Just one of my mornings, but today I decided to share. I get up quite early, around 5 am every morning. I start my day by opening all windows and letting morning freshness inside. Song of birds in three's... no people... no cars... Just the hour of peace while the city is slowly waking up.
Usually, in the morning, I like to make coffee and enjoy researching the works of the renaissance and baroque artists. It always fascinated me what they were able to create without today's "normal", like millions of references from the internet, downloadable brushes, and tutorials available just one-click away. The most fascinating part to me is the depth of their structural creativity that then lead to their unique styles. Comparing, for example, Paul Rubens and Rembrandt. Since Rembrandt was born only 29 years later, there is an obvious influence of Rubens on his work. But then again, if you pay close attention to outlines and colors, you may notice that Rembrandt formed a completely different style. As I mentioned above, most artists from these periods didn't have insight or easy access to inspirations nor techniques of other artists. In order to learn and to do new work, many artists had to travel all over the world. At that time, they were forced to think about how to improve existing techniques and form their own with what they got, they even had to make their colors and tools manually. And just think about this, they have never seen a single photo in their lives, everything they ever painted was made either from their memory or real life.
Anyway, until I get to Rembrandt or Rubens again. Here are some works of Domenico Fetti I checked today. He lived only for around 30 years, but at that relatively short period of time, he managed to master painting and create some of the most historic arts. I hope you will find some inspiration in this post. As for me, time to work...
DOMENICO FETTI (c. 1589 – 1623), Archimedes Thoughtful, also known as Portrait of a Scholar. Greek scientist (mathematician and physicist), painted 1620 CE in Mantua, Oil on canvas | 98 x 73,5 cm
Location: Gemäldegalerie, Dresden
DOMENICO FETTI (c. 1589 – 1623), David with the Head of Goliath c.1620, Oil on canvas | 153.5 x 125.1 cm
Location: Royal Collection, Windsor
DOMENICO FETTI (c. 1589 – 1623), Melancholy c.1618, Oil on canvas
Location: Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice
DOMENICO FETTI (c. 1589 – 1623), Margherita Gonzaga Receiving the Model of the Church of St Ursula c. 1615, Oil on canvas
Location: Palazzo Ducale, Mantua
DOMENICO FETTI (c. 1589 – 1623), Hero and Leander 1622-23, Oil on wood | 42 x 96 cm
Location: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna