GHIRLANDAIO Domenico An Old Man And His Grandson Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494)
Domenico Ghirlandaio – GHIRLANDAIO Domenico An Old Man And His Grandson
Edit attribution
Download full size: 803×1080 px (0,1 Mb)
Painter: Domenico Ghirlandaio
Album navigation:
Ghirlandaio creates an incredibly realistic portrait. Who he depicted, that fact remains a mystery. The artist was able to create an incredibly moving image of the boy. Gold-colored curls are poking out from under his red hat. He snuggles up to his grandfather. The child seems to be looking for protection or wants to ask him something. The painter depicts the old man without embellishing him. The grandfather looks at his grandson very tenderly, with love.
ArtClub
Best Contemporary Atists
Description of Domenico Ghirlandaio’s Portrait of an Old Man with Grandson
Ghirlandaio creates an incredibly realistic portrait. Who he depicted, that fact remains a mystery. The artist was able to create an incredibly moving image of the boy. Gold-colored curls are poking out from under his red hat. He snuggles up to his grandfather. The child seems to be looking for protection or wants to ask him something.
The painter depicts the old man without embellishing him. The grandfather looks at his grandson very tenderly, with love. At the same time in the look you can feel admiration and barely perceptible bitterness. The whole appearance of the hero is spiritualized.
The artist focuses attention on the disfigured nose of the hero. Our gaze is involuntarily drawn to this impressive object. But there are a huge number of shades of emotion all around. Yes, the old man is ugly. But he loves the child, and our attitude toward the hero changes completely.
The window is open. In it we can see a landscape that is perfect in every way. This is how nature was depicted in the Renaissance period. We see hills and cliffs in the distance. A river flows through a picturesque valley. It’s a real paradise.
The painter draws a clear parallel between nature and the relationship between grandfather and grandson. They are truly harmonious and beautiful.
The portrait is appealing in its similarity and the great difference between the child and the old man.
Ghirlandaio’s craftsmanship is impressive. Red and brown dominate the colors in the portrait. The old man is wearing red clothes and the boy is wearing a hat of the same hue. The artist lovingly paints all the facial features of his characters. For this, he selects appropriate shades. The viewer feels that the old man and the boy are alive. One gets the impression that the portrait is three-dimensional.
The background is deliberately obscured. We only see what is happening outside the window. For the painter, the landscape is all that matters. It allows us to draw parallels to the characters. The rest of the setting plays absolutely no role.
The artist was able to create an incredibly expressive portrait, affecting the naturalness of feelings.
You cannot comment Why?
The boy, positioned close to the older man, gazes upwards with an attentive expression. The artist has captured the youthful vitality in the child’s face – smooth skin, bright eyes, and a cascade of golden curls. He too wears a red garment, visually linking him to the elder while simultaneously highlighting their difference in age and experience. The physical closeness between them suggests affection and connection, creating an intimate moment frozen in time.
Behind these figures, a landscape unfolds within what appears to be a window frame. This backdrop is rendered with a more generalized perspective, depicting rolling hills, scattered trees, and distant architectural elements – possibly a town or fortress. The landscape’s muted tones provide a sense of distance and serenity, contrasting with the emotional intensity of the foreground interaction.
The paintings subtexts revolve around themes of lineage, wisdom, and the passage of time. The older man likely embodies experience and knowledge, while the boy represents potential and future generations. Their connection speaks to the continuity of family and the transmission of values across time. The inclusion of the landscape suggests a broader context – a world that extends beyond their immediate relationship but is nonetheless part of their shared existence. The artist’s choice to portray an older man with such realistic detail, including his imperfections, challenges conventional notions of beauty and emphasizes the dignity inherent in aging.