Museum-Bound Companions for Those of Us Who Have Never Taken an Art History Class

Lets face it fellow Americans, the majority of the finest classical art can be found in no other than Europe central… especially Florence. But just because Europe has somewhat of an iron grip on the world’s most significant pieces of art – they’ve been known to pillage, plunder and bribe weaker countries out of some of their most valuable artifacts without much of a moral consciousness – doesn’t mean we can’t give this cultured crowd a run for their money!

Unless you were an Art History major, classical art – strictly speaking art produced during the Medieval and Renaissance periods – can seem… well… forgive me… a bit boring. I mean, you’ve seen one nativity scene you’ve seen them all, right? Can’t they paint something ELSE? For those of us who didn’t just gasp in horror, how can we hope to traverse this world of archaic imagery and stay engaged?

I recently returned from a twenty-one day marthon-esque crusade through some of Italy’s most exalted art galleries, mostly at the command of my culture-crazed parents. Reading my mother’s itinerary alone, was enough for me to get up and pour myself a stiff drink. Galleries like the ones in Italy can take hours to traverse and can be massively overwhelming to say the least. My mission? To not end up like the figure on my right. My weapons? The following three books.

Understanding Paintings: Bible Stories and Classical Myths in Art

By Patrick De Rynck

After wanderings around the Uffizi Gallery in Florence for a good three hours, bleary-eyed and foot sore, I was inevitably funneled into the colossal-sized museum gift shop. Amongst cheesy magnets, key chains and mouse pads, I found this book. This was just what I needed… something to get all those crazy Greek gods and biblical saints straightened out once and for all. I cozied up in a corner amongst a pile of Carravagio posters and settled in for what would probably be an hour wait for my dad -- a man who could spend literally days in a museum if he wasn’t strong armed out by a couple of museum security guards. Good god, what could he possibly be staring at for so long? It’s a basket of fruit for Christ sakes.

So anyways, back to the book. It’s organized by the common Latin name of the god, hero or historical figure. Then, once you turn to that particular figure, the subject of the painting are organized from earliest to most current. Lets turn for example to Jesus Christ. The first image we see… any guesses? Quite obviously, the Nativity. The beginning of the life of Christ. What I really love about this book, is that it gives the actual text – either the biblical text or the literary text – that describes the scene being painted. It then shows several depictions of the scene done by different artists and explains how each put their own spin on the scene. Cool, huh?

If you only pick up this book for a few minutes to flip through at Borders or hopefully your local independent booksmith, flip to the section on Judith and her beheading of Holofernes… its no surprise that the scene was painted by several prominent artists of the day, most famously Caravaggio. No one can resist a good beheading, especially a painter. Who wouldn’t pause a few extra minutes in front of a painting depicting a young maiden about to drop a severed head into a knapsack? It certainly beats a basket of fruit. For Caravaggio’s famous depiction of Judith slicing off the head of Holofernes click here.

Symbolism and Allegories in Art

By Matilde Battistini

Once I handed over my 28 euros for the first book… I couldn’t stop myself. Not surprisingly, I barely had time to refuel before we were off to the next museum – the Galleria dell’Accademia – famous for possessing Michelangelo’s David sculpture. Slightly overrated in my opinion, but I transgress. Yet again, after a few hours and still miles ahead of my parents, I was browsing another museum gift shop and I found this little book. This is a great companion book to the first I mentioned above. By having both, you’re really covering your bases. Here’s why: this book explains how certain themes – not people or mythical figures – arise in paintings and what they usually symbolize.

Lets start with a popular biblical image, say the garden. When you see a garden in a classic painting, does it have special meaning? According to Ms. Battistini, a garden represents man’s ordering of nature and reason’s dominance over unconscious impulses. Ahem… sound familiar? The author goes on to explain that walls around a garden underscore the garden’s boundary lines between nature and culture. Who knew? Take a look at the late 1400s Flemish tapestry The Unicorn in Captivity from the cycle The Hunt for the Unicorn. The fence around the patch of wilderness – a classic symbol for the garden – represents a place where bestial passions are tamed. I think I’m seeing a pattern here.

Art in the Modern Era: A Guide to Styles, Schools and Movements

By Amy Dempsy

After an unholy dose of classical art, by the time we had reached Venice I needed a trip back to the future. My parents and I parted ways – they to the National Gallery and me to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum…. ahhh at last… nothing like some paint splattered on a canvas to make us Americans feel right at home. Of course, interpretation wise, we’re not much better off, are we? No one will leave you scratching your head like Pollak and Rothko. Pretty to look at, sure… but how can one tell the Picasco from the bum on the street corner pedaling cheap knock-offs?

This book is great for anyone who wants to have a deeper understanding of why certain pieces are famous and the artists who created them. While I only flipped through briefly, I am definitely going to pick up a copy before I head to my local MOMA back in Boston. Check out this artist’s webpage for a quick and dirty approach to modern art interpretation.

Ahhh Florence.