The Museum of Fine Arts: Madonna and Child with Souls in Purgatory Essa

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) in Houston, Texas is a world-renowned institution on 10 acres of land in the Museum District of Houston. Located just minutes from Downtown Houston, it houses permanent collections, traveling exhibits, two art schools, and boasts a sculpture garden and lunch cafà ©. The art is housed in two buildings, museum quality on their own. The Caroline Weiss Law building was designed by famed architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The other, designed by award-winning architect Rafael Moneo, is the Audrey Jones Beck building. They are soon to be joined by a third building currently in the design phase which will house post-1900 art. The exhibits and collections of MFAH are so extensive that it is really not possible to see everything in just one day therefore it is advisable to plan your trip in advance. One of the most interesting collections is the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation’s collection of Baroque and Renaissance Art. These periods, of all those we studied, most interested me. Wonderful works of art are housed in this collection, such as Madonna and Child by Sandro Botticelli, Portrait of a Lady as St. Agnes by Veronese, and The Stigmatization of Saint Francis by Orazio Gentileschi. In this collection I found an excellent example of Baroque Art, painted by Luca Giordano, Madonna and Child with Souls in Purgatory. Painted in 1665, this painting measures approximately 7’ x 5’ and is a classic example of his work and the Baroque period. The Baroque Period The Baroque period generally encompasses the 17th century in Europe coming after the period of Mannerism found in the Late Renaissance. Baroque was originally a derogatory term coined by critics in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, per a... ...ordano/biograph.html (accessed April 17, 2012). "Luca Giordano." BackToClasssics.com Virtual Art Gallery. http://www.backtoclassics.com/artist/lucagiordano/ (accessed April 21, 2012). "Luca Giordano (Italian painter) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/234025/Luca-Giordano (accessed April 16, 2012). Pioch. Nicolas. "Baroque." WebMuseum. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/baroque/ (accessed April 18, 2012). Voorhies, James. "Art of the 17th and 18th Centuries in Naples." Heilbrum Timeline of Art History. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/npls/hd_npls.htm (October 2003) (accessed April 18, 2012). Williamson, George, and Kevin P. Thomas, Transcriber. "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Luca Giordano." NEW ADVENT: Home. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06564b.htm (accessed April 20, 2012).