the artist would paint, draw, sketch, and record stories, fables, and historical events. They might do this in the form of landscapes, portraits, murals, sculptures or a painting, so that people could learn about history and particular events. In the painting “The Raising of Lazarus” by Duccio, is an example of an event in history. The picture represents Christ bringing back the dead Lazarus. You can see Lazarus in a tomb, wrapped in cloth with his eyes open. There is a man standing near by holding his nose; the body had obviously started to decompose because Lazarus had been dead 3 days. The background landscape of trees and mountains are very fake looking. Painters usually painted the backgrounds plain. Later an artist named Rembrant painted “A Portrait of a Young Jew.” The man in the painting has a full beard and messy hair, along with a black skullcap clearly identifies him as a Jew. Rembrant captures details, like the serious expression on the mans face. People didn’t like Rembrant because he experimented with different painting techniques. During this period of history, Rembrant was a head of his time. Up close the picture is distorted. This picture must be viewed from a short distance to see the details and the brilliance. His painting reflected photographs with a smooth texture that people of his time did not appreciate. Today Rembrant is admired for his versatility in all his work: portraits, landscapes, and historical paintings. Why is art so important? It is because art is powerful; it can convey so much information without using language. To conclude, an artist can express ideas, experiences, feelings, both literally and symbolically through various medians. The artists can demonstrates how to fully understand and appreciate the similarities and differences of all people. ...
