Allegory of the Arts - Bernardo Strozzi

Painting Detail

Allegory of the Arts
Artist: Bernardo Strozzi
Medium: Painting, Oil on canvas, 152x140 cm
Date: c. 1640
Genre: Genre Painting
Source: Stroganov Palace Museum, Leningrad, 1930

Alongside the images of women embodying the arts, some paintings included depictions of the ageing Homer, embodiment of Poetry. Strozzi place a marble bust of Homer in the foreground of his composition, the three women crowding around in a tight group. Their naked shoulders, breasts and plump hands seem almost to touch the marble, its greenish tinge emphasizing the living warmth of their bodies. These women are not classical beauties, but they are full of strength and energy, marvellous in their luxurious solidity. Strozzi almost sculpts the folds of white drapery and the pinkish-yellow striped scarf of Painting, using broad, thick, rough strokes of paint.