Martin Leyva
Professor Karen Roberts
ART102B
20 October 2014
Faith of a Canaanite The High Renaissance was fueled by an unrelenting focus on expanding civilization, culture, and the blending of classical ideas with those of Christianity. Pope Julius II wanted to reshape the church from its previous papacy under the Borgia. Artists were encouraged to garner their talents and serve the Catholic Church in a revival of human interest. Many artists were commissioned to reflect the ideals of Christianity with those of classical antiquity. The Florentine’s efforts in showcasing the country’s rebirth in individual achievements, self-awareness, art, architecture, and most of all religion would pave an era in the art world never before seen. Social, cultural, and economical regression gave light to a movement that would influence the whole western world for years to come. Rocco Marconi was one of the many talented artists painting during the High Renaissance. He was an Italian painter and was primarily active in Venice and Treviso. His talent was concentrated and flourished under the guidance of renowned painter Giovanni Bellini. His peers recognized his craft and he joined the Fraglia in 1517. This was a painters’ guild in which artists could share ideas about their art and seek apprentices. The purpose of guilds is for new artists to hone their skills as they progress further into their art. As they spend time working on their craft they gain the necessary skills to push their artwork into the open world in hope of gaining the privilege of having their own workshop. Not only would the Fraglia nurture Marconi’s talents, but they would also supply him with the necessary tools he needed to create his art. The guild was essential for artists to achieve status and one day have an apprentice of their own that can pass the ideology of the guild to other artists. Intellectual visual artists were exposed to many different clients and would receive work through the guild. Many guilds existed and would often compete against one another. A guild could consist of a multitude of artists from one city or connect bridges between others. These guilds basked artists in fortitude and knowledge so that they would become independent artists. This was no easy task and most would achieve this during their early twenties. Marconi and his art are very limited. Some of his art like many other artists has been lost in time. However, his artistic legacy lives on and now resides in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Marconi’s piece Christ and the Women of Canaan is an oil painting applied onto a canvas. It is 47 5/16 x 61 in. Marconi painted it circa 1520. Marconi depicts a story from the bible. Christ along with his disciples travel to the city of Canaan. Christ at the time has been asked to prove that he is the Messiah by his own people in Israel. He leaves Israel because difficult circumstances have arisen and Christ wants nothing to do by remaining there only to fuel the anger of those who do not believe in him. Once he reaches the land of Canaan a woman approaches the lord and requests that he heal her daughter who is suffering from demonic possession. At first Christ refuses her pleas but she cries, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Matthew 15.22). Christ tells her that he was only sent to save the people of Israel. She continues to beg Christ to heal her daughter and the disciples proclaim to send her away. Christ replies, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs” (Matthew 15.26). This might seem very uncharacteristic of Christ but one must understand that it was simply a test. At the time Christ was being persecuted by many as a false god and wanted proof that he was what he proclaimed. A woman who is not of his land stands before him with an unwavering faith believing that he is truly God but in flesh. She pleas again stating, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table”
