Thursday, February 29, 2024

 Perimeter suggestions: Giunta Pisano

The name of Giunta from Capitino, called Giunta Pisano (1190-1200-1260), certainly sais very little; because he is a very little known Italian painter that has changed conception and think about space and architectural structures(Figg.1-2), and certainly he has suggested to Giotto valid ideas for his new paint, and certainly Giotto has seen works of Giunta and he took how it was necessary to Assisi. We can take and consider some works of Giunta because he has took these examples regard architectures to paints of Assisi(Figg.3-6), but he didn’t lease byzantine style(Figg.7-8); but important note that we must consider is above all that architecture is changed, and new space is present  in painting, and this new space born with Giunta Pisano, we must consider that the master of Giotto, Giovanni Cimabue, was to Pisa and he seen Giunta and new perimeters, then he could suggest to Giotto these new ideas regard paint of architectures, and Giotto could seen Giunta and his works in Pisa, and distance from Pisa and Firenze was 51 miles, then Giotto could gone to Pisa may to follow his master Cimabue and he could seen Giunta and after improve that architectures in Assisi. Then he has suggested to Giotto his architectures and I think also form of figures. He for costumer have to change style to will of costumer then, now is byzantine and after plastic to human figure too, the form of Saint Francis(Fig.7) show this characteristic, he is very plastic comparison to a Crucifix(Fig.8), that follows byzantine style.  But the presence Giunta’s in Assisi has determined an interest very alive as marked also by Luciano Bellosi(Cimabue, p.158) “The presence of Giunta Pisano in Assisi in the 1230s had a vast echo in Umbria”

 Alessandro Lusana 

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Thursday, February 1, 2024

 

Customer

Painter was busy during to his painting and other artist, a sculpture, was work in the

same chapel of a church; customer within in the chapel and he seen immediately state

of works bother painting and sculpture, and he solicited it because he have paid and

he want work ended very soon. Painter and sculpture, they got down from scaffolds

and asked if they can eat something. Costumer said that it was certain, and while he

looked jobs they were prepare lunch. He was continuing his examination and after he

asked when these artist works will be end, then a sculptor, pupil of master, asked:

“Why this hurry, the artistic works requires necessary time”, costumer nodded this

words and he added: “Can you pay these artists and these works, because if you can it

I am going can to sale my chapel, and you are going to pay these artists; then can you

make it?” The pupil answered that it is impossible, and then costumer asked: “Who is

paying”, and other artist answered: “You alone”, and he asserted: “I am an cloth

merchant, and I have merchants in the word, but I have other expenses and this is an

investment for my soul, but it chapel don’t brings money, and your expenses I will

pay and if you follow my request you are going to take money, otherwise I will

search other. Who give money commands, because I have paid your drawings, your

colors, and your tools, then I want my chapel painted. You are painters alone and

social inferior and artists are very much, you must learn it”. Then somebody approach

to him and asked: “Excuse me mister, are you mister Scrovegni?” and he answered

and nodded, and this person said: “I am architect for your chapel; then the costumer

turned around and he seen more persons that followed a man, he seen Giotto, painter,

and he called him and asked: “Where do you are going?”, and he answered: “among

some years, after 1305, I am going to come to you and your chapel, but now you

must pay building after we can agree on the price”, and while he was saying these

words other artist got down from horse and he asked: “Where is mister Scrovegni?”,

Giotto asked: “who are you?” and he answered while he was looking around:

“Arnolfo di Cambio”, and Giotto showed up: “I am Ambrogio called Giotto, we are

going to work to this chapel, alo for you I say among some years.”, and Arnolfo

asked to Giotto: “It is true that he is a loan shark?”, and Giotto answered: “certainly,

but to you what is interest? This work or moral behavior?”, and Arnolfo asked: “ it is

important that he gives me works after I haven’t interest”, then Giotto presented

everybody and they gone away.

Alessandro Lusana



Monday, January 1, 2024

 



Semiotic and criticism: a pleonasm

It is very easy because every day we, unconsciously, make this exercise, this is we criticize events, or cloth, or behavior, or other that we see; this is a form, that we call criticism is semiotic, this is study of sign that gives some suggestions or precise indications, as in airport indications verbal or written are signs that we follow for an aim, because we recognize some form that we have known and for our culture and preferences we prefer this instead of anything else; this is semiotic because we recognize some sign that is familiar; then we can think the critic as semiotic, because when we read a romance, journal or other we interpret something and we give our explication, rational or no, but it is our and it is possible for our acknowledges and our think; then the criticism is same process, we have signs from a romance and we can consider, critically, some narration, and we can understand and think about something who is author, what is his think, his ideology, style and other, this is possible from a sign or much signs as the writes, because we must understand contest and history, and as in airport we must consider when, contest historical of author, history, and style too. We use this method for everything and we are criticizing something, this is semiotic and criticism this is a pleonasm, because we criticize and then adopted semiotic, this is evident but it is very difficult to find.

