Art of Renaissance Europe final

Madonna with the Long Neck by Parmigianino (1534)

- Florence - commissioned in the end of 1534 by Elena Tagliaferri, the sister of Francesco Baiardi - placed in the funerary chapel of her husband Francesco in Parma, (1542) - unfinished - started out as a conventional Virgin and Child enthroned between St. Francis and Jerome, but the saints were pushed into the background, to be eventually replaced by angels in the foreground - angel holds a crystal urn, in which there was once visible a cross, echoing the pose of the sleeping Christ Child. - the exceptional refinement of the Virgin's head, the elaboration of her bejewelled coiffure, and the extreme elongation of the proportions are entirely typical of Parmigianino's slightly frigid appeal. - Subject = virgin and child - Leggy angel - Makes us think of Pieta - Unsettling illusion - Mary is lengthened unnaturally - Emphasizes belly button = humanity - Baby is too big - Baby uncomfortably positioned, almost falling - Empty on the right - Small figure = st. jerome or a prophet - Unfinished when he died - Doesn't look like a living baby - Compositionally referencing the same dynamic issues as Pieta

Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna (1583)

- Florence - each figure is twisting, then they corkscrew together in an open composition - opposite of the pyramid - explore from all sides - pressed to define it - public art and display

Eleonora of Toledo and her Son Giovanni by Bronzino (1544)

- Florence - his most important Medici portrait and is technically a tour de force - the elaborate brocaded gown seems as much the subject of the portrait as Eleonora herself.

Laurentian Library by Michelangelo (1524)

- Florence - housing the books donated by the Medici to the church - one of Michelangelo's most famous works of architecture featuring one of the most admired staircases in the world - transformed a normally prosaic and functional architectural element into a large piece of sculpted furniture, one that has inspired numerous subsequent architects.

Tomb of Guiliano de'Medici by Michelangelo (1519)

- Florence - seated pose of Giuliano is filled with movement. - His herculean stature adds to the impression of the heroic ideal, which is made especially apparent in his muscular neck and the armor, which fits his torso like a skin. - Conjure contemplative life - Embodies total human

Florentine Pieta by Michelangelo (1550)

- Florence - undertaken on Michelangelo's own initiative - Apart from these works, the final two decades of his life were dominated by an increasingly growing architectural practice. - Pieta includes four figures, Joseph holds up the dead Christ with two female figures helping from both sides - transitional moment of the handing off of Christ to Mary, handing and accepting body - possible portrait of Nicodemus as Michelangelo to show his piety (as it is for his tomb). - Once again not centered and dramatic and emotive. - Mannerists "got green light" from Michelangelo for the dramatic sinuous line - about how we appreciate and are emoted by art - takes attention out of the composition - inspired by antiquity but embraces Hellenistic ideals of exploring and adventure

Madonna and Child by Michelangelo (1521)

- Florence - unfinished - the statue was probably intended for the Medici Chapel, as the centerpiece for the never-executed tomb of the family's princess (present location) - Michelangelo has depicted an unusual moment, for the infant is neither suckling not comfortably situated on his mother's lap - The two figures engage in a complex gestural counterpoint, each with a hand on the other's shoulder

The Great Grotto, Boboli Gardens, Pitti Palace by Bernardo Buontalenti (1583)

- Florence - upper story incorporated natural rock formations and foliage framing the Medici coat of arms. - The interior of the grotto housed Michelangelo's four Slaves which had recently been acquired by the Medici. They were set in the corners of the interior space amid roughly carved rocks, natural rock formations such as stalactites and frescoes of fantastic alpine landscapes by Bernardino Poccetti.

Noli Me Tangere by Lavinia Fontana (1581)

- Florence -softness of lighting -beautiful sky and clouds - Titian-esque - Worked in the Papal court (also a humanist court) -capacity is what causes advancement

Giambologna

- Flemish sculptor and architect. - Born and trained in Flanders (now considered France), he traveled to Italy in 1550 to study Classical & Renaissance sculpture - became court sculptor of the Medici Dukes. - famed for compositional sophistication, sensuous, tactile treatment of human body, and sheer technical virtuosity. - extremely influential because Medici gave his works as diplomatic gifts so his style was thus known throughout Europe. - His style also spread to his many students, who studied in Florence w/ him, and returned to Northern Europe. - died in Florence 1608 - French working in Italian courts, 1594, most influential works are small renaissance bronzes, creating things for presentation, inviting you to poses it, different interface, this is the meaning

Moses and the Daughters of Jethro by Rosso Fiorentino (1523)

- Florence - Fiorentino used an obscure Old Testament incident as his subject (Moses fending off rival shepherds) - charging, bending, twisting, writhing nude forms, a few passive sheep, and a vulnerable shepherdess - Fiorentino shows off his mastery of complex poses, illustrating muscle and bone structure from all sides. - Obscure scene from exodus - More american gothic - Sense of construction calling attention to the artist making it - Theatrical - More interesting for its formal qualities than anything else - Painting about painting - Subject begins to take a more secondary status - Conceptually like Michelangelo's Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs

Tomb of Lorenzo de'Medici by Michelangelo (1519)

- Florence - Lorenzo is pensive, his fantastic leonine helmet accentuating the sense that he is weighed down by thought. He leans his left elbow on a money box, a reference to the Medici fortune. - lion's head relief probably alludes to Florence and the continuity of Medici rule. - Below Lorenzo are personifications of Dusk and Dawn. 'Dawn' is a languid woman waking up and 'Dusk' is a man in a meditative mood, falling sleep. They echo the character of their respective duke. - merges opposition of the vita attiva [active life] and the vita contemplativa [contemplative life] in depictions of Giuliano & Lorenzo. - Both dukes gaze toward a corner door through which one originally entered the chapel from the church.

Supper at Emmaus by Pontormo (1525)

- Florence - Not a comfortable pyramid but more an intersection - Unsteady composition - No real sense of space - Mystical vision → see religious application in a mystical sense

Night by Michelangelo (1521)

- Florence - Tomb of Guiliano de'Medici - marble sculpture - Church of San Lorenzo, Medici Chapel - part of an allegory of the four parts of day - less at rest on her sloping plinth than actually pushing herself against the incline. - In so doing, he takes every opportunity to endow the sculpture with straining muscles which are a sign of age in Michelangelo's work. - Features which were probably borrowed from a 'Leda' motif - Night was said to be a fertile inspiration to the arts. Yet, the position of the right arm allows the face to be shown in shadow, which leaves the figure shrouded in mystery.

A Musical Angel by Rosso Fiorentino (1515)

- Florence - Trife → cherub playing the lute - In a private home for sophisticated upper class - Mannerists work as successful artists for the patrons - Artist is not going against the grain of society, but asserting their means of manipulating it

Portrait of Cosimo I de'Medici by Agnolo Bronzino (1545)

- Florence - Typical high renaissance portraits - Visualizing Medici dynasty - Ultimate courtly artist

Palazzo Te by Giulio Romano (1525)

- Mantua, Italy - villa for duke of Mantua - includes Sala dei Giganti and Sala dei Psyche - animated surface and a disruption of Classical proportions -bulky Tuscan Doric columns - intellectual games gives rise to Mannering in gardens and landscaping, playing across divides, addressing a total person. - Mannerist enjoyment shown in palace design, different than medieval palaces, lavish gardens sculpted palatial landscape

Consecration to the Virgin by Lavinia Fontana (1599)

- Marseille, France - Originally intended for the Gnetti family chapel in Santa Maria dei Servi in Bologna - Virgin and Child at the top of the painting, while St. Agnes and Elena kneel before her. - Elena points to the figures below and draws the Virgin's attention to two small boys, dressed alike in contemporary clothes, who are handed a key by St Donnino. - Nearest the viewer, St Pier Crisogono pours oil onto a plate, presumably to anoint the heads of the two girls (also dressed alike) kneeling in front of him - follows in the path of Titian

Noli me tangere by Correggio (1525)

- Mary Magdalene, on her knees and dressed richly in the style of the 16th century, recognizes the resurrected Christ in the figure of a gardener. - This scene shows the first apparition of Christ after his death. - Mary Magdalene is about to recognize Christ, who, situated among farm equipment, points to the sky and indicates "Don't touch me" (Noli me tangere). - About relationship of spirit and matter - Conjuring more complex reflection - Dynamic balance - Sense of ease, facility. Very tightly composed but it looks free and quick (Sprezzatura)

Rondanini Pieta by Michelangelo (1555)

- Milan, Italy - Named for the Roman palace where it once stood - begun in the last days of Michelangelo's life - no indication that it was a commission but rather a form of private devotion, consolation, or prayer. - very different from Michelangelo's other two pietas - Mary stands and embraces the dead Christ but barely supports his weight. It captures an instant of time when the two bodies almost meld together once again. - re-carved multiple times which did not leave enough stone to finish the details. - Christ's detached right arm → Christ was at one time larger and more muscular, but Michelangelo never bothered to remove the remaining stump. This could be evidence of Michelangelo's usual working method or creative process. - figures are in a dramatic curve to an almost abstract level

Crucifixion of St. Peter by Michelangelo

- Pauline chapel, Vatican palace - Peter was at his own wish crucified upside down - everything is centred in the fearful event; in triumph over pain and suffering. - Solace comes from the spectacle of fortitude, confidence and will-power; the intrepid character of Saint Peter. - As in the fresco of St Paul, the main protagonists fits into an ellipse placed in the centre of the cross, extended on four sides by the disposition of the figures - clarity and strength - women on the lower right tremble with terror, and several onlookers seem on the verge of madness.

Pontormo

- Pontormo was a leader of the Mannerist movement, best known for portraits and religious subjects. - immersed in High Renaissance artistic ideals when young & apprentice to Leonardo da Vinci and others in Florence. - developed an agitated emotionalism that was a dramatic departure from his masters' emphasis on balance and tranquility. - Hallmarks of his mature Mannerist style include psychic energy over physicality, linear rhythms, restless movement, ambiguous space, and vivid colors.

Appennines by Giambologna (1579)

- Prato, Tuscany, Italy - Subjects: symbolism, men, mountains, landscapes, gardens, giants - levels of chambers and grottos, personification of the mountain range as the dynamic body of Italy through a roman river god - mannerist morphic quality but also a playfulness - looks like stone but stucco, a mannerist play in a fake mountain

The Loves of the Gods by Agostino Carracci (1597)

- Rome - brought down from Bologna to Rome as a commission to celebrate a wedding - Roman authority inscribed - look like easel paintings - referencing masters studying classics, nudes, and drawing structures

Flight into Egypt by Annibale Carracci (1601)

- Rome - classical reference with fetishization of antiquity - study of muscular body in space - a life study with a strong sense of drawing but is also a reference to antiquity processed through the moderns/masters - controlling and containing Michelangelo. set up of Academic Baroque painting

Campidoglio by Michelangelo (1569)

- Rome - used oval and trapezoid shapes in his plan - history of the Campidoglio stretches back to antiquity; it was imbued with religious and political significance that continued through the Middle Ages. - site had deteriorated, and the pope wanted it restored to its former glory. - At the center of the oval, the bronze equestrian statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was a tribute to Rome's dual image as 'navel of the world' and 'head of the world', as well as an attempt to identify its contemporary status with its ancient imperial power. - not completed until after Michelangelo's death, but his plans were followed with relative accuracy - Whereas Raphael's impact on Mannerism consisted of a new gracefulness, attention to material opulence, and complex figural arrangements, Michelangelo imposed powerful, innovative combinations of form onto the Classical precedents of the Renaissance.

Palazzo dei Conservatori by Michelangelo (1538)

- Rome, Italy - Campidoglio was geographical and ceremonial center of ancient Rome - By the sixteenth century, the former ceremonial center was little more than an untidy conglomeration of dilapidated buildings and served as the site of criminal executions. It was Pope Paul II who entrusted Michelangelo with the task of refurbishing the ancient capital. - the equestrian statue provided a focus, and the buildings provided a structure for the courtyard - It is a giant outdoor room, a plaza enclosed and protected but open to the sky, made accessible through five symmetrical openings - The faces are a perfect balance of contending forces: the powerful verticals of the 'giant order' pilasters are counteracted by thick horizontal entablatures of the lower-story - Surfaces appear simple and strong from a distance, yet dynamic and densely ornamented up close

Vertumnus by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1590)

- Rudolf II as Vertumnus = roman god of metamorphoses in nature and life - plants and flowers from all seasons symbolize Rudolf's abundant and harmonious reign.

Fall of the Giants by Giulio Romano (1530)

- Sala dei Giganti in Palazzo del Te, Mantua, Italy - ceiling and walls depict the cataclysmic battle between Olympian gods & Titans - ceiling is a Mannerist version of Mantegna's oculus in Mantua - Jupiter's temple, swirling cloud formations, and monumental, twisting figures. gods surround Jupiter as he hurls thunderbolts at the Titans laying siege to Mount Olympos. Below, the world itself seems to crumble before Jupiter's fury - the viewer is thrown off balance by the illusionistic blend of real and fictive forms. - In the Mannerist conception, an increased turbulence animates the surface and deepens the space.

Capponi Chapel by Filippo Brunelleschi (1419)

- Santa Felicita, Florence - Images of Evangelists - unsettling - Uses space to have figures bursting out - Art that was held to be inappropriate didn't survive - Duke has own balcony to not be bothered by the common people - Symbolic: Duke is above them

Set design for a tragic scene by Sebastiano Serlio (1475)

- Serlio is thinking in terms of a typical temporary Renaissance theatre to be erected in a great banqueting hall or in a courtyard of an Italian prince. Made for great personages, for that actions of love, strange adventures, and cruelties

Crucifixion by Jacopo Tintoretto (1565)

- Venice - About dramatic possibility - Cross is descending into the pictorial plane but about to move into the audience's space - Sets up dramatic possibility of large scale decoration in a quasi religious space

St. Mark Frees a Christian Slave by Jacopo Tintoretto (1548)

- Venice - Climate of real cultural tension - Ovoid composition - Very dynamic

Moses Drawing Water from the Rock by Jacopo Tintoretto (1576)

- Venice - In 1575 Tintoretto resumed his work at San Rocco with the visionary ceiling for the Sala Superiore or upper hall. it consisted of three enormous central paintings depicting scenes from the life of Moses surrounded by smaller paintings showing other Old Testament scenes. - his treatment of space is free and fluid rather than strictly illusionistic, abandoning a unified, rational perspective in favor of one based on the relationship of figures to one another. - Many of the forms are quickly drawn in white over a dark, warm ground. Light plays over the composition freely, with no pretense of rationality or consistency, creating a fantastic, visionary effect. In consequence, the forms, while strongly modeled, appear airy and weightless. - Venice had particular veneration of Moses - Harmony of composition of tension - Dramatic light and color - Loose strokes - Terrible coloring book - Tintoretto coloring book is worse than the Titian coloring book, and both are worse than the Raphael coloring book that rocks

Apotheosis of Venice by Veronese (1585)

- Venice - Painted on the ceiling of the hall of the Great Council, Palazzo Ducale - personifies Venice as a triumphant queen of the sea. - She is enthroned between the towers of the Arsenal, past which Venetian ships had to sail when they departed the city on naval missions. - The personification of Venice is crowned by a winged Victory, flanked by allegorical figures, and elevated on a cloud, all of which denote her deification, despite the progressive decline in the power of the republic. - At the very top, the winged figure of Fame, amidst billowing clouds, carries a trumpet.

