Comparison of two paintings

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Comparison of two paintings

Paintings have been used to represent people since the beginning of the human race.

Through time due to advancements in material and painting techniques combined with the ever-increasing talent of the artists, paintings representing people have become very lifelike and are extremely realistic. Some painted portraits have as much detail as modern photographs. However, there are also paintings of people that are representational in which the artist is trying to convey a message. This paper discusses the two types through the comparison of two paintings, Abaporu and Portrait of a Lady.

The painting are from two different time periods. Abaporu dates from 1928. The name of the artist is Tarsila do Amaral from Brazil. The painting is oil on canvas. Portrait of a Lady dates from 1490 by Domenico Ghirlandaio from Italy. Portrait of a Lady is tempera and oil on panel.

The word Abaporu means the man who eats in the Tupi-Garany language. The painting was a birthday gift to a mayor Brazilian writer and critic Osvaldo de Andrade in January of 1928 (Lucie-Smith 44). This is a representative painting. The painting is a single huge figure with a tiny head and enormous hands and feet. The colors are very bright warm and attractive. A cactus, the sun and the sky are the only background. The background keeps the painting very simple yet it fills the eye of the viewer. The hand and feet rest on the ground symbolizing intimate contact with th...

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