Saint Anthony Tempted By A Heap Of Gold Analysis

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PART I – SAINT ANTHONY ABBOTT TEMPTED BY A HEAP OF GOLD
The piece Saint Anthony Abbott Tempted by a Heap of Gold was painted in 1435 by a Sienese artist known as the Master of the Osservanza (Getlein, 2013, p. 162). The piece is of one of eight panels that was inspired by the life of Saint Anthony Abbot and depicts the subject, Saint Anthony, on a journey down a rocky pathway. His journey starts from a church and weaves its way through what may be viewed as a desert landscape. We are allowed a brief moment to observe Saint Anthony looking in disdain at an object that appears to be something he is either fearful of or wants to distance himself from. When we look down we notice that the object he appears to be looking at is a small rabbit cowering in fear; however we also notice that there appears to be an area on the painting that may have been altered eliminating a key element, which was thought to be a pot of gold (Getlein, 2013, p. 162).
This piece was created using tempera and employs a layering technique and small brush strokes (Getlein, 2013, p. 162). It is oriented vertically and exemplifies several design techniques including: asymmetrical balance, rhythm, emphasis/subordination, and proportion. The asymmetrical balance can be …show more content…

Light is used to make the face of the subject appear as if it is coming out from the shadows. Space is used in the same manner but using darkness. The dark space allows us to focus only on the face. Nothing else will distract us from the face that emerges from the dark space. Color is used rather sparingly. The only interesting use of color is the red used in the head piece. Again this appears to draw attention to the fact that a big wrap is needed to protect and cover a big brain which houses immense intelligence. The face in the portrait is considered an organic shape as it appears natural in

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