Compare and Contrast Art Essay
Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian artist, painted Esther before Ahasuerus in the 17th Century. The image is represented as object one. In the painting, Esther, the Biblical heroine pleads with King Ahasuerus to spare the Jews. The medium for art is oil on canvas. However, the specific date for the creation of the artwork is still unknown evidenced by the varied opinions of the Baroque art scholars. Similarly, Michelangelo Merisi, Italian artist, painted The Musicians, object two, in 1597. The artwork is Michelangelo’s first painting, and he dedicated it to Cardinal Francesco Maria. The material medium for Michelangelo’s work is oil on canvas. Whereas the paintings were completed at different times by the two artists, Artemisia’s and Michelangelo’s artworks exhibit some similarities and differences.
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Numerous similarities are illustrated in the paintings. First, the two objects are made of oil on canvas as the medium. Painting using oil on canvas requires artists to use coat pigments. The oil is then dried to bind the artwork on the canvas to ensure durability. The use of oil on canvas preserves an artwork for a more extended period. Second, the two objects are classified as paintings based on the medium used to create the artworks. The medium use was common during that historic period due to the availability of paints, oil, and canvas, and the associated durability of these components. Conversely, a specific artists category shows that Artemisia Gentileschi painted object one, while Michelangelo Merisi created object two. Third, both artworks are found in Rome.
The two paintings are also similar as they both credit lines. Credit line entails the mechanism through which the artwork was transferred from the artist to the recipient. Additionally, both the two objects have a red color engraved on them. In object one, the red color is manifested on the linen located behind King Ahasuerus. In the second object, the red color is seen on the linen that hangs on the shoulder of the lady playing the guitar. Moreover, both objects two have decorated backgrounds. Specifically, the two objects have different designs in the background. Artemisia’s and Michelangelo’s paintings have a total of four people in each design. Therefore, the two works show some resemblance, which can be attributed to the styles used in the art industry.
Contrariwise, the two painting are also different in various forms. First, the two objects have different dimensions. Object one is 82 by 107.75 inches. Contrariwise, the second object is 36.26 by 46.63 inches. Therefore, the first object by Gentileschi is bigger than object two. Secondly, Gentileschi and Merisi created their artworks at different periods of history. Notably, object one was painted in 1969 whereas object two was decorated in 1597. The different times when the paintings were created that is 72 years attributed to the slight uniqueness on the purpose of the artworks. Overall, object two is older than the first object. Third, the two objects were painted by different artists whose intentions were to pass specific information to their audiences. Gentileschi and Merisi painted object one and object two respectively. Besides, despite having four people in the paintings, the artworks have unique preferences regarding the genders of the subjects depicted. The first object has three females and one male. Contrariwise, the second object has two males and two females. Another essential difference on object one is that the three females are standing while the male, King Ahasuerus, is seated on the throne. Conversely, in object two everyone is seated in the music room.
The two paintings are not alike in terms of activity. In object one, the two ladies are holding Esther in an upright posture as King Ahasuerus watches their action from the comfort of his throne. The painter captured the moment when Esther fainted in front of the king in the course of her mission to present the concerns of her people before the ruler. However, in the second object, the two ladies are holding musical instruments. The second girl from the right is playing the lute while the other lady is holding the horn. At the same time, the first boy from the right is reading the musical lyrics published in a book. The other gentleman from the left has grasped grapes while singing.
Besides, the two objects have defined background décor. However, it is worth mentioning that the two decors are different. In object one, the décor is made of maroon linen that is accompanied by a hanging maroon robe. Conversely, in object two, the décor has a cream interface with a black portrait of an elephant’s head. In essence, object one’s setting is baroque. On the other hand, the setting for object two is a music room. Furthermore, a careful analysis of object one reveals that the painting was captured at night as indicated by the shadows in the art. The painter accurately positioned the shadows based on the source of lights. However, in object two, the activities of the musicians are happening during the day as there is no element of shadow in the music room. Additionally, from the overall appearance of the two objects, there is a significant variation in the facet of length. Object one is full-length, and the painting shows the full appearance of Esther and the two women holding her as the king is seated on the throne. However, the portrait of object two is half-length. This aspect is captured in the label information and also from the look of the musicians in the music room.
The shapes of the two objects are not alike. In object one, the floor tiles are rectangular, while the staircases leading to the king’s throne are curved. In object two, the guitar box has a semi-oval shape while the wired part is rectangular. Besides, object one appears dull since the event happened at night. In contrast, object two looks brighter than the object one due to the occurrence of the event during the day. Since the images painted in object two are bigger than those in object one, it is evident that the painter of the second painting captured the pictures from a closer range than that of the first painting. Additionally, the appearance of Esther and King Ahasuerus in object one symbolizes the religious subject. The primary intention of Esther was to plead with the king on behalf of the Jews. However, in the second object, the outstanding theme is entertainment. The musicians are busy singing in the music room. Moreover, in the first object, the king is in his royal costume with the crown on the head. Esther and the other women are in full dresses covering their body. However, in object two, the musicians have vague classical costumes. The differences also depict the diverse cultural backgrounds from where the artworks were painted.
Although the paintings were completed at different times by the artists, Artemisia’s and Michelangelo’s artworks exhibit some similarities and differences. The label information and the observable features formed the basis of comparison for the two items. Artemisia’s and Michelangelo’s work outline distinctive themes evidenced in the characterization and styles used. The two arts are housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Works Cited
Gentileschi, Artemisia. Esther before Ahasuerus. 1969, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rome.
Merisi, Michelangelo. The Musicians. 1597, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rome.
