Metropolitan Museum Of Art Analysis

Zeitgeist is defined as the spirit or mood of a particular period of history; epitomized in art to express the beliefs and ideas of the time. Throughout history the zeitgeist has changed based on the ideas and cultures within a time period. When watching modern movies one can notice the contrast to the movies made in the previous decade. The same applies when analyzing artwork. It may not be apparent that a hundred years between artworks can produce much contrast or it is not quantitative amount of time to make a drastic change in artwork, however much altars and it can be traced back to the zeitgeist of the period surrounding the art. Take a step into the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when gazing at the masterpieces take a look at the dates of the
The two paintings from the museum that will be of interest are just over one hundred years apart. Although they both show the similar mythological theme, they were painted by different artist at different times. Peter Paul Rubens’ piece, Venus and Adonis, was painted in the mid 1630’s. In this time, baroque style was becoming international. Peter Paul Rubens was a flemish painter, who had a role in making this style as renowned as it is today. The style of baroque was born in Rome, however Rubens spent eight years in Italy and he absorbed the style there. He studied the techniques and took in the language and culture, and he exhibited extraordinary learning and imagination. This is the reason behind why historians believe he competes with the best Italian artists. He’s realm is of his paintings specifically his portraits and altarpieces. However, when browsing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one comes across this breathtaking painting with much substance; Venus is accidently struck by the child, cupid, and falls in love with