Work of art analysis

by | Apr 12, 2021 | art

Choose one of the art images from the Chapter 17 Lecture PowerPoint, or from Chapter 17 in your text, or from the Web Gallery of Art http://www.wga.hu/
The work you choose should be of the Baroque, Neoclassic, or Rococo style and time period.

Write a formal critique of the artwork you have chosen:

Follow the four steps of art criticism. Make each step a separate paragraph in your paper. 5-8 sentences in a paragraph should be sufficient. Use this opportunity to impress with your newly developed art vocabulary. Begin your paper with the credit info of the artwork you are critiquing. (Artist, title, date, media, size, location)

Description-. What do you see? Be sure to avoid making any judgments or interpretations here- stick to the factsDon’t write things here like: ‘The artist did a good job drawing the subject’s eyes.” (that’s judgment) or: “The artist is showing how society is affected by…” (that’s interpretation) Instead say something like “The eyes are very detailed with…” Could I identify this painting among others by reading your description?

Analysis: You are explaining how the artist has put together or arranged the artwork in this paragraph. You should be describing the artist’s use of the art elements and principles- so refer back to Chapters 4 and 5 in the text if you need.

Interpreting- What is the message or meaning of the artwork? It is perfectly acceptable to use your own imagination here- just base what you say on the things you noticed in the first two steps. In interpreting, there is not one single right answer- some answers may be better than others, but all interpretation is subjective.
Judging- In evaluating artwork- you must form your opinion, then use supporting reasons to back it up. State specific reasons why you think the artwork is strong or weak- well made or not. You may point out positive features, and negative qualities. Often, this judgment will depend on your view of art and what you value- Do you prefer art to be well organized, with the elements and principles carefully composed? Or are you drawn to art that has a strong message or emotional content? Maybe you value technical skill or creativity over other features. Cultural and societal aspects will also influence your preferences.

Sample Solution

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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