Madonna Enthroned with Saints by Paolo Veronese (1562)

- Venice - Riffing on Titian's work - saints Joseph, Jerome, Francis, and Justine - came under Venetian influence and Mannerism - rich and complex arrangement of his compositions is matched by a brilliant use of colour, characterized by the juxtaposition of complementary colours and a vibrant solar light. - painted for the Sacristy of the Venetian Renaissance church of San Zaccaria (restored in 1562). - It is a fine example of the early works of Veronese with its harmonious richness of color. - The colour is made vibrant by a continual juxtaposition of light and dark tones. Through an understanding of the interaction of colour every hue is intensified and enriched. The diapason of Veronesian colour is achieved in the portrayal of the Virgin and child set against the damask of the niche. - shows the influence of Mannerist culture in the calculated asymmetry of the group of the Madonna and Child and the affected poses of some of the saints. - Unfettered by convention, Veronese has placed the infant St John the Baptist half naked at the centre of the composition

Cupid Carving His Bow by Parmigianino (1533)

- Vienna, Austria - aka Bow-Carving Amor - displays eroticism and frivolity more frankly and explicitly than any of Parmigianino's other works - Amor is portrayed life-sized and close enough to touch. - His glance is provocative while innocently coquettish as he carves his new bow. - Between his legs we see two cherubs. The little girl is pulling back from touching the love god for fear of his fire. - The interplay between cryptic content and open provocation made this carefully calculated picture the very embodiment of a collector's item for that period - represents the tastes of elite public connoisseurs

Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror by Parmigianino (1524)

- Vienna, Austria - the young prodigy at the age of 21, elegantly dressed in fur, used the distortions of a convex mirror to bring his hand boldly into the proper light - emphasizing his hand that knew how to paint and draw so excellently - his intelligent head rests in the centre of the curved reflection; proud of his brilliant idea, he gazes into the mirror. - To make the game of confusion ("picture or mirror") complete, he paints it not on a flat panel, but on a convex piece of wood. - he wanted to impress Pope Clemens VII for further commissions w/ this painting - Pupil of Correggio up in Parma - Emphasizing artistry - Study of his ability to perfectly portray distorted space - Fulfilling Leonardo's writings because whatever the artist envisions can be made

Deposition by Rosso Fiorentino (1521)

- Volterra, Italy - Very very large (bigger than this room) - More antropic than playing with central harmony - Dynamic ovoid compositional space up above - Christ's body is disturbingly green, a little too much. Emotive use of color beyond the natural world. Disturbing and unnatural Christ. - Artistry makes him unnatural - Derive from Michelangelo's ideas from dramatic nude bodies moving in space - Evocation yet denial of space

Church of Il Gesu by Jacopo da Vignola (1568)

Catholic church in Rome (the Jesuit headquarters). It was begun by Vignola and after his death, completed by della Porta.

Church of Il Gesu by Giacomo della Porta (1570s)

Catholic church in Rome (the Jesuit headquarters). begun by Vignola and when he died, it was finished by della Porta. He was responsible for the dome and facade.

- Rome - shows influence of Michelangelo's muscular nudes and sculptural draperies - frenzied gestures and contorted poses show change from Classical restraint of the 'School of Athens' to beginnings of Mannerism - this scene represents when the 9th-century pope Leo IV miraculously extinguished a fire in front of Old Saint Peter's (the Borgo) w/ a blessing. - scene of panic among the citizens in foreground - ancient sculpture emerging from building in flames - Meticulous, careful composition with unity and dynamic variety - Rafael is the perfect sponge = Rafael's diversity (ability to inflect his style to fit the context) made him successful

Fire in the Borgo by Raphael (1514)

Agostino Carracci

Italian painter, engraver, and draftsman. Agostino left his profession as a tailor to become an artist. His earliest works were engravings, which was an extremely profitable practice and he was famed for having attained new heights of perfection. He was also a skilled painter and collaborated with his famous relations on various commissions.

The Dead Christ with Symbols of the Passion by Lavinia Fontana (1581)

Raphael influence on the dynamic balanced figures. Symbols of Christ's suffering = the Cross, the column of the flagellation, the angel at the right w/ three nails, the wounds in Christ's body, the whip, & the Crown of Thorns. Jesus is out of proportion to the other figures, influenced by Michelangelo's Florentine Pietà

- Vatican, Rome - painted by assistants of Raphael - room originally had a wooden beam ceiling carved w/ Medici coats of arms - original floor was replaced in 1800s with the present 2nd-century BC Roman mosaic - designed to be used for receptions and official ceremonies - decorated by school of Raphael from drawings by him - Constantine (300 AD) = first Christian emperor to officially recognize the Christian faith (freedom of religion) - on the walls, 4 different episodes from his life are painted. They show defeat of paganism and triumph of Christianity - room has allegorical figures of virtue

Room of Constantine by Giulio Romano (1520s)

Tintoretto

Tintoretto coloring book is worse than the Titian coloring book, and both are worse than the Raphael coloring book that rocks

Scuola Grande di San Rocco (15th century)

a building in Venice, Italy by unknown italian. -It is noted for its collection of paintings by Tintoretto and generally agreed to include some of his finest work. - All the works in the building are by Tintoretto or his assistants, including his son Domenico. - they were executed between 1564 and 1587. - Works in the sala terra are in homage to the Virgin Mary, and concentrate on episodes from her life

The Librarian by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1566)

a portrait of Wolfgang Lazius, a scholar and antiquarian who was an important member of the nucleus of intellectuals around the (Austrian) emperor.

