4 Video Reviews

Velasquez:
I chose this video because my major is Spanish Ed. And naturally, the video about the Spaniard Velasquez interested me.
Some key concepts addressed in the video are that he was born in Seville, Spain in 1599. He was the court painter. He died in 1616. He served the palace in many ways and he was considered nobility. He captured moments of life in his paintings. He represents “Artlessness”, nature, and organic-ness. This video relates to the reading in that both the book and video discuss his works. His paintings were pictures of reality. He painted as part of the Baroque era. I thought this film was interesting, although it was a bit slow moving. It showed many of his works of art which interested me a lot. It was a nice opportunity to see his works all in one place at one time.

El Greco: Rediscovering a Master
I chose this video because of my Spanish Ed. Background and also because I am Greek. El Greco learned how to paint from masters like Tintoretto in Italy, but mainly was self-taught. At 37 years old, El Greco came to Spain. He is considered one of the greatest Spanish painters of all time. He received contracts to paint for the royal families. El Greco was considered a Mannerist, as far as his artistic style goes, and the book discussed this as well. He painted icons and religious themes in a typical Italian style, also. I enjoyed this film about El Greco. I have done several research projects on him and his works and I thought this video was very thorough. I always enjoy learning more about him.

Leonardo DiVinci: The Mind of the Renaissance:
I chose this video because although DiVinci is incredibly famous, I actually don’t know too much about him/his life. Key concepts I learned from the video are  that DiVinci was born in Tuscany. DiVinci became fascinated with the human form/body. He observed gestures, movements, and details that he called “motions of the soul”. He was considered the “Renaissance Man”. He has an internal desire to undestand things, especially their make up and how they worked. DiVinci was amazingly talented in sculptures, paintings, and architecture. This video relates to the readings because both described his life and talent and works. This video was interesting but was slow moving in my opinion. It was hard for me to pay attention, honestly. I did enjoy seeing all the works by DiVinci.

The Night Watch: Rembrandt
I chose this video because I know very little about Rembrandt. The video discusses the great icon of Dutch art, “The Night Watch”. It is 11x14ft, very complex and intriguing. It is both a military scene, but also cryptic because a little girl Is present and also a small dog. Rembrandt wanted the painting to be more than just a portrait. The men in the painting were aristocrats who paid hefty sums to be included in the painting. The painting shows his ambition and is filled with action and emotion. It captures that moment in time, so to say.
This video relates to the book in that both describe his relation to the Baroque style. The book also decribes his “The Night Watch” painting, as well as the video (which focuses solely on it). I thought this video was interesting in the fact that it focused in just one work by Rembrandt. I never had heard of it before, and therefore learned a lot from this video.