Art Institute

The first painting I thought was interesting was a painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. It was called "Rinaldo and Armida in her garden". It showed Rinaldo gazing into Armida eyes with his shield and sword cast aside, he forgotall about his mission to liberate Jerusalem. She looked into her magic mirror as Carlo and Ubaldo (Rinaldo's fellow warriors) look upon them from beyond the garden's gate. I think the artist reflect self and other in this painting because Rinaldo ignores himself and his true desires to free Jerusalem and let the other which is Armida to influence him to do the oppisite. He wasn't strong enough to resist her and that's how real life is the people you are around and exposed to side track you into doing other things that wasn't in your plans. The artist did an incredible job with this painting and I honestly enjoyed it.



The second painting that I thought had a message that was worth writing about was by Giovanni Battista Piazzetta. It was intitled "The beggar boy (The young pilgrim)", it was a little boy in ragged clothes holding a loaf of bread and a rosary. I chose this painting because I figured it related to self and other because the boy was poor and had to beg to get by, he might have thought that it wasn't so bad being poor since he was young. But other's might have viewed him as disgusting or worthless and it's just different how you think of yourself from how ohters do. Although the painting has also been thought to be the artist's son dressed in a pilgrim costume posing for the painting but if someone didnt know that info they might have said horrible things about the boy for not having much.



The last painting I looked at was by John Philip Simpson and it was called "The captive Slave" it was of a black man with shackles around his wrists and ankles. The slave trade was the inspiration behind this incredible painting. Because it ws a controversial and politiacl issue the man in the painting decided to pose as a symbol of wanting freedom. This conflicted with self because the artist and the man posing in the painting put themselves on the line and took a risk of being caught and killed. This expressed how strong they were and how they would of done anything for their freedom. Other is expressed here also being the slave owner or other angry anti black organizations. Even though they are methaphoric and intangable they still represent the other half or the story.