Mannerism

an artistic movement that emerged in Italian courts in the 1520s and 1530s, then spread throughout Europe and lasted until about 1610; it marked the end of the Renaissance by breaking down the principles of balance, harmony, and moderation. The name comes from maniera, Italian for style. The style is characterized by surprising effects and visual trickery. - WHO? Bronzino, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Pontormo, Vasari, Raphael, Parmigianino, Rosso Fioriento, Corregio, Andrea del Sarto, Giulio Romano, Arcimboldo

The Palestrina Pieta (1550s)

by unknown italian - in the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, Italy - definitely influenced by Michelangelo, but cannot remotely be attributed to him - likes the male torso - very different than the high renaissance one (it's the "moment before" the first one) - a display of Christ's body with a complex curving supine body - another dramatic ovoid - exploring entropic composition - unfinished - marble sculpture

Feast in the House of Levi by Veronese (1573)

major Dominican church, keeper of Orthodox views other non-religious, non-servant people, display of a spectacular wedding feast of courtly views, sent to inquisition, shows catholic reformation push back then switched it to not be called the Last Supper instead of changing the painting itself

Tomb of Michelangelo by Vasari (1570)

- Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence - Above the tomb are three sculptures representing the personifications of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, saddened by the death of the great master, but the whole of the tomb is a mixture of painting, sculpture and architecture.

Last Communion of St. Jerome by Agostino Carracci (1591)

- Bologna, Italy - reassertion of tradition - ecclesiastical, dramatic center - figures frame liturgically - dramatic triangles - inspired by Titian - carefully and classically composed. - Altarpiece about communion -Traditional idea of altarpiece -Catholic reformations -Reassertion of authority and ritual -Giving of the eucharist by the priest -Dramatic interplay of circles and curves

New Sacristy by Michelangelo (1519)

- Church of San Lorenzo, Florence - Commissioned by Leo X and cousin Giulio de'Medici (later Pope Clement VII) as a funerary chapel for their fathers - New Sacristy was the symmetrical counterpart to the Old Sacristy, constructed by Brunelleschi a hundred years earlier. - It has been assumed that construction had begun prior to Michelangelo's involvement, so that when he took over supervision the building was already fixed in its proportions.

Sala de Giganti by Giulio Romano

- Church of Santa Felicita, Florence - The walls and the ceiling of the room are painted with a single continuous scene of giant figures. It is an apocalyptic catastrophe into whose centre the viewer enters. The room's decoration represents Jupiter punishing the giants for having dared to oppose his power and for bringing their rebellion to his domain. - Romano designed, built, & executed several of the fresco murals decorating the interior - The chapel is a rare example of an early-Mannerist interior. - porcelain skin, regularizing Raphael's line, self-awareness of construction and artistry

The Visitation by Pontormo (1528)

- Clutter and confusion - Almost high Renaissance pyramid but not quite (playing with the artistry of it and pushing the boundaries) - Figures on the steps like Raphael's School of Athens - Distasteful color - High Renaissance is a culmination, not part of the ongoing dialogue - Form, presentation, artistry, role of art, role of the artist - This courtyard has a tradition of being a forum for artistic discourse

The Four Seasons by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1573)

- Created shortly after Arcimboldo arrived at the Viennese court of Ferdinand I - the Seasons series includes a figures of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. - The representations of each season contain motifs from that time of year, like fruits, vegetables, and flowers. - court painter in Vienna to two Habsburg monarchs then moves to Prague with Rudolph the second - virtuous authority, sophisticated and carefully overwrought - comments on character that comes out of renaissance portraiture

The Vegetable Gardener by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1590)

- Cremona, Lombardy, Italy - Arcimboldo was well known for his double images (an image that represents two different things at the same time) - This work appears to portray the head of a man, but when inverted, the image is a bowl of vegetables.

Deposition by Pontormo (1525)

- Florence, Italy - "the artist's masterpiece" - The compositional idea is extravagant and totally unprecedented: an inextricable knot of figures and drapes that pivots around the bewildered youth in the foreground and culminates above in the two lightly hovering figures emerging from vague background - this complicated bunch of forms arranged in the shape of an upturned pyramid defies any attempt at a rational exploration or identification of planes. - ambiguity in the representation of the subject, which may be interpreted as halfway between the theme of the Deposition and that of the Pietà or Lamentation over the Dead Christ - represent the moment in which the body of Christ, having been taken down from the cross, has just been removed from the mother's lap. - Some scholars have interpreted the two young figures holding up the deceased's body as angels in the act of drawing Christ away from the main group and leading him finally into the arms of his Father. - ethereal quality of the weightless figures, and their slow, almost dance-like rhythm - complex and refined decoration of colors & forms. - Subject = entombment but we don't really know - The body of christ being carried to Mary - Powerful theological moment - Transitional moment unlike Pieta or Transfiguration, but in this we see what happened in the middle - Emphasizes the body of Christ - Fetching painting - Emotive colors - Uses figures to make space - Entire weight of the composition rests on the bottom center subject's toes

