David With The Head of Goliath
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David with the Head of Goliath by Claude Vignon (c. 1616-22) absolutely jumps out at you from the wall even across the room. It is an impossibility not to notice it. One of the larger paintings on display at the Blanton Art Gallery, it is an imposing force positioned in vertical orientation. Using nothing but oil on canvas, Vignon has made this masterpiece come alive with his seemingly unnoticed brushstrokes, and the absolute realism he gives his subjects. This essay will formally analyze what it took to create such a piece and highlight the very intricacies held within its borders.
The realistic qualities of the painting can be most assuredly attributed to Caravaggio, and the Baroque style of which he was a pioneer. Completely different from anything that the Renaissance had ever seen, Baroque involves a series of characteristics that bring the viewer into the painting, and make the subjects look real enough to touch. True to form, Vignon's David is an unadulterated example of this form. One of the most prominent characterists of his painting is the painterly style with which it was conceived...