Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family, approx 1470, Swabian artist
According to the National Gallery UK: The woman’s large white headdress, its calligraphic shape made up of stiff, angular folds, is striking against the dark background. Shading around the folds reinforces the sense of their depth, and the artist seems to want us to think that a fly, deceived by his illusion, has attempted to land on the headdress. The fly is, of course, also part of the deception and perhaps intended to reinforce the artist’s mastery.
As flies could spread disease and were sometimes seen as a symbol of sinfulness, its presence might be intended to ward against evil and illness. National Gallery UK
New Deadline for Submissions: January 31, 2021 The first annual Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards are aimed at encouraging artists to focus on and develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The competition …
[image_with_animation image_url=”11565″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Her work looks to me like a modern Morandi. The composition is static, the colors are either quiet or repetitive and controlled, the objects …
Take a class with SAL – anywhere! Recently I posted about The Language of Color, in which I relate pinking shears to pink, the color. Please allow me to clarify. According …
The Hofer Woman and the Fly
According to the National Gallery UK: The woman’s large white headdress, its calligraphic shape made up of stiff, angular folds, is striking against the dark background. Shading around the folds reinforces the sense of their depth, and the artist seems to want us to think that a fly, deceived by his illusion, has attempted to land on the headdress. The fly is, of course, also part of the deception and perhaps intended to reinforce the artist’s mastery.
As flies could spread disease and were sometimes seen as a symbol of sinfulness, its presence might be intended to ward against evil and illness. National Gallery UK
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