RENAISSANCE CHAPTER 17
Titian
Official painter of the Venetian Republic renown for his rich surface textures and dazzling display of color In paintings such as Venus of Urbino, he established oil color on canvas as the typical medium of the Western pictorial tradition He was a supreme colorist and the most extraordinary of the great Venetian painters.
Moveable Type & Printmaking
revolution in written communication and in the generation and management of information Printing provided new and challenging media for artists. A rise in literacy and the improved economy necessitated production of illustrated books on a grand scale. Artists met the challenge of bringing the woodcut picture onto the same page as the letterpress.
Michelangelo
-Architect, sculptor, painter, poet, and engineer (but he thought of himself first as a sculptor) His best-known observation about sculpture is that the artist must proceed by finding the idea - the image locked in the stone. By removing the excess stone, the sculptor brings forth the living form from the block. He didn't trust the application of math as a guarantee of beauty. He preferred pent-up energy to Raphael's calm, ideal beauty. -Michelangelo is best-known for his frescoes of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Rome. For 4 years, he was on his back on scaffolding, 68 feet above the floor.
Italy, 15th century (1400-1500)
-Renaissance - the "rebirth" of classical values in art and life. -New artistic culture -Humanism -Economic prosperity -Emergence of wealthy merchants (individual accomplishment rather than hereditary succession in noble families). New economic system evolved - early stage of European capitalism -Coming out of a time of plague, war, and social upheaval
Renaissance
1400 through 1600 Renaissance means "rebirth" There was a revival of Classical ideas and styles from ancient Greek & Roman cultures. A return to the realistic depictions of nature through observation (artists tried to reproduce the natural world as accurately as possible).
Mannerism
1520s in Florence & Rome Mannerism is derived from the Italian word maniera ("style") Anticlassical movement; reaction against the High Renaissance style Artifice, grace, elegance were over ordered balance and lifelike references of the High Renaissance -ambiguous space, departures from expected conventions, and unique presentations of traditional themes Imbalanced compositions Beauty for its own sake Manipulated and distorted Irrational spatial environments Elongated figures with dreamy expressions, complicated and artificial poses Less emphasis on balance, symmetry, and rational composition (values of High Renaissance)
Masaccio, Tribute Money, Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy, ca. 1427. Fresco, 8' 4 1/8" x 19' 7 1/8"
A tax collector (in red tunic) asks Peter for tax payment. Jesus tells Peter to "go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up." In the fish's mouth Peter finds a coin that Peter then gives to the tax collector at the far right. He divided the story into 3 episodes in the fresco. In the center, Christ surrounded by his disciples, tells Saint Peter to retrieve the coin from the fish, while the tax collector stands in the foreground, his back to the viewer, and his hand extended waiting for payment. At the left, Saint Peter gets the coin from the fish's mouth. At the right, Saint Peter gives the coin to the tax collector. Strong highlights and shadows on the figures give a strong sense of volume. Figures have a greater psychological and physical reality than seen before in art His arrangement of figures is inventive: they aren't a stiff line across the foreground. Instead, he grouped them in circular depth around Jesus, which forms a central focus. A landscape recedes in the distance. The barren trees get smaller as they recede in space. This painting is remarkable for the early use of linear & atmospheric perspective to integrate figures, architecture, and landscape into a consistent whole.
El Greco, Burial of Count Orgaz, 1586. 16' x 11' 10"
An angel in the center lifts Orgaz's tiny soul; a miraculous burial takes place below. Local figures fill the background. The composition is divided into 2 sections. The brilliant Heaven opens above the earthly scene. The celestial, heavenly scene is rendered with his personal style. Figures are elongated and undulating with fluttering draperies, and a visionary swirling cloud. The figures are in undefined spaces, linking this style with Mannerism. The abstractions and distortions show the immaterial nature of the heavenly realm (characteristic of his later style). The earthly scene below is rendered with realism. The realistic presentation of the earthly sphere has strong roots in Venetian art. Two saints lower the count's armor-clad body into a tomb. The armor and heavy robes are painted with the rich sensuousness of the Venetian school. The figures have carefully individualized features, showing that he was also a great portraitist. The upward glance of some of the figures below and the flight of an angel above link the lower and upper sections of the painting. His primary concerns were emotion and conveying his religious passion or arousing that of observers. His strong sense of movement and intense, dramatic light foreshadowed the coming Baroque style.
