ART F200X: Faith's Blog

     Sandro Botticelli was one of the most influential painters of the Renaissance. He was known for using bright colors, a delicate touch, and conveying a depth of emotion that made his work stand out. Connected with the powerful Medici family, Botticelli was one of the most sought after painters of his day. As a teenager, Botticelli was offered a studio space within the Medici palace itself, an honor that launched the rest of his career. He even managed to befriend Lorenzo and Giuliano Medici, the heirs to the family legacy.  ("Medici: Godfathers Of The Renaissance. Botticelli | PBS")     Having a good relationship with the most powerful family in Florence ensured that Botticelli would have a successful career, and indeed he did. Over his lifetime, Botticelli created some of the most beautiful and well known paintings of the Italian Renaissance. The painting I have chosen to discuss today is not extremely well known, but it clearly displays Botticelli's skill and style.

      I love sunflowers. They've always been one of my favorite flowers, ever since I was a little kid. There's a huge row of them growing out in our garden right now, and a big vase full sitting on the kitchen table. Something about the bright, blazing yellow, the impossible size of the flower heads, the tall, gangly stems (ours are well over ten feet), the massive green leaves, and the fact that they always seem slightly out of control no matter how hard you try to contain them, just brings me joy.       Happily for the art world, I am not the only person who has loved these beautiful flowers. Vincent Van Gogh's series Sunflowers are some of his best known works, and some of my personal favorites. He painted five of them in Paris in 1887, and seven in Arles from 1888-1889.   (Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers, 2021)     The painting I have chosen to discuss today is the first version of Sunflowers from his second series, painted in Arles.  The work is 73.5 x 60cm, oil on ca