tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post2113159710965066408..comments2024-03-26T16:11:44.515-04:00Comments on All Things Ruffnerian, a Design Blog and More: The Annunciation TemplateMark D. Ruffnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-85599877511953854202011-12-12T21:23:53.029-05:002011-12-12T21:23:53.029-05:00Thank you, David! I very much admire the Pre-Rapha...Thank you, David! I very much admire the Pre-Raphaelites, and at Christmastime I feature a Pre-Raphaelite angel as my desktop pattern — I'm looking at it now.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-36456626753520910112011-12-12T20:51:22.028-05:002011-12-12T20:51:22.028-05:00Mark, we learn so much from you, in things which w...Mark, we learn so much from you, in things which we (unfortunately) take for granted. Seeing these different interpretations, immediately led me to the Pre-Raphaelites interpretationsDavid Tomshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181690917362173400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-57832220068674098122011-12-12T20:23:28.746-05:002011-12-12T20:23:28.746-05:00Hiya Leebert!! :o)
Leonardo was actually ambidext...Hiya Leebert!! :o)<br /><br />Leonardo was actually ambidextrous, and so his famous mirror writing doubtlessly came more naturally to him than it would to you or I. There is also the possibility that Leonardo was cross-dominant, meaning that he might have done some functions with his right hand and some functions with his left.<br /><br />You bring up an interesting point regarding the angels always being to the left of the Virgin. Hmmm. Perhaps this is a natural part of story-telling (that is to say, leading the eye inward to the main subject), or perhaps there is some symbology there. I don't know!Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-37110144901371620232011-12-12T20:13:18.750-05:002011-12-12T20:13:18.750-05:00Hello, Demie from the great North!
Leonardo did i...Hello, Demie from the great North!<br /><br />Leonardo did indeed have a complicated personality, and I often wonder in which direction he would turn his attention if he lived in our time — perhaps computer graphics, perhaps cinema, perhaps he would forge even newer directions. In any event he would still be a rnnaissance man.<br /><br />Perhaps you know the story of how his master Verrocchio allowed him to paint a full figure in Verrocchio's painting of the Baptism of Christ. It was a little angel that outshined Verrocchio's own figures. And the story goes that Verrocchio was shocked by that and soon thereafter quit painting to concentrate on sculpting.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-92003339741391677562011-12-12T17:17:46.938-05:002011-12-12T17:17:46.938-05:00HIYA MARK! :D
Fascinating as always. Were these ar...HIYA MARK! :D<br />Fascinating as always. Were these artists all lefties? Because the subjects face the right side of the frame.<br />I know Leonardo was, what of the others?Lee'bertnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-21656025122514952532011-12-12T15:50:49.566-05:002011-12-12T15:50:49.566-05:00your posts are interesting ( i read also the greek...your posts are interesting ( i read also the greek keys )<br />i am not very into Renaissance but i would say Leonardo always has an appeal to me, that might starts from his amazingly complicated personality, to the way he painted the hands. its always the hands i notice on his paintings.<br />delightful to have found your blog <br />greetings from the North : )erleichdahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02471341634223594648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-91117226291214063052011-12-12T11:33:38.067-05:002011-12-12T11:33:38.067-05:00Hi, Theresa - I know you are a great student of th...Hi, Theresa - I know you are a great student of the golden mean. I recently saw the subject discussed in an interesting book by Pierre Berloquin — "Hidden Codes & Grand Designs."Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-46217907163984504542011-12-12T11:30:17.018-05:002011-12-12T11:30:17.018-05:00Hi, Donna - I agree with you about Ghirlandaio, an...Hi, Donna - I agree with you about Ghirlandaio, and I too enjoy when I see he's placed his own handsome, distinctive face into the scene.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-6514749501987529122011-12-12T08:12:18.690-05:002011-12-12T08:12:18.690-05:00Math and art once again make a pleasing compositio...Math and art once again make a pleasing composition using the golden mean.....I agree with the wings, they are always a delight to look at! Great post Mark and a very nice discussion in the comments!<br />GIna-great trivia about the gathering of vermillion.Theresa Cheekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11429069123185290732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-16513466554041483532011-12-12T07:36:04.297-05:002011-12-12T07:36:04.297-05:00Great post: I love Ghirlandaio--I think he's ...Great post: I love Ghirlandaio--I think he's incredibly underrated. He sneaks himself in several paintings in that typical Renaissance gesture.Donna Segerhttp://streetsofsalem.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-82741205557362923692011-12-11T13:19:04.293-05:002011-12-11T13:19:04.293-05:00Hello, Yvette - I rather enjoy the wings on Pintur...Hello, Yvette - I rather enjoy the wings on Pinturicchio's angel, which have the design and coloring of a pheasant!Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-340182351666577572011-12-11T13:13:51.978-05:002011-12-11T13:13:51.978-05:00Hello, Michael - I don't think your comment is...Hello, Michael - I don't think your comment is way out there at all! I keep a file on sphinxes, and as I type this, there are images of griffins taped to my studio wall. Just as with angels, it's interesting to see how the sphinx is so widely depicted. My favorite sphinx has the unmistakable head of an 18th century woman!Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-79697450830494813042011-12-11T13:04:29.735-05:002011-12-11T13:04:29.735-05:00Thank you, Anyes - your comment brings a smile to ...Thank you, Anyes - your comment brings a smile to my face!Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-20842380585548098922011-12-11T13:03:02.240-05:002011-12-11T13:03:02.240-05:00Hello, Gaye - I too love Fra Angelico's wings....Hello, Gaye - I too love Fra Angelico's wings. I might add here that I favored the earth-toned murals that he painted for his fellow monks over his altar commissions. In retrospect, the paintings in San Marco impressed me more because they depicted spirituality in the "every day." There is also a palpable humility in his work — it's no mistake that he was called Fra Angelico!Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-53240172452147634632011-12-11T12:54:04.928-05:002011-12-11T12:54:04.928-05:00Hello, Gina - Have you read Victoria Finlay's ...Hello, Gina - Have you read Victoria Finlay's book, "Color: A Natural History of the Palette? It's a most interesting book, and certainly gives one an appreciation for all that goes into a paint tube.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-36646958641107543652011-12-11T12:49:30.982-05:002011-12-11T12:49:30.982-05:00Hello Jane and Lance,
These works do indeed still...Hello Jane and Lance,<br /><br />These works do indeed still dazzle — and sometimes more.<br /><br />I was at the Uffizi several years ago and was amazed that the gallery allows viewers to get close enough to the masterpieces that one can practically press one's nose against them.<br /><br />I was emotionally overwhelmed viewing Leonardo's painting of the Annunciation when I realized at some point that I was not only standing so close to it, but was in fact occupying the same space that Leonardo himself would have. And with that realization, tears came to my eyes.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-28497105719584017052011-12-11T12:36:22.570-05:002011-12-11T12:36:22.570-05:00Hello, Steve - Thanks, I agree. I've always ha...Hello, Steve - Thanks, I agree. I've always had a hard time, when visiting the National Gallery of Art, moving beyond the galleries of Renaissance paintings. That period continues to be a major inspiration to me.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-59706085974711299712011-12-11T12:31:47.039-05:002011-12-11T12:31:47.039-05:00Hello, Rosemary - Though I have cropped all these ...Hello, Rosemary - Though I have cropped all these images considerably, one can still see that they are all rich in perspective and geometric patterns. Isn't it interesting how the Renaissance painters placed religious subjects in contemporary Florentine space and time? I find that to be a very modern approach.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-45686087253044619462011-12-11T12:23:28.250-05:002011-12-11T12:23:28.250-05:00I must say that I too am fascinated by the colorfu...I must say that I too am fascinated by the colorful wings of Fra Angelico's angel.<br /><br />As always, Mark, a thought provoking post.Yvettehttp://yvettecandraw.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-18208135576760735422011-12-11T12:21:57.169-05:002011-12-11T12:21:57.169-05:00Hello, Parnassus - While I'm not a numismatist...Hello, Parnassus - While I'm not a numismatist, I do love studying old paper currency, and I've always been struck by how much the designs and symbols alluded to the ancient past. The old liberty dime always reminded me a little of Alexander the Great.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-85490696062104742192011-12-11T11:52:22.572-05:002011-12-11T11:52:22.572-05:00I think all of your reasons are correct regarding ...I think all of your reasons are correct regarding the pose. At least, they are all feasible. This is going to sound way out there, but your post made me look at classical renditions of the Sphinx, and there is the same crouching, winged, pose that can be found.Dig Brooklynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17993518443437173921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-27108283757555116162011-12-11T09:23:35.460-05:002011-12-11T09:23:35.460-05:00Hello Mark,
I'm up to date now and as usual, I...Hello Mark,<br />I'm up to date now and as usual, I leave so delighted and inspired. <br />Thank you.<br />Anyes<br />XXAnyes K. Busby - Studio Vignette Fine Arthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00989650562190771548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-66290664359794920292011-12-11T09:20:48.927-05:002011-12-11T09:20:48.927-05:00Fra Angelico's angel's wings have always a...Fra Angelico's angel's wings have always absolutely fascinated meP.Gaye Tapp at Little Auguryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15115534755711063462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-80461353924879866582011-12-11T08:06:04.687-05:002011-12-11T08:06:04.687-05:00Hello Mark, Another very beautiful post. You men...Hello Mark, Another very beautiful post. You mentioned that red was favored in altar pieces because it was more expensive. Genuine cinnabar (vermillion,) an ancient color, in its original form is obtained by shooting arrows into inaccessible cliffs to dislodge it. These ancient colors are still available from a German company, Kremer-Pegmente. Vermillion today is replaced with the less toxic Cadmium Red.Ginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03429484235583035595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-58583819892338220292011-12-11T07:56:49.262-05:002011-12-11T07:56:49.262-05:00Hello Mark:
What an interesting and intriguing loo...Hello Mark:<br />What an interesting and intriguing look at the development of the angel in Renaissance art. We agree with you that, those depictions which appear to be the most 'successful' are those of strong composition, drawing the observer into the picture and towards the Virgin Mary, the main subject of the piece.<br /><br />Whatever the individual differences and relative merits of these works, it never fails to amaze us that pictures painted so many centuries ago can still dazzle the onlooker with their brilliance.Jane and Lance Hattatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16831890261259302647noreply@blogger.com