Anthony Andujar Jr
9/27/14
Hua 166 Art History
Prof Arianna Fernandez
Lagcc
Museum Report
The museum of choice that this research paper based it's study on was The Metropolitan Museum of Art. As I walked the halls I explored the American section, Medieval Section and lastly the Renaissance section. The piece of art that was chosen for the paper is The Winged Child: Fountain Figure among a few other art pieces that was also documented. This bronze sculpted model was made by Donato Di Niccolo Di Betto Bardi who by modern standards is most recognized as the legendary renaissance artist named Donatello.
The Winged Child :Fountain Figure was crafted between (ca. 1386-1466) in Florence, Italy. In the description of the sculpture , it details that the winged child could possibly be Mercury who is the Roman version of the Greek god Hermes (The messenger/ speedster.) Although the winged child does appear to bear a great resemblance to the character, it has yet to be proven if the child is Mercury. The fountain figure was designed to be a public attraction sprouting water within a fountain as most fountain figures do.
Donatello is one of the most well known renaissance artists that stood out among the rest along side Raphael, Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo as one of the top tier artists of the Renaissance in the 1400's. Seeing a model or piece of Donatello's work was surprising to see. Of all of the top four kings of the renaissance, the Met only had a few pieces by Donatello but, from the visit there didn't seem to be other pieces that were from the top four aside from pieces made by other sculptors and artists of the renaissance. Despite the fact that Donatello was the only artist of the top four that had art available for viewing.
Another art piece that was in the exhibit was Louis C. Tiffany's Autumn Landscape leaded favrile glass piece. The piece was crafted between 1923-1924 in New York. The piece has a beautiful colorful design like quality that would fit suitably in a cathedral. The colorful flower pellets that are designed on to the glass has been suggested that it was contributed /crafted by the artist Northrop who was recognized for her works with land and floral like pieces. Although Northrop is suggested, it is still yet to be proven true.
There have been other pieces in Louis C. Tiffany's collection that showcase similar styles of design and texture. One piece produced by Tiffany is the Garden Landscape and Fountain piece. Tiffany crafted his Mosaic fountain piece in his very own Tiffany Studios (1902-33) located in New York. A lot of his mosaic pieces were inspired by Maxfield Parrish designs as well Byzantine works of the 1800's, which influenced his work and approach to using and manipulating transparent glass and colors.
In Louis C. Tiffany's works such as the Autumn Landscape and the Garden Landscape and Fountain pieces they share some similarities to each other. Both of the pieces have similar mosaic patterns that help make an object into something else or otherworldly. Another similarity that the crafted pieces both share is that they display a great amount of glowing color that attracts the eye and makes the viewer feel that they are in the presence of something holy. The only differences between the two pieces is that they were produced with different kinds of materials and color distributions that allow for a different kind of experience for the viewers.
Over all the artwork that Donatello and Louis C. Tiffany have crafted are different , they both share common use for decor purposes. Although Donatello's Winged Child: Fountain figure and Louis C. Tiffany's Grand Landscape Fountain mosaic are not the same in material, they do share a common purpose in being used for public/ private fountains. Donatello's winged child is a bronze figure for a fountain while Louis C. Tiffany's Grand Landscape, is a fountain made with Mosaic tiles and design. It's artwork that is displayed for private owners to have or for the public to see, which the artists have done an excellent job at that.
Donatello's : Winged Child Fountain Figure
Note: When I saw this couple standing there in front of the glass piece, it was hard not to resist taking the photo.
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