Comparative Analysis: The Portrait Of Eleanor Of Toledo

Comparative Analysis:

“The Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo” and “Self-portrait with Isabella Brandt” The Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo was finished by Bronzino in 1545 and is among the most famous works by the artist. The portrait is currently housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence in Italy. The oil on panel painting depicts Eleanor of Toledo sitting with her hands placed on the shoulders of one of her sons. Eleanor’s gesture in combination with the pomegranate motif on her dress presents her as a good example of a mother in the 115 cm by 96 cm painting. The painting presents Eleanor as an ideal woman of her time and helps to focus on the theme of good motherhood for prosperity of the society. Pieter Paul Rubens’ Self-portrait with Isabella

In Rubens’ painting, the background is draped with vegetation and clouds indicating that even though the painter and the wife are the main subjects of the painting, they exist within the spun of the larger world, making the painting a three dimensional painting. The same is equally the case with Bronzino’s Portrait of Eleanor. In as much as Eleanor and her son are the major subjects of the painting, the background shows a light blue wall and furniture on the left side of the painting, indicating that Eleanor is not the only object and subject of the painting, but exist in a larger world (Sayre,

In as much as the clothing of the subjects of the painting in both cases demonstrates affluence and association with the middle class of the renaissance society, both Bronzino and Rubens chose to give their characters clothing of relatively darker colors. These colors are perfectly amalgamated within the context of soft lines bringing a visual appeal. In as much as Rubens uses maroon in the painting of the lower part of her wife’s dress, this color is not as bright as others like red would have been, and is equally dominates by the black and dark green color used to paint the major part of the attire and the vegetation in the background respectively. In the same manner, Bronzino draped both Eleanor and her son in darker clothing and golden laces and jewelry. Both artists use a significant style of the renaissance period where the chosen colors help in moderating the hues of the surrounding (Sayre, 2012). Therefore, both the authors were meant to achieve the theme of simplicity while showing substantial affluence. Additionally, both forms in the two paintings seem to be static as though they posed for the painter when making the drawing (Emison,