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A Tale of Three Titians

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on December 23, 2011

Art history places a high premium on originality, especially the singular masterpiece. But there are certain occasions when multiplicity is embraced, including works created as part of a series or cast sculpture and printed materials, which are often produced as one of an edition. It is unusual, however, for a museum to include multiple versions of the same artwork in an exhibition.

Masters of Venice: Renaissance Painters of Passion and Power from the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, on view at the de Young through February 12, 2012, boasts not one, not two, but three variations of Titian’s enigmatic masterwork The Bravo (The Assassin).

Two Bravos

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FRAME|WORK: Virgin and Child with Putti by Andrea della Robbia

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on December 14, 2011

FRAME|WORK is a weekly blog series that highlights an artwork in the Museums' permanent collections. As we approach the Christmas holiday, it seems only appropriate to examine one of the many works in the European Decorative Arts and Sculpture department that deals with the subject of the Holy Family. This poignant Virgin and Child with Putti by Andrea della Robbia is currently on display in Gallery 4 at the Legion of Honor.

Virgin and Child with Putti

Andrea della Robbia (Italian, Florence, 1437–1525). Virgin and Child with Putti, ca. 1490–1495. Glazed terracotta. Museum purchase, Alfred S. Wilsey Memorial Fund. 2003.1

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Word Gallery: Chiaroscuro

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on November 10, 2011

Throughout art history, scholars have devised a special vocabulary to talk about art. These terms are very useful, but they are not always self-explanatory. Enter into the art historical word gallery, where we provide some definitions commonly used to describe artistic styles, techniques, or movements in art.

Chiaroscuro

Giorgio da Castelfranco, called Giorgione. Youth with an Arrow, ca. 1508–1510. Oil on panel. Gemäldegalerie of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

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Masters of Masquerade

Posted by Sarah Bailey Hogarty on October 28, 2011

As we simultaneously prepare for Halloween and the opening weekend of Masters of Venice: Renaissance Painters of Passion and Power from the Kunsthisorisches Museum, Vienna (which opens tomorrow, October 29), what better topic to kick off the festivities than a post about the sumptuous tradition of masquerade?

Paris Bordone. Allegory of Mars, Venus and Cupid

Paris Paschalinus Bordone. Allegory of Mars, Venus and Cupid. ca. 1560. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

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