The Rape Of Lucretia Analysis

A painter of the late Baroque School of Venice, Sebastiano Ricci was born in Belluno, Italy in 1659. In 1673, at the age of fourteen, he moved to Venice and began learning from the artist Frederico Cervelli, a Milanese painter, who helped him in establishing a solid foundation for his career as an artist. In 1681, he departed for Bologna in 1681 to study art extensively for fifteen years, where he learned to decorate, color, and integrate light effects in his works. In his return to Venice, Ricci mastered the art of color, light, outfits, and textures, having been heavily influenced by the artist Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole. After 1700, Sebastiano’s works became so famous that he was summoned to execute several commissions in Vienna and Florence,

The artist’s use of line to create movement in the painting is very obvious. Lucretia’s body creates an implied diagonal line which shows action and movement. Additionally, the cloak is also very curvy, appearing “fanned out”, as if she is in the midst of backing away. As well, the curtains are implied curves, and the furniture is an implied diagonal. These lines leave the viewer wondering what will happen next. With these repeated curves and diagonals, the artist creates a sense of unity and rhythm, helping the viewer “read” the composition, or move their eyes through it. The dominant shape repeated in the composition is organic, which also adds unity to the piece. Evidently, there are no horizontal lines in the painting, but the subordinate columns bring variety to the painting in that they are both vertical and geometric, in addition to symbolizing power. Furthermore, the primary color red dominates, creating unity; it appears in Lucretia’s outfit, the furniture, and the curtains. Interestingly, red is the color of danger, since it is the color of blood, and therefore, death; it is also the first color noticed by the human eye. Her gown is also has some white, a neutral, which represents purity and surrender. The artist did not use a warm, nor a cool color scheme in the

The aspect I found most especially pleasant would be Sebastiano Ricci’s use of value and line. I admire the ability of Ricci to create such realistic images using oil paint on a canvas. I enjoyed my experience visiting the Dayton Art Institute to explore the different styles of art, especially the Realism paintings from the Gray Gallery of 18th Century European art, such as Ricci’s