1410 Competition
An artist competition for a relief panel depicting the sacrifice of Isaac for the cathedral in Florence. Abraham was commanded by God to slay his son Isaac as an offering, but as he was about to kill him, an angel appeared and stopped him, commanding him to release Isaac and substitute a ram instead. Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti were two of the semifinalists who entered the competition.
Italian Renaissance Art
Around 1400, Italian artists (like Flemish artists) started to focus attention on rendering the illusion of physical reality (building on Giotto) Italian artists weren't concerned with replicating the detailed appearance of nature like Flemish artists Italian artists wanted lifelike and idealized figures - perfected, generic types in a rationally organized space using linear perspective
Moveable Type & PrintmakingGermany, 15th c.
Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg invented moveable type and developed the printing press. Relief & Intaglio Wider availability of paper Production of books in multiple copies replaced copying books by hand The woodcut was the earliest print media.
High Renaissance
Artists further developed the interest in perspective, anatomy, and classical culture that characterized 15th century Italian art. Rome replaces Florence as the new center of the Renaissance (artists employed by popes) High Renaissance - 1495 to the death of Leonardo da Vinci in 1519 and Raphael in 1520 Late Renaissance (1520-1600) Mannerism - a new style also emerged in 1520s Looking forward - next era is the Baroque era (1600s)
The Counter-Reformation & Art
Both Catholics and Protestants took the role of devotional imagery seriously. Catholics saw art as valuable for cultivating devotion. Protestants believed that visual imagery could produce idolatry and distract the faithful from their goal - developing a personal relationship with God.
Early Renaissance Italian artists
Brunelleschi - architect; major pioneer of Florentine Renaissance architecture Donatello - sculptor Masaccio - painter From Florence - the birthplace of the ideas of the Italian Renaissance
Filippo Brunelleschi, Sacrifice of Isaac, 1401-1402. 21" x 17 ½" inside molding
Brunelleschi's relief has dramatic emotion and emphasized the planar orientation of the surface. Dramatic intensity. Abraham rushes in from the left, grabbing his son by the neck. Angels swoop to stop him.
Michelangelo, David, 1501-04
Carved from a 16 foot tall block of marble A colossal statue that represents David in heroic classical nudity, capturing tension and emotionalism (seen in Hellenistic statues). In contrast to earlier Renaissance depictions of this Old Testament drama (a heroic David), Michelangelo portrayed David before the battle with Goliath (rather than after), as he sternly watches his gigantic enemy. David turns his head, sternly watching the approaching enemy. There is pent up energy and tension. The swelling veins and muscles amplify the psychological energy. He abandonded 15th c. self-contained compositions of David statues by abruptly turning the hero's head toward his gigantic enemy. This David is compositionally and emotionally connected to an unseen presence beyond the statue. He presented towering, pent up emotion instead of calm, ideal beauty.
Michelangelo, Last Judgment, 1536-1541. 48' x 44'
Counter-Reformation commission by the pope. Jesus is depicted as the stern judge of the world. He raises his right arm in a gesture of damnation, so broad and universal, as to suggest that he will destroy all of creation. Underneath, there are trumpeting angels, ascending figures of the just, and the downward thrust figures of the damned. On the left, the dead awake and assume flesh - the saved are dragged up from their graves into heaven. On the right are demons that torment the damned. Terrifying vision of fate that awaits sinners goes beyond any other similar images. A vision of Christ's wrath on judgment day, yet with hope. Martyrs who suffered especially agonizing deaths are below Jesus. Saint Bartholomew is one. He was skinned alive. He holds the flaying knife and skin. The face of the skin is a grotesque self-portrait of Michelangelo. Figures are huge and violently twisted. The mouth of Hell is above the altar as a constant reminder that the celebrants of Mass will also face stern judgment at the end of time.
Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper, 1495-1498. 15' 2" x 28' 10"
Da Vinci used an experimental technique - he painted with oil tempera paint onto dry plaster (instead of traditional fresco painting) and the painting started to deteriorate quickly. Started flaking as early as 1517 In 1652, a doorway was cut through the (then unrecognizable) painting, and later bricked up. It is believed, through early copies, that Jesus' feet were in a position symbolizing the forthcoming crucifixion. This painting shows the moment when Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. They all react in disbelief. DaVinci used linear perspective and chiaroscuro
Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci used the technique of sfumato. Sfumato comes from the Italian word for "smoke." Through layers of glazing, a hazy atmospheric effect is created with gentle light, softened contours, and velvety shadows.
Donatello, David, c. 1440 height 5' 2 ¼"
Donatello's David is the earliest known life-size free-standing bronze nude in Europe since antiquity. In the Middle Ages, the clergy regarded nude statues as indecent and idolatrous. Nudity was rarely in art during that time (other than Adam & Eve or sinners in Hell). Donatello's David possesses both the relaxed contrapposto and sensuous beauty of nude Greek gods - Classical pose He depicts the youthful biblical slayer of Goliath who had become the symbol of the independent Florentine republic (so this was an ideal subject for the home of the most powerful family in Florence). Shows how they identified themselves with Florence or at least saw themselves as responsible for the city's prosperity and freedom.
Masaccio, Holy Trinity, Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy, ca. 1424-1427. Fresco, 21' 10' 5/8" x 10' 4 ¾"
Epitomizes Early Renaissance painting in its convincing illusionism, achieved through the new science of linear perspective. It is the premier early 15th century example of the application of math to visual art. The coffered barrel-vaulted chapel is in one-point perspective. Mary and Saint John are next to the crucified Christ. God the Father emerges behind Jesus, presenting his Son to the worshipers as a devotional image. The dove of the Holy Spirit hovers about Jesus. He also included portraits of the donors, who kneel in the foreground. Below them is a tomb containing a skeleton. The inscription above the skeleton says "I was once what you are, and what I am you will become." It is a reminder that death awaits us all and out only hope is redemption and life in Christianity. The tomb appears to project forward into the church, extending into the viewer's space. This adjustment of pictured space was an important innovation in illusionistic painting. The ascending pyramid of figures leads viewers from the despair of death to the hope of resurrection and eternal life through Christ's crucifixion.Epitomizes Early Renaissance painting in its convincing illusionism, achieved through the new science of linear perspective. It is the premier early 15th century example of the application of math to visual art. The coffered barrel-vaulted chapel is in one-point perspective. Mary and Saint John are next to the crucified Christ. God the Father emerges behind Jesus, presenting his Son to the worshipers as a devotional image. The dove of the Holy Spirit hovers about Jesus. He also included portraits of the donors, who kneel in the foreground. Below them is a tomb containing a skeleton. The inscription above the skeleton says "I was once what you are, and what I am you will become." It is a reminder that death awaits us all and out only hope is redemption and life in Christianity. The tomb appears to project forward into the church, extending into the viewer's space. This adjustment of pictured space was an important innovation in illusionistic painting. The ascending pyramid of figures leads viewers from the despair of death to the hope of resurrection and eternal life through Christ's crucifixion.
