Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna

Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna (National Gallery of Bologna), situated in a quite understated building, housed a "wide collection of Emilian paintings from the 13th to the 18th century, and and other fundamental works by artists who were in some way related to the city." [wikipedia]


Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna



To me, the most impressive works were those medieval icons - flat, gilded, intensely colored, archaic, strange and in a sense, almost startlingly modern.  Below are the highlights from those collections of the early works:


Croce di pinta con la Madonna orante fra due angeli, san francesco e sant'Elena, Maestro dei Crocefissi Francescani, c 1254


Il Gotico






San Giacomo alla battaglia di Clavijo, Pseudo Jacopino, 1315-20


Sotire di Cristo e santi,Maestro di San Nicolò degli Albari, c 1320, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna


Crocifissione di Cristo. [in basso] Sepoltura di Cristo e Discesa al Limbo. Santi Francesco, Caterina, Bartolomeo e Chiara, Baronzio Giovanni, c 1330


San Giorgio libera la principassa, c 1330-35, Vitale degli Equi detto Vitale da Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna


Rilievo tattile dell'opera di San Giorgio libera la principassa,Vitale da Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna


Polittico con la Dormitio Virginis e l'Incoronazione della Vergine, Pseudo Jacopino, 1330-35


Polittico con la Presentazione al Tempio e la Pietà, Pseudo Jacopino, 1330-35


Arcangelo Gabriele e Vergine annunziata, c 1350-55, Simone di Filippo detto dei Crocefissi


Madonna col Bambino, angeli e il donatore Giovanni da Piacenza, de' Crocefissi, c 1378


Anconetta, Simone di Filippoo detto dei Crocefissi, c 1390-95


Sant'Ubaldo Vescovo (l), Pietà (r), Maestro di San Verecondo, 1415-30


Paradiso e Inferno, Maestro dell'Avicenna, c 1435


Trionfo della Fama, Trionfo della Tempo, Zanobi di Benedetto di Caroccio degli Strozzi, c 1440-45


Polittico, Vivarini Antonio, Vivarini Bartolomeo, 1450


Madonna in trono col bambino fra i Santi Girolamo e Petronio, [In alto] l'Annunciazione fra i santi Stefano, Domenico, Francesco e Agostino, Lianori Pietro, 1453

The following examples demonstrated a markedly changed styles - coloration was less intense, more in-line with the Renaissance, so was the modulation of the figures, more naturalistic and less flatly stylized:


[in alto] Cristo morto fra la Madonna e S. Giovanni, Maestro della Pala dei Muratori, c 1476; Madonna col Bambino in trono e i Santi Claudio, Castorio, Martino e Girolamo, , Maestro della Pala dei Murato


San Michele Arcangelo, Roberti Ercole de', 1470-80



These frescoes and paintings below again, affirmed the decided departure from medieval art and the figures, compositions became quite familiar to the eyes accustomed to Renaissance paintings and one sensed the influences and traffic of ideas and techniques from those titans such as Lippi, Botticelli, and Bellini:


Volto di Maria piangente, Roberti Ercole de', XV Secolo


Gli affreschi di Mezzaratta, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna


Sette scene dalla vita di Giuseppe (top), Jacopo del Biondo (q) - Maestro del Pozzo, 15th Century


Ritratto di Ludovico Bolognini, Maestro della pala dei Muratori (q), c 1480-85


San Petronio fra i Santi Domenico e Francesco, Costa Lorenzo, 1502


Madonna col Bambino, Palmezzano Marco, 1506-13


Affreschi staccati da palazzo Torfanini, Alcina riceve Ruggero nel suo castello (l), Niccolò dell'Abate, c 1548-50


Affreschi staccati da palazzo Torfanini, Ruggero volge lo scudo contro la flotta di Alcina (l), Niccolò dell'Abate, c 1548-50; Battaglia fra la flotta di Logistilla e quella di Alcina (r), Niccolò dell'Abate

With the advance of Titian and El Greco, the paintings reached its apex in their expressivity in the naturalistic style:


Gesù Cristo e il buon ladrone, Tiziano Vecellio e aiuti, c 1563


Ultima Cena, Theotokòpulos Domenico detto El Greco, 1564-70

Then, we moved on to mannerism - not necessarily a negative term.  I appreciate the delicate figure drawings and the intensely contrasted yet wonderfully harmonious colors.  Though, more staring at them in a group for a long period could be a challenge - I got saturated more easily by these stylization:


Madonna col Bambino in gloria e i Santi Naborre, Felice, Francesco, Chiara, Giovanni Battista, Maria Maddalena e Caterina, Samacchini Orazio, c 1570


