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The first saint painting features Saint Francis of Assisi. He is a very important Catholic Saint. He traveled as far as the middle east to convert the "infidels". I think I mentioned this saint before. I hate repeating myself. Lets just continue. Here the saint is surrounded by angels. This arrangement is very similar to Gothic frescoes. They always had a lot of golden decorations. 

The next painting is called "The Last Communion of St.Jerome". When a Saint, the Pope or a lay follower is near death, he usually receives his last communion. This communion is different from all the others. Its also part of the seven rites of the Catholic church. It supposed to get your soul nice and clean, ready to enter paradise. This Saint translated and commented on the Hebrew Bible. He also defended the theory of the perpetual virginity of the Virgin. He also wrote lots of other theological writings. In this painting, we see several ranking officers of the church. Those supporting St. Jerome are monks. The man in red is a Bishop. The two children behind him are Deacons. The scenery itself is a lil hut. The saint is kneeling on a humble mat. On the fireplace, there are three sacred palms and a cross. Its a simple, recognizable scenery, if you are an Italian Renaissance man. I think that is all worth mentioning. 

The next painting shows St. Sebastian impaled by arrows. His body is in a classical Greek contraposto. His expression is restrained. He still is a bit bloody. In the background, there is a Medieval port town. There are also some other Italian guys walking about the road. Its a juxtaposition of a religious figure and the real world of Botticelli's contemporaries.

This painting is shows Pope Sixtus II (1481) in a Bishop attire.  This Pope died martyr under the reign of Emperor Valerian. He is credited for restoring the shaky relationships with the Eastern Orthodox churches. This fresco is illusionist. It gives the impression that the saint's statue has come to life. Its place in a painted niche like regular sculptures.  Bellow him, we see his full name and those who commissioned this painting.

The next painting shows St. Augustine. He was from North Africa, born in 354 AC. He was a Greek that converted to Christianity. He brought many of the Platonic concepts into Catholicism. He created the concept of the Original Sin and Just Wars (the Catholic equivalent of a Muslim Jihad). Thanks to him we had the crusades and the Dark Ages. Hehehehehe! Botticelli painted this saint inside his study. He has his hand in his heart while he prepares to write. Before him, there is an open bible. He is dressed like a Bishop, and the Bishop hat is nearby. Around the top there are some books. The one that's open to our viewing is a Trigonometry book. On the far left, there is the Ptolemaic model of the universe. This model has the Earth at the center of the universe. Its funny, Galileo proved that the earth revolved around the sun. Then, comes Einstein and says that it depends.

The next painting shows St. Augustine in his Cell (1490-1494). Here the Saint is translating the Bible. On the floor, we see the discarded translations. His face really does look serene. He truly is enjoying his work. The curtain parted gives an air of intimacy to this painting. We have just intruded on this man private work. The roof of his cells looks a lot like the roofing of the Colosseum. The entire scenery is just like a Greek temple. The details on his beard are amassing. That Botticelli spent a lot of time painting each individual string. Well, you got to try some cool realism effects to impress those rich Medici church patrons.

The next painting is called "Extraction of St. Ignatius Heart". This saint was the founder of the Jesuits. His spiritual exercises were key in the Counter Reformation. When he died the  church Fathers took out his heart and made it into a relic. Another proof that he was a saint was the Stigmata on his dead body. Pretty neat.

The next painting is called "Baptism of St. Zenobius and his Appointment as Bishop" (1505). This man was the first Bishop of Florence. The Baptism image repeats itself both inside and outside the house. Toward the far right, the man in red, St. Zenobius, is being made a Bishop. They are about to put on him his little hat. The scenery looks Romanesque. The placement of the figures is similar to relief sculptures. There are no humans in the background. Most figures are dressed like Italian Renaissance men.

Here we see St. Jerome in solitude. Those Saints do love the life of a Hermit. His clothing is very similar to those worn by Greek Philosophers. Around him there are some books, a cross and skull. The skull is to meditate on mortality and the death of Christ. The scenery itself is a bit simplified. Its just a forest.