Flemish artists
Flemish artists were considered among the best in Europe; known for textures, color, and detail Flanders was the commercial center of Northern Europe, rivaling Italian city-states of Florence and Venice Leading figures of the first generation of Northern Renaissance/Flemish painters: Robert Campin Jan van Eyck Rogier van der Weyden
Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, ca. 1484-86
Florentine painter, greatly contrasts from the scientific obsession of Uccello One of the artists employed by the Medici Fluid, linear, graceful figural style. Botticelli's style is distinct from other artists of the time who pursued natural, rational, and empirical order. Venus, classical goddess of love and beauty is born of sea foam and floats ashore on a shell to her sacred island, Cyprus. Her hands and hair hide (or enhance) her sexuality He depicted Venus as nude. He revived the theme of the female nude in this elegant and romantic representation of Venus. Botticelli's beautiful and elegant style seemed to ignore all of the scientific knowledge that 15th c. artists had gained in perspective and anatomy. His paintings possess a lyricism and courtliness that appealed to cultured Florentine patrons.
Albrecht Dürer
German artist; excelled in printmaking Dürer attempted to bring together the Northern love of meticulous observation and detail with Italian ideas. He worked with the problems of linear perspective, ideal beauty, and harmony.
Lorenzo Ghiberti, Sacrifice of Isaac, 1401-1402. 21" x 17 ½ inside molding
Ghiberti's was graceful and elegant. His gracefully posed figures recall classical statues. He also revealed a genuine appreciation of the nude male form and a deep interest in the muscular system and skeletal structure His sculpture also showed his interest in spatial illusion. The commission was awarded to Ghiberti.
Michelangelo. The Creation of Adam (unrestored). 1508-12. ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
God and Adam confront each other. Life leaps to Adam like a spark from the extended hand of God, which recalls the communication between the gods and heroes in the classical myths that Renaissance humanists admired so much. Under God's left arm is a female figure. It was traditionally believed that she represented Eve. Now, many think that she is the Virgin Mary, with the Christ child. This would suggest that Michelangelo incorporated one of the essential tenets of Christian faith into his painting - the belief that Adam's Original Sin eventually led to the sacrifice of Christ, which made possible the redemption of all humankind. The viewer's eye moves from God's hand on the right to Adam's on the left, and then Adam's arms leads the eye back to the right, along God's right arm, shoulder, and left arm, to his finger pointing at the baby Christ. The focal point, the fingertips of God and Adam, is dramatically off-center. These images are from after the completion of a 12-year cleaning project. This restoration removed years of soot and grime, revealing the vivid colors of the frescoes
Interior, Sistine Chapel, Built 1475-1481. Wall frescoes 1481-1483; ceiling painted 1508-1512; wall behind altar painted 1536-1541
He had to address the issues of: the ceiling's dimensions (5,800 square feet), its height (70 feet), and the complicated perspective problems of the vault's height and curve. He also was inexperienced with the fresco technique. Took 4 years to complete; has over 300 figures The entire fresco depicts the creation, fall, and redemption of humanity (a theme picked by pope Julius II with input from Michelangelo). The narrative presents a chronology of Christian history, and the Renaissance ideas about Christian history: such as the conflict between good and evil and between the energy of youth and wisdom of age. Michelangelo painted with a sculptor's eye for how light and shadow communicate volume and surface. Many of the figures seem to be relief sculptures or freestanding statues.
Michelangelo, Pietà, c. 1500. height 5' 8 ½"
His 1st masterpiece, while in his early 20s with unforgettable emotion He transformed marble into flesh, hair, clothing... with a sensitivity for texture (not seen before) Tender sadness of the beautiful and youthful mother Mary cradling Christ's dead body captures the sadness and beauty of the young Virgin but was controversial b/c Mary seems younger than her son. Michelangelo explained that Mary's ageless beauty was a vital part of her purity and virginity.
Leonardo da Vinci, The Fetus and Lining of the Uterus, ca. 1511-13
His analytic anatomical studies epitomize the scientific spirit of the Renaissance, establishing that era as a prelude to the modern world and setting it in sharp contrast from the preceding Middle Ages. He started a method of scientific illustration, especially cutaway views. These drawings are important to the development of anatomy as a science.
