Over the weekend I visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston, for an assignment in my art history class. We were to compare and contrast biblical works, one by Giotto and a work by Raphael, the Raphael showing the Pietà and the Giotto portraying the Presentation of Christ at the temple. My experience and interpretation of the paintings was not merely affected by the content of the image, but as with all art, by its form.
The necessity for form to communicate content is paramount, and as I studied the Giotto the contrasting of primary colours in the bold use of blue and red in the garments of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene both contrasted and united the figures. The olive-coloured, muted background contributed to this emphasis by directing my eye at the central figures. Colour truly is what the eye sees best, and is thus paramount in creating meaning. As Professor Conway writes “To fully understand the influence of these artists on art history, one may therefore benefit from knowledge of the neural mechanisms of color, which may themselves be better understood in light of art’s historical… considerations of color.”
Similarly, the background of the Presentation was painted gold, underscoring the divinity and otherworldliness of the scene. The way the light hit the Giotto affected my viewing experience to such an extent that I had to wait for my eyes to adjust to the radiance. As such, the work slowly unveiled before my eyes, as the radiance of God might do to believers at the time.
While my close observation of the two works reminded me of Professor Conway’s lecture material, the experience of visiting the museum was what for me resonated with his ideas the most. Professor Conway’s talk on not only colour and form, but also the way our knowledge and senses subconsciously impact what we create has stayed with me this week. As Isabella Stewart Gardner herself imagined it, all the works in the museum have not been moved since her death, and thus her arrangement of the works add another intent. Her artistic views have created a new layer of meaning by infusing the space with her knowledge and sensory experiences, just as a neuroscientist might create art in light of spectrums and synapses.