Casino Dawn

Guido Reni (1575 – 1642) was an Italian painter of high-Baroque style. Baroque style used exaggerated motion and clear detail to produce drama and grandeur.

He was born in Bologna in Italy. His family were interested in the arts, but especially music. 

 At 9 he was apprenticed under the Bolognese studio of Denis Calvaert. Lots of other famous artists also studied there. At 20 the three Calvaert pupils moved to a rival studio, named Accademia degli Incamminati (Academy of the Newly Beginning or the Progressives), led by Lodovico Carracci. 

Their teacher Carracci painted a lamentation of the dead Christ. Here it is -

They decided they wanted the fine arts to be treated with the same respect as music and poetry. At the time people thought of painting as a lower art form. They set up another successful school afterwards. 

The fresco at the top of the page is called Dawn and it is on the ceiling of a casino in Rome called Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi. 

He also painted 'Joseph and the Potiphar's wife'. The story is that the wife spends a few days trying to seduce Jospeh, but fails. Joseph was thinking about God. She is very upset. She decides to tell everyone that he raped her! She especially complains to her husband because Joseph is his slave and therefore his responsiblity.

Her husband believes it is true so he is very angry. He puts Joseph behind bars. 

In prison Joseph thinks about God and impresses everyone by intrepeting dreams.

This scene is described in the text of the Bible 'She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.'

So in the Bible she succeeds in grabbing the cloak but he gets away! 

They have worded it as though he deliberately left it behind. I think this is because they didn't want her to achieve anything from her efforts.

A Family of a Neapolitan Fisherman

'A Neapolitan fisherman and his family' by German artist August Riedel in 1833.' 

I now think this is the original painting. I think the lute is bigger in the other painting because the artist wanted to paint a lute from life. It looks the wrong scale. In 1833 version there is a more harmonious balance.

Here is a portrait of August Riedel, drawn in 1827. The following year he moved to Italy where he learnt a lot about colour. Five years later he painted the Neapolitan family. 

This is his painting of Therese von Schenk 1831. She has dressed in black and white for the occasion. It makes me think that they talked to each other about colour, and she doubted herself. 

In Rome he was asked if he wanted to go back to live in Germany. 

He said 'No, I'd have no light there.'

The top engraving is the wine cellar of Lafite Castle as depicted in L'Univers Illustré. 

Below is Lafite Castle's modern wine label. They have been making wine for a long time and have been a consistent producer of the world's most expensive red wines. 

View of The Italian Theatre - 1st October Opening Day

French gridded paper used as a bookmark

Michelangelo's Tomb for Lorenzo de Medici.

At the same time he worked on the tomb 

of Giuliano de Mecidi. 

Here are the two tombs together -