Author: Brian
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St. Cecilia
In St. Luigi’s church in Rome, the second chapel of the right aisle, is St. Cecilia’s Chapel. On the altar there is a painting of St. Cecilia by Guido Reni. This is a copy of Raphael’s famous painting that is hung in Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna. St. Cecilia is known as the patron saint of music…
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Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day from the BAAC! St. Valentine receiving a rosary from the Virgin Mary” (1677) by David Teniers III. Seems Teniers is most famous for being the grandson of Jan Brueghel the Elder and the godson of Helena Fourment (Peter Paul Rueben’s second wife). February 14th is Valentine’s Day and St Valentine was a…
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Our Lady of Lourdes
“The Annunciation”(1608) by Caravaggio at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nancy. Another strict adherence to pictorial tradition in Caravaggio’s late oeuvre. It is wild to think that Caravaggio painted this for a church in France while he was in Messina and on the run after escaping imprisonment by the Knights of Malta. The painting itself…
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St. Agatha
St. Agatha tended by St. Peter and an Angel in Prison (c.1640) by Alessandro Turchihouse at The Walters Museum in Baltimore. This beautiful piece is oil on slate instead of canvas, which makes the piece more durable and lends itself to tenebrism technique employed by Turchi. February 5th is St Agath’s Feast Day. St. Agatha…
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St. Blaise
February 3rd is the feast day of St. Blaise. He was a 4th-century bishop and martyr, is best known for his miraculous healing abilities, particularly in curing throat ailments. According to tradition, he was imprisoned and tortured for his faith but continued to perform miracles, even curing a child choking on a fish bone. The…
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St. Thomas Aquinas
January 28th is the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas, I’m a few days late but I think this painting is cool. St. Thomas Aquinas is a key figure in philosophy and theology, famous for his work “Summa Theologica.” He sought to reconcile faith and reason, using logical principles to explain religious beliefs, and had…
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St. Vincent
In the United States, January 23 is the feast day of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr. St. Vincent is protomartyr (first martyr) of Spain. He died in 304 after being brutally tortured. On the left side of the painting you can see his hand on the millstone that they tied to him. They threw him…
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St. Agnes
January 21st is St. Agnes’ feast day. Saint Agnes was known for her steadfast faith and purity. According to tradition, she was condemned to death when she was 13yrs old during the Roman Empire’s persecution of Christians. Despite various attempts to harm her, she miraculously remained unharmed until she was ultimately beheaded. “St. Agnes” (1620)…
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St. Sebastian
On January 20th, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Sebastian. The Baroque Art Accessibility Consortium also celebrates the birth of our first son, Noah. If you have spent any time looking at Baroque art, you will have noticed that St. Sebastian with arrows in his body is a very popular subject. Did…
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St. Anthony the Abbot
January 17 is the feast day of St. Anthony the Abbot. Saint Athanasius, who knew Anthony and wrote his biography, said, “Anthony was not known for his writings nor for his worldly wisdom, nor for any art, but simply for his reverence toward God.” “St. Anthony the Abott”(c.1635) by Diego Velazquez portrays the saint gazing…