May is the final
month of spring, followed by warm summer, which the modern mind associates with
a well-deserved break and carefree outdoor activities.
Depictions
of natural cycles are very common in the visual arts. The four seasons,
together with the twelve months, the four elements and the five senses, were
part of the obligatory furnishings of noble Baroque homes. In these depictions,
we often encounter tasks or crops and produce typical for a particular time of
year.
The Allegory
of Summer, attributed to the Venetian painter Giulio Carpioni (Venice, 1613
– Vicenza, 1678), comes from Strahl's collection in the castle of Stara Loka.
The heat of the summer months is represented by three unclothed putti, engaged
in seasonal chores – mowing and harvesting, while the ripened grain is
carefully bundled into sheaves.
9 May – 5 June 2024
National Gallery of Slovenia
Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana