First College Field Trip: The Palmer Museum of Art

Louis Finson
Flemish, C. 1580-1617
San Gennaro, C. 1610-1612

            The piece of artwork that caught my eye in the Palmer Museum of Art was an oil on canvas painting titled San Gennaro, painted by Louis Finson.  The painting is very large in size; about 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall and is surrounded by an old and golden frame.  The painting is of the Patron Saint of Naples, San Gennaro.  San Gennaro is wearing a white robe surrounded by a golden cloak.  He is also wearing a large golden cloak and holding a large staff.  In front of him is a table holding two bottles and a severed human head.  The head is positioned sideways and looks pale and green.  When you see the head, you look back up at the Saint and see his face in a different manner.  He is holding his hands up and his face is showing a cold and menacing look.  No matter where you are located in the room, the eyes of the Saint follow you.  The background of the painting is a deep, dark black that makes the picture that more daunting and scary.

 This piece of art was created around 1610 in either Finson’s home in Belgium or in Italy, where San Gennaro is well known.  Very little is known about San Gennarro and many myths still float around about him.  After thorough research, there was no extreme religious tension or war going on in Italy or with them around that time.  The severed head was most likely from a man who spoke out against the church or a practicing scientist who went against the church.  In the 16^th and 17^th century, the church executed many different people for speaking out against them.  This painting send the message that the church does not mess around and will not tolerate anything that hurts or goes against their values.  This artwork shows that while the church believes in peace and non-sinful ways, they will kill people.  The artwork fits perfectly into this age of the church because of the severed head and death glare from the Saint.

To me, this piece is a very dark, scary and mysterious work of art.  When I first looked at the painting I saw the menacing glare of the Saint and a severed head that scared me.  You look at this man and you know that you should not cross him.  It is a very mysterious piece because it does not show much and you have no idea why a Saint would be next to a severed head.  This piece of artwork makes me feel like the church is above its own rules.  One of their commandments is to not kill thy neighbor, but they have no problem doing that.  This piece of artwork is creepy, dark and mysterious for its look and the meaning behind it.

This painting was created by Louis Finson in 1610.  He was considered a successful artist in his time, but is not an extremely famous one.  He was often commissioned to do religious paintings in Italy.  The Flemish artist work and studied art in Spain, Italy and France during his life.  His most famous piece is titled Allegory of the Four Elements.  He also painted many different pictures of Jesus and famous stories from the bible.  Little is known about the life and eventual death of this man.  The dates of his birth and death are not perfectly accurate.

The claim this piece is making is about the power of the church.  It makes different claims now than it did four hundred years ago.  When Finson first created this artwork it was meant to serve as a pro-church piece of work.  The message it sends is that the church is all knowing and that no one should cross them.  They are correct all the time and their beliefs should be regarded as the church.  Another reason why this piece is showing the church in a good light is because the artist was often commissioned by churches to make art for them.  The claim is very persuasive because of the severed head and cold, scary demeanor of the Saint.  A dead man means nothing to this leader and he is not afraid to do what he has to do.  

Going to the Palmer Museum of Art was my first trip to a museum of any kind in a few years.  It was really enjoyable going back to a museum because you get to experience art from many different centuries.  I really want to start to go back to museums and learn about history and enrich my perspective.  I would like to also go to museums that preserve things other than art.  It would be awesome to go back to Washington D.C. and visit all the historic Museums that carry the artifacts of this country.  I am a history buff and would love to see the artifacts that defined our country.