El Greco and Lady in a Fur Wrap

'Lady in a fur wrap' (1577-80) by El Greco; Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

I think almost everyone has heard of the painter El Greco, born in 1541 and died on April 7, 1614. He was Greek by birth and El Greco ('The Greek') was his nickname. I have seen some of his paintings in real life but I am not familiar with the one that I've chosen for this post. This painting of a lady in a fur wrap is absolutely beautiful, I think, so I had to show it to you because I think many of you have never seen this either and know El Greco only from his religious paintings. The pink colours in this painting are also very different from the colour palette El Greco is famous for. I googled this painting and found an article in the Guardian of 2004. Apparently there was some debate going on whether the 'Lady in a Fur Wrap' was by the hand of El Greco. Click here for a further analysis of this painting. There is much to tell about El Greco's life and his art in style and technique that I simply refer you to the link above. Since this painter is so much linked to Toledo and I love Spain, there is no reason why I should not visit and see more of his work. 

'Jupiter and Io' by Correggio

'Jupiter and Io' (c.1530) by Antonio da Correggio; Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna

Today it was easy again to find a painting. I've always been interested in Greek mythology and as you might know, mythology, like symbolism, has always played an important part in art. I have books on mythology in art and one of the paintings that can be found in these books, is this one by Antonio da Correggio, born in August 1489 and died on 5th of March, 1534. He was one of the leading painters of the Parma school of the Italian Renaissance and a painter in the Mannerist tradition. In this painting, Io, the daughter of the first king of Argos, named Inachus, is seduced by Jupiter (Zeus in Greek). Jupiter had many mistresses, some of them mortal, and would appear to them in a transformed state in order to seduce them. Io was a mortal, a nymph. Jupiter had turned himself into a cloud and had hidden behind the dunes to be out of sight of his jealous wife Juno (Hera in Greek). This painting is quite erotic and sensuous. Imagine being caressed by a cloud!

Parmigianino and Pallas Athene

'Pallas Athene' (1539) by Parmigianino; Royal Collection, Windsor Castle, London

I know Parmigianino (11 January 1503 - 24 August 1540) as the Italian artist who painted 'Madonna with the long neck', an art work in the Mannerist tradition. He was a prominent Mannerist painter from Parma. Parmagianino is his nickname and means 'the little one from Parma'. This portrait of Pallas Athene has been painted in the Mannerist style as well, with the unmistakable elongated proportions. I think this is a beautiful painting and you probably must know by now that I like portraits better than landscapes or still life paintings. 

Jacopo Pontormo and The Deposition from the Cross

Detail from 'The Deposition from the Cross' (completed in 1528) by Jacopo Pontormo; Church of Santa Felicita, Florence

The nice part of this calendar principle is that I might not find an artist known to me, for a certain date. Like today. So I have to go and look for an artist that I haven't heard of before. Luckily I found Pontormo, an Italian Mannerist and Renaissance painter, born on May 24, 1494, and died on January 2, 1557, and apparently not a small artist, judging by the Wikipedia page. 'The Deposition from the Cross' is an alterpiece, to be seen in the Church of Santa Felicita in Florence. Pontormo started this work around 1525 and completed it in 1528. It's a portrayal of the life of Jesus and generally considered to be his masterpiece.