This time St. Jerome is just sitting down composing by the ocean. Nature does inspire certain people. The background is really simplified. Then again, Botticelli was a people person.

The next painting is called "The Miracle of St. Eligius" . Its the  predella panel from the altarpiece of St. Mark (1492). This man is the patron saint of blacksmiths and horses. Here this saint is working at his forge. The legend goes that using his miraculous forge, he took the leg off a horse. The horse was being evil and it did not feel like working. The Saint took his leg off and put it back on again. In this painting, the Saint is working his forge. A maiden is watching in awe. Meanwhile, an assistant is holding up whats left of the horse's severed leg. The horse looks realistic. The people again are in a relief like arrangement.

The next painting is called "Three miracles of St Zenobius" (1505). In the first one, he is healing two sick men. In the center one, he is reviving a dead child. His mother is watching in awe. The last one he is curing the sores of a leaper.

Here are three other miracles by the same saint. From the left to right, first he is healing the sick. Next he brought back the dead. Lastly, he was in another house. You can see him, inside the open house in the background. Then, one of his followers produced water out of thin air.

The next painting shows the Transfiguration St. Jerome and St. Augustine (1500). Both Saints are in the corner of the painting. On the center panel, there are some cowering apostles. In the center, there is the Resurrected Christ. On the right hand of Christ, there is St. Peter. On his left, is John the Baptist. John the Baptist is always portrayed in furs. The highest details are on Christ. The glowing was painted with real gold. His dress looks extremely delicate. His... round belly shows that Christ is fertile. Full of Grace if you would. Weird!

The last painting is  "The Vision of St. Augustine from the altarpiece of St. Barnabas".  Here a boy has just seen St. Agustine. He is kneeling down in front of the Saint. The background is a bit half backed. Then again, it has been like 1500 years since a European had painted a background. I think those are all the Saint paintings.I hope that this has humored you even a little bit.

Botticelli's Virgin Mary Paintings

Since the beginning of time, the figure of a mother and a baby have made many people go "Awww, how cute". The Medici Catholic King Priests where no fools. When Catholicism finally became the norm, these priests Jungle a lot with the concept of the Virgin Mary. Only the obscure Revelations, placed the Virgin in the role as the Queen of Heaven. This enough gave a major boost to the cult of the Virgin Mary. In the Gothic period, the Virgin with Baby Jesus was just as common as images of the Crucified Christ.

The literacy level among the vulgar was almost nonexistent. The priest kept the vulgar interested in the Latin sermons via imagery. You modern folks would not understand. Those images combine with the soft murmuring of prayers added to the whole mystery of the church. In those days, the church was a place to escape from the worldly problems. These days we have TV and the Internet. However, when you are an illiterate farmer Joe, you look for any escape. You have no money for theater, books are out of the question and your only free hour is on a Sunday. To make matters worse, your 5th child has just kicked the bucket. Plus, you never met your mother cause she died giving birth to you at the tender age of 13. With no mother, no children and a sick wife, Farmer Joe gazes at the Virgin Mary. She stands for everything he has lost. She is both his mother and his wife. The fertility he seeks for his wife is inside her. This pure being  was worthy enough to give birth to the Son of God. She is the only mother you have ever known. She forgives all. She is mankind's lawyer. Her mercy balances out God's justice. You can see now, the appeal of the Virgin Mary.

Now, that I finally explained the Virgin Mary to you, we can get this show on the road. The first Painting is called "The Holy Family". This is the earthly trinity of the Virgin, Baby Jesus and Joseph. Well, those are their Greek names. This is how it should go. The Trinity hosts Miriam, Emanuel and Joshua. Iesu is his Roman name. When you become a Roman citizen, you get a Roman name. I guess this explains the trip to Bethlehem. Jesus needed Joseph to get citizenship. This also was needed to explain how Jesus got a Roman trail under Poncius Pilate. The book of Matthew ties in all the unanswered questions.

