galleries. Signage wise, I was glad there were not too many people visiting when I was there because it was hard enough to read the signs with more than three people standing in front (I always get the audio guides because there is always more information on those anyway).

Overall, of course the paintings were beautiful and the historically important, especially for an art historian to see in person. But the atmosphere surrounding them did not bring to life the blood and heart of the Italian Renaissance, but seemed more of a dreary hallway. I do wish, being an art museum, that the De Young could put forth more effort for their artwork exhibitions as they do their fashion exhibitions which are always beautifully flawless. Still, the exhibition runs through February 12, 2012 and it is worthwhile to see these masterpieces.  

Albrecht Durer: Renaissance Man

While perusing through some old prints at an antique gallery in Denver a few weeks ago, I came across this little gem, which looks very much to be an Albrecht Durer engraving. Original or not, I don’t know, but it made me remember my early art history classes learning about woodblock prints and this famous German artist and theorist.

Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) wore many hats: he was a print-maker and painter as well as a mathematician and theorist. As a young man in school, he excelled academically and had simultaneously developed a skill and love of drawing. Durer continued to develop his engraving and printmaking skills as he grew from a young apprentice to specialized craftsman. He gained great notoriety in Europe for his ability to create finely detailed engravings full of symbolism and allegories, being considered one of the greatest artists of the Northern Renaissance. 

 

Some of Durer's most iconic works include his paintings Self-Portrait (1500) and  Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand (1508), as well as the woodblock engravings of Knight, Death and the Devil (1513) and Saint Jerome in his Study (1514). Although aesthetically pleasing, Durer, who was also a learned man, used his mathematical and theoretical ideas of proportion to execute his works. From his extensive traveling throughout Europe he was able to experience classical art and included those motifs and ideas into his works, which had not been done previously in Northern Europe. 

(You can see his monogrammed signature AD)