Visual Analysis
Samantha Garn
Instructor Iddings
English 101
11 October 2013
Visual Analysis In The Altar Piece of Ciudad Rodrigo, Fernando Gallego strays from his strict perspective paintings to depict a biblical scene from the Old Testament, the Creation of Eve. The painting is a Spanish imitation of Flemish style painting, which is found in Europe. This painting is drastically different from his other works. In this painting, there are figures everywhere in the image, with Jesus as a central focal point, but there is no defined perspective. The angles of Adam and Eve are very off and create a strange perception. This contributes to the painting’s chaotic and lively feel. The artist’s other works focus on several highlights of Jesus’ life and have defined architecture and point of view. Each painting in the collection shares a top border of three dome shapes, which demonstrate congruity throughout the collection as a kind of signature. In the Creation of Eve painting, there are no sharp edges or human architecture that defines a point of view. The artist almost creates a hodgepodge of imagery with only two layers: a foreground and background. When compared with his other works, it becomes clear that the lack of definition is intentional. There are several different animals depicted throughout the painting, showing the futility of the Garden of Eden. One particularly interesting animal depicted is the mythical griffin. The artist may have included this mythical beast in his religious painting to demonstrate a personal interest in myth or even further demonstrate the variety of creatures that existed in the Garden of Eden. The central point of the painting is Jesus Christ, which is peculiar because in the biblical tale of the Creation of Eve, Jesus Christ was not present. God, the creator, and the Holy Spirit, the messenger, were responsible for the creation of the Garden of Eden. Whilst all a part of the Trinity, Jesus should not have been depicted in the painting. A
Instructor Iddings
English 101
11 October 2013
Visual Analysis In The Altar Piece of Ciudad Rodrigo, Fernando Gallego strays from his strict perspective paintings to depict a biblical scene from the Old Testament, the Creation of Eve. The painting is a Spanish imitation of Flemish style painting, which is found in Europe. This painting is drastically different from his other works. In this painting, there are figures everywhere in the image, with Jesus as a central focal point, but there is no defined perspective. The angles of Adam and Eve are very off and create a strange perception. This contributes to the painting’s chaotic and lively feel. The artist’s other works focus on several highlights of Jesus’ life and have defined architecture and point of view. Each painting in the collection shares a top border of three dome shapes, which demonstrate congruity throughout the collection as a kind of signature. In the Creation of Eve painting, there are no sharp edges or human architecture that defines a point of view. The artist almost creates a hodgepodge of imagery with only two layers: a foreground and background. When compared with his other works, it becomes clear that the lack of definition is intentional. There are several different animals depicted throughout the painting, showing the futility of the Garden of Eden. One particularly interesting animal depicted is the mythical griffin. The artist may have included this mythical beast in his religious painting to demonstrate a personal interest in myth or even further demonstrate the variety of creatures that existed in the Garden of Eden. The central point of the painting is Jesus Christ, which is peculiar because in the biblical tale of the Creation of Eve, Jesus Christ was not present. God, the creator, and the Holy Spirit, the messenger, were responsible for the creation of the Garden of Eden. Whilst all a part of the Trinity, Jesus should not have been depicted in the painting. A