Ok, now I am really going to get to explaining the Virgin Mary paintings. Like I just said, Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus. This painting takes place inside the Barn. This was the only room available for Joseph and Mary. Its meant to show the humble origins of the savior of men. By the open window, the we see the gathering masses. The entire scenery is like 15th century Italy. The veil of the Virgin Mary is transparent because it was a new effect rediscovered by Botticelli. The Halos also look really fancy.

In the next painting, Baby Jesus is sleeping while holding onto his mother's veil. The Baby does not look too much like a newborn. Its more like a two year old. Well, during the Renaissance days they started using models. A two year old was controllable enough to make him pose. The baby is also sleeping on top of Joseph's lap. Joseph is smiling while looking at the baby. As for the Virgin, she is adoring the Son of God. Her dress has a lot of fancy lacing. The Hay in the barn is also fancied up. Behind Joseph, we can see the flight into Egypt. Its like a sequence of event. Behind the Virgin, the shepherds are coming to worship Christ.

The next painting is called "The Adoration of the Magi". This one has elements of a group portrait. Many people are dressed like Italians. The scenery is like a ruined Greek temple. The order of those columns is Corinthian. "Orders" are a way of ranking types of Greek Columns. The landscape here is quite expansive. The nearby trees are the ones that look silly.

The next painting is called "Virgin and Child with Eight Angels". All these angels are holding up lilies, the flower of the Virgin. The four angels on her right are holding up a song book. They are singing sweet melodies. The angels on the left are simply hanging out. One of them is looking down at the viewer. As for the Virgin, her veil is transparent. This time the Virgin and the Baby are both blonde. Her mantle has one star. It alludes to her apocalyptic form. Above her head, there is a crown hovering.  In this form, she sits as the Queen of Heaven. Eight angels are tending to her. As usual, the hair and the clothing is really far out there. I think that's all. Lets just move on.

The next painting is "The Descent of the Holy Ghost".  When the apostles started Speaking tongues, the Virgin was also part of the miracle. Speaking in tongues means speaking in unknown languages. In this painting, the Virgin is at the center of the miracle. Her face looks a bit old. Plus, her veil is similar to those worn by nuns. Botticelli still made emphasis to her fertile belly. Another, five stars for Botticelli. 

The next painting is "Madonna and Child with St. John". St. John readied the path for Jesus. He also baptized him. They were cousins who thought of each other as brothers. Since John was older it was up to him to preparer things for Baby Jesus. Anyhow, here St. John is wearing his animal skin. He is receiving blessing from Baby Jesus. The details in this painting are really fancy. There is the golden wall relief, and blue mantle of the Virgin. The landscape is wide and expansive. However, its nothing that distracts the eye from the foreground.

In this one, we have "Madonna and Child with St. John and an Angel" . The angel is the raven haired boy on the right of the Virgin. Toward the right, there is the communion altar. Like icons, these figures are decorated with pink roses. Their hair has quite the cartoon quality about it. You know, those halos are really quite strange. Well, lets just move right along.

The next painting is simply called "The Nativity". You know, St. John was not at the Nativity. On the roof of the barn, there are three angels singing. Outside, some angels are guiding the shepherds toward the barn. The figures of the donkey and the cow have great prominence.

Above, we see the "Virgin Mary Adoring Sleeping Jesus". The Virgin looks beautiful in the garden of flowers. There are small flowers on the ground and large pretty ones above. Now, that's an adorable little baby. During those days, gardens had rustication. This is a kind of decoration that leaves visible the stones.

The next painting shows the "Madonna and Child". His clothing are like those of little Italian Renaissance baby. The background has a mountain with a citadel. Their halos are really pretty.

The next painting is called "Madonna with two Angels" (1468). This time the angels are holding up the baby for the Virgin. Like a regular mother, the Virgin is stroking the lil leg of the baby. All four faces show different angles. Its more of a study of faces.

In this one, Botticelli went all out with the details. The attire of the baby and mother are really something else. They are huge and more in your face. The background is really negligible.

The next painting has St. John kissing baby Jesus. This kiss contrast well with the betraying kiss given by Judas. All the figures are barefoot because they are stepping on sacred ground. Also, there is the rose bushes. On the shoulders of the Virgin, I see a golden mantle decorated with the infamous seven point stars. 