Self-portrait in the Studiolo by Lavinia Fontana (1579)

- Florence, Italy - The artist was probably about three months pregnant at the time and she depicts herself not as an artist but as a scholar with pen and ink. - Her sumptuous clothes (the slashed sleeves, huge lace collar, and gold cross) indicate her social status. - Shows her success and intellect - Bologna had more liberal policy towards the arts - She even taught as a professor in the university! - University environment fostered a rare acceptance of human capacity

Self Portrait by Giorgio Vasari (16th century)

- Florence, not an inventive painter but adapts power and order of others to a more sophisticated courtly center of Florence. Grand and somber here. rightful gov rule connected to Florence, designed to display art (classical and current), righteous rule rather than raw power (enlightened ruler)

The Apotheosis of Cosimo by Vasari (1565)

- Florence. courtly painter

Giorgio Vasari

- Italian architect, painter, writer, art historian. - a productive court artist and architect in Florence during the first half of the 16th century - his primary patrons were Alessandro and Ippolito de'Medici - most well known for his book "Le vite de' più eccellenti architetti, pittori, et scultori Italiani" (first published 1550) → a two-volume biographical encyclopedia of the lives and techniques of Italian artists - serves as a primary source on Italian artists to this day - From 1555-1572, Vasari designed the remodeling and decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, his most extensive task for de'Medici, where he acted as both architect and painter. - flattery in lots of different courtly ways, shows shift in the role of the artist and the individual uncontrollable genius model, rise of court artist, Michelangel-esque angels, shows awareness of self in history, culmination of art that calls attention to its artistry, using classical motifs with controlled variation, not an inventive painter but adapts power and order of others to a more sophisticated courtly center of Florence, designed to display art (classical and current), righteous rule rather than raw power (enlightened ruler)

An Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Bronzino (1544)

- London - a picture of singular beauty, which was sent to King Francis in France - Cupid kissing a nude Venus. on one side Pleasure and Play with other Loves. on the other side: Fraud, Jealousy, and other passions of love. - the old man with wings and an hourglass = Time - The identity of the other figures, and the meaning of the picture remain uncertain. - The howling figure on the left = Jealousy, Despair and the effects of syphilis - the boy scattering roses and stepping on a thorn = Jest, Folly and Pleasure - the hybrid creature with the face of a girl = Pleasure and Fraud - the figure in the top left corner = Fraud and Oblivion - The erotic yet intellectual subject matter of the painting was well suited to the tastes of King Francis I of France. It was probably sent to him as a gift from Cosimo I de' Medici, ruler of Florence, by whom Bronzino was employed as court painter - reflects Bronzino's interest in conventional Petrarchan love lyrics as well as more bawdy poetic genres. - Venus at the center being fondled by Cupid her son - Folly is showering them with rose petals - Time draws back the curtain to reveal envy, incest, inconstancy - Masks suggest deceit - Revelation - Suggested that love accompanied by envy and plagued by inconstancy is foolish, and lovers will discover its impracticality in time - A little open ended

King Philip II of Spain by Sofonisba Anguissola (1582)

- Madrid, Spain - More formal b/c they're state portraits - High renaissance bust - One of the most powerful leaders in Europe - Great connoisseur of the arts

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife by Tintoretto (1555)

- Madrid, Spain - This canvas forms part of a set of six related pictures utilizing a similar chromatic scheme, accentuation in drawing, and formal rhythm of curves that tie the similarly sized paintings together. - It is evident that the group of works was created for a profane space. - The biblical themes lose their dramatic burden, becoming only a pretext for Tintoretto's depiction of exotic costuming, courting ceremonies, and nudity. - Nothing is known of Tintoretto's conception of these works, so it is difficult to determine an exact date. - Fleshscape - Dramatic move of figures in motion - Figures from hebrew

Hercules at the Crossroads by Annibale Carracci (1595)

- Naples - humanist contemplative interface at work in the theme - point of discourse - very classicizing - muscular clearly-defined bulkiness, balance and expand composition, balanced yet rich - two of the most fundamental problems facing artists even in modernity are portrayed here: individual artist as genius and how we institutionally train.

A River God by Annibale Carracci (16th century)

- Naples, Italy - Nude figure of roman river god - Classical reference - Study of body in space

Sofonisba Anguissola

- One of six sisters who were artists from a noble family in Cremona. - visited and written about by Giorgio Vasari, a 16th-century biographer of artists. Vasari seemed particularly taken with the talents of Sofonisba over the other sisters. - Most of her remaining work are portraits, many are self-portraits. - She was an attendant in the court at Madrid. - pupil of Michelangelo - intimate, relaxed portraits, anecdotes into portraiture, relaxed and less formal, reveal the sitter's psychological character

Salone dei Cavalli by Giulio Romano (1530)

- Palazzo Te. Knowledge of playing games in antiquity, different mode of power, learned games, showed up in villas and not in other more powerful places, becomes the forum for allegory, starts the discussion, emergence of courtly display and the use of art to convey ideas of grandeur, takes idea of temple front and mashes it with triumphal arch, part of the glory of the court is the marvelous -Clean, crisp, harmonious presentation, renaissance-y, not just looking to antiquity for its own sake, reformulates the past

Flying Mercury by Giambologna (16th century)

- Paris, France. creating things for presentation, inviting you to posses it. different interface. its meaning is simply for decoration.

