ARTH213 #3

Quentin Metsys, Erasmus of Rotterdam, 1517

Erasmus was Europe's foremost humanist. Depicted the men in a common room. Presented Erasmus composing his Paraphrase of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (establishes Erasmus's identity). His books in the background as well. Dutch scholar and a catholic priest, a classical scholar who wrote in "pure" Latin style. Prepared new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament. Critical of the excesses of the Roman Catholic Church, wrote Moriae Encomium (in Praise of Folly).

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Fall of Icarus, c. 1555

Genre painting in foreground. In background, the Fall of Icarus. Classical mythology. Tiny detail. Cryptic reference to the classical past. Contemporary elements. Ex: the boat. The landscape could be from any part of Northern Europe (not necessarily Greece). Story of the past enduing its lessons on contemporary everyday modern life. Only do what you are expected to do, provide for your family, etc. Confrontation between tradition and innovation.

Quentin Metsys, Peter Gillis, 1517

Gillis is surrounded by Erasmus's writings rather than his own. He embodies the humanist active in civic affairs; worldly success. Same kind of space, accompanied by books. Offering a book to Erasmus. Holding a letter from Thomas More. His personal connections, communications. Literary connection.

Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of the Earthly Delights, c. 1500

Hendrik III of Nassau (1483-1538), Count of the House of Nassau. Wings, monochromatic (sculpture-like). The Father in the top left corner, clouds, atmosphere. Process of creation, inscription from the Psalms. God the Father by the act of articulation created the world. Contrasts with full color of the inside. Left wing: Christ prepares to wed Adam and Eve, creatures, fountain of life. There is no serpent or devil present to tempt Adam and Eve; neither do they hold the forbidden fruit. The fall of man does not occur. Center wing: lack of a clear focal point or linear narrative, great population of creatures, does not seem to be judgement, order or justice. Repetition of structure/fountain: alchemy? Transmutation of matter. Defies the rules of physics/the natural world. Pleasurable activities. "Pleasure is as fragile as glass." Eyes projecting out. Surveillance. Enjoyment of the viewer, respond back to the viewer. "The strawberry leaves hardly any taste behind once it is eaten." Moral temptation/pleasure. Same instruments of pleasure became instruments of torture.

Martin Luther

In 1517, the German Augustinian monk Martin Luther nailed to a church door in Wittenberg, Saxony, a manifesto listing 95 arguments or Theses against the use and abuse of indulgences (multiplication and reproduction of indulgent images - Israhel van Meckenem). Indulgences, especially one intended to fund the new basilica of St Peter's in Rome. Stressed the word of God, available to all through vernacular translations of the Bible.

Ars Moriendi

Around 1465, the Ars moriendi marks the next stage in the evolution of woodcuts. Suggests shading, depth and texture. Blockbook. Images and accompanying texts. The Ars moriendi ("The Art of Dying") are two related Latin texts dating from about 1415 and 1450 which offer advice on the protocols and procedures of a good death, explaining how to "die well" according to Christian precepts of the late Middle Ages. There was originally a "long version" and a later "short version" containing eleven woodcut pictures as instructive images which could be easily explained and memorized.

Protestant Reformation

Began in Germany but spread quickly throughout Europe, was initiated in response to the growing sense of corruption and administrative abuse in the Church. It put an abrupt end to the relative unity that had existed for the previous thousand years in Western Christendom under the Roman Catholic Church.

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Last Supper Altarpiece, before 1539, St Mary's Church, Wittenberg

Classical treatment of the painting, open. The pradella is a gesture of homage to Martin Luther. Pulpit, portrait of Martin Luther. The crucifixion is within a church. On the left, we have a representation of baptism, cleanses the original sin. One of the members is reading from a book, literacy. This is a traditional event in the life of a Christian. The point of the crucifixion is to redeem the original sin. Purify, cleanse, sacrament of baptism as initiation into the Christian community. Multitude of people present, a community of shared values. Portrait of Philippi Mentem: articulating new theology alongside Luther. In the center, we have the Last Supper, with an element of portraiture. Apostles related to particular portraiture, self portrait of Cranach. Judas is holding a purse, Christ is feeding him bread (communion, Eucharist, sacrament). On the right, we have the confession and the head of this local church. He is probably the patron of the altarpiece. Confession as a necessary ritual (Lutherans). Two keys: direct appropriation of Catholic iconography. But the keys are placed in the hands of the religious figure of the community (most immediate and local), not in the Pope's hands (the bureaucratic head). ACTIONS NOT JUDGEMENT. Church is rid of all excessive details. Tomb of Christ, we all descend from sin, so we needed the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Sacrifice of Isaac is a good example of the grace of God as chosen by Lutherans. God gives grace to believers to conduct a worthy life and preserve them from Hell. Last Judgement.

