The four liberal arts: Allegory of Painting

Strudel devoted a tondo to each of the arts in the quadrivium – the scientific, mathematical division of the seven liberal arts – for a ceiling in the Schönborn garden palace in Vienna. Resting on bands of clouds, accompanied by putti, the Arts demonstrate their various fields of activity: Poetry (Arithmetic), Astronomy, Painting (Geometry) and Song (Music). The "Allegory of Painting" looks diagonally downwards and points with her right hand to a canvas held by two putti, apparently intending to depict what she sees. The blindfolded mask lying beside her refers to the deceptive, imaginary power of painting. For this theme, Strudel had recourse to Cesare Ripa’s "Iconologia" – an iconographic work of reference indispensable for artists.

Habersatter Thomas: Peter Strudel (Strudl), The four liberal arts: Allegory of Painting, in: Ducke Astrid, Habersatter Thomas (Hrsg./Edi.): von | from 0 auf | to 100. Residenzgalerie Salzburg 1923-2023. Salzburg 2023, S./p. 336-337