Domenico Ghirlandaio’s artwork, An old Man and His Grandson, gives the idea that character overpowers appearance. Ghirlandaio’s artwork portrays an ugly man with countless warts on his face, starring into the eyes of his grandson. Instead of focusing on artwork with beautiful, attractive models, the focus is on the grotesque face of an old man. Ghirlandaio uses juxtaposition in the piece to give the viewer sympathy for the man. The old man’s revolting face, compared to the child’s beautiful face creates an argument that love, and beauty comes from the inside. Ghirlandaio’s techniques move viewers to reevaluate the definition of beauty through emotion. 

Symbolism plays an important part in any sort of painting. At times, artist’s hide significant symbols in artwork, in the hope that the viewer interprets the work precisely. The first important symbol in the portrait is the positioning of the grandson’s hand on the grandpa’s chest. This shows the trust the grandson possesses in his grandpa. However revolting the grandpa appears, the level of trust the child appears to obtain shows the true beauty and love the two have in their relationship. The next use of symbolism transpires in the back window of the painting. In the distance, there are many windy roads leading up to the residence where we see the grandpa and grandson. This symbolizes the emotional challenge the grandpa faces. The roads represent the fear that the grandpa has in life. He wants to be isolated by society because of his impactful disease. Because of this fear, he lives in a secluded area. Although faced with many emotional troubles, the grandpa appreciates the loving relationships he has in his life. The next use of symbolism is the color used in the painting. The color the grandpa and grandson have on is a red color. This is significant because red can be seen as a symbol for love. It was not a mistake for both of these characters to be wearing red, as Ghirlandaio is indicating the love shared by the color they share. 

The way the artist uses an emotional connection in this piece of artwork is genius. Sympathy is felt with the viewer having to look into the face of a deformed man. This sympathy comes from insecurity of any being. Every-one has their flaws. For this man, it is his disease of having warts of his face. However, the connection felt between the two characters shows the sense of beauty that may not be felt on the outside of the man, but the inside. This emotional connection made is what made this piece be as famous as it is. The man in this picture is any individual who views it. It shows the insecurities everyone has, and how we should look past them.  

The time period of artwork can change perceptions viewers have towards a piece. This piece was created in 1490 during the Italian Renaissance (An Old Man and His Grandson). This was a period of great cultural change and achievement. 1490 was considered the high renaissance. During this period, painters demonstrated a great explosion of creative genius (Italian Renaissance). Many of the artwork from this era, including Ghirlandaio’s, are still recognized today for their design and technique. This time period was known for people to change their perception of life through artwork. This relates to An Old man and His Grandson because the artist is trying to change the way people perceive the unfortunate. However one may appears to be on the outside does not necessarily determine how they appear on the inside. This piece of artwork signifies what the Italian renaissance was about, and that is changing the culture and beliefs that society has.

Many people today hold high standards of what it is to be beautiful, and loving. Models appear in magazines and movies as skinny, which is then perceived to the public as what it is to be beautiful. More and more modeling companies are using plus-sized individuals to model. This technique of modeling is still gaining popularity, so it is a work in progress. The artwork of the renaissance showed individuals as rather ugly. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, for example, depicts a manly looking woman frowning. The fact that this piece is one of the most popular paintings in the world shows the immense change in perception. More and more people are dying from anorexia because they want to be like the models in today’s media. Artwork during the renaissance showed honesty, which made these famous pieces appear beautiful. As we view Ghirlandaio’s piece, we are more emotionally connected due to society today, and how this artwork vastly varies from those ideas. 

Beauty and love go hand and hand. This portrait demonstrates the beauty and love through symbolism, color, positioning, as well as emotional connection. The setting of this portrait plays an important role in the interpretation of the piece, The renaissance was an emotional period, and Ghirlandaio used this to his advantage. With using the contrast of the two beings, known as juxtaposition, the viewer is emotionally connected to the piece. Many people have their insecurities, including myself. The way Ghirlandaio portrays the insecurities many people face through this piece of art is what has made it such a famous portrait. The familiarity and sympathy of this piece makes the viewer reevaluate what is truly means to be beautiful.