The next painting shows the "Madonna and Child with Six Saints" (1470).  Each of these saints has their little symbol. The arrangement of the figures is geometrical. The Virgin is balanced by the two female saints at the borders. The floor is filled by two kneeling saints. The background is covered by the last two. They all flank Baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The scenery is also geometrical. The Virgin's halo happens to fall right in front of the semi dome. Overall, they resemble a relief sculpture.

From all of Botticelli's depictions of the Virgin Mary, this is my personal favorite. The lacework and the details are amassing. Truly, a sight to behold. Here she is being crowned Queen of Heaven. Jesus is guiding her quill toward the book she herself is writing. The framing is pretty neat.

The next painting is called "Madonna in Glory with Seraphim" (1470).  You can see the Seraphims all around her. They are those lil angels. I don't know why I am explaining something so simple, but you never know. Oh, well.

The next painting is called "Madonna with a Book". Its interesting that this Baby Jesus has a the crown of thorns wrapped about his arm. Both Virgin and Child are reading the Bible. They have just actually stopped to stare at each other. It really is adorable. They are inside a study. Their halos are extremely elaborate and original. You know, no one does halos like Botticelli. That's his own original thing. Now artist has ever created such neat original patterns.

The next painting is called "Madonna of the Rose Garden" (1470). You can see the garden in the background. The golden border is not painted. Its made in such as way that it blends the real architecture with the painting.

The next painting is called " Madonna of the Sea". I suppose its called like that because of the sea. Well, port towns are very important. I see a lil boat by the Virgin's right shoulder. The Baby Jesus is pulling his mother's veil in order to give her a flower. Many of the mannerism  of the Virgin and Baby are easily recognizable mother child behavior.

The next painting shows the annunciation. To show the angel floating, Botticelli gave the angel an impossible standing position. Its a really interesting effect. This otherworldly effect is brought down to earth by a shadow. This angel is so real that it casts a shadow. Its shadow is fed to the other panel. It is also connected by the heavens. On the far upper left, I see God shining down. Over Micheal's halo, the Virgin's flowers are sprouting.

 The last painting painting of Part 1, is called "The Mystical Nativity". The scenes are divided in three parts. On the corners of the bottom, some demons are returning to hell. They cannot stand the presence of God and the angels. Between them, angels are mingling with the shepherds. This is shown by the angels hugging and kissing the shepherds like brothers. Its an Italian thing. The middle scene has the angels guiding the shepherds to the barn. Above, we have three angels singing. Even further up, we have a group of dancing angels. They are holding a branch that has a white lace and crown dangling from its roots. Its like a representation of the tree of life. Death departs at the birth of the savior.

Well, lets continue with the final piece of Botticelli. Again, the Virgin Mary is praying to Baby Jesus. Meanwhile, the Baby, in a baby fashion, is reaching up to his mama. The the barn arrangement is quite humble. The only colors come from Mary and the Baby. It keeps the background and foreground from being too distracting.

Again, the Virgin Mary has an angel entourage. The angels have the usual roses, hymn books and one has Lilli wreath. From the angels, only two stare into the eyes of the viewer. In the center, Baby Jesus is doing the blessing sign. His hand is on top of a pomegranate. No one knows what is the forbidden fruit. The "fruit" has been translated into either an apple or a pomegranate. In the Latin version, its the pomegranate. Its has to do with the myth of Persephone and Hades.

The colors in this painting are a bit faded. The Virgin Mary is the only one looking at the viewer. This arrangement is really quite common. I suppose there was a huge demand for the Virgin Mary with angels paintings.

This time the Virgin is sitting on a lil red cherubim or chariot angel. She has also two angels and John the Baptist with her. Well, we are all already used to Botticelli's fancy details.

The hand of the Virgin has vein markings. Botticelli here is aiming to capture the the realism of the skin. The same is seen in the hand of the angel. The face of Baby Jesus is... kinda fishy. I am not in a mood for explaining. Still, the model is a cute baby. On the bottom left, there is a Bible. The flowers of the angels are transparent. Kinda  unnatural.

