History of Art 2 Study Guide for Exam 3

What is, often, Vasari's nickname? According to Vasari, what are the three ages of the Renaissance? And which artist is especially notable in the Cinquecento?

"The Father of History". Three ages of Renaissance: Italian-Byzantine style (era of Cimabue and Giotto), The Quattrocento, and The Cinquecento. Michelangelo is especially notable at this time.

What characterizes Michelangelo's figural work? What happened to Mich. 1500 Pieta? Why is Mary depicted so young here?

Expressive strength characterizes figural work, damaged by a vandal's hammer blows in 1972, Mary is depicted young to show she is eternally young.

According the Italian "biographer of the artists", Vasari, who is the inventor of oil paint?

Jan van Eyck

Books become symbols of what?

Power

What part is Leonardo's fault in The Last Supper today?

Secchio

After Bellini's death in 1516, ____ became the official painter of the Republic of Venice.

Titian

Identify three major obstacles for women artists in High Renaissance

1. Living in masters house 2. You can't draw from nude 3. Sometimes you have to travel

A wall painting in which plaster is used to called?

A fresco

Although monarchies still reign supreme during the 15th century, due to the "urban shift" some start earning wealth in products rather than strictly dependent upon the restrictions of feudalism. What did trade start to build?

A new middle class

Engraving

A printmaking technique where the artist gouges or scratches the image into the surface of the printing plate

Despite the many obstacles, what do the records show about 15th century female artists?

A substantial number of women were able to establish themselves as artists

Why would a widow of a former guild member need to marry a male artist?

A woman could inherit her husband's workshop, but could not run it

As evidence of both the political drama and the ties between the church and state of Northern Europe of the 1400s, who is depicted as the Virgin Mother in the Madonna and Child from the Melun Diptych by Jean Fouquet?

Agnes Sorel, the mistress of Charles VII

What are the two central figures represented in Raphael's School of Athens?

Aristotle and Plato

In the Ghent Altarpiece, why is Mary's response to the Angel Gabriel upside down?

Because the message is directed to God in Heaven

Which duchy was the most powerful Northern European house for most of the 1400s?

Burgundy

What styles filter northward to combine with Anglo-Saxon and Celt traditions?

Byzantine and Islamic

In Venus of Urbino, what standard does Titian establish?

Compositional elements for reclining female nude

What does Rogier van der Weyden use to make his Descent from the Cross more expressive?

Compressed space, and repeated body poses

What is the context and content of the Last Supper?

Context: Jesus has just told his 12 disciples that "One of you is going to betray me". The shock spreads across the room, but Judas remains emotionless, foreshadowing that he is the one who betrays Christ. Mixture of expressive emotion and psychological realism. Content: Christ and disciples are depicted at a long table and sitting on one side. Christ is the center and disciples sit in groups of 3 reacting to Christ words. Judas is turned away, signifying betrayal.

According to Renaissance artistic education and culture, what must an artist achieve beyond imitation and emulation?

Creating his own style, perspective, and POV.

What two reasons did the Council of Trent cite in their support for the continued commission of religious artwork?

First thing: God should be on forefront of mind, art helps that. Two: reminder to give thanks.

In which studio did Michelangelo have early training? Which Medici brought him into the Florentine artistic circle? Who did this Medici introduce to Michelangelo?

Gerlendaio, Lorenzo, Bertoldo Giovanni

Which of Bellini's students was most inspiring to his latest works?

Giorgione

What did oil painting surfaces look like?

Glowing light and glistening

What is the last part of the Middle Ages and its artwork commonly referred as?

Gothic

On the Tomb of Giuliano de Medici, why didn't Michelangelo create true likenesses of the Medici brothers? Is this like or unlike the portraits painted by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael?

He did not care to make it perfect, he was not like his contemporaries.

Like Masaccio's work in the Brancacci Chapel, what did da Vinci do in the Last Supper at the Milanese refectory?

He lit with actual window light.

Why is Saint Luke the patron saint of the artists guild in Brussels?

He painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary

According to da Vinci's "Treatise on Painting", what media did he prefer and what was his opinion of sculpture?

He preferred painting and thought sculpture to be manual labor.

While it was common knowledge that Michelangelo preferred sculpture over other artistic modes, in a letter he expressed his opinion on both painting and sculpture in regards to Leonardo's review. What was Michelangelo's take?

He thought these things came from a heavenly place.

