In 1626, Domenichino used oil on canvas to paint “The Rebuke of Adam and Eve. Domenichino employs the design elements implied lines, values, triadic harmonies, foreshortening, atmospheric perspective, primary colors, and the use of a restricted palette to narrate this passage.
Directional cues, also known as implied lines are used to direct the viewer’s eyes down the line of sight. As God rebukes Adam, the blame is passed from Adam, to Eve, and from Eve to the serpent through hand gestures and finger pointing. Color values are also used in this painting. Value refers to relative darkness and lightness. Values of blue ranging from dark to light are used to suggest a receding sky and landscape, thus creating an atmospheric perspective. Atmospheric perceptive is defined as an optical effect caused by the atmosphere that interposes itself between us and the objects we perceive. In this painting, Domenichino uses a restricted palette, limiting himself to a few pigments and their mixtures, tints and shades. The majority of the painting is created using dark brown and a possible mixture of brown and white to create flesh tones for Adam, Eve, and the animals. However, the garments surrounding God and his angels are painted in the basic triadic harmonies of red, yellow, and blue. Domenichino also uses foreshortening to add depth to his work. The sheep and the lion are laying in hiding, under the protection of a cliff or a cave, away from the rebuke of God.
The second artwork, an oil on canvas painting by Jacopo Bassano, entitled “The Miraculous Draught of Fishes” was painted in 1545. Like Domenichino, Bassano uses the design elements atmospheric perspective, foreshortening, color values, and a closed palette to narrate his work. Bassano also used other design elements such as warm colors, cool colors, intensity, two-dimensional space.
Like Domenichino, Bassano limits the mixtures, tints and shades used to create this painting by using a closed palette. He uses a lot of warm colors such as red-orange, orange, and a light orange or peach, and tan. Intensity refers to the relative purity of a color. The warm colors range from high intensity to low intensity. White is mixed with these warmer colors to create different values. The fishermen are wearing one of these colors or are wearing no shirt at all. But rather baring bare skin. He also uses cool colors in values of blue to create a sea that lingers off in the distance. Atmospheric perspective is used, creating space between the fishermen and the environment behind them. With the sea behind them, the fishermen bend over the side of the boat as they attempt to catch the fish. Bassano uses foreshortening to create this illusion. The space between the fishermen and the boat is two-dimensional. The actual space is the flat surface of the work itself. However, other quantities and dimensions of space can be implied when the viewer sees the men bending over the side of the second boat. The second boat is partially overlapped by the first boat. The two boats stand sided by side. But the overlapping of the boats also implies two-dimensional space.
Though Domenichino and Bassano use different design elements to create their work, they also use some that are similar. Even with their similarities and differences in technique, they are both able to successfully narrate a bible based story through their work.