Again, another crowded Nativity painting. There are so many Italians in this painting. Boy there is even a peacock. The peacock is the symbol of marriage and family. It also represents Juno, the goddess of Marriage. Thus, there are pagan references in a biblical painting.

Well, this is the usual depiction of the Virgin Mary. In all the Gothic churches, she is sitting on a throne. Usually, the throne resembles the roman Colosseum. This time, its the throne of the Caesar. Again, this painting is full of a bunch of saints. The angel in knight armor is Archangel Gabriel. He specializes in fighting the Devil. It was said that when he banished Lucifer the dark ages ensued. The Gothic world was born from the ashes of Devil. Thus began the 1000 year reign of Catholicism in Europe. As you can see, one of the predictions of the Apocalypse has already been fulfilled. The thing about prophecies is that its hard for the seer to explain what he sees. Plus, its hard to put a timeline on things. Thus, its good when you get numbers out of a seer. Think about it, the Catholics threw the old Jewish timeline out the window. However, all the prophecies of the Judea Christian Seer John, based his predictions on this timeline. Anyhow, there is a lot of food for thought on this matter.

Again, the Virgin, the Angels and John the Baptist.

The arrangement of the angels is similar to the mythical beings from Primavera. They all have their hairs adorned with flowers. All these flowers alludes to the garden of paradise.

The next scene takes place outside. The Virgin and Child are being attended by children. Behind them flowers are growing. Its cute how Baby Jesus has a lot of Baby mannerism. He wants his Mama to pick him up.

The next painting is called "The Coronation of the Virgin". She appeared as the Queen of Heaven in Revelations. That book is considered 100% unaltered. Changing things in this book equates to loosing paradise or getting the Seven Plagues.

Here the angels are parting the curtains to reveal paradise. Lets just keep moving.

Here the Virgin Mary is descending from her Earthly throne. This room bears the resemblance of a Catholic church private chapel. The Greek columns are separating the mundane from the profane.

Again, a painting of the Virgin Mary in the throne.

The next painting has the Virgin and child with an angel. The angel is handing the Virgin a fruits basket with grapes and grains. The child is blessing the food before eating. A common practice. Many religions bless the food before eating it. It has to do with sacrifices. In the old days, you sacrifice a Goat to God and then you ate it. With animal sacrifices ending, now you pray around the dinner table. Also the grapes and grain are used to make the bread and wine. This alludes to the last supper.

Again, John the Baptist shares room with the Virgin and Child.

The next Virgin Mary has her hair adorned to the Italian fashion of the day. Her blue and red dress is also goes with the fashion of the day. In doing so, women who look at this Virgin Mary see themselves in the Virgin. She was also designed to serve as a model for all women. If women want to be good, they must mimic the behavior of the Virgin. What's silly is that the behavior demanded of women does not match the behavior of the Virgin. Consider, the Virgin did order God to make a miracle before his mission was supposed to start. Plus, most of Jesus followers where women. For more information, read my Mary Magdalene blog.

Again, the angels are parting the veil to reveal paradise. The Veil of God separates Humans from the Divine. Such concepts , that have a Kabalist overtone, was developed in the spiritual writings of the saints. Thus, in order to illustrate their visions, this paintings where commissioned. It was a way to approach the masses.

Above, we see another Annunciation. This one has a lot of pretty details. Botticelli was able to make the angel looks androgynous. Pretty neat. Well, the angels did not suffer the split of genders like mankind. Thus, they look more like God than we do. We are half baked true humans.

These Saints seem to almost get out of the frame. This painting takes place in the Garden of Eden. As for the Virgin, she is about to breast feed her Baby Jesus. In the center down, there is the cruxified Jesus. The garden is pretty neat.

Well, this is the last Botticelli painting. Botticelli is a top notch Renaissance artist that no one appreciates. He innovated a lot of techniques that the Legendary Four used.You know Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael. This last lil painting closes the curtains on Botticelli. The next painter I will discuss is the amassing Peter Paul Rubens. If you are an art nut stay tune.