Mattia Preti created Saint Veronica with the Veil art is currently found in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and was created in the year between 1613 and 1699 (Saint Veronica with the Veil | LACMA Collections, 2017). Saint Veronica was a holy Jerusalem’s woman during the first century AD based on Catholic tradition. This happening is thus celebrated by the 6th Station of the Cross. Therefore, Mattia Preti took the initiative to put the events that transpired on the road to Golgotha in painting. The essay will, therefore, focus on the context and the setting of the art, its content, the art movement, materials used by the artists and my overall personal view on the piece of art.
In a few words, context is the environment in which a work of art originates; it is not part of the work. There are many elements to context biographical, cultural, and philosophical are among the most important (BBC - GCSE Bitesize: How to analyze an artist's work, 2017). The context in this case thus provides an important set of elements for determining the meaning of art, including any statements the artist himself may make about the work. The context of the art as indicated on the image is religious artwork (see Appendix ). It is clear that the tone of this image of religious artwork is highly attributable to the ancient era and location in which it was created. The art is a depiction of the time when Jesus was carrying the cross-heading towards Golgotha when Veronica got moved and offered him the veil to wipe his forehead. Jesus accepted the offer and held the veil on his face before handing it back to her, and at the time, the reflection of Jesus’ face was extraordinarily impressed on it. Therefore, the piece of the veil came to be referred to as the Veil of Veronica.
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The content of the art will critically focus on the expression, essential meaning, implication, or artistic value of a piece of art (BBC - GCSE Bitesize: How to analyze an artist's work, 2017). Focusing on the content of the art, it is clear that the painting depicts Veronica holding a veil with the Jesus’ faced impressed upon it bringing out a clear meaning of religiosity and salvation. Veronica is portrayed as being somber and has an influential figure. Further, her facial expression apparently seems that she understands the significance and sanctity of her role yet she feels the burden of Jesus, his sacrifice for humankind and all the duties that come with it. The background of the art is dark which was used apparently to indicate a somber mood. She has raised his eye gazing into heavens and in her hand is a veil she used to wipe Jesus’ face with an image engraved on it a symbol of hope.
Mattia Preti was one of the renowned artists throughout the early Renaissance period in Italy. During this era, avid Catholicism was greatly emphasized during the Renaissance of time particularly the earlier periods (Art Movements - artists, styles, techniques, ideas, 2017). Further, during this time, Italy was the ‘heart and soul’ of early Renaissance stages particularly due to St. Francis the Assisi’s promotions of identifying and developing a more individualistic way to connect with and praise God. Despite the fact that the promotion of individualism was one of the most critical factors throughout early Italy, most Christians were prosecuted and burned at stake. Such facts prove the theory of heavy Catholic presence during Mattia’s life. It is further factual that majority of the Italians during this time practiced Catholicism. The amount of massive religious provocation in addition to the ambiance that was portrayed by the church in Mattia’s time helps offer a clear understanding of the real symbolism of the painting (Saint Veronica with the Veil | LACMA Collections, 2017).
The material used apparently can be considered as a representative of the ideal that Mattia work was about the human relationship with nature and spiritual world (BBC - GCSE Bitesize: How to analyze an artist's work, 2017). The art is a painting by Mattia using various colors and strokes to bring out the message and meaning with greater precision. Veronica is dressed in fine robes of blue and white which is a clear symbol of her emotions of sadness and peace. There is also some aspects of orange which in this context alludes to the Medici crest.
My experience in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art museum was eventful because I had the opportunity to see numerous pieces of artwork from ancient and present time. Los Angeles County Museum of Art is quite large, therefore; maps were issued at the entrance that showed us the locations for different rooms. As I was moving from one room to another, I was hugely thrilled to experience diverse types of artifacts displayed inside the museum. I was particularly intrigued by several arts that were apparently influenced by the early Italian cultures, Medici family, and even the Catholic Church. The exhibition of art was memorable to me since I have never seen such a collection before in my country. Each of the artwork displayed in the museum had a short note that indicated the date and the exact place where the object was obtained. One of the rooms that drew my full attention was one with religious artifacts and was filled with numerous types of objects that were excavated from ancient historical places such as Egypt.
References
Art Movements - artists, styles, techniques, ideas . (2017). Artyfactory.com . Retrieved from https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/art_movements.htm
BBC - GCSE Bitesize: How to analyse an artist's work . (2017). Bbc.co.uk . Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/art/practicalities/analysingartistwork1.shtml
Saint Veronica with the Veil | LACMA Collections . (2017). Collections.lacma.org . Retrieved from http://collections.lacma.org/node/248629
Appendix
Saint Veronica with the Veil art
Retrieved from http://collections.lacma.org/node/248629