The Counter-Reformation
In response, the Catholic church mounted a full-fledged campaign to counteract the abandonment of its members to Protestantism. This Counter-Reformation can be seen in many of the commissions of the time. Popes were very aware of the power that visual imagery had to create and reinforce ideological claims.
Tintoretto
In the later 16th century, Venetian painting built on established High Renaissance ideas and incorporated many elements of the Mannerist style. Tintoretto combined Titian's color with Michelangelo's drawing - he is an outstanding Venetian example of Mannerism. His works were imbued with dramatic power, depth of spiritual vision, and glowing Venetian color schemes.
Verrocchio, David, ca. 1473-75
In the tradition of the youthful boy, with Goliath's head There is no doubt that Verrocchio's proud hero was capable of slaying the giant. The explicitness and angularity contrast with the ambiguity and sensuousness of Donatello's - nude and vulnerable while Verrocchio's is elegantly clothed. He carries a small sword in one hand and, with his other confidently poised on his hip, looks triumphantly out at the viewer. The figure, to be viewed in the round, lacks the anatomical exaggerations and the psychological implications/complexity of Donatello's.
Titian, Venus of Urbino, c. 1538. 3' 11" x 5' 5"
In this painting, Titian established the compositional elements and set the standard for representations of the reclining female nude. This painting was for the duke of Urbino. It was a nude woman in her bedchamber, for his private enjoyment - the embodiment of womanly beauty and of the qualities he sought in a bride. She holds myrtle and roses - associated with brides/weddings; and the dog is a symbol of fidelity and domesticity The linear play of draperies contrast with her body's sleek continuous volume. Color plays a prominent role" deep Venetian reds are set off against the pale neutral whites. The two deep reds (foreground cushion and background skirt) play a critical role in the composition as a gauge of distance and as indicators of an implied diagonal (in contrast to the diagonal of the reclining nude). He used color not to simply record surface appearance, but also to organize his placement of forms. Deliberately provocative gesture In the background, servants remove/return her clothing Maybe an image of a faithful wife welcoming her husband home
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo completed very few paintings because of his perfectionism and experimentation His investigations in anatomy were tremendous achievements in his day. This can be seen in his drawing The Fetus and Lining of the Uterus.
Giotto di Bondone, Virgin and Child Enthroned
Light and shadow become important to defining form and space Giotto broke free of the Byzantine use of stylized figures. His figures have more realism, movement, and real emotion. This creates a sense of compassion, which helps to involve the viewer in the unfolding drama. This still has the traditional gold background of the Byzantine tradition, but he aimed to create a figure that has substance, dimensionality, and bulk. This painting marks the end of medieval painting in Italy and the beginning of a new naturalistic approach to art. Sense of movement in the figures Giotto constantly strove to create the illusion of solid bodies moving through space. Creating the illusion of a body required creating the illusion of a space that is sufficiently ample to contain the body.
Giotto di Bondone, Virgin and Child Enthroned, 1305-1310. 10' 8" x 6' 8 ¼"
Made more of a radical break with the past than Cimabue Regarded as the first Renaissance painter, and a pioneer in pursuing a naturalistic approach to representation based on observation (core of the classical tradition in art). He displaced the Byzantine style in Italian painting and revived the naturalism of classical art. Made a break from art traditions of the Middle Ages with his unique use of space His figures were no longer stiff, cardboard cut-outs. They were solid and had depth (both physical and emotional). He was also interested in depicting the psychological and emotional reactions of his subjects.
Limbourg brothers
Most famous illuminators of Northern Europe - Limbourg brothers (from the region of Limbourg in the Low Countries - present day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). illustrated Book of Hours; used for reciting prayers The calendar pictures represent the nobility and peasantry in naturalistic settings with realistically painted figures. The Les Très Riches Heures reinforced the image of the duke of Berry as a devout man, cultured bibliophile, sophisticated art patron, and powerful and magnanimous leader. Calendar sections with full-page paintings introduce each month. Subjects alternated between peasants' labors and aristocratic pleasures The expanded range of subject matter, especially the prominence of genre subjects in a religious book, reflected the increasing integration of religious and secular concerns in both art and life at the time.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Northern artists turned more and more to everyday subject matter, especially landscapes. (Protestant) Scenes of everyday life involving ordinary people were presented as sincere subject matter - genre painting. Pieter Bruegel the Elder was one of the masters of this type of painting.
