Adoration Of The Magi Essay

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Introduction Adoration of the Magi was a painting that was commissioned Gaspare di Zanobi and painted by Sandro Botticelli. The painting was believed to be done in Renaissance era in the year 1475. The art work was a depiction of gifts being laid down in front of a baby Jesus. This was a common theme in the Renaissance era. As stated by Total History “The Adoration of the Magi is Sandro Botticelli’s depiction of a famous scene, where the three Magi, or kings, bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to lay before a baby Jesus. This was a popular theme among Renaissance painters, and Botticelli’s version dates back to around 1475” ("Total History," 2014, para. 1). The medium was tempera on wood, done in oil. The painting is now located in Uffizi of Florence, Italy. Development…show more content…
Even though it is a busy scene, the focus of my attention went straight to the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. Even the light from the star is shining down directly upon them. My first instinct is backed by the information in our text. Stated in our text “The groups of adoring visitors on the left and right provide balance around the axial line and focus attention on the central figures” (Wold, Martin, Miller, & Cykler, 1996, p. 137). Botticelli used shading to give dimension to his paintings. He also used soft curved lines to give the painting a relax feel to it. The setting is set in a dilapidated building, yet there is no sense of distress in the scene. Even the edges of the collapsed structure are not sharp. Botticelli’s technique and colors allows him to make the picture glisten. He uses this to make the clothing and jewels of royalty stand out. The technique he uses is called scumbles. As stated in Artble “Generally they were applied in thin, opaque layers known as "scumbles", but the reds and dark greens were frequently glazed”("Artble," para.

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