The Poses of Painting
One of the many ways artists depict the creative process metaphorically is to pose figures in an unrelated setting as though they were figures in a studio. For instance, they might pose a man inside a bar holding a pipe or cigarette as if he were sitting in front of an easel holding a brush. Only those “in the know” would then recognize how the symbolism of the pose adds meaning to the conventional symbolism of smoking (which often links deep thought and imagination to the changing forms of smoke.) The artist’s own meaning is thereby conveyed in the resulting image, regardless of the patron’s wishes.
Artists at work often have their arms extended as well, either painting a canvas or striking marble with a hammer. This then allows figures with outstretched arms, with or without tools, to serve as visual metaphors for the artist. Titian made much use of this in the Renaissance and Michael Fried, a well-known expert on later art, has recognized that several figures in paintings by Caravaggio are posed like an artist. However, unaware of the tradition, Fried fails to see the full significance of his insight.1 There are, of course, many other ways to use the poses of the studio in painting and sculpture, as we demonstrate in the entries below.
1. Fried, “Thoughts on Caravaggio”, Critical Inquiry 24, Autumn 1997, pp. 13-56; Fried sees such poses in Boy Bitten by a Lizard, The Martyrdom of St. Ursula, Bacchus and Salome Receiving the Head of John the Baptist.
All Articles (Alphabetical by Artist, then Title)
One way to make sense of Miró's abstractions is to remember, as ever, that 'every painter paints himself.'
Miró‘s Drawing-Collage (1933)
Learn how a common pose in art carries specific meaning, regardless of subject matter
Over-the-Shoulder Poses
Keeping alert to differences in style within a painting can help unlock its meaning
Parmigianino’s Allegorical Portrait of Emperor Charles V (1529-30)
"Picasso" paints from the other side of the image using a cigarette for a brush
Picasso’s Bust of a Man with a Cigarette (1964)
Two protagonists in one painting must both represent the artist. It's a given in art so it's your job to find out how.
Picasso’s Cat Catching a Bird (1939)
See how Picasso understood Manet's meaning, a meaning that still escapes art historians who think and see superficially
Picasso’s Girl Before a Mirror (1932)
Learn about the mystery behind Picasso's name and the importance of artist's names in general
Picasso’s Parade (1917) and His Mysterious Name
Learn how Picasso used swords as "paintbrushes", "etching needles" and other tools of the trade
Picasso’s Swords and Knives
Don't accept your first understanding of a line. Think again; because artists do before drawing it.
Picasso’s Women on the Beach (1947)
How the four evangelists are really, in the artist's mind, draughtsmen
Pontormo’s and Bronzino’s Evangelists (1525-8)
We have seen elsewhere how artists use the arrows of St. Sebastian, the saint's identifying attribute, as symbols for their own paintbrushes.
Raphael’s Galatea (1512)
New revelations, as always, about one of the world's most famous portraits
Raphael’s La Donna Velata (c.1516)
Beware of biographical stories trying to explain a great portrait; they are rarely, if ever, true.
Raphael’s La Fornarina (1518-20)
How even the young Raphael depicted the divinity of the artist's mind
Raphael’s Saint Sebastian (c.1502-3)
Sometimes the most difficult features to see in art are the most obvious
Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, Part 1 (1512)
Even simple sketches can be pregnant with meaning
Raphael’s Studies after Michelangelo’s David (1507-8)
The pose in this portrait by Raphael, with the head turned upwards and away, has been described as a type suggesting that the Pope's secretary is listening to or witnessing divine revelation.
Raphael’s Tommaso Inghirami (c. 1511)
See how Rembrandt turned an anatomy lesson into a scene in his studio (in his mind).
Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp (1632)
How the setting is so rarely what you think....you must think differently
Rembrandt’s Bathsheba at Her Bath (1643)
See how Rembrandt concisely expresses the underlying idea of art in a Roman myth
Rembrandt’s Lucretia (1666)
Several clues, easy to spot, reveal the true underlying meaning of two similar masterpieces
Rembrandt’s Man in Armour (1655) and Minerva (c.1655)
Learn how to look and what to look for, and how touching is painting
Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait with Saskia (c.1635)
If you didn't know that EPPH, you would never understand this image….nor would anyone else.
Rembrandt’s The Hog (1643)
An essential question about any picture: does the figure resemble an artist at work?
Rembrandt’s Young Woman Leaning Against a Door (1657)
Once you see how Norman Rockwell, the so-called illustrator, turned contemporary politics into a contemplation on the creative process, you should start to appreciate how ageless the theme is.
Rockwell’s Before and After (1958)
Learn how a mythological scene represents the anatomy of the brain/mind
Rubens’ Perseus Freeing Andromeda (c. 1622)
In the lower right corner of Martin Schongauer's Adoration of the Magi is an innappropriate detail unrelated to the story of the Magi, a dog clawing at the ground. Why is it there and what could it mean?
Schongauer’s Adoration of the Magi
In Martin Schongauer’s woodcut of St. George and the Dragon, the monster is an alter ego of the artist. Or, at least he represents an aspect of the artist’s mind.
Schongauer’s St. George and the Dragon (c.1480)
Evidence for art's self-referential allegory pre-dates the High Renaissance
Simone Martini’s St. Luke (c.1330’s) and other saints
Even the most natural-looking portraits can be something other than they seem
Sloan’s Portrait of George Sotter (1902)
Yet another visual illusion that has never been published.
Tiepolo’s Virgin Appearing to St. Catherine… (1748)
Baudelaire's linking of Painting with cosmetics in the nineteenth century was not a novel idea, as long believed, but one with a very long history indeed
Titian’s Mary Magdalene(s) (c.1530-60)
Look for the artist's initials where you might expect them
Titian’s Portrait of Ippolito de’ Medici (1533)
A Van Dyck portrait at the Frick reveals some of its secrets easily
Van Dyck’s Marchesa Cattaneo (c.1622-7) at The Frick
A spiritual journey is one of the basic plots of literature and a common metaphor in both philosophy and religion. Why not art?
Van Gogh’s On the Road to Tarascon (1888)
See why knowledge of a painter's practice can lead to a different, and more accurate, interpretation of a scene.
Van Gogh’s Weavers (1884)
Find out how saint, Virgin and ox are all the artist
Van Heemskerck’s St. Luke Painting the Virgin and Child (1538-40)
The Velazquez that the Louvre doesn't show anymore is not what curators think. Ask Millet, Manet, Degas, Matisse or Picasso....
Velazquez’s Infanta Margarita (1653)
© Simon Abrahams. Articles on this site are the copyright of Simon Abrahams. To use copyrighted material in print or other media for purposes beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Websites may link to this page without permission (please do) but may not reproduce the material on their own site without crediting Simon Abrahams and EPPH.
