Lisbon Art of My Choice


 This is Pallas Athena (1657) by the one and only Rembrandt, who might be my favorite Baroque painter of all time. It was surprising to not only find his work in this small museum, but also to discover that the figure is a woman. This painting depicts the Greek goddess Athena, who is the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. I want to talk about the lighting and color of this piece. First Rembrandt chose to use a lot of red and dark gold in this piece, which is not typical of artwork depicting women. These colors combined with the dark atmosphere and background create the feeling of being on a battle ground. It is raw and intense but very calculated with the lighting . The contrast of lighting leads our gaze directly to her illuminated face. Her expression is almost like a glare that speaks of confidence and intelligence. I love it because it is wildly different than typical depictions of women.

This is culturally important because it was different than the norm. What I mean by this, is that in typical greek influenced sculpture and artwork that I have seen, the woman is usually only half covered with a demure facial expression. Normally She is very feminine, or on the other hand, if she is fierce, she is leading a group of men to victory. In this piece, she is the entire focus, completely decked out in armor and her facial expression is everything but demure. She is breaking the fourth wall as well which is atypical of women in art. To me all of this makes it a historical piece because of how it was not following the trends of the time. Additionally anything Rembrandt made was a masterpiece and is historic by default.


So how does this piece contribute to Lisbon's status as a cultural capital? This piece was part of Calouste Gulbenkian's collection that later became a museum. Our professors informed us that this man was highly invested in the arts and brought in the best of the best. By bringing in Masterpieces from all over the world he was showing that people there were invested in creating a diverse and rich cultural hub; that they welcomed the art of other countries. It also showed that him and others in the city were people of the arts who could appreciate the beautiful. When there is a demand for art, it inspires creation and trade. By having Pallas Athena here in Lisbon, it shows that Portugal is internationally appreciates and houses of masterpieces. Finally, It is a Rembrandt and wherever one of his pieces is housed, the richer the culture is because he was an incredible painter

Comments

  1. Betsy JonesMay 24, 2024 at 11:48 PM

    I love your post Anna! You explained so well how this contributes to Lisbon's status as a cultural capital! It shows that they are invested in creating a place where people can come and see art from all over the world which can inspire people to be creative! It also shows that they are welcoming because they are welcoming these pieces from other countries instead of only focusing on art from Portugal!

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  2. Theresa BellMay 25, 2024 at 10:17 PM

    I did this one too Anna! It was such a lovely piece. I agree with your point about the museum and the piece illustrating that Portugal has an international appreciation for art. I think we've seen a lot of 'cultural capitals' that gain that status largely from their cultural diversity. The painting is another point in that category for sure!

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  3. EleaseMay 27, 2024 at 9:46 PM

    I love that you mention that this is important historically because it is different. Many times artist become so popular because they are challenging the trends. I agree that this piece is so interesting because of the way the woman was portrayed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sienna PuckrinMay 28, 2024 at 4:28 PM

    Rembrandt was a master of his craft. Collections of masterpieces help make a city’s status sky rocket. Not only is the artwork a pathway to a higher status but also the history. All of these things combine together to help make Lisbon a cultural capital of Europe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Meg KiehlJune 2, 2024 at 1:24 PM

    Anna, I like how you chose to write about Pallas Athena by Remembrant in Calouste Gulbenkian's collection. Rembrandt is one of my favorite artists. I like how you pointed out how different this painting is from other depictions of Greek goddesses with Athena decked out in armor. It makes her look like such a strong force to be reckoned with. This painting, as well as the rest of the collection here, helps to make Lisbon a cultural capital because of one of a kind pieces like this that draw people from all over to see it.

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