An Ott Talks Art

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the fourth-largest church in Europe. Located in the heart of Florence, it's home to over 750 pieces of art, hundreds of which were created during the Italian Renaissance. It was erected in 1296, structurally complete in 1436, and reborn a number of times through demolitions and reconstructions. Detailed chronicles of the construction and revisions to its facade (the front face of the building) are kept in the second floor of the Opera del Duomo Museum-- including a number of wooden prototypes-- but less-remarked upon is the back side of that wall, the counter-facade. It features two distinct works: The Coronation of the Virgin , a mosaic attributed to medieval artist Gaddo Gaddi (early 1300s), and fresco painting Musician angels by Santi di Tito (late 1500s). I'll be focusing on the latter.   Musician angels was completed after the widely-recognized end of the High Renaissance in Italy, but di Tito was undeniably a Renaissance artist...

Noon by Karin Hosono · Oil on Canvas, 2023 I say, relatively often for an agnostic, that cats must be God's favorite animal. I joke that they have impeccable shape language, that they're a perfect design, and I don't think myself to be alone in this belief. In fact, one of my favorite contemporary artists is Karin Hosono, a Japanese oil painter that near-exclusively paints portraits of cats. I'd like to take this opportunity to gush a little about her work. I first stumbled across it on Twitter a few years ago, and have followed her closely ever since. Her pieces are instantly recognizable thanks to her unique style-- a combination of her choices across all visual elements. In particular, I think her use of color, shape, tone, and often pattern, are very well-developed and distinct.   かぜ · ( 'Kaze'/ Wind) by Karin Hosono · Oil on canvas, 2024 Color Hosono often works with a fairly limited palette, and usually in a small range of temperature. In both of the a...