Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL
I was fortunate to attend a day trip to the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL this semester as part of my Humanities course (the European Renaissance through the Enlightenment). The architecture of the museum resembled features we had seen before in our textbook. The U-shaped building was balanced and proportional. The courtyard was surrounded by rows of columns and arches. Copies of classical and Renaissance sculptures, including Michelangelo’s David, were featured outside. We were led on a tour throughout several galleries, viewing and discussing pieces that reflected the content of the class. Some were items that we had previously discussed in class, such as “Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg as Saint Jerome” by Lucas Cranach the Elder and “Judith Holding the Head of Holofernes” by Francesco del Cairo.
The Italian Renaissance paintings were easily identified by their use of scientific perspective, inclusion of elements from the classical antiquity, and realistic idealism. The collection from Northern Europe was full of intricate detail and symbolic elements. Religious imagery was banned after the Reformation, and we saw how artists reacted by moving toward the creation of still lives, portraits, and landscapes. The Baroque paintings were hectic, dramatic, and violent. We saw several examples of tenebrism, heavy contrast of light and darkness. Some of these works were almost grotesque.
One of the paintings that really caught my attention was “Still Life with Dead Game” by the Flemish Baroque artist Frans Snyders. The scene depicts a huge pile of different kinds of fruits, vegetables, and dead animals on a table. Some of the items, such as the peacock, are quite exotic. The inclusion of these rare objects displays both the wealth of the owner as well as the wealth and connections of the country in terms of extensive trade networks. I discovered that, although this piece struck me as unpleasant, John Ringling had it hung on the wall in his breakfast room. It made me anxious to see the drooping corpses thrown haphazardly together with the other items, but I liked it because it provoked a far stronger emotional reaction in person as opposed to viewing it out of the textbook. It was interesting seeing the exploration of conveying a religious moral message without the use of any religious imagery. Dead animals and wilting flowers are a reminder that death is inevitable, and a warning to seek out God before it’s too late.
We also visited Ringling’s mansion, the Ca’ d’Zan, as well as the Circus Museum. I had no idea that John Ringling was such an avid collector of European art! The sheer size of some of the paintings and sculptures was unexpected and highly impressive. In class, we often discussed how powerful or prominent members of the community (such as the Medici family) were patrons of the arts. I can only imagine how staggering their collections must be. The response provoked in person was definitely more intense than seeing them in the textbook. Many pieces were massive, so much larger than I had realized. The minute details could be seen more clearly. The light reflecting off of the color and texture of the paintings also added an extra depth to the experience. The opportunity to view these items up close and in the context of an engaging tour definitely reinforced my understanding of the class material.
