Everybody Loves Art History (Part II)

Part II!

You'd be surprised where Art History can pop up when you least expect it. These are just a couple instances that I have found, though I can credit my delightful colleague Kimi for finding the Harry Potter connection and my lovely other colleague Alicia for deciphering the Holbein the Younger. Enjoy. :)

I've mentioned this happy find before, back in my entry on Caravaggio. I will admit without shame, as a former babysitter, I have seen most of (and actually enjoyed!) the Barbie movies. In Barbie Rapunzel, when the guests of the ball are entering the castle, they walk down a hallway hung with paintings and large scale drawings. I have yet to identify the rest, but the painting with the arrows directed at it caught my eye immediately as a Renaissance/Baroque Art Historian.

Caravaggio. Boy with a basket of fruit. 1593. Oil on canvas. 70 cm x 67 cm. Galleria Borghese, Rome.

Knowing Caravaggio's rather contentious, feisty nature, I have a feeling he'd be flipping in his grave to know one of his paintings is in a Barbie movie. I think this was a rather interesting choice on the part of the Barbie folks too...It's hyper realistic (there are scars and fungal spots on the fruit) and we have to admit, a little seductive with the boy's bare shoulder and sensual gaze.

The next piece is my pride and joy, mostly because it's the most recent connection I've found. As you can probably tell from the image, these paintings are to be found in Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.

A two for one screenshot!

The painting on the left was what caught my eye in the first place...mostly, because it's by my favorite artist, Diego Velázquez.

Diego Velázquez. Equestrian portrait of Philip IV. 1635. Oil on canvas. 301 x 314 cm. Museo del Prado, Madrid.

I love that in a lot of Velázquez's paintings, you can see lines where he added on additional canvas to expand his images or a "fifth hoof" on the horses because Velázquez would paint too fast and have to go back and fix them. You can see examples of both of those things here! (Expanded vertical margin is on the right...Fifth hoof is on the rear, farthest from you)

The painting on the right in the screenshot was a bit of a stumper...but thankfully, I have a friend that specializes in Northern Renaissance paintings!! (Thanks, Alicia!)

Hans Holbein the Younger. Portrait of Sir Richard Southwell. 1536. Oil and tempera on oak. 47.5 x 38 cm. Uffizi, Florence.

The B&theB screenshot lacks the text behind Southwell's head and is a cropped version of the actual painting, but I am convinced it's this one!

The next example was found thanks to my friend Kimi. Thanks, Kimi!

Lewis Chessmen (Uig chessmen). 12th century. Walrus ivory. British Museum and Museum of Scotland.

These walrus ivory chessmen were found on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, in 1831. There are 78 original pieces, 67 of which belong to the British Museum and the other 11 belong to the Museum of Scotland. The chessmen were likely of Norwegian origin, as Scotland was ruled by Norway during this time in the 12th century. You can read more about them on Wikipedia. :)

And here, you can see that Harry Potter borrowed the Lewis Chessmen for their own chess game, Wizard's chess! Wizard's chess involves animated chess pieces that move on vocal command of those playing the game.

See the resemblance :)?

I love finding these art "easter eggs" in pop culture!

Everybody loves Art History (Part 1)

Most probably just don't know it.

That's why I've dedicated this particular entry to how a knowledge of Pop Culture can make Art History more fun (Not that it isn't already a party!). The next entry, the Part II to this entry, will give a few instances where Art images have been hidden right under our noses in Pop Culture.

But for now...take a step inside my mind and let me share with you a few parallels I drew.

- Lamby don't care

El Greco's Modena triptych (If it is, in fact, his...So many problems with attribution in art history, you know) is a really gorgeous amateur undertaking for the young Greek painter. I think his treatment of all of the panels in such vivid red and golds, as well as browns and neutrals, in an exceptionally interesting way of interpreting the Christ story. Usually, we see many more blues and luminous whites and greens to balance the red. But not here.

Adoration of the Shepherds, wing of the Modena Triptych. El Greco. 1568. Historical Museum of Crete.

As in typical Adoration of the Shepherds images, animals are included in the scene. It was weird enough that the cow is a strange, fiery red orange. Pan to the weird upside-down sheep in the crook of the middle shepherd's arm.

Yes, that is, my friends, reportedly a sheep.

...Or is it?

Albino honey badger photo lovingly borrowed from this excellent wild life photographer.

Looks like an upside-down albino honey badger to me.

- Mt. Sinai = Mordor?!

DUHDUHDUH.

Mount Sinai. El Greco. 1570. 41 x 47 cm. The Historical Museum of Crete.

Thank you, El Greco, for giving us our first glimpse of Mordor.

Makes me a little uncomfortable.

- I feel like somebody's watchin' me

When one of my classmates presented this beautiful painting by Lorenzo Lotto, St. Nicholas in Glory with St. John the Baptist and St. Lucy, I did the common Art History nerd visual perusal, admiring the bold colors, lofty theme, and reverent figures. But then my eyes stopped. And stared. And focused, eyes narrowed. Right there.

St. Nicholas in glory with St. John the Baptist and St. Lucy. Lorenzo Lotto. 1529. Chiesa dei Carmini, Vcnice.

Let me zoom for you.

It took me a minute to figure out why this curious arrangement bothered me...but when I finally realized it, it took all of my will power to keep from bursting out laughing in the middle of the presentation. I'm disruptive enough in that class with all of my frivolity and general silliness. But before I tell you why I was amused, let me tell you WHAT this little grouping actually is. It's St. Lucy's eyes (Whut? Does she not HAVE eyes in this painting?). Well, yes, astute reader. But, part of St. Lucy's deal was that when her would-be husband (had she not refused him for God) admired her eyes, she tore them out and gave them to him. Another version has guards forking out her eyes after her refused, would-be husband denounces her as Christian (he was pagan). Either way friends, ouch.

And I realize that that may have colored the hilarity I have in store for you a little darkly...My bad...So here, let me save you from the grossed-out depression that story could encourage - The reason that I laughed:

St. Lucy's eyes may actually be the origin of the Geico Money.

HUZZAH!

Isn't Art fun?