Alessandro Lusana



Saturday, December 30, 2023

 

The badness of Moravia

I have took this title from three words of a Italian director Vanzina that has called Luigi Pirandello as bad, because Pirandello an Italian writer, was truly bad because he has represented hypocrisy of human gender on theater, this is he has told everyone who is human gender and what is human gender, he has told weakness and false behavior of human, in fact he has said very much times: “You are going to meet very much masks and some face”, this is you are going to meet very much hypocrites and very less sincere persons. Moravia, Italian writer has made same storytelling, in fact he has told about human gender and a middle class very false and hypocrite, he has told about real model of human, and Italian, middle class as The time of indifference, first romance, and endowed of a realism very true, where the hypocrisy and is may unique true thing of whole romance. This is a storyteller that is real and continues for much romances of Moravia, as Contempt, Boredom, Country house for Friday, and sexuality of man that is very comic representation of male gender, and his dependence to sex, because this romance is story of a screenwriter that depends for his sex that is speaker, and given orders. This history is very comic but was, at least, in Italy very true, because some past generation every beauty women was aim of sexual attention of men, and this real phenomenon, alone male, was hide under cover of hypocrisy, but it was very present. Every romance of Moravia is a real description of human, for hypocrisy, falseness and lies, everything for interest, gain or morality alone; then Moravia is bad because he had told human gender, some behavior very daily of human gender.

Alessandro Lusana  



 

Friday, December 22, 2023

 

Others models

Benjamin West and Italian painting

I think that I have found others models because very much near some figures to Roman sculpture, that West has studied very well and he has reinterpreted to his painting as Death on the Pale Horse(Fig.1) for composition whose he has resumed some Roman models during his residence in papal city; in fact he has resumed the horse on down of Fountain of the four rivers of Bernini and his collaboratores(Fig.2), for reclining figure on first plane with reise arm is figure of same fountain that has same gesture(Fig.3); for figure form behind West has reinterpreted a figure of Federico Zuccari(Fig.4), with other posture but same drammatic spirit; then West has found the horse on right of painting The expulsion of Heliodorus from temple(Fig.5). For this painting West has took his Roman memories and very masterfully he has reused and has translated in British some Roman conceptions. But I must add that he has adopted from Rome, same dramaticity that we can see to Baroque painting, and of painting from manner; then he takes all necessary to this painting and very masterfully he has mixted different styles.

Alessandro Lusana

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Saturday, December 2, 2023

 

Benjamin West: an American in Rome

This title is strange for one essay because we expected to find very much model for a

painter, but we have to think that a painter finds and translated every model that is

 in his mind and he use again when subject and client allowed it. Then for

Benjamin West(1738-1820), and American painter that has visited Rome and Paris,

 after he worked to London, but the first model is for The death of Socrates(fig.1),

certainly lines and style is very young, but we have to consider that it is very youth

painting then we can excuse inaccurate style may to 1756, important in conformity of

my opinion, it is because west documents his visits to Athens school(Fig.2); we can

list some suggest form Raphael to Benjamin: architecture has arches, same

architecture, with differences for space and subject, Heraclitus is translated to figure

to right that crying, group to left next Socrates is group in same position in painting

of West, the figure to left whose we can see back is suggested from figure of young

going up staircase on right of Athens school, Phythagoras on lest of School has

suggested Socrates. The light very intense (Figg.3-7) is took from Mengs, and he

used also the light of 18th century, but in Rome he certainly seen Mengs and he has

copied this method this hypothesis is supported by a monography about life and

works of West, this book is published at 1989(Benjamin West American painter at

English court, p.20) and he has copied Tizian, Guido Reni and Carracci, but he not 

forgotten Mengs because he has capied also him, then he has took style,  and author said 

that Mengs suggested to West worth monuments in Rome, and after Mengs advised 

make some drawings of ancient sculptures, then he certainly influenced West, and 

portrait of Mengs certainly West has studied. The portraits no escape the influence of 

Mengs, West took same light and the analytical precision of Dutch colleague, he 

followed same method very meticulous and Flemish, in critical jargon, and growth is 

evident, from the death of Socrates he has improved, now style is very better; but I think 

that West has kept in mind also some sculpture, in fact for his Apollo and Daphne(Fig.7) 

he has very studied same subject of  Bernini(Figg.8-9). Then West has took from Rome 

some ideas necessary to his painter, and he has translated it to USA and to Great British. 

I am ending this essay with other citation: "The tour in Italy made a decisive difference 

in West’s career...".

Alessandro Lusana    

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Monday, November 13, 2023

 

Thruth and propaganda

The read of Historia ecclesiae Anglicorum of Ordericus Vitalis(1075-1142) shows,

for his silence, a thruth, it is could show very odd, because a thruth is so solely said;

buti s is possible thata thruth isn’t said and it become thruth; what is this thruth?

A question that has name Constitutum Constantini, this is Order of Constantine

that at 1440 was denied by Lorenzo Valla, an Italian intellectual and philologist, that has

shownevery contraddiction and falsehood of this document, whit which the city of Rome

was donated to pope Sylvester by Constantine; today we know perfectly that

this documenti s false, and that was written at 9th century.

Ordericus Vitalis helped us because during read of life of Sylvester pope

never is mentioned this document, he has written history of Church

from Christ and he has written lifes of popes too, but this document

isn’t in life of pope Sylvester; we can think that Ordericus doesen’t known it,

but we can think that the he has took the lifes from Liber pontificalis,

a book with lifes of popes, and this document is denied at 1440, as I have said above;

then he doesn’t writes about Constitutum because is document was not so widespread,

because evidently very much interests were present and the Church wanted not provoke 

problems both itself that his policy.

Alessandro Lusana




        






 

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