Albrecht Altdorfer, Battle of Alexander and Darius at Issus, 1529

Commissioned by Wilhelm IV, Duke of Bavaria. Depicted the Battle of Issus in which Alexander the Great drove Darius, King of the Persians and his army from the Asia Minor in early 333 BC. Dressed the Macedonians like German knights. Cosmic majesty. Alexander the Great stopped the expansion of Persia towards other areas of Europe. Identifier on the top. He is translating this historical moment into contemporary form. Armor, historical lessons in the contemporary world/reality. Fusion of historical and contemporary. Suleyman I the Magnificent and the Ottoman Turks marched on the Holy Roman Empire, besieging Vienna in October. Alexander's victory over Darius was viewed as a precedent for current events.

Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1504, engraving

Durer used this new medium the most, selling prints early on and finding success. He was first trained as a goldsmith. He is not just imitating the "ideal" body, he is making them seem like Italian sculptures. Eve is similar to Aphrodite of Knides by Praxiteles (one leg upright, one is flexed, attention to ab muscles, idealized body). Adam is similar to Leochares's Apollo Belvedere (upright and stretched leg, holding a branch, other arm is extended to reach the apple). Widespread prints and images with figures from the past. Moment before the first sin was committed. State of harmony. Durer showing his knowledge of the human body. Animals would represent humors; The Renaissance theory of humors. Boby is ruled by fluids. One point/linear perspective. Wrote manuals for other artists. Contrapposto. Three-dimensionality (light and shadow and mastery of the engraved line).

Attributed to Michael Wolgemut, God the Father Enthroned, fol. 1v from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1492

Dynamically conceived, God turns to his left and raises his hand to initiate the different stages of creation depicted on the succeeding pages. Light, billowing. White v. black. Depth. Columns, arch. Reproduced in the style of the Master (E.S.?). Common religious iconography. Christian history, biblical history. All HISTORY. Even though these are basic materials, you need to truly know how to carve well. Intricate, small figures, flowing vegetation. Deutsche style, Gothic. Frontispiece. Identity marks; fill in the blanks (blank coat of arms).

Israhel van Meckenem, Coat of Arms with Tumbling Boy, c. 1480-90

Indicates who the patron was, speaks to their aristocratic background. Indicates nobility. Artists also claim their own coat of arms. Would create these for different families. Whimsical elements; grotesque and burlesque figures. Women standing on top of the back of a man. Women is spinning, erotic symbol. Using the man as a donkey, riding him. Unhappy, but he goes along with it. Inversion of the role of the sexes.

Albrecht Dürer, Self-Portrait in Fur-Trimmed Coat, 1500

Inserting intellectual claims. Reminiscent of Salvator Mundi, consciously paraphrasing from that particular work. Presents himself as an icon. Frontal pose and intense gaze. Eyes reflect a window. Face and hand, intellect & instrument.

Maarten van Heemskerck, Self-Portrait in Front of the Colosseum, 1553

Jan Gossaert, Colosseum, 1519. Selfie! Lack of preservation for the ruins; no archaeological sense or perception. Shows himself in the act of sketching this important image, optical device. Studying in the flesh. Trompe l'oeil (signature.)

Rudolf II

King of the Holy Roman Empire. Part of the culture of collection. Contemporary with Philip II. Development of the Wunderkammer: space within his palace where you can gather wonders and works of the world. Displayed and allowed access to "special people," those you were interested in impressing. Selected collection, sense of display and access. Pieter Bruegel, Peasant Kermis, c. 1566-68. The development of the Kunstkammer as a chamber/collection with pieces already considered art (painting, sculpture). Development of galleries/the first institutions considered museums.

Joachim Patinir, Landscape with Charon and Man's Soul, c. 1520-4

Landscape, mythology w/ Christian twist: drawing on the traditions of the Last Judgement and the Ars moriendi, the human soul. Deep vista of a river and its two banks. Bird's-eye view and the horizontal picture format. The passage of the soul from earth to the afterlife. Understanding based off of classical mythology (Charon). Angle of the boat?

Veit Stoss, Angelic Salutation, 1517-18, St Lawrence's Church, Nuremberg

Large scale and life-like polychromy. Gabriel and Mary, small angels. A garland of roses, punctuated by seven medallions illustrating episodes from Mary and Christ's lives, giant rosary. Candle light. St. Lