Bernardino Lanino Reimagined
Doves
Bernardino Lanino
1512-1583
Baptism of Christ

Symbols in Renaissance Art
Throughout the centuries doves have appeared as symbols in numerous religious and secular settings but may be best known for its wide use in Christianity. Renaissance artists, such as Bernardino Lanino, utilized doves primarily in religious artwork to depict the third element of the trinity, the Holy Spirit. Shown above the figures in the painting, wings spread and often in a burst of light gives the dove an ethereal appearance, indicating its religious significance.

Deborah Lanino
2019
Acrylic on canvas
18" x 36"
Dove 1
Deborah Lanino
2019
Acrylic on two 12"x 12" panels
12" x 24"
Dove II

Deborah Lanino
2019
Acrylic on canvas
18" x 36"
Dove III
The Greek Cross
This series of paintings signifies hope for a better future and the possibility for change. When times are dark, there is a tendency to want to just give up. Remember from history that the Dark Ages led to the Renaissance. This Greek Cross series was painted during the pandemic and to me it signifies hope for a better future.
The Greek Cross is composed of four arms of the same length, crossing each other at a straight angle. It is typical of the Byzantine art, alternating with the Latin cross as base diagrams for churches. Its four equal beams and the fact that it can be contained in a square, make it the idealized cross, which represents the Divine Nature of Christ. The first Greek cross building of the Renaissance was Leon Battista Alberti's San Sebastiano in Mantua (1460). In 1546, Michelangelo was appointed architect of St. Peter's Basilica, Rome making the ultimate Greek cross structure of the Renaissance.
Featured here are several works from my Greek Cross series. They are 38" x 38" inches. Displayed as a unit, each panel is 12" x 12".


An example of the Greek Cross in Architecture
Deborah Lanino
2020
Acrylic on canvas
38" x 38"
Greek Cross III

Deborah Lanino
2020
Acrylic on canvas
38" x 38"
Greek cross II

Deborah Lanino
My art studio in Los Angeles, California
Here you can see a grid painting of nine 12" x 12" panels with a sense of the scale of the Greek Cross series on the wall
total size: 38" x 38"
Acrylic on canvas
2020

Deborah Lanino
2020
Acrylic on canvas
38" x 38"
Greek Cross I
Deborah Lanino
2020
Angels
Artists of the Renaissance era painted characters called "putti," which looked like male babies or toddlers. These characters represented the presence of pure love around people and often sported wings like angels.

Bernardino Lanino
1512-1583
Musician Angel

Deborah Lanino
2021
Acrylic on board
10" x 10"
Three Musician Angels

Deborah Lanino
2017
Acrylic on canvas
8" x 10"
Musician Angel I

Deborah Lanino
2021
Acrylic on paper
8" x 10"
Musician Angel II

Madonna
A Madonna is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are in Renaissance painting, particularly High Renaissance painting.
Bernardino Lanino
1512-1583
Charcoal on paper
Madonna
Bernardino Lanino
1512-1583
Charcoal on paper
Testa Femminile

Deborah Lanino
2019
Acrylic on canvas
Madonna I
30" x 40"


Deborah Lanino
2020
Gouache on paper
Testa Femminile I
8” x 10”

Deborah Lanino
2020
Acrylic on canvas
Testa Femminile II
20" x 20"

Deborah Lanino
2021
Gouache and colored pencil on bristol paper
Testa Femminile III
20" x 20"
Deborah Lanino
2020
Acrylic on canvas
Madonna II
20" x 20"
Abstractions
a new series inspired by themes and variations of classical compositions. Abstract art is an ideal vehicle for communicating spiritual realities for many reasons. It removes the viewer from the world they think they know and allows them to focus their contemplation on symbols, the experience of a work, or its meditative character.

Bernardino Lanino
1512-1583
Oil on panel
38" x 48"
Triumph of Christ with Angels and Cherubs

Deborah Lanino
2020
Gouache and colored pencil on paper
9" x 12"
Triumph of Christ with Angels I