Robert Campin, Mérode Altarpiece (Triptych of the Annunciation), c. 1425-1428. center 25 1⁄4" x 24 7⁄8", each wing approx. 25 3⁄8" x 10 7⁄8"
One of the earliest masters of oil painting Here, The Annunciation takes place in a Flemish home Household objects have religious symbolism: lilies on table symbolize Mary's virginity; hanging water pot in the back niche refers to her purity and sacred role as the vessel for the Incarnation of Christ. The book and extinguished candle symbolize the Virgin's purity and her divine mission. The couple who commissioned the painting are on the left panel. They kneel before the open door, as if watching the Annunciation take place. Donor portraits like this allowed those who commissioned a religious work to appear in the same space and time, and often on the same scale as the religious figures represented. On the right panel, Joseph works in his carpenter shop. The mousetraps refer to Christ as the bait in a trap set by God to catch Satan.
Cimabue
One of the first artists to begin to break away from the Italo-Byzantine style that dominated 13th century Italian painting. He challenged some of the conventions that dominated late medieval art with a new naturalism (close observation of the natural world, which was at the core of the classical tradition).
Matthias Grünewald, Isenheim Altarpiece, ca. 1510-15German artist,very emotional and dramatic image of the crucifixion
Reflects Catholic beliefs and incorporates several references to Catholic doctrines (such as the lamb, symbol of the Son of God, whose wound spurts blood into a chalice). Grusome image of the crucifixion showing the tortured body of Jesus in horrific detail, his body covered with gashes. His body seems to even be decaying already (ashy colored skin, open mouth, blue lips) Mary collapses into John the Evangelist's arms. Mary Magdalen falls to her knees. The panels depict suffering and disease, and miraculous healing, hope, and salvation. Saints associated with the plague and other diseases and with miraculous cures (such as Saint Anthony and Saint Sebastian) are depicted. The painted images served as warnings, encouraging increased devotion from monks and hospital patients, while also offering hope to the afflicted.
Raphael, School of Athens, 1510-1511. 19' x 27'
Shows a congregation of the great philosophers and scientists of the ancient world. Sculpturesque figures appear in grandiose architectural settings rendered in perfect perspective. The figures throughout the composition are self-assured and hold natural dignity that conveys the very nature of calm reason, the balance and measure that great Renaissance minds admired as the heart of philosophy. Plato and Aristotle serve as the central figures. Plato holds his book Timaeus and points to heaven, the source of his inspiration. Aristotle carries his book Nicomachean Etchis and gestures toward the earth, where his observations of reality sprang.
Sofonisba Anguissola, Portrait of Amilcare, Minerva, and Asdrubale Anguissola, c. 1558
Sofonisba Anguissola-The first woman artist known to have achieved recognition among her contemporaries. She brought something new to Renaissance portraiture: a feeling of family interaction (affection and tenderness).
Northern Renaissance art
Some Northern Renaissance art was harsh with emotions, as seen in the grim crucifixions and gory martyrdoms of saints. Depictions of extreme physical agony were common. German artist Matthias Grünewald created a very emotional and dramatic image of the crucifixion.
"Renaissance man"
Term used to describe someone who was good at doing many different things. Michelangelo was a painter, sculptor, poet, and architect. Leonardo was a painter, inventor, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, and musician.
High Renaissance
The major regional artistic centers were: Florence (between Rome & Venice) Rome (central Italy) Venice (northern Italy) Most Florentine and Roman artists emphasized careful design preparation based on preliminary drawing (disegno). Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo... Venetian artists (like Titian) focused on color and the process of paint application (colorito).
