National Gallery of Art Inspiration - High Renaisance

After the Titian paintings in my previous post, the next group of paintings I was in awe of at the National Gallery, were those of the Late Renaissance and Baroque period.

Not having any Caravaggios in their collection, the two that were the most Caravaggio-like were the ones below, by Gentileschi and Ribera, and they were fantastic to see in person. Unfortunately my hand was not steady enough to get a clear enough close-up shot to share here.

Gentileschi was one of a group of painters who carried on the techniques of the master Caravaggio. This subject was a popular one in early 1600s Italy. This particular piece has a little still-life incorporated into it too.

                           Orazio Gentileschi “The Lute Player”


Both images use light in a way not seen in earlier Renaissance works. I love the dark, neutral backgrounds that really help push the subject to the front

                 Jusepe De Ribera “The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew”

The High Renaissance is well represented in the rooms at the National Gallery of Art, but so is one of my favorite periods, 1600s Baroque. We’ll look at those next post.

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