Art History Lesson

Throughout my entire art history education, I have learned that the visual arts are so significantly influential. From as early as the thirteenth century with the Humanist movement all the way to the mid-twentieth century with the American Scene, art has influenced its viewers through the themes of government and status. The poses and hand gestures produced in artwork all carry some sort of impact, a message, on the viewer in a concinnitas aspect. The term, concinnitas, coming from the Italian phrase concinnità and Latin phrase concinnus, means to carefully arrange and adjust, thus rendering to the viewers’ senses. Though, these poses and or gestures are displayed upon one thing the viewer still has this subconscious mind set of power or influence from someone or something else.

This is a genre of communication and learning new information. I could reason that the world would be worse off if it never grasped upon the idea that the little things influence a lot.

The most significant art piece I feel would best helps my argument would be Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s “Allegory of Good and Bad Government” Murals. Created in the early 14th century in Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Lorenzetti’s work consists of three paintings, and two of which represent good government and bad government.

Lorenzetti’s “Allegory of Good Government” is comprised of many groups. One group in particular represents the virtues of a good government. In this painting, the viewer can tell these virtuous characteristics are most important to the ruler because all six allegorical characters playing the virtues sit close beside him. The virtues consist of prudence, bravery, generosity, modesty, justice, and peace. The allegory for peace, however, is placed more comfortably and beautifully than all the other allegories. It is because Lorenzetti wants to translate that a good government finds peace desirable. This is one of those examples of how a figure is positioned can determine how a painter will speak through his artwork.

Lorenzetti’s “Allegory of Bad Government” reiterates this idea by demonically presenting the ruler of the bad government with horns. Under his feet lies the unconscious allegory of Justice swaddled in a sack next to a broken scale. This obviously sends the message that if Justice is dead, then there is a bad and unfair government. And considering, the majority of the society were illiterate in the 14th century, their response to these paintings were completely based off of the view and knowledge of the differentiation between good and bad. Some say the bad government piece is in worse condition than what the good government is in because townspeople threw food or whatever they had at the piece in disapproval.

The term, Concinnitas, is so impressive because the gestures formed are so simple to create but give such a huge impact on the viewer. It is overwhelmingly influential not only in governmental and moral matters, but entertainment matters as well. The concept has reached out to today’s commercials, magazines, and of course visual arts. Advertisement would be nonexistent or socially lacking if we had only a paucity of concinnitas.

I find this topic significant because I want to learn more about fashion from a business perspective. In order to do that, I’d have to know how to communicate to the public in numerous ways.

-MASR

#arthistory #ART #lorenzetti