Who was Bramante? What High Renaissance form did he develop? What was his first major classical work?

He was an architect. Bramante developed the High Renaissance form of the central-plan church. First major classical work was the Tempietto.

Although Pope Julius II clearly associated himself with the ancient military leader Julius Caesar, what was the "warrior-pope's" greater legacy?

His patronage of the arts.

Why is fresco not an ideal medium in Venice?

Humid place

What kept France from developing the same economic growth and stability that Flanders had in the 1400s?

Hundred Years War

Which printmaking is described when ink is pushed into the cut lines on the plate and then is pressed onto paper to create an image?

Intaglio

What did the Council of Trent settle on in regards to the purchase and commission of iconographical artwork?

It honors that these works are prototypes and not actual gods.

What is sacra conversazione? How is it related to Raphael's School of Athens?

It is secret conversation or conversation that could never happen. In School of Athens, all the geniuses of recent centuries are in one room, this could not happen because many are dead.

How did Michelangelo and his contemporaries produce and sell work of art?

It was produced by the artists and cut by professionals.

Who is credited with the invention of the printing press in Europe?

Johannes Gutenberg

Name the different ways La Belle Giardiniera by the artist Raphael differs from Leonardo's the Virgin on the Rocks.

La Belle has bright colors, while Virgin on the Rocks uses chiaroscuro and sfumato. Mary also is standing in front of cave in.

Named for a region in Southern Greece, what does Arcadian refer to symbolically in the high Renaissance?

Landscapes of Giorgione da Castelfransco

What is vernacular?

Language of everyday people

Which building showcases Michelangelo's foreshadowing of the Baroque interiors?

Laurentian Library

Which female artist, from before 1700, has the largest existing body of work?

Lavinia Fontana

Name two reformers from the textbook that challenged the papal authority and its selling of indulgences, among other protests. What were indulgences?

Martin Luther and John Calvin. Indulgences were pardons for sins, reducing the time a soul spent in Purgatory.

After years of meticulous cleaning, whose color palette does Michelangelo's seem to better align with, Leonardo's or Masaccio's?

Masaccio

Which two Florentine artists works di Michelangelo make studies of ?

Masaccio and Giotto

What did tempera surfaces look like?

Matte (dull)

Who did Mary of Burgundy wed that marks a new political and artistic era for Northern Europe?

Maximilian of Habsburg

Michelangelo preferred to work as a sculptor because he likened it to the "making of men". What was the biggest philosophical break that Michelangelo made from his predecessors and contemporaries?

Michelangelo believed that the image that the artist's hand produces must come from the idea in the artist's mind. Ideas are found in natural world.

In what city did da Vinci spend 17 years in the service of Sforza where he consequently created some of his most important works?

Milan

In reference to the Sistine Chapel ceiling: Does this fresco cycle create illusionistic spaces? What is the overall focus of this mural?

No, overall focus is human experience.

What are the two significant adoptions that the art market made in the thriving art would during the 15th century?

Oil based pigment and printmaking as an art form

What is Man in a Red Turban the first example of in a thousand years?

Painted portrait in a 3/4 pose and looks directly at the viewer

If the Florentine (and Roman) High Renaissance masters focus was on disegno (drawing and design) what was the focus of Venice?

Painting

According to Vasari, who is the woman in the painting popularly called the Mona Lisa?

Perhaps Giocondas bride-to-be

What is the basic purpose of Merode Triptych?

Personal devotion

Despite the political and economic difficulties Venetian artists flourished. In regards to paint, what did Venice have first in Italy?

Pigment market

Which ancient greek philosopher ideas did the High Renaissance use as a justification for their humanist support of the arts?

Plato, beauty leads to God.

In Titian's Pastoral Symphony, what might nudes represent?

Poetic personifications of nature's abundance

Who were the major art patrons during the High Renaissance?

Pope Julius II and the Medicis

Paintings like the Merode Triptych and the Ghent Altarpiece, which feature the donors, are a revival of which subject matter which nearly disappeared since antiquity?

Portraiture

Michelangelo slave figures express the deep concerns of the Florentine humanist because they represent the internal human struggle toward freedom from the mundane. What is the artistic importance of these four unfinished slave figures?

Process. You could go and see these figures as a lesson and see how Michelangelo sculpted.

Who was the only female artist that Vasari named in his work commonly called Lives?

Properzia Drosi

What is the compositional device used by Leonardo in his Virgin on the Rocks?

Pyramidal

Who created a fresco cycle that most clearly set up the culmination of Ideas in the High Renaissance over the debate of paganism verses Christianity ? Analyze Philosophy.

Raphael

Who was the artist loved by Leo X and deemed the central painter of the High Renaissance?

Raphael

Who were the artists that were considered the "cult of geniuses" of the High Renaissance?

Raphael, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian

What did the Reformation movement result in? What was the response from Catholic Church?

Resulted in Protestantism. Catholic Church said they were going to counter-reform.

With whom did Rogier van der Weyden study?

Robert Campin

In which workshop did Memling receive his apprenticeship?

Rogier van der Weyden's

What are two effects contact with the early Italian Renaissance had on manuscript painting in Northern Europe?

Shading on figures and believable but not accurate space

In reference to the Sistine Chapel ceiling: What figures were prophetesses who were believed to have foretold the coming of Christ? Identify the various sections by subject matter.

SibylsSetup: The central part are scenes from Genesis, the four corners are mythical stories (David slays Goliath) and the sides or isles of the painting are the sibyls.

What is occurring in the central panel of Merode Triptych?

The Annunciation

What was the originally intended site of Michelangelo's David? Why was it not placed in that original site?

The Duomo, because it was too beautiful

What is one major difference between the Early and High Renaissance architecture?

The Early Renaissance focused on adorning flat wall surfaces and the High Renaissance placed emphasis on architectural masses.

How does the concrete connection between Adam and God in the Creation of Adam link to Classical Art?

The Greeks believed that God walked with man. Physical connection.

Who benefits the most in the European feudalist structure?

The King and the church

Which late work by Michelangelo best reflects the pessimism that affected him from the Protestant revolt and the changing religious climate in Italy?

The Last Judgement

What was the center of wealth and power in the late Medieval Europe?

The castle

According to your textbook, what does the entirety of Ghent Altarpiece amplify?

The central theme of salvation

According to da Vinci, what are the most vital organs?

The eyes

In Bellini's San Zaccaria Altarpiece, why is meaning derived from the color and light and not the figures, as it would have in Michelangelo's paintings?

The figures do not relate to one another.

Who does the artist appear as in a self-portrait in the fresco of the Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel?

The flayed skin of Saint Bartholomew

What was the focus of da Vinci's late work? Where did he die?

The focus was on science and he embraced the knowledge of all facets in natural world. He died in France.

According to Michelangelo, what subject is most vital for expression?

The human figure.

What was Michelangelo's intended purpose for the unfinished, and partially smashed Pieta, that he started in his seventies? Whose face does Nicodemus wear?

The purpose was for his own tomb. Nicodemus wears Michelangelo's face.

For many High Renaissance artists the figure is the key subject matter because to them what can the figure reveal?

The soul.

If da Vinci and his contemporaries never visited ancient Greek ruins, how is it possible that they studied actual classical work as a part of their education?

Their acquaintance with classical art through Etruscan and Roman monuments, Roman copies of Greek statues in Italy, and ancient texts describing Greek and Roman works of art.

Why is there no singular artist style that characterizes the Italian High Renaissance ?

They all had their own style/perception. Had to move beyond imitation.

Why did the Holy Roman Empire not suffer the same economic instability that France did in the 1400s?

They were not apart of the Hundred Years War

What characterizes Titian's late work? What is impasto?

Thick painterly style. Impasto is thick paint.

Why would a Northern Renaissance artist, after his time as a journeyman, choose to marry a widow of a former guild member to further his career?

To gain admission to the guild

If venetian subject matter and content focus more on humanity pleasures, what were the tendencies of Florentine (and Roman) High Renaissance masters?

Venetian subject matter dealt with human intellect, they dealt with ethic humanity.

Who was the Florentine artist that was the most major influence on Leonardo da Vinci?

Verrocchio

Due to the preoccupation of the High Renaissance with revealing a man's soul, what Renaissance convention did da Vinci break with in order to create more engaging psychology in his Mona Lisa?

Women depicted in self-portraits were not supposed to look straight into a man's eyes. Mona Lisa does this

According to the textbook, where was Raphael laid to rest?

he Ancient Roman Pantheon

Da Vinci's interest in observation and scientific curiosity about that which is invisible but present leads him to create atmospheric effects in paintings. What is the soft misty smoke-like haziness effect attained in the oil paintings of Leonardo da Vinci by the use of glazes that soften the lines and creates delicate transitions of color called?

sfumato