the high Renaissance

Pieta

Full ID- Michelangelo, Pieta, marble, 1500 This work is truly a masterpiece, using the motif of the pieta, a scene more commonly used in both french and German art Michelangelo transformed the marble into flesh, with a sensitivity to texture that is almost without parallel. The polish and luminosity of the marble surface make it almost come alive. This work is heavily idealized, there is an unbelievable amount of tenderness and sadness depicted between the mother who had just lost her child and her child. Mary is depicted as almost younger than Christ as to show her purity and virginity as a youth, Jesus as well idealized looking almost asleep in his mothers lap with wounds barely showing.

assumption of the virgin

Full Id- Assumption of the virgin, oil on wood, Titan, 1515 On the death of Bellini in 1516 the city appointed Titan as its official painter. This work here is massive, standing at 23 feet in length here Titans remarkable coloristic sense and ability to convey light through color is on display. Above the subject, the clouds are so luminous that the seem to glow and radiate light into the church. The subjects head is on the verticle axis, ad god appears above slightly off center, ready to receive marry in his arms.

tempieto

Full Id- Bramante, Teimpieto, 1502 Bramante championed the style consistent to humanistic values based on ancient roman models. Received its name because contemporaries believed it to look like a small ancient temple. This turned out to be a perfect nickname as the rounded temples or roman Italy actually inspired his work. The design is severely rational with its sober circular stylobate and the austere Tuscan style of the colonnade. Bramante achieved a wonderful balance in the realtionship of the parts, (dome drum and base) both to one another and to the whole. The genius here is ost evident around the rhythmical play of light and shadows around the columns. One of the main difference between early and high ren styles is the formers emphasis of detailing flat wall surfaces versus the latter sculptural handling of architectural masses.

Eleonora of toledo and Giovanni de' Medici

Full Id- Bronzino, Elnora of toledo and Giovanni de' Medici, oil on wood this work is a formal dynastic portrait, and as in other of this artist portraits the subject appear aloof and emotionless, the artist idealized both of the figures giving them perfect features and blemish less skin that glows like alabaster. The mother takes up most of the composition, her centralness is further implemented by lighting the blue background behind her head, creating a halo like frame for her face.

Venus Cupid Folly and time

Full Id- Bronzino, venus cupid folly and time, oil on wood This work also displays all the features of a mannerist painting. Here however he demonstrated the mannerist fondness for learned allegories that often had lascivious undertones. Bronzino depicted cupid here as an adolescent, and hes fondling his mother, while folly prepares to shower them in rose petals and its just ****ing weird. Time who appears in the top right corner pulls back the curtain. The masks here symbolize deceit. The meaning here is ambiguous. Computationally the figures are in the front plane and the almost entirely block the space.

Galatea

Full Id- Galatea, Fresco, Raphael, 1513 This work truly shows the secularization of the world at the time as well as the revival of classical themes and stories, Here is the pagan myth of Galatea, where in a sculptor creates a marble statue, falls in love with it, and it comes alive. This is an excellent song in praise of human beauty and zest full love. Also shows how this, a scene of violence, with galetea running from her rapist, is portrayed in the Renaissance as still very tranquil and graceful. Uses galeta as the center and adds energy by encircling her with energetic and sturdy figures, The cupids, repeat this circle further emphasizing Galatea as the center.

madonna and child with saints

Full Id- Giovanni Belini, VENICE, oil on wood, 1505 in this one can see the group, that being Mary and the saints, in a carefully painted shrine attributes aid the identification of these saints, Lucy, with her plucked out eyes, peter with his key and book, cathern with the palm of martyrdom, and Jerome with a book. This painting radiates a feeling of serenity and spiritual calm, this is caused less by the figures, as no interaction occurs between them, but more from the harmonious balanced presentation of color and light. Here line is not the key agent of form, indeed outlines dissolve in light and shadows. The glowing color produces a soft radiance that envelops form with an atmospheric haze, and enhances the majestic serenity.

Abduction of the Sabine women

Full Id- Giovanni Da Bologna, abduction of the savine women this work is the first large scale group since classical antiquity designed to be seen from multiple viewpoints. Here he exemplifies mannerist principles of figure composition. Here Giovani did not intend to depict any particular subject, he created the group as a demonstrative piece, his goal was to achieve dynamic spiral figural composition involving an old man, young man, and a woman all nude in the tradition of the ancient statues. This work changed radically according to the view point, one factor contributing to the shifting imagery is the prominence of open spaces passing through the masses.