Toward the Baroque
The theatricality, dramatic use of light, heightened emotionalism, and diagonal composition play prominent roles in the Baroque style.
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, c. 1503-1506. 30 1/4" x 21.
The world's most famous portrait. It is a new kind of portrait, depicting the sitter as an individual personality who engages the viewer psychologically. It is a convincing representation of an individual. Unlike earlier portraits, it doesn't serve solely as an icon of status. The identity of the sitter is still debated. Mona means "my lady" in Italian. Her gaze is directed at the viewer. Renaissance etiquette dictated that a woman shouldn't look directly into a man's eyes. This self-assured young woman engages the audience psychologically. shows Leonardo's skill with chiaroscuro and atmospheric perspective This painting is a prime example of Leonardo's famous smoky sfumato (misty haziness, smoky haze); subtle adjustment of light and blurring. This painting is darker today than 500 years ago, and the colors are less vivid. The landscape with roads and bridges seems to lead nowhere, adding to the mysterious quality
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559
This painting depicts a Netherlandish village He illustrated over 100 proverbs in this painting, indulging his Netherlandish audience's obsession with proverbs and passion for detailed and clever imagery. This painting is about the foolishness of mankind. Its original title was "The Folly of the World," which indicates he was not intending to produce a study of human stupidity and foolishness. Some of the proverbs: At the far left a man is gnawing on a pillar: "He bites the column," to be a religious hypocrite) Woman to the right of the pillar biter: "To carry fire in one hand and water in the other," to be two-faced and to stir up trouble To her right: "To bang one's head against a brick wall" (an ambitious idiot, to try to achieve the impossible) To his right: "One shears sheep, the other shears pigs," One has all the advantages, the other none On the roof a man "shoots one arrow after the other, but hits nothing" (a shortsighted fool). "To shoot a second bolt to find the first," To repeat a foolish action Upper left man in a window: "To shit on the world," to despise everything
Cimabue, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets, ca. 1280-90
This reveals his reliance on Byzantine models (the composition and gold background). He used gold embellishments common to Byzantine art, but here, they are no longer decorative patterns. The gold embellishment enhances the three-dimensionality of the drapery. He also created a deeper space by trying to depict the massive throne as receding in space. The overlapping bodies of the angels also reinforces the sense of depth.
Tintoretto, Last Supper, 1592-1594. 12' x 18' 8"
Tintoretto had a dynamic technique (worked quickly), strong colors, and bright highlights. This painting had emotional power, a depth of spiritual vision, and a glowing Venetian color scheme, with dramatic lighting. Angels swoop in from above The dark room is illuminated by a single light. Dramatic asymmetrical composition Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper was balanced and symmetrical. Jesus was the tranquil center of the drama and the perspectival focus. In Tintoretto's Last Supper, Christ is above and beyond the converging perspective lines. The intense light illuminates Jesus out of the darkness. The narrative emphasis shifted from da Vinci's study of personal betrayal to Tintoretto's reference to the institution of the Eucharist (Jesus offers bread and wine to the disciples) The contrast of the two works reflects the direction Renaissance painting took in the 16th c., as it moved away from rational, clarity of space and neutral lighting toward the dynamic perspectives and dramatic chiaroscuro of the coming Baroque period.
Importance of Masaccio to Early Renaissance
Tribute Money - brings together innovations in 15th century painting --- trailblazer whose work influenced other artists Linear perspective Aerial perspective Classical body types (blend of realism with idealizing the human form) Chiaroscuro to create a more realistic picture, single light source from the right, modeling the human anatomy to give figures weight Balanced, symmetrical composition
The Reformation
When Paul III became pope in 1534, it was a time of widespread dissatisfaction with the leadership and policies of the Roman Catholic Church. Reformers directly challenged papal authority Upset Catholics voiced concern about: the sale of indulgences - pardons for sins, reducing the amount of time one's soul spent in Purgatory nepotism - appointing relatives to important positions How high church officials were pursuing personal wealth -c. 1517, Martin Luther & John Calvin Protestantism Central to Protestantism is the belief in personal faith rather than adherence to decreed Church practices and doctrines. Protestants only believed that the only true religious relationship was the personal relationship an individual had with God. This eliminated the need for Church intercession, which is central to Catholicism. -After the Reformation, Europe was permanently divided into Protestant countries and Catholic countries. Reformers thought that images of saints and other figures were too often thought to possess sacred powers themselves. So, the walls of Protestant churches were bare.The Counter-Reformation
Jan van Eyck, Double Portrait: traditionally identified as Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami, 1434.33" x 22 ½"
a secular painting with religious overtones/secular setting with sacred meaning Almost every object in the scene conveys the sanctity of the event, specifically the holiness of matrimony. The painting's purpose seems to have been to record and sanctify this marriage. Crystal prayer beads next to the mirror - imply the couple's piety The mirror is a symbol of the all-seeing eye of God. The mirror is framed with a circular cycle of scenes from the Passion of Christ, and represent God's promise of salvation for the figures reflected in the mirror. Giovanni's cast aside shoes indicate that this event is taking place on holy ground. The dog symbolizes fidelity (and its ornamental breed expresses wealth) The bedpost has a tiny statue of Saint Margaret, patron of childbirth. Giovanna isn't pregnant, but the fashionable costume of the time makes her look so; she also seems to be holding her dress up The whiskbroom is symbolic of domestic care. The oranges refer to fertility. The single candle burning symbolizes the presence of God The placement of the figures may suggest conventional gender roles: the woman stands near the bed and well into the room, the man stands near the open window, symbolic of the outside world. Two additional figures are reflected in the mirror, one was the artist himself.
Significant developments in renaissance
adoption of oil-based pigment as the leading medium for painting printmaking and moveable type Linear perspective Chiaroscuro atmospheric perspective
Donatello, St. Mark, 1411-13
classical contrapposto Drapery falls naturally and moves with the body, folding naturally from the different parts of the body so the viewer sense the figure as a 3-D human body wearing clothing This statue is the first Renaissance statue whose robe doesn't conceal, but accentuates the movement of the body. Saint Mark is also independent from the architectural setting - reviving free standing sculptures
Jacopo da Pontormo, Deposition, 1525-1527. 10' 3" x 6' 4"
exhibits almost all the stylistic features characteristic of Mannerism ambiguous composition and sense of space He exploited the familiarity that 16th c. viewers had by playing off their expectations. He omitted the cross and Christ's tomb from the painting. Unlike High Renaissance artists (who concentrated their masses in the center of the painting), Pontormo left a void. This emptiness accentuates the grouping of hands that fill that hole, calling attention to the void - symbolic of loss and grief. Pontormo enhanced the painting's ambiguity with the curiously anxious glances the figures cast in all directions. The bearded man at the upper right is probably a self-portrait of Pontormo. Twisting bodies characterize many figures. They are distorted. The figure in the foreground bends in an anatomically impossible way. The figures and their limbs are elongated. Contrasting colors add to the dynamism and complexity of the painting. This painting shows a departure from the balanced, harmoniously structured compositions of the high Renaissance.
Jan van Eyck, The Annunciation, c. 1434-1436. 35 3/8" x 13 7/8"
richly decorated church instead of in Mary's home dove flies down through golden beams of light golden letters from out of the angel's mouth, spelling the greeting "Hail, full of grace" Mary's response is also spelled out in golden letters "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord" Dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit that will incarnate Jesus in Mary White lilies are a symbol of Mary's purity The following images are close ups from the painting to show you how detailed it is
Masaccio
the artist who epitomizes the innovative spirit of early 15th c. Florentine painting Established a new direction in Florentine painting (his own style, didn't follow his master's) No other painter contributed so much to the development of a new style in so short a time He died at age 27, cutting short his brilliant career Innovative depictions of volumetric solidity, consistent lighting, and spatial integration
