Comparisonof Two Pieces of Art in a Museum
Mostpieces of art range in a great way. They include paintings,sculptures and the decorative arts. The main aim of these is tocommunicate the different messages that resound with the time withinwhich they are created. In this sense, works that are created duringa particular time tend to portray the same messages. It is adepiction that there is a great comparison that is depicted in worksof art of the same period despite the fact that different artists mayhave created them. It is in this case that there is a significantsimilarity between the Portraitof a young manby Bronzino or Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano and the Self Portrait byRembrandt or Rembrandt van Rijn. In particular, thePortrait of a young manwas created in the 1530s by Bronzino as a form of Italian Mannerism.It is an oil on panel and is located in 1A room 609. Its principaldimensions are 375/8 x 29 1/2 in. or (95.6 x 74.9 cm).On the other hand, Self-portraitwas developed in 1660 by Rembrandt who was a Dutch Baroque. It issituated in 1B room 619. It is an oil on canvas that has thedimensions of 31 5/8 x 26 1/2 inches. or (80.3 x 67.3 cm). The maincomparison between the two lies in the facial expressions thatlargely communicate the feelings and the emotions of the artistsduring that time. In particular, they both reflect the level ofeducation and sophistication that took place as a result of thecultural changes and the transition from the middle ages to themodern history1.
Portraitof a young man Self-Portrait
Itis clear that both of these arts were created during the Renaissanceperiod. In particular, this time was filled with a lot of changes aspeople started to intermingle with each other and adopt some of thecultural practices from other groups. In this sense, a lot of tradeactivities began to take place as most people became sophisticatedand educated. It is these specific changes that led to the modernhistory. In essence, they both portray the great revival of theinterest in the classical learning and most of the values that arefound in ancient Rome and Greece. Both arts emerge as distinct worksof the period. Majorly, they occur in a parallel manner from theevents that took place in literature, music, science and philosophy.In essence, the art that is created during the Renaissance periodoccurs as the noblest of the ancient traditions2.In this case, it is mainly a form of the classical antiquity thatunderwent a lot of changes as a result of the tradition that wasabsorbed from the most recent developments. It mostly took place asthe art of the Northern Europe although it included the applicationof the contemporary scientific knowledge. It is a clear indicationthat both pieces of art possess both the old nature of history aswell as the sophisticated features of the modern scientific society.In essence, they are a proper representation of the Renaissanceperiod within which a lot of changes took place in the lives ofindividuals. They not only involved the transformations in the entirecommunity but also on the people who had to change their emotions andattitudes on some elements and ideas (Haughton, 231).
Moreor less both artists have made a lot of attempts to make use of thespace provided. fFor them to bring out the two images in full, toshow the emotions projected, both of the pictures are well depicted.The images cover the entire space in the paintings. The artists cancreate a third dimension that reflects the proper use of space.However, SelfPortraitby Rembrandt make use of better space than its counterpart uses as itis bigger and brings out the facial expressions of the artist overtime.
Lightand color are also employed in a great way. However, in the portraitof a young man, there is lighter that reflects better on thebeautiful face of the young man who serves as the centre of the artpiece. There is also a proper distribution of colors as they areenhanced (Haughton, 232). The light and dark colors are welldistributed and properly improved to provide the required outline forthe different objects that are found in the pictures this is also asimilar case that is shown in the self-portrait.However, in this painting, there is the use of darker shadows andcolors. It reflects the emotions of the artist as the face is shownto have a darker colour. In general, the other parts of the portraitare cast in the dark colors thus bringing about the strong emotionthat is portrayed in the picture (Rembrandt 119).
Thehuman form in the portrayed of a young man is articulated in the formof a sophisticated and composed figure. It is shown in the way thatthe man poses and supports himself by leaning on the table figure infront of him. It makes him appear confident thus, bring about thetheme of education and the interaction between different culturesthat brought about the various changes in the society during thattime. The same level of composure is shown in the self-portraitof Rembrandt in the manner with which he is depicted to be supportinghimself on a seat. With this, the theme of courage and bravery thatcame with the need to take up some of the beliefs, cultures andpractices that took place during the Renaissance time as the changeswere made from the historical moments to the contemporary scientifictimes.
Thereis a similarity in the point of view in both of these pictures3.There is a proper indication that both artists had their primaryfocus on the faces of the central figures to reflect their emotionsand feelings. In particular, these portray the significantdifferences that are depicted in the two photos regarding age. Inparticular, this is shown in the lighting and the lines that are usedin both of the pictures. In the portrait of a young man, more lightis used to bring about the youthful features of the young man to showhis contentment and the desire to learn. However, in the otherpicture darker shadows have been used to show the weary figure andthe effects that time has had on the artists over the period(Rembrandt 143).
Inthis sense, the scale of the works serves to express the primarypurpose which is the difference in age and the effects. The largerpicture brings this out than, the smaller hence the significantdifferences.
WorkCited
Haughton,Neil. "What Is Beauty?: Perceptions of Beauty in RenaissanceArt." Journalof Cosmetic Dermatology.3.4 (2014): 229-233. Print.
Rembrandt,Harmenszoon R. Rembrandtby Himself.Glasgow: Galsgow Museums & Art Galleries, 2011. Print..
1. These changes that occurred during the Renaissance period had a lot of sophistication elements that brought about elements of beauty especially to the young individuals of the era.
2 The Renaissance period saw a lot of changes among the individuals who lived during that time as it saw the transition between the Middle Ages and the modern times.
3 They both show the transformations that took place between the young and old as a result of education and intercultural interactions.