Friday, December 31, 2010

The Holy Family

The Holy Family
By Jaques Stella
Oil on canvas

New years resolution? Ride the lamby every single day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Madonna and Child with Angels

Madonna and Child with Angels
Painting on panel
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

It's a night-of-the-living-dead pose fat-knees Madonna and Child----nice!

Friday, December 24, 2010

The Nativity

The Nativity
By Johann Koerbecke
1457
Painting from an altar
German National Museum, Nuremberg

SQUISHY: Hey, it's my birthday everyone. Could I please get some jammies, a onesie, or even just some pampers? And maybe something to lie down on--some leftover hay for example? Anything?????????

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Madonna and Child with St. John

Madonna and Child with St. John
By Bernardino Luini
Oil on cavas

Did you hear? President Obama just signed the repeal of don't ask don't tell!

Hooooorayyy! Big hugs all around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Madonna and Child

Madonna and Child
By Albrecht Durer
1516
Oil on panel, 27.9 x 20.5 cm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Even the savior's gotta get his nappy changed.....

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Adoration of the Child

The Adoration of the Child
By Piero di Cosimo
1495-1500
Oil on wood panel
The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, USA

Showcasing the latest in rugged Bible chic furniture, baby Jesus reclines on a rock/chaise lounge.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

St. Luke Painting the Virgin

St. Luke Painting the Virgin
By Maerten van Heemskerck
1532
Oil on panel
Frans Hals museum, Haarlem

Congrats Jesus--all that time at the gym is really starting to pay off!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Madonna with Chid and Saints

Madonna with Child and Saints
by Bonaventura Berlinghieri
First half of the 13th century
Uffizi gallery, Florence

Male. Pattern. Baldness.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Pala Sforzesca

Pala Sforzesca
By Master of Pala Sforzesca
about 1496-1497
Tempera on panel, 230 x 160 cm
Milan, Pinacoteca Brera

SQUISHY (to kneeling donor in blue): Dude, your hairstyle is totally unflattering!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Madonna and Child

Madonna and Child
By Master of the Valencia Altarpiece
Panel
Sassari, Cathedral

Not only is the kid's head on sideways, but his ear is extremely large.....Mary's a looker though.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Nativity

Nativity
By Antonio da Tradate
@ 1510
Detail of a fresco in the Church of St. Ambrose, Canton Citino, Switzerland

MARY: I specifially remember the angel Gabriel telling me I was giving birth to the son of God. He did not say I would be having a pig-in-a-blanket!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Virgen de la Leche

Vergen de la Leche
By Pedro Berruguete
1465
Painting

Oh Mary you totally need to work on your aim!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Adoration of the Christ Child

Adoration of the Christ Child
By Sandro Botticelli
Painting on panel, 120.8 cm
Houston Museum of Fine Arts

And the award for most prolonged awkward pose goes to.......

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints
By Marco d'Oggiono
1524
Oil on canvas, transferred from wood, 176 x 148 cm
Museo Diocesano, Milan

SQUISHY: Okay let play Rock Scissors Paper on the count of three. One...two...three!

ST. JEROME: Rock breaks scissors! Ha ha I won!

SQUISHY: No way man--it's cheating to use a real rock!



Thursday, November 11, 2010

Nativity

Nativity
By Lorenzo Monaco
1405-10
Tempera on wood, gold ground, 22 x 31 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New york

Dear Electric Light Up Jesus,

Does your sorta-daddy Joseph have a detachable head?

Just wondering,

M.A.


Sunday, November 7, 2010

Dionisio Hogetria Virgin

Dionisio Hodegetria Virgin
1502
Painting on panel

All right
Mary and Jesus, from now on you need to limit yourself to one tanning salon visit a month......

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist

The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist
By Frans Floris
1546
Oil on panel, 40 x 31 1/2 "
Private collection

Listen closely and you can hear Jesus whisper to St. John "my friend, the buttless hairshirt and leaf head look is so not working for you."

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Madonna and Child

Madonna and Child
By a painter of the Venetian Circle
1350
Tempera on panel, 66 x 47.5 cm
Sibenik, Collection of Sacral Art in Church of Saint Barbara

In honor of Halloween: a freaky Madonna and Child. Yes, that breast is coming from Mary's shoulder....

Thursday, October 28, 2010

St. Luke Painting the Virgin

St. Luke painting the Virgin
By Martin van Heemskerk
Painting on wood, 168 x 236 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rennes, France

Yeah, so maybe a lot of people painted the Virgin and Child, but how many of them did it while sitting on an ox????????

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Presentation in the Temple

The Presentation in the Temple
Detail of the prophet Simeon holding the infant Christ
By William Peckitt
Stained Glass
1767
Oriel College Chapel, Oxford, England

SIMEON: Oy vey!

SQUISHY: Whatev.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Nativity

Nativity
By Scoliao di Giovanni
Painting on panel, 122.9 x 67.2 cm
Moretti Fine Art, New York

I'm changing the title of this to The Avalanche Nativity because of the apparent avalanche of snow sliding down the mountain in the background to cover the ox and ass. (Fortunately one of the shepherd's have punched a hole in the snow so they can breathe).

And there's Big-Belly-Baby-Jesus at the bottom of the avalanche on a glowing beach towel---nice!




Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Madonna with Child

Madonna with Child
By Giovanni Bellini
1475
Oil on canvas

MARY TO SQUISHY: I don't care if you practice all day, I'm not going to let you audition for American Idol!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Adoration of the Magi

Adoration of the Magi
By da Cremona Girolamo
Oil on canvas

Is that an actual baby Mary is holding or an inflatable baby Jesus beach toy?

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Sebastian

Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Sebastian
By Carlo Crivelli
1491
Oil and egg on poplar, 175 x151 cm
National Gallery, London

Poor baby Jesus is scared to death and clinging to mom, and who can blame him?

Don't you kind of wonder how St. Sebastian keeps his hair so nice when he's all shot up with arrows?

Don't you kind of wonder why there's a pickle hanging to the left of St. Sebastian's head?


Sunday, October 10, 2010

Geburt Christi

Geburt Christi
By an anonymous German artist
1330
Tempera and gold on oak, 10.43 × 7.28"
Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany

O. M. F. G.

I think I may have peed myself a little.

First, there's Squishy, whose green swaddling makes him closely resemble a piece of okra.

And Mary, well her lower body is so huge I at first thought it was a red mountain range.

Finally, the ox and ass: they only come up to Mary's ankle. Squeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Madonna and Child with St. John

Madonna and Child with St. John
By Bernardino di Betto
c. 1486
Tempera on panel, 31 x 23 "
Museo del Capitolo del Duomo, Citta di Castello, Italy

Oh baby Jesus you are so not pulling off the balding mullet. Get yourself some Rograine and a haircut, QUICK!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Holy Family

Holy Family
By Cesare Veceillo
Oil on canvas, 70.5 x 40 cm








Ooooohh The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo! I can't put it down!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Madonna and Child

Madonna and Child
By Bernardino Luini
Oil on canvas

I'm lovin' the fauxhawk on you Squishy!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Madonna and Child with St. John

Madonna and Child with St. John
By Raffaello Sanzio
1504
Painting
State Museum, Berlin

ST. JOHN: Squishy, my friend, you are gettin' chub! Have you tried the low carb diet? I went low carb last month and I'm already down one hair shirt size!

SQUISHY: For reals? Man I am kicking white bread to the curb!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Flight into Egypt

The Flight into Egypt
By Juan de Borgono
Oil on canvas

Ooooo-kaaay. So when you're in the midst of your flight into Egypt, what you got to do is stop to pick miniature coconuts off a tree. And you wear your halo like a kind of pizza hat.

Oh, and if you look closely, your donkey has sideburns....

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child
By Giovanni di Paolo
1440-45
Tempera on wood, 35 x 25 cm
Lindenau Museum, Altenburg

Seriously, did they not have diapers back in 1440? 'Cause I don't even want to know how it used to smell.......

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Nativity

Nativity
1493
Tempera on wood
Right wing of an alterpiece in the church of St. Peter and Paul, Oberageri, Swizerland

It's a classic and fantastic nativity! Awkward architecture: check. Floating ox and ass heads: check. 70's bathroom wallpaper background: check.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Triptych of the De Visscher van der Gheer Family

Triptych of the de Visscher van der Gheer family (detail)
By Jan van Scorel
Alterpiece

Listen up little man: when you grow up we're gonna make you do all kinds of crazy stuff to prove you're the saviour. But before you walk on water, first you have to practice your tight rope walking....

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Virgin Mary Suckling the Infant Christ

Virgin Mary Sucking the Infant Christ
Detail of stained glass from the Newcastle Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Convenient tit: now in convenient stained glass form!



Sunday, September 12, 2010

St Christopher with the Infant Christ and St Peter

St. Christopher with the Infant Christ and St Peter
By Cima da Conegliano
1504-06
Oil on poplar panel, 73 x 56 cm
Private collection

SQUISHY: When I grow up, I want to be a hairstylist.

ST. CHRISTOPHER: Oh damn--you can see my tighty-whiteys.

ST. PETER: I got the big keys, I got the big keys!


Friday, September 10, 2010

Adoration of the Magi

Adoration of the Magi
1459-69
Detail of a fresco on the Northern wall of St. Mary Mesocco, Tessin, Switzerland

Aha! Another winner from the School of Dubious Architecture. The manger is a wicker basket and the king on right is apparently taken from a chess piece.



Sunday, September 5, 2010

Madonna and Child with Saints

Madonna and Child with Saints
By Lucca Signorelli
1484
Panel, 221 x 189 cm
Museo dell'Opera dell Duomo, Perugia

Um, Jesus, your lute player has a serious beer gut.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

St. Christopher

St. Christopher
By Jusepe de Ribera
1637
Oil on canvas, 127 x 100 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

St. Christopher to Squishy: Look dude, according to legend I carry you across a river. Nowhere does it say I teach you to bowl.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Madonna and Child with St. Anne

Madonna and Child with St. Anne
Fresco in the Church of St. Maria del Castello, Osogna, Canton Ticino, Switzerland

Note to viewers: some Virgins not to scale.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist

Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
By Michele da Verona
1490's
Tempera and oil on wood, 29 x 22 3/4 "
The Metroplitan Museum of Art, New York
St. John to Squishy: Damn Jesus! Where'd you get your hair did?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Madonna and Child

Madonna and Child
Painting
Pinacoteca de Milan, Milan, Italy

Squishy wants YOU!