Il Gesu

Full Id- Il Gesu, Giacomo Della Porta Probably the most influential building of the later cinquecento, was this, the mother church of the Jesuit order. the plan for gesu reveals a monumental expansion of albertis scheme for sant andrea, here the nave takes over the main volume of the space making the structure a great hall with side chapels,. A dome emphasizes the approach to the altar. The opening of a church into a great hall provides an almost theatrical setting for large promenades and processions. This was super influential because Porta was able o synthesize the existing motifs at the time and unify them. Many roman church facades are simply variations of this design, one of the most significant moments for the development for baroque architecture.

the entombment of Christ

Full Id- Jacaopo da Potormo, entombment of christ, oil on wood Here Jacopo exploited the familiarity 16th century viewers would have by playing off of there expectations of what the scene should be. He omitted the cross and christs tomb from the painting. Also instead of presenting the action as taking place across the perpendicular picture plan, Jacapo rotated the conventional figural groups along a vertical axis, as a result the virgin marry falls backwards away from the viewer. Unlike high ren artist, who concentrated there masses in the center of the painting, here is a void. The emptiness accentuates the grouping of the hands filling the hole. The artist enhanced the painting ambiguity with the curiously anxious glances the figures cast in all directions. Athletic bending and twisting characterize many of the figures. The contrasting colors also add to the dynamism and complexity of the work.

Last supper

Full Id- Last supper, Da Vinci, oil and tempera on plaster, 1495-1498 This work is full of a charged intensity, here Christ has just announced that one of his disciples will betray him, a sense of reservation and tension fills this work, with nearly all the gestures of the disciples being that of defense mechanisms, as if to say " not I". Jesus in many ways looks to be the eye of the storm in this work, he is central, aesthetically with the vanishing point being directly at his head, standing tranquil and calm excepting of his fate. An incredible use of linear perspective. The disciples split into 4 groups of 3 uniting the spiritual and worldly. Breaking with traditional norms, Da Vinci places Judas on the same side of the table, not isolated as he was so often in other depictions of this moment, however, he cloaked Judas in shadow to still show his insidious nature. Got really messed up in the restorations.

madonna of the rocks

Full Id- Leonardo da Vinci, madonna of the rocks, oil on wood, 1483 created right as he settled into Milan this work uses specific gestures and a pyramidal composition to unite the virgin, john the baptist, and the Christ child, as well as the angel. Builds on masaccio's understanding of the subtle play of light and dark. important that all of these figures are unified in a representation of objects in an atmospheric setting. Light here simultaneously veils and reveals the forms. Use of atmospheric perspective is very well done as well.

David

Full Id- Michelangelo, David, marble, 1504 Perhaps the most famous work of colossal sculpture, Michelangelo David is a stark return to classical ideals, David is depicted fully nude, as an idealized adult with an athletic build, and standing in the classical controposto. Here breaking from tradition David is not shown after the act of defeating his adversary with his head at his feet, but before sternly watching his adversary approach. The energy here is implied with The tension of a coiled spring, feels like Hellenistic sculpture.

Mona Lisa

Full Id- Mona lisa, Da Vinci, Oil on wood This being the worlds most famous portrait needs no introduction, however, the subject is still debated, the largely held view is that this is the portrait of the wife of a wealth Florentine. Important to note that here Da Vinci did not simply paint this portrait as a symbol of status, she wears no jewelry, and holds no attribute associated with wealth. Renaissance manners dictated a woman should not look directly into a mans eyes, here again Da Vinci breaks the mold facing her completely frontal, with eyes that legendarily follow the viewer. Da Vinci really was a lover of nature and this shows in his paintings, here the subject is placed over an unidentifiable landscape which uses the sfumatao ( misty haziness) to promote its perspective. The subject reflects a specific emotion of contentedness and tranquility that apparently no one non Italian can understand.

Moses

Full Id- Moses, Michelangelo, marble, 1515 This work is immense, massive, and just absurd. Looking as if it intends to walk away and come alive not since Hellenistic times had a sculptor captures as much pent up energy, both emotional and physical as this work. The horns at the top a tradition of the time, this works left foot really shows how hes about to get up and walk away, with it pressed against itself in a position it sure is not to stay for long.