Flagellazione di Cristo, Calvaert Denis, c 1575


Bambino giacente nella Culla, Fontana Lavinia, c 1583


Adorazione dei pastori, Procaccini Camillo, 1584


Annunciazione, Faccini Pietro, c 1600

18th Century was a mixed bag.  One of my favorite portrait below, was absolutely remarkable and its modernity was an anomaly amongst the French school of grand tableaux of the neoclassical male nudes:


Ritratto di gentildonna (la Madre), Reni Guido, c 1615-42


Abele morto, Giovanni Battista Gaulli detto il Baciccia/Baciccio (8 May 1639 – 2 April 1709)


Sansone vittorioso, Reni Guido, XVII Secolo


Philoctete nell’isola di Lemnos, Barry James, 1770

And the final two examples were almost the forerunner of the French Impressionism and it was a relief to be comforted by these, after those flawless yet immobile and lifeless fleshes above.


Scena di genere con tre figure, Burrini Giovanni Antonio, 1685-90


Scena di fattoria, Crespi Giuseppe Maria, c 1710-15


Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst: 
- Cappella degli Scrovegni and Musei Civici degli Eremitani in Padova (Padua)
- Visiting Four Universities in Austria and Italy
- San Giorgio Maggiore, Il Redentore, Scuola e Chise Grande di San Rocco, Venezia
- Magical Piazza San Marco in Venice
- Magnificent Churches in Vienna
- My Favorite Frescoes at Santa Croce, Firenze
- My Favorite Art Works at Santa Maria Novella, Firenze
- My Favorite Artworks at Museo di San Marco, Firenze
- My Favorite Artworks at Cappelle Medicee, San Lorenzo, Firenze
- My Favorite Works at Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Firenze, Italia

Label: Italy, Austria and Italy Trip 2012

Via Marchesana, Market near Albergo delle Drapperie, Bologna

After Venice and Padua, our next stop was Bologna, during our October 2012 trip to Austria and Italy.  Bologna was a lively and dynamic city, with a huge universities presence.  Our hotel, Albergo delle Drapperie, was not far from the university and just off the center from its Dom, the central square of the city. 







The best feature of our somewhat musty hotel was the wonderful window view, and I often admired the colorful market Via Marchesana down below, situated in the narrow alley:






The groceries were absolutely fresh and lovely and even cloves of garlic were more energetic than usual.





There were shops sold famed tortellini and those mouth-watering pies, cheese and cured meat. 













The market and those shops were just terrific!


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- Fruit Shop and Market in Shenyang, China
- Stores and Markets in Shenyang, China
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Label: Italy, Austria and Italy Trip 2012

New Wilde Magazine Publications

Following the publication of my two figure paintings by Wilde Magazine, Issue 2, two more paintings of mine have just been published in their Summer 2013 Issue (Issue 3).

Quoting the statement from the official website, 

Wilde Magazine was founded in 2012 with the goal of offering a queer perspective on life through art and writing. We are a bi-annual publication, available in both print and digital formats.

We seek to not only offer a high-quality publication of art and literature, but to foster a communal and multimedia experience. Art and writing, culture itself, is not a mere showcase of talent, but rather a discussion.

The nature of queer life, as well as an artistic life, is one centered around community. It's essential in our creative abilities and our rise against adversity. This struggle has been documented by gay artists and writers before us, such as the very one after which this magazine is christened - Oscar Wilde.

It is a honor to have my works included in this magazine again!  I chose to submit some paintings with theme of the comfort of familiar objects, in somewhat strange settings or arrangement, to reflect the marginalized situations.  The paintings they chose to included in this issues are Leisurely (page 16), several slow sinking boats danced to the gentle waves, and White Dresses (page 28), an array of identical white dresses floating in a dreamy or nightmarish space.

Below are the screenshots of the online previews.  You may browse the magazine in a reduced format online, and the print and digital versions of the magazine can be purchased through MagCloud.








Leisurely, Oil on Canvas, 22"x28", 2010




White Dresses, Oil on Canvas, 22"x28", 2011



This is the fourth publication of my paintings this year, others publications are by Four Paintings of Mine Published by Superstition Review, April 2013 and Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 Published with My Paintings and Installation.


Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst:
- Two Figure Paintings of Mine Published by Wilde Magazine Issue 2
- Unexpected Successes of "Stringed White Dresses - An Installation"
- Pomona Valley Review, Issue 7 Published with My Paintings and Installation
- Three Magazines to Publish My Works in April
- Four Paintings of Mine Published by Superstition Review, April 2013