Marriage Feast at Cana by Veronese (1562)

- Paris, France. transposed the biblical episode to the sumptuous setting of a Venetian wedding. The composition is divided into two sections: in the upper part, clouds skate across a blue sky; in the lower, terrestrial section, there is the bustling crowd of people. Contrasting colors contribute to the individualization of each of the figures.

The Last Judgement by Michelangelo (1536)

- Sistine chapel, Vatican City - A sea of humanity rises and falls around the central figure of Christ (beardless, powerful physique) - the savior looks over to the souls in need of salvation (the damned) - in lower left the dead are seen issuing forth from graves - powerful visualization of the Catholic doctrine describing the resurrection of the body that shows a skeleton joining its envelope of reawakening flesh - Standing before the Last Judgment, the faithful are made painfully aware of their sins but also reminded that salvation and the resurrection of the body are still attainable with the second coming of Christ

Michelangelo Buonarroti by Vasari (16th century)

- Vasari published Michelangelo's first biography in 1550 edition of Lives of the Artists

The Abduction of the Body of St. Mark from Alexandra by Jacopo Tintoretto (1562)

- Venice - Use of space - Under a lurid orange sky streaked with lightning, a group of men haul a human body away for burial. Behind them, distant figures run for the shelter of a classical arcade, away from a huge mound of kindling. - This intensely dramatic scene depicts an incident in the legend of the disciple Saint Mark, who was tortured and killed by pagans. Mark's body was to be burnt on a large pyre, when a sudden miraculous storm douses the fire and allowed his viewers to retrieve the body and bury it themselves. - Tintoretto's painting was commissioned as part of a cycle of images of the life and afterlife of the saint for a meeting room in a civic building in Venice, the artist's hometown. - St. Mark had particular significance for the city after Venetians stole his body from Alexandria some centuries after his death, reburied it in Venice, and made him their patron saint. - Here Alexandria looks suspiciously like Venice, recalling the architecture of Saint Mark's square. Even Tintoretto's patron is depicted, supporting the saint's head. - Dramatic effect takes precedence over naturalism: the bodies of the Christians on the right are elongated, intensifying their struggle to support the corpse, and tumbling, straining bodies emphasize the work's fevered, hallucinatory atmosphere.

The Battle of Lepanto by Veronese (1571)

- Venice - conversation of the saints - Venetian victory is heavenly mandated (crusading element) - similar to colonial art, codification of the artistry of the time

The Last Supper by Tintoretto (1592)

- Venice, church San Giorgio Maggiore. - In 1594, painted at the end of a long career as Venice's leading religious artist. - His treatment of the subject contrasts strikingly to Veronese's "Christ in the House of Levi," as well as to the Renaissance standard of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper". Veronese created a lavish and colorful spectacle, whereas Leonardo used geometrical structure to focus on Christ's unique identity. Tintoretto, by contrast, employed an unusual viewpoint and the illusion of plunging into space to draw the viewer into the dramatic scene. - Luminous colors, infused with the glow of a supernatural light, emanate from Christ and from the ethereal transparency of hovering angels, introducing an otherworldly dimension. - Study of different forms of illumination in dark space - Classicizing facade and interior - Where's waldo - Light draws you to the center, Dark pulls you back into the underworld - Oil on canvas, a relatively new development in the 16th century. More flexible, more cost effective, more transportable - 16th century witnesses the birth of the idea of painting as we think of it. Self-defined painters - Using light and color to emphasize middle figure against background - Kind of a halo because all apostles have halos - Not universally consistent - Aura - Varying for optical effect - How do we first appreciate this work?Composition feeds drama of reading/being an aesthetic experience - Enter immediately into the drama - Different from 15th century perspectival Last Suppers where you were meant to be an object in physical space - Witnessing prolonged birth of artistry

Villa Rotunda by Andrea Palladio (1560s)

- Vicenza, Italy - bears most lasting witness to Palladio's longing for antiquity - the last of Palladio's villas to be built - simple, centralized structure of the kind repeatedly conceived but seldom realized in the Renaissance - The cupola of the central room was originally based on that at the Pantheon, Rome, but in its final execution it was made shallower and thus less sacred in appearance. - Set on a low hill with gentle approaches, it appears to draw in nature from every direction, just as, from inside, the building seems to push out into the surrounding landscape. - pure celebration of the dream of life in the country

Teatro Olympico by Vincenzo Scamozzi (1580)

- Vicenza, Italy - reconstruction of ancient theatre types → statement of artistic identity inspired by humanism - features a semi-elliptical auditorium with a colonnade behind. - echoes form of the triumphal arch, with a tall, central arched opening flanked by two lower openings. there are also 2 levels of aedicular niches filled with statues & an attic level above with relief panels - openings were intended to give on to a set of flats painted illusionistically to depict different types of theatre - completed the building in 1584

Jupiter and Io by Correggio (1530)

