Annie Roberts "Meme" - Apopka, FL

This week we took a trip down a familiar road and worked with one of my favorite people in the world: my grandmother, Annie Roberts. Annie is a loving down to earth mother of 6 kids and has visited the motherland of Renaissance on multiple occasions and has learned to love each trip for a different reason. She has always wanted to hang Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment piece in her dining room. So, here at Cedes Secrets, we decided to take a different route with renovation and actually decided to buy her the piece. Michelangelo is my grandmother’s favorite Renaissance artist because of his attention to detail and versatility.

One of my grandmother’s favorite things about the piece is the deceptions and details between Heaven and Hell. At the top of the piece you recognize the carrying of crosses, flurries of clouds, and wings present on the angels. Also, Jesus Christ and Mary are present somewhat centrally of the piece - hence the center of Heaven. As you move down the painting you start to see more aspects of hell and demonic beings in the piece. There is a soul present that is being held by a God and the skin is falling down as if the soul of the being is losing itself. When we first approached Annie about the piece this was one of the first aesthetics that she pointed out. She really loved the emotion in the soulless body and it transpires perfectly as you move down the painting. Towards the bottom of the painting, Michelangelo depicts Hell. The colors are darker and dull and there are more darker emotions pieced together here.

In conclusion, Annie ended up loving where the piece was placed in her dining room. This was a successful and appreciative week for us and it was great to visit a family relative. With that being said, we would like to turn your attention to our Instagram page to take a look at the piece that we placed in her house. Here is the link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHeYZVkl8At/?igshid=1kpgayaa89y52

Thank you again from Cedes Secrets!

Dylan Rhys - New York, NY

This week we take trip up north to meet with our client for this upcoming project. Dylan is a hardworking father who is looking for a renovation for his bedroom. Dylan has a strong personality and has great intellect. This one of his aspirations for the renovation was to display the role of leadership and dominance. He also stated that he wants to hang it above his bed. He claims this the place where he does his most thinking and he gains knowledge which we saw as another muse for his piece. With this we decided to turn our focus to the royalty aesthetic of the Renaissance. So, we chose Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Ambassadors.

This piece first uses the dark and elegant colors of the era. Continuing on, there multiple physical presences of intelligence in the room. The objects in the background all resemble a subject of education to show their knowledge. After discussing the final negotiations with our client he was satisfied with our selection. As a business we were very with the purchase. Stay tuned for more updates on our author on our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHEsymRlLep/?igshid=12tsw1tv9p7x0

Rachel Dean - Tallahassee, FL

Our next client is a down to earth and grounded close friend of mine and she is looking for some renovation to be done for her dorm room at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. One of my favorite characteristics about our client, Rachel is that she has a very unique personality and she is a charismatic and free person. She was looking for a piece done personally by Giuseppe Arcimboldo due to his weird fascination with turning fruits and vegetables into beautiful pieces. With this as her inspiration, we believed that Arcimboldo’s Feast for the Eyes would be the best piece to fit for her place.

The piece was created in 1590 and it is a depicted image of his royal patron, Roman Emperor Rudolf II, with the collaboration of both fruits and vegetables. In the painting you can see strawberries, pears, snap peas, blackberries, and corn just to name a few of the produce presented. Another component of Renaissance art that is portrayed in this painting is the use of perspective. Not only do you see the shadows, lines, and details of each fruit and vegetable, but the angles that are used for the ears, eyes, and broad shoulders give off this element.

The piece overall is notably one of the easiest to recognize when it comes to having a signature. Arcimboldo has many pieces throughout his career that are captivating and as interesting as this piece. We believe here at Cedes Secrets that Rachel will enjoy the piece we selected as it speaks to her personality and her altered perception of life and art.