If you missed an ArtBreak lecture from our Celebrating the Landmarks 2021-2022 series, enjoy viewing the recorded (and slightly abridged) sessions below.
If you would like to attend other lectures in the series, please register here.
Category Archives: Division Page: EXPLORE
Art is a record of ideas and messages from the past by reflecting its own time and culture. Sometimes art’s culture is foreign to our own experiences and understanding today, which requires a translation in order for us to grasp the meaning of its intent and the significance in its time. Listen and learn about works of art and their context from M&G’s collection and others—it’s an opportunity to view the world beyond your twenty-first-century perspective and experience.
King David Playing the Harp
Oil on canvas, c. 1630s
Simon Vouet
French, 1590-1649
The creator of this moving portrait of King David is Simon Vouet, one of the most influential French Baroque masters. He was the son of painter Laurent Vouet. Although little is known of the elder Vouet’s work, Simon’s oeuvre is well documented, for his prodigious talent emerged at an early age. At 14 he was sent to England to work as a portraitist. Then in his early twenties he moved to Constantinople where he spent two years before traveling to Venice and finally settling in Rome. Vouet’s career flourished in Italy. During this time, he received numerous prestigious commissions, and in 1624 he became president of Rome’s renowned Accademia di San Luca.
In 1626 he married Italian artist Virginia Vezzi who was regarded as one of Italy’s best miniaturists. The painting to the right (perhaps a self-portrait) is attributed to her. A year after their marriage, the couple returned to France at the request of Louis XIII who promptly appointed Simon official court painter. Vouet became a dominating force in Paris. He was so prolific that it is difficult to create a clear timeline of all the altarpieces, mythological, and devotional works he produced. As one biographer noted, Vouet was a natural academic who studied and absorbed everything in his environment, from the rich color palette of Veronese to the dramatic lighting effects of Caravaggio.
King David, the subject of this portrait, was one of Israel’s most gifted (and complex) kings. He is unique among Old Testament figures by virtue of the fact that he is “fully known.” His remarkable biography is well documented in I and II Samuel, but it is his innermost thoughts revealed through his more than 70 lyric poems (or psalms) that render him most lifelike. Here we come to know “the man after God’s own heart” who despite this intimate relationship with God sins egregiously. Vouet’s masterful technique powerfully captures the complexity of David’s personality.
Although initially captivated by the dramatic naturalism of the Italian Caravaggisti, by the time Vouet returned to Paris, he had integrated classical elements into his painting style. For example, in this portrait the dramatic compositional line and naturalistic portrayal of the aging King is offset by the figure’s classical pose and the diffused (rather than stark) lighting. This stylistic integration of the dramatic and restrained is well-suited to the dualism of the portrait’s iconography.
Color symbolism was prevalent in 16th-century religious art, and often a single color would have more than one meaning. Here, Vouet uses vibrant red and yellow gold fabrics not only to accentuate David’s kingly wealth but also to insinuate the frailty of his nature. In religious iconography, red can symbolize both love and hate, yellow gold sacredness or treachery. All of these qualities are interwoven into David’s complicated history and readily acknowledged by him in his Psalms. In addition, Vouet masterfully captures the emotional depth of “Israel’s singer of songs”(II Samuel 23:1). Notice the intricate detail in the weathered face and hands; notice, too, the tear in the psalmist’s eye as he gazes heavenward and prays. It’s as if we hear him plead: “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were” (Psalm 39:12). It is not surprising that the harp, David’s attribute, has come to symbolize not just the Psalms but all songs and music created to honor God.
Donnalynn Hess, Director of Education
Published 2022
For students of ALL ages: click and print the coloring sheet, then find inspiration in the Old Master’s original to create your own version! Share your work with others on social media and tag the Museum & Gallery!
Esther Accusing Haman by Jan Victors, Dutch (1619–after 1676)
For a printable coloring sheet click HERE.
The Heavenly Shepherd by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Spanish (1617–1682)
For a printable coloring sheet click HERE.
Joseph Sold into Bondage by His Brethren by Giovanni Battista Carlone, Genoese (1603–1684)
For a printable coloring sheet click HERE.
Rest on the Flight to Egypt by Francesco Granacci, Florentine (1469–1543)
For a printable coloring sheet click HERE.
Madonna of the Chair by Unknown (copy of Raphael)
For a printable coloring sheet click HERE.
Due to COVID-19, our regular routines and social interactions have been disrupted. However, in the face of change and the unknown, what our minds dwell on becomes critical. While beauty has always mattered in our lives, perhaps it shows itself all the more valuable and significant in a crisis. Pause to reflect on a few, beautiful images and ideas represented in M&G’s Collection—things worthy of our thinking.
Since M&G closed its two museum sites in February 2017, we’ve busily pursued some creative ideas and valuable feedback about the Old Master collection and M&G’s re-opening. Watch the most recent video to follow our updates and learn about M&G’s focus and next steps in our service to you!
ArtBreak 2020-2021
During Covid19, M&G adapted our monthly ArtBreak to a different format—a podcast to enjoy on any personal break! Like our normal in-person lunch and lecture construct, you’ll hear various M&G staff members and guests for each, roughly 35-minute program—in the comfort and safety of your own surroundings. Listen to these monthly features below or find us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
Note: M&G is planning to return to our in-person programming October 2021.
September 10, 2020—What is ArtBreak?
October 8, 2020—Gut Reaction: Favorites in M&G’s Collection
November 12, 2020—On Location: Closing & Opening an Exhibition
December 10, 2020—Gut Reaction: What is your favorite Christmas-themed artwork?
January 14, 2021—Conversation with a Conservator
February 11, 2021—A Conversation: What is Museum on the Move?
March 11, 2021—Insights: What Artist(s) do you think should be a household name?
April 8, 2021—On Looking at Art
Click on the links below, if you would like to see the described works from the April podcast:
Linda McCray
Lucas Cranach, the Younger
Priscilla Roberts
May 13, 2021—Gut Reaction: Art Experiences to Remember
View Paintings from the Museum & Gallery Old Master Collection
While the Museum & Gallery is closed to the public and unable to offer public viewing hours, we continue removing the collection in preparation for moving to a new building and new location. Meanwhile, you can still see selected masterworks on display in these campus locations:
Gustafson Fine Arts Center: Atrium
Public Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 AM-5 PM or by tour request
Luther’s Journey: Experience the History commemorates Luther’s posting his 95 Theses—an act that changed the world. His probing questions about man’s ultimate purpose, potential, and place in the world are still central to our own time and culture. Luther’s life journey reminds us that ordinary people can be used by God to inspire extraordinary and enduring change.
War Memorial Chapel
Open only by appointment or tour request
The Benjamin West Collection
The seven paintings that hang in the War Memorial Chapel constitute the largest assemblage today of works by Benjamin West, the father of American painting.