- Vienna, Austria - In Parma, Correggio came first under the influence of Leonardo and then of Raphael, although he had never been to Rome. His '"Jupiter and Io," one of a series depicting the loves of Jupiter in the early 1530s for the duke of Mantua, shows the impact of both artists. - The moody, atmospheric sky and constantly changing cloud into which Jupiter has transformed himself have echoes of Leonardo's sfumato. At the same time, however, the changing color, texture, and form of the cloud have affinities with Mannerist ambiguity even though these elements are called for by the text of the myth - The emergence of Jupiter's face, barely touching Io's, has a perverse quality mitigated only by the painter's delicate rendering of the encounter. - massive cloudy paw that encircles Io in a surreal embrace → She, in turn, leans back rather precariously in a state of erotic ecstasy. - The dramatic shifts in light and dark, the softness of the flesh, and the pose are all derived from Raphael's late style. - about power and control, intellectualizing the sexual stories presented in the painting - appeals to courts based on power and control - formlessness becoming form in the clouds

The Abduction of Ganymede by Correggio (1530)

- Vienna, Austria - The picture of the shepherd boy, Ganymede, abducted and taken to Mount Olympus by Jupiter (in disguise as an eagle), was intended for the duke's palace in Mantua. - Correggio makes skillful use of the narrow format, employing both movement and foreshortening with vitality, giving the impression of weightless soaring through free, airy space. - His art of sensual suggestion points toward the illusionist painting of the baroque era, of which he was the forerunner. - coy and more about the beautiful body presented - fusion of ideas and senses - part of humanist knowledge is through sensuality

Venus Bathing by Giambologna (1585)

- Vienna, Austria - Venus is shown with her left arm and leg bent causing her knee and elbow to extend from her body. - Her gaze is toward her left hand that holds a cloth for washing. - A piece of drapery covers her left thigh and hangs down and under her left foot that rests on a rectangular base. - small, erotic suggestion, open discussion from the base of the senses to the haughty intellectual (more than just a renaissance nudie, but to deny the sensuality is to deny the human element of it)

Uffizi Gallery by Vasari (1560)

- asserts grandeur and authority - façade facing river of the Uffizi gallery - designed to reference roman arch

Parco dei Mostri by Orsini (1552)

- at Villa Orsini in Bomarzo - By the middle of the 16th century, Orsini created, in his estate at Bomarzo, a labyrinth of symbols - it is where "Ladies and Knights" might look for what they most wanted and wander till they got lost. - He populated the "sacred wood" with monsters and tortoises, obelisks, nymphaums and giant statues.

Conversion of St. Paul by Michelangelo (1542-5)

- center of compostion is nothing - dynamic center is an explosion - nothing like the Sistine chapel - explores the emotive potential of offsetting exploring this in all mediums

Assumption of the Virgin by Antonio Correggio (1526)

- located in the main dome interior of Parma Cathedral - swirling up towards the god head, prefigure baroque ceilings with the emphasis on dynamism and movement. - Opera of painting - Mary NOT the green figure but provides balance

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore by Andrea Palladio (1565)

- located on an island in Venice - the plan is a Latin cross with a nave and side aisles - The dome at the crossing is the main source of light, which illuminates the space before the altar. - Palladio placed the altar in front of the apse to give worshippers a clear view of the priest as he celebrated Mass - Tintoretto's "Last Supper" hangs on the wall to the right of the altar. - Palladio had to solve the problem of unifying a wall at the end of a tall nave and shorter side aisles. His solution was superimposing a tall portico over a shorter, wider one. Although completed after his death, the facade of San Giorgio conforms to Palladio's design. - Such juxtapositions reflect new formal solutions that herald the dissolution of Renaissance classicism.

Finding the Body of St. Mark by Jacopo Tintoretto

-Huge for venetian identity -Assertion of Mark's presence -Assertion of nature of the body -Shadows emphasize drama of light -Complex array of figures -Angled perspective which accentuates disease, discomfort -Halo -Using light to pick out dramatic points of the story

Self Portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola (1556)

-a manifesto -asserts power of individual artist but against standard norms of practice, elevating the possibility of the remarkable individual -not apologizing for gender but purporting her intellectual and artistic skill - influences Flemish painter with her portrayal of lace in portraits of Spanish monarchs - shows more of the figure, self-portraits show her capacity and standing - Ups the ante - Asserting the power of the individual artist and the artist's vision - "I am an artist and I happen to be a woman. I am transcending expectations" - Allegorical figures tend to be female - Penetrating gaze - Not apologizing for her gender - Advertising artistic and intellectual ability - Studied with Michelangelo - Momentous. Many successful painters were trained in workshop tradition - Commenting on her ability - Painter, musician, woman of letters - A whole series of portraits dictating her capacity - We watch her evolve her self portraits to tell a story of a multi-faceted individual

Villa Cornaro by Andrea Palladio (1552)

-like Villa Rotunda but stepped up as it is two stories -shows rightful authority and moral and intellectual virtue -establish rules of architecture (ionic columns on the bottom, Corinthian on top)

Baroque

1600-1750, An artistic style of the seventeenth century characterized by complex forms, bold ornamentation, and contrasting elements - WHO? Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci (anti-Mannerist Bolognese school), Vignola, Bernini, della Porta