Old Woman in Front of a Mirror
Today, I will tell you about Genova-born painter Bernardo Strozzi's work titled 'Old Woman in Front of a Mirror', which depicts the transience of time and was made in the Baroque style.
This work, which the artist painted in Batok style in 1615, is currently exhibited in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. The female figure in the center of the painting is busy watching herself in the mirror. He hasn't even realized he's getting old yet.
The mirror and the items in front of the mirror are both an indicator of the woman's wealth and a symbol of worldly pleasures. Baroque art often wants to present us with a momentary scene. While doing this, he loves to use contrasts.
Light-shadow contrast is one of its most important features, but some contrasts are also created with figures and symbols. In this picture, we see an old woman adorned by two young girls. The old woman is wearing a low-cut outfit.
The artist created a contrast between the wrinkled skin of this woman and the wrinkle-free skin of young girls. This situation; It pushes us to think about old age, the transience of time and the rapid flow of life.
Also, there is a message to be given in this picture. It started in the Northern Renaissance period and is a reflection of the idea of 'memento mori', that is, 'remember death', in various regions during the baroque period. We also know that especially religious painters frequently create such works.
Bernardo Strozzi is also a very religious painter. In fact, he is a member of the Franciscan order. Even though he was imprisoned by the sect for trying to make a living by painting and taking care of his family, he was not offended by either his faith or his art.
In this work, Strozzi reflects a person who is tightly attached to worldly pleasures. We see a woman who is too attached to this world to see how old she has become, who still feels like the young girls next to her inside, but never looks like that from the outside.
She dresses up, has flowers and ribbons tied around her head, and watches herself dully. This woman, who forgot about death and time and broke away from reality, thought of nothing but adornment and ostentation throughout her life.
Even the mirror can't show him the truth. The woman may see herself as the elegant and beautiful pink rose she holds in her hand. But he doesn't see his own reflection. We look at both the mirror and the woman from a real perspective.
The painter's message is actually clear; Some people think they will live forever, they get so overwhelmed with arrogance and vanity that they live long enough to be humiliated... Thank you for reading.
Stay with art. 🖤
