Art Analysis: Comparing Renaissance and Baroque Art Forms

This report provides an analysis of artworks from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It begins by comparing three depictions of David: Donatello's, Michelangelo's, and Bernini's, highlighting the evolution of artistic styles and expressions of power. The analysis focuses on how each artist portrays David's character and the overall impact of their works. The report then examines Petrus Christus's painting "A Goldsmith in his Shop," discussing its representation of the Northern Renaissance, use of color, and symbolic elements. The analysis considers the painting's portrayal of the relationship between desire and reality, offering insights into the social and cultural context of the artwork. This report serves as a comparative study of art movements, providing a detailed overview of the selected artworks and their significance within art history.

Running head: ART ANALYSIS
ART ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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ART ANALYSIS
Question 1
Goliath, the champion warrior of the Philistines, when fighting against the Israelites
declared one brave fighter to challenge him to finally come to the end of the battle. However
nobody was gallant enough to challenge him yet David appeared, a young shepherd too
juvenile to become a soldier came forward and made an end of the battle of chopping his
head off the Goliath’s body (Drogin 2017). In Donatello’s David he had a mysterious and
sophisticated smile while the David of Michelangelo had the language of warning glare in his
eyes and the David of Bernini was stouter and showcases an aggressive expression of
throwing stone at Goliath. All the Davids are brave yet the former has lesser exhibition of
strength in him and is made of bronze while both of the sculptures mentioned at the end are
made of marble.
While the David of both Donatella and Michelangelo are at peace and are the emblem
of protecting the nation with bravery and stability the David of Bernini is completely
different in nature. This looks more aggressive and psychologically deeper and more intense
because the latter is the only sculpture among them to indicate movement which the previous
works do not reflect. While both of the previous artists’ works vivifies subtlety the last work
is more direct and clearly indicative of the violence that David intends to offer. The
expression is suggestive of how dangerous he could be if necessary.
The first reflects the time when Renaissance had just hit the nation. The first statue is
the victorious David after defeating Goliath where the carvings of boots and hats are the
appropriate representatives of the time. The David of Michelangelo was so subtle with his
rage and valor that it was considered to be the emblem of defensive power civil liberties
symbolizing of Republic of Florence. The last sculpture was the representation of absolute
violence and extremism, an appropriate way to describe baroque.

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ART ANALYSIS
Question 2
The painting, A Goldsmith in his Shop consisting of three people in a frame by Petrus
Christus is an appropriate and justified representation of Northern Renaissance artwork
(Panofsky 2018). The two figures are standing while one is sitting where the man and the
woman are giving an impression of as if they are a married couple that was hinted by the
wrapped around hand of the man around the body of the woman. All three figures are located
inside the workshop of gold where the other man is supposedly the goldsmith. The painting is
opened to a street of Burges. A mirror that is placed inside the picture reflects another couple
who peeps into the workshop willing to reach the comfort of the royal couple.
The painting is rich with the use of color and detailed works on the robe of the woman
and the detailing in the equipments that are placed on the shelf of the workshop. However,
the work is reflective of the distance and shadow between the desire and reality that is a true
representation of the Renaissance.

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ART ANALYSIS
References
Drogin, D. ed., 2017. Patronage and Italian Renaissance Sculpture. Routledge.
Panofsky, E., 2018. Renaissance and renascences in western art. Routledge.