Assignment#4 Part Two

Fra Filippo Lippi was born in Florence and he was an Italian painter in the second generation of Renaissance artists.  His painting Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a casement is the earliest double portrait that was painted around 1440 in Italy; it is also a first work that shows the sitters in a domestic setting.  It is a very odd but interesting artwork I saw in the museum and it leaves me an unforgettable impression.   This painting shows the two figures in profile, and it is exactly the standard format in early Renaissance portraiture.  At the time, the artists tend to use symbolism and iconography to depict their artworks.  In this double portrait, we can see that the woman is wearing the expensive clothing and jewelry that show how rich she is ,and her pale skin represents that she is pure and from the letters spelling “lealta” (means faithful) that embroidered on her sleeve we can know the relationship of the two figures.  Moreover, the look what the man at the window shows seems somehow a little stiff and there’s no expression on his face; however, he still gives us a feeling like an owner is looking at one of his beautiful objects and his fingers reveal his hidden happiness of mind.  The poses of the two models show a kind of strong formality and also the noble woman obviously takes up almost the whole view of the painting as the main subject.   It is probably that Lippi was commissioned to depict this painting to show the man how his fiancée looks like.  In addition, the enclosed little space the woman’s in represents that she is in a passive and controlled state. Lippi’s painting clearly reflects that the position of women and the formalization of wedding during the Italian Renaissance.  

 Orazio Borgianni, who was born in Rome, was an Italian painter of early-Baroque periods. Head of an Old Woman is one of his artworks that made in the 17^th century. The figure is shown might be the artist’s mother because he did paint a portrait of his mother a few years earlier. Meanwhile, Borgianni’s work shows the strong emotional realism and depicts common characters of human beings that are also the characteristic of the Baroque style. In the painting, the shaft of light that lit on the old woman seems merciless as if her youth is robbed by the cruel god. Borgianni laments the old age and mortality through his work and also gives the viewer a meditation.  The old woman’s eyes are looking down and show sadness and helplessness.  The colors of what she dresses are similar to the background and at the same time, they further bring out her depression. It seems that the figure has been very close to death; however, she is unable to stop it.  I remember that I felt sad and tears came to my eyes soon when I was looking at this painting. It reminded me of my weak grandmother.  That’s why I think it is really a powerful and eye-catching work since it shows people the very common thing but touches our hearts easily. “Once youth is gone and it will never come back”, I think this is also what the artist wanted to express.