The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC is home to some of the most beautiful and talented works of art to ever exist. The Gallery houses thousands and thousands of works of art and approximately four thousand of these works are paintings. You can admire brilliant paintings by American and European artists from the Renaissance to the present day. Throughout this essay, I intend to enter the Gallery figuratively and analyze one of his finest works through a variety of sources. The work I will talk about is The Crucifixion by Paolo Veneziano. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayHowever, first the artist himself Paolo Veneziano. Venetian can also be called Paolo Da Venezia. “In his later years Paolo Veneziano had many assistants, including his sons Luca and Giovanni, and it is difficult to determine which paintings are by the same master and which were painted by members of his workshop. There are numerous signed and dated works by Paolo Veneziano that can give him credit. Paul's style was based on the late Byzantine tradition; he appears to have had some knowledge of contemporary Rimini painting, and his more advanced works indicate that he was profoundly influenced by Gothic art. He can be considered the founder of the Venetian school and his influence was strongly felt throughout the fourteenth century. Many considered Paolo Veneziano one of the most influential artists of the fourteenth century, a title acquired thanks to his ownership of the Venetian School. Paolo was the son and brother of two artists but his name was the only one that remained imprinted on the public. His fame is marked by numerous commissions for the most important churches in Venice, works in the territories of the Venetian mainland, churches in Bologna and for cities on the Adriatic coast. The Renaissance was a time in European culture when rebirth occurred. The “rebirth” aspect has taken place in Europe culturally, artistically, politically and economically. It began at the end of the Middle Ages. Thus, this period lasted from the 14th century to the 17th century "and promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art". The Crucifixion was created between 1340 and 1345. Depending on which country you are talking about, the Renaissance varies in its start and end dates. In Italy, for example, the Renaissance began in the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. However, in France the Renaissance began in the 15th century and ended in the early 17th century. The Crucifixion was created between 1340 and 1345, so technically it is not from the Renaissance period. The term "Proto-Renaissance" is used in the Fine Arts to refer to a work of art that emerged in the pre-Renaissance period. Classifies works of art created between 1300 and the beginning of the Renaissance in 1400. This work was created using tempera on wood. Tempera on panel was the primary medium of choice during the early Renaissance for paintings on wood panels. “Any pigment tempered with a water-soluble binder such as egg yolk, glair (egg white), gum arabic or animal glue is called tempera paint. The tempera technique involves mixing egg yolk with pigments of color ground to form an emulsion that can be diluted with water and applied with a brush. The resulting paint was carefully layered in thin layers and dried to a hard, matte finish. It is a technique suitable for using graceful lines , delicate tones and a limited palette of delicate colors. Tempera had greater brightness and depth of tone than fresco but less brilliance and intensity than oil paint. Its main disadvantage, however, was its rapid drying time which made it very difficultuniform mixing of tones. Painting through Tempura was a complex task but nothing Veneziano couldn't handle. The Crucifixion of Jesus has been a popular subject in the arts since before the pagan Roman Empire. The story of Jesus that is happening here is his death by crucifixion. The Crucifixion involves a person in this case, Jesus, being nailed or tied to a cross with wooden beams. Here Jesus is nailed. This particular incident is also occurring on the city walls of Jerusalem. Angels flutter above Jesus and collect the blood from his wounds. On the left is a group of four women. At the center is Mary, mother of Jesus, those who stand beside her as support as she mourns the death of her son. Mary Magdalene is kneeling under the cross. Mary Magdalene was a Jewish woman and one of his followers, who witnessed his death. Then to the right of the cross there are four men. The first next to the cross is Saint John the Evangelist, next to him are a number of soldiers. What will eventually happen is that Jesus will bleed to death. In other cases those who remained here will end up dying of exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was a form of cruel punishment well known in the Christian faith. As previously mentioned, Veneziano's works have been recognized to have Byzantine and Gothic style influences. This work in particular was clearly influenced by both the Byzantine and Gothic styles. These elements can be seen most prominently in Veneziano's choice of iconography and his overall style. The National Gallery of Art does a great job highlighting specific areas of influence, they say: “This panel, for example, shows the Crucifixion taking place in front of the crenellated walls of Jerusalem. Fluttering angels collect the blood of Christ and Adam's skull lies buried beneath the rock of Golgotha. All these details are found in Byzantine representations. The fainting Virgin and kneeling Mary Magdalene, however, derive from Western European depictions. In terms of style, Paolo's painting straddles the two traditions, combining the abstraction of Byzantine icons with the softer patterns and more dynamic poses found in Western art. Considering this, it can be understood that its style is largely Byzantine, however, other elements may suggest a Gothic/Western influence. This work is surprisingly small for me. When I was faced with all the different artworks in the National Gallery of Art, this particular piece didn't shock me until I got close to it. For example, the very room above is the Altarpiece of Saint Anna. The St. Anne Altarpiece is 92 15/16 x 29 13/16 inches extraordinarily large and towers over me. The Crucifixion measures only 14 5/8 x 17 7/8 x 2 1/4 inches where I tower it, so their dimensions cannot be compared. However, what the dimensions can tell us is where these pieces would have been placed. The Altarpiece of Sant'Anna was thought to be on the main altar of a church due to its immense presence. The Crucifixion is too small to stand alone on the main altar and make an impact. Hundreds of years ago, most paintings like The Crucifixion were part of altarpieces. This piece is actually believed to be the top part of a mobile triptych/portable altarpiece. “Originally this painting had an arched top, the outline of which can still be traced in the different appearance of the gilding, which shows that the corners were much later to transform the panel into a rectangle. Changes like this highlight the fact that early Italian paintings were treated very differently than today's museum-goers." That said, they both make you feel at one.