This piece of art that I chose, entitled 'Atalanta e Hippomenes Studiolo' is a painting by Sebastiano Marsili. It was made as part of a studio in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence which was commissioned by Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco I de' Medici in the 1570's. The small room once completed had many purposes, it was an office for the duke but was also an area where he experimented with alchemy and admired the art on the walls of the room. The artwork in the studio including this piece is considered in style to be at the high point of Florentine Mannerism.

     The work shows the entirety of the story in one frame, from Venus picking the golden apples off the golden tree (middle right) to the race (bottom) to the defilement of the temple at the end of the story (upper left). All in all, I think this piece does a good job of showing many aspects of the story, most notably the emotions in the race and the constant role and presence of Venus throughout the tale. The horses and crowd in the bottom fill almost the entire space and does a good job of portraying the anticipation and presence of the audience. Additionally, in the middle right under the tree the trumpeters are shown starting the race, and while their trumpets are still raised, the racers have already moved quite a ways away, showing the speed they ran with. I especially appreciate the emotions portrayed in the faces of the racers: Hippomenes looks desperate and frantically running while Atalanta, as she bends to pick up an apple, almost looks back at Hippomenes and seems hesitant and indecisive of what exactly she wants. One of my favorite parts of this painting and what I think the artist does a great job at capturing is the theme of the gods--in this case, Venus--being in control of the fate and result of everything. Upon seeing the painting, your vision is immediately drawn to the top of the painting where Venus is shown hearing Hippomenes prayer and descending to give aid. By placing her with such strong bright colors, as opposed to the browns and earth colors of the rest of the painting, the artist shows that she is the one in charge and is the driving force in this story. This is a hard theme to portray; however, I think that this does an excellent job at showing this central message. Differences between this painting and the story include the apple being only a step or so away from the path as opposed to far off to one side, Hippomenes being present at the tree and the audience being on horses or standing instead of in seats.

     Ultimately I think this piece does well in portraying the story. To me it seems the focus is on the central, guiding presence of the gods, which could be influenced by the fact that this work was done as part of a studio in Florence where religion and deities were central themes in the style and art. Additionally, by having the painting be a circle and by showing the full story from the initial prayer to the two entering the temple, the painting gives a cyclical feeling and as I see it, shows that while the race was intense and close, in the end, everything continues on under the watch and direction of the god or gods.