May I paraphrase? Once upon a time there was this
dude. . . .
A Duke offered a famous artist a fee for a painting. It was a reasonable fee. It was probably an impressive fee. It was 200 figs. The painter had an idea. He did something strange and wonderful on several levels.
The canvas was round. They call that a "tondo."
There, there in the pyramidal structure was a holy baby, an aged pater familias and maternal unit guilty of heavy and foreshortened limb.
The Duke noticed that there were young nude men frolicking in the background. He's thinking that he might not be getting good value for his "florin." He says...."I'll give him 100 figs."
The clerk went back to Michelangelo and says that the Duke is asking for a discount. Michelangelo says "tell him I want 300. " The clerk returns and says "my master wants 300. The Duke offers 200 that was first agreed upon. The clerk returns and says "my master wants 400."
Today, I looked at The Holy Family with new eyes.
We talked about color. We talked about iconography. We talked about burly women.
We talked about shape and color and understanding.
I love art.
Earth without Art is "Eh"
