摘要：The first part of this essay deals with Giorgio Vasari＇s conception of architecture in sixteenth-century Italy, and the second part examines Vasari＇s practical application of one of his constructions, the loggia （open gallery or arcade） or corridoio （corridor）. The essay also discusses the merits of Vasari＇s open gallery （loggia） as a vernacular architectural construct with egalitarian functions and Vasari＇s principles of architecture （design, rule, order, and proportion） and beauty （delight and necessity） for the formulation of the theory of art in Mannerism, a sixteenth-century style of art.

摘要：Lavinia Fontana’s(1552-1614)Galatea and Cherubs riding the Stormy Waves on a Sea Monster(aka Galatea)of 1590 is an intriguing mythological *** painted on copper,it is a fine example of Lavinia’s exploration of new artistic techniques and materials as well as testimony to her bold artistic ***’s Galatea was part of a private collection in Bologna(Diletta Badeschi).This work fascinates the viewer with its erotic audacity and complex iconographical *** scholarship by Daniele Benati,Fausto Gozzi,and Enrico Maria Dal Pozzolo assist in unraveling the meaning of this *** this essay there are additional interpretative suggestions.

摘要：Giorgio Vasari’s conception of artistic creativity is related to his theory of painting. He proposes two alternatives in a painter’s development or achievement of artistic creativity: imitation (imitazione) and invention (invenzione).Imitation is the copying of art as a method of learning, whereas invention is independent of imitation and constitutes the means for conceiving artistic ideas. Imitation serves to guide and teach the artist in composing and creating perfection. Vasari maintains that artists must study antiquity and the masters, so that they may learn how others acquired the experience of imitating nature. For Vasari, imitation draws upon three different sources: the first two are copying from nature (copia dal vero) and the third one is selecting from one’s work (imitare se stessi). He emphasizes that copying from nature is important for the artist so that he may learn to create forms that are alive as visualized in the Fine Arts.

摘要：Jan Haicksz Steen （1626-1679）, a Dutch actor, poet and painter, engaged the viewer with various innuendos and double entendres in his paintings about Woman at Her Toilet. Decoding the conceits introduces the viewer to Dutch artistic astuteness and popular culture. Steen drew the observer into his picture plane through a series of emblematic vignettes. Although he raised questions about cultural mores, morality, and religiosity, none are judgmental. On the contrary, it is the viewer who might or might not articulate a moral judgment according to personal experiences. For Steen, the imagery, filled with complex conceits, is an artistic visual representation to delight the eyes, tantalize the senses, and maybe even spark the intellect.

摘要：Edward Burne-Jones （1833-1898）, a pre-Raphaelite painter, was fascinated with astronomy, as noted in his memorials and accounts. In 1879, he executed cartoon drawings for a cycle on nine planets for the artisans of the William Morris Firm, who would transform them into stained-glass panels. The commission was for the decoration of Woodlands, the Victorian mansion of Baron Angus Holden （1833-1912）, a major of Bradford. Presently, seven of the cartoons--The Moon （Luna）, Earth （Terra）, Sol （Apollo）, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Evening Star--are in the Torre Abbey Museum in Torquay, UK, while the cartoon for Mars is part of the collection of drawings at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, UK, and the cartoon for Morning Star is located at Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford, UK. In the creation of the Planets cycle, Burne-Jones was inspired by cultural events of the time such as British scientific astronomical discoveries and British and Italian humanistic sources in literature and visual arts portraying astronomy. This essay art historically and iconographically examines the nine planets as celestial and terrestrial formations and astral spheres of good omen. It is composed of three sections. The first section discusses the history of the artistic commission; the second analyzes the stylistic and iconographical aspects of the Planets cycle; and the third section explains some of Burne-Jones＇s cultural sources for the Planets cycle as manifestations of seasonal transformations, heavenly and terrestrial realms, musical spheres, and visions of a benevolent cosmos.