Madonna with the long neck

Full Id- Parmigiano, Madonna with the long neck, oil on wood, this work really exemplifies the elegant stylishness that was the principal aim of mannerism. The Madonna's small oval head and long slender neck, the otherworldly attenuation and delicateness of her hands and the sinuous swaying elongation of her frame are all marks of the aristocratic courtly taste of mannerist. The artist also amplified the elegance by expanding the Madonnas form as views from head to toe. although the elegance of this works comes a lot from the attenuated limbs, the exaggeration is not solely decorative, it refers to several medieval hymns that refer to her neck as a long white ivory tower.

Pesaro Madonna

Full Id- Pesaro Madonna, Titan, oil on canvas A prime characteristic of high ren paintings is the massing of monumental figures, singly and in groups, within a weight and majestic architecture. But here, Titan breaks the mold. He places his figures on a steep diagonal positioning the Madonna, the focus of the composition, well off the central axis. Titan instead draws attention to her with perspective lines, the inclination of the figures, and the direction lines of gaze and gesture. The banner inclining tword the left brings the design into balance if the rightward and upward tendencies of its main direction. This kind of composition is more dynamic then most high ren examples.

Portrait of the artist sisters and brother

Full Id- Portrait of the artist sisters, Sofonisva Anguissola, oil on wood Anguissola was the originator of a new kind of group portrait of much more charm, characterized by an informal intimacy and subjects that are often moving, conversing or engaged in activities. This work is an example of that depicting her family. Against a neutral ground. Here her use of relaxed poses and expressions as well as her personal presentation and graceful treatment of forms brought her international acclaim.

Madonna in the meadow

Full Id- Raphael, Madonna in the meadow, oil on wood, 1505 Essentially after Raphael moved to Florence he realized his technique was already out of style, so he took elements of Leonardo's work and applied his own style to it. Here he emulates the pyramidal composition of Leonardo, however he rejects the dusky modeling, darkness, and overall mystery of Leonardo's works. He shows Madonna in a well let landscape, full of grace and dignity. Raphael also shows almost a new level of realism with his babies, they are more realistic then what we have seen before even in there positioning, with one of the children looking like a baby who thinks he can walk but really cant yet, an impressive feat.

Pope Leo X with Cardinals Medici and Rossi

Full Id- Raphael, Pope Leo X with Cardinals Medici and Rossi, Oil on wood, 1517 Here one sees the dynastic portrait of the Medici pope and two medici cardinals, this portrait is used to advance the families interest. Such is to say that the pope, dominating the composition, is depicted reading a 14th century illuminated text, essentially he is not depicted as a head of state but instead as a learned man of science. Could be considered a tribute to Flemish painting as they influenced him greatly in this creation. So detailed that scholars have been able to discover what book the pope is reading and what part of the book it was at.

Philosophy, or the school of Athens

Full Id- Raphael, School of Athens, fresco, 1509 This work was a commission, a wildly important one, for the papal apartments, essentially, this massive work is one of four, law, poetry, theology, and philosophy. This work Philosophy faces Theology to show the balance of spirituality and forwardness of the church. Depicted is a collection of famous philosophers and minds of the ancient world, everyone from Plato to Pythagoras to Socrates is present. Shown in a near roman setting, the barrel vault suggests that at least as well as the massive sculptures of Apollo and Athena ( who were non coincidentally the patron gods of wisdom and art). Plato and aristotle are the central figures of this work with one pointing upwards and one downwards, Plato points to heaven as the source of his inspiration whereas aristotle points downwards to the earth where his observations of reality sprang from. Awesomely to platos side are all the philosophers engulfed with the greatest mystery that transcend our world where on Aristotle side are the scientists concerned with human affairs and the earth itself. Again showing the balance of heaven and spiritual affairs and earth and worldly affairs. Great use of perspective, Raphael put himself into the work on the science side.

marriage of the Virgin

Full Id- Raphael, marriage of the virgin, Oil on wood, 1504 This is an early work of Raphael and it shows, taking much inspiration from his master Perugino, using nearly exactly the same foreshortening techniques and nearly the same backdrop as his masters famous work, Christ delivering the keys to st peter.

Self portrait in a convex mirror

Full Id- Self portarit in a convex mirror, oil on wood, Parmigianino, 1524 here to imitate the appearance of a convex mirror, the artist had a carpenter prepare section of a wooden sphere the same size and shape as a barbers mirror, and used oil glazes to produce a surface luster that heightened the illusions of the viewer looking into the mirror. As in a real convex mirror, the artist face is free of distortion but his hand and sleeve are of exaggerated size, the emphasis on the hand is a statement about how important the artist hands were to there works, the emphasis on artifice here again is very visible. `

The Last Judgement

Full Id- The last judgement, Michelangelo This work is a work to convince, it was completed many years after the creation of the original ceiling as a response to the protestant reformation. The pope, understanding the immense power of art, commissioned this work to show those who left the flock what could happen. Here Michelangelo depicted Christ as a stern angry judge , a giant who raises his right arm in a gesture of damnation. The damnation is really scary, there's contorted bodies being tortured left and right, and while this was a work meant to strike fear into the hearts of decedents, it also holds out hope, for the group of select souls that were saved, looking down on those of the damned.

Last supper

Full Id- Tintoretto, Last supper, oil on canvas, Here the figures appear in a dark interior illuminated by a single light in the upper left of the image, the shimmering halos establish the biblical nature of this scene, the ability o this dramatic scene to engage the viewers was fully in keeping with counter reformation ideals. This incorporates many mannerist devices, including imbalanced composition and visual complexity, in terms of design the contrast to Leonardo's last supper is both extreme and instructive. Christ here is above and beyond the converging perspective lines racing diagonally away from the pictures surface, creating disturbing effects of limitless depth.

Triumph of Venice

Full Id- Triumph of venice, Paolo Veronese, oil on canvas Here within an oval frame he presented Venice crowned by fame . The perspective here is whats really important, unlike beforehand the celing painting is not a projection from directly up from below but instead at a 45 degree angle to the spectators, a standard that would become the norm in the baroque era.

Venus of Urbino

Full Id- Venus of urbino, Titan, oil on canvas This title elevated to the status of classical mythology what is probably representation of a sensual Italian woman in her bedchamber. Here titan established the compositional elements and the standard for paintings of the reclining female nude, regardless of the many ensuing variations. Her soft body contrast with the vertical edge of the curtain behind her, which services to direct the viewers attentions to her left hand and pelvis as well as to divide the foreground from the background. at the womans feet is a slumbering lap dog, wherein cupid would be seated if this were venus.

Sistine chapel ceiling

Full Id- ceiling of the Sistine chapel, fresco Michelangelo worked for four years on this work, creating a series of fresco depicting the rise, fall, creation of man among other things. As viewers enter they view in reverse the order, the history of the fall of human kind.

Madonna and child cartoon

Full Id- da vinci, charcoal heightened with white on brown paper, 1505 In this primitive drawing, surely to be used as the inspiration for a painting, one can fully see the style of Da Vinci. The light falls glowingly and gently onto the majestic forms while creating a sense of tranquility and grandeur. It is completely ordered with pictorial logic, and his figures , robust and monumental, are reminiscent of the Greek statues of goddesses.

The tempest

Full Id- the tempest, giorgione, 1510, oil on canvas To describe venetian art as poetic is very appropriate due to the style referred to as poesia ,or pointing meant to operate in a similar manner to poetry. Many Venetian artists focused on the lyrical and the sensual, thus discerning concrete narratives or subjects is virtually impossible, as is the case with the tempest. A lush landscape fills much of the tempest,stormy skies and lighting in the middle threaten the tranquility, pushed off to both sides are the few human figures depicted. Much scholarly debate, goes around trying to find the narrative, however no concrete one has been settled on.

Pastoral symphony

Full Id- titan, Pastoral Symphony, oil on canvas, 1508 This work interestingly enough was originally attributed to Giorgione, however it is in fact an early work of titan. Titan here brought out the dense shadow which still allowed an emergence of soft forms of figures and landscapes. Titan casts a mood of tranquil reverie and dreaminess over the entire scene, evoking a landscape of a lost but never forgotten paradise. The artist here so eloquently evoked the pastoral mood the viewer dosent even care about the lack of meaning. The shepherd is meant to symbolize a poet, the popes and the lutes his poetry and the two women accompanying as there invisible muses. The voluptuous bodies of the women, softly modulated bu the smoky shadow became the standard in venitan art. There fullness as an allusion to the abundance of nature.

Feast of the gods

Full id- Feast of the gods, Bellini and titan, oil on canvas, 1529 This work is a collaboration between Bellini and his greatest student, titan. Here we see another instance of classical mythology in the ren era. Based on Ovids Fasti here we see a new kind of mythological painting in which the Olympian gods are seen as nothing more then peasants. here the mellow light, caresses the surfaces of the colored fabrics, smooth flesh, and polished metal. Belini communicated the delight the venetian school took in the beauty of texture revealed by the full warm resources of gently and subtly harmonized color. Bellini made venetian art the great compliment of that of Florence and Rome. The Venetians emphasized color while the schools or rome and florence were sculpturesque forms. Venitian artist also generally painted the poetry of the senses and delighted in natures beauty and the pleasures of humanity, less intellectual themes than that of florence and rome.

San giorgio maggiore

Full id- San giorgio maggiore, Palladio, 1556 This work was created out of dissatisfaction with earlier solutions to the problem of integrating a high central nave and low aisles into a unified facade design. He solved it by superimposing a tall narrow classical porch on a low broad one. Palladios design also created the illusion of three dimensional depth, and effect intensified by the strong projection of the central columns and the shadows they cast. The interior of the church exhibits strong roots in high ren architectural style. Light floods the interior and crisply defines the contours of the rich wall decorations.

unfinished pieta

Full id- unfinished pieta, marble, Michelangelo this work the artist began when he was in his 70's intended for his own tomb. In his old age he set forth for a masterful challenge, to surpass the sculptors of the ancient Laocoon and to carve four life size figures out of one block of marble. However, he failed, Christ now missing a left leg became detached, and in 1555 Michelangelo abandoned the project and proceeded to begin smashing it, he was stopped by his assistants at the time thankfully. Beyond that it stands in stark contrast to the work of Michelangelo youth, here it is a vertical composition, with three figures supporting Christ, said to be inspired by the roman copy of Myron discus thrower.

villa rotonda

Full id- villa rotonda, Andrea Padillo, 1550, venice This work is essentially the og frat house, it was built for a retired monsignor who wanted a villa for social events. Thus it was planned on the top of a hilltop, as a kind of belvedere (beautiful view), without the usual winfs of secondary buildings. it has a central plan featuring four identical facades with projecting porches, each resembling an ionic temple side. In placing a roman temple facade in front of a dome it is clear the Padillo had the pantheon in mind. But padillo transformed his model into a new design without parallel. Each of the villas four porches is a platform for enjoying different view of the surrounding land. In this design the central dome plan logically functions as a circular reception area from which visitors may turn in any direction for there preferred view. the result is a building with functional parts systematically related to each-other, thus embodying all the qualities of self sufficiency and formal completeness that was so highly valued in the Renaissance.

new saint peters

full id- 1505, michalngelo , bramante this is an odd work, simply because it was originally designed by bramante, as the new pope wanted to be seen as equal if not greater to Italy than the Caesars were to Rome, his design was ambitious. He suggested cross with arms of equal length, each terminating in an apse with a large dome covering the crossing, and smaller domes covering the latter subsidiary chapels, which would have been capped the diagonal axes of the roughly square plane. for the interior he suggested none interlocking crosses five of them supporting domes. It was a titanic undertaking. However, unfortunately bramante never got to see his creation go beyond the erection of the crossing piers. He died, and for years the project was passed on until Michelangelo in 1546. Michelangelo praised barmantes original plans and used them as the basis for his own. Michelangelo however carried his obsession with the human form into the architectural realm and organized the units symmetrically around a central axis, as a human body is. Michelangelo reduces the central component from a number of interlocking crosses into one Greek cross, in this action without destroying the central features of bramantes plan he made it cohesive. His design implemented the colossal order.

The creation of Adam

full id- same as Sistine chapel ceiling Here we see Michelangelo reject classic iconography for a new bold interpretation of the event, here one can see adam in an incredibly relaxed position, this is because, since the hand of god and his do not touch, yet the charged energy between them is very palpable, adam is not yet truly alive, merely a shell waiting for his divine spark of life to come. Here god is depicted in an almost olympianesque setting, reinforcing the mixing of classical motifs and christian stories. There are debates today about the woman under gods arm, not yet created some postulate that she is eve, however a new sect believes that she is actually the virgin marry with the Christ child at her knee, if this were to be the case it would suggest that Michelangelo incorporated one of the essential tenants of the christian faith, that the original sin of Adam and eve led to the sacrifice of Christ. Interestingly the focal point of the work is off center, replacing the strict straight axis of most works with a diagonal and curved one.