Art Event #2.

The presentation on the painting, Landscape with an Anchorite Saint, by Nicolas Poussin was interesting due to the fact that the man in the painting was a mystery until recently. Much of the painting remained in mystery until in 1999 when technology offered art historians the ability to clean paintings efficiently without damaging anything. When the painting was cleaned art historians were able to partially decipher the painting and the meaning. The painting features several interesting elements including a lightening bolt and a mysterious raven. The lightning bolt is such an interesting element because it’s a rarity in renaissance paintings. The ability of a renaissance painter to show real time weather conditions in a painting was quite an achievement during that time period. The mysterious raven is still in question and was only able to be seen recently after cleaning. The meaning of the raven in the painting is still up in the air.