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This piece of artwork is titled "Saint Catherine of Siena" it is work done on oil on canvas
and it is done by Italian artist, Cristafano Allori. This piece of artwork was also created
in 1618. In this picture we see a young girl perhaps, on her knees praying to what looks
like to be Jesus Christ. Her clothing also tells us that she's part of a church and she
also has what seems to be a rosary on the side of her clothing which could also tell
us that she's very religious. She also has her bible on a stand in front of her with
her hands interlocking signifying that she is praying. We also see some books on the
side, right next to her. Lastly the crown of thorns on her head, I'm not really sure
what that signifies but I know Jesus Christ did have to wear a crown of thorns before
he was crucified. I'm not really sure what it signifies though. We can also make out
the expression on her face, she doesn't look very happy. She looks kind of sad and it doesn't
look like she's had much sleep because of the discoloration on her eyes. They look very
swollen from the lack of sleep, or maybe she is sick, it could be either of the two or
maybe something else. If I had to choose which one it was, I would have to say that she's
probably sick because of her real pale skin, the pale color of her face, the discoloration
of under her eyes. She also looks very sad and this is what she resorts to whenever she's
going through problems. She probably talks to Jesus to cure her or save her. To someone
during this time, it might have meant to them that if there's no one else to talk to you
can always resort to talking Jesus because even though he might not talk back, he still
listens and shows it with actions, I guess you can say. I think that's what they're really
trying to get across. This artwork really makes me feel sad for the woman because she
just looks so sad and sick. The colors of the whole piece makes me have a sense of pity
for her given the fact that again, she's real sad, the color of her clothing, if you can
notice it's not really a pure white. It's more like a brownish white; it gives you that
down, muggy feeling. The whole piece of work really just stands out and gives you a sense
of sadness. This is a good piece of artwork because of the amount of detail that goes
into it, from the amount of colors to the facial expressions. Just the great detail
in it, really makes it stand out and speak for itself if you just look at it. My interpretation
of this artwork compared to the one that was left at the art museum was significantly close
because it really emphasized that she was a saint, given the title, and I'm just going
to give you a brief quote from the description at the art museum. It goes on to say, "The
descriptive naturalism, creamy textures, introspective mood, and intense emotionalism of Saint Catherine
of Siena are characteristic of Allori's finest works." That just goes back to saying that
everything stands out, from the color to the emotion to everything from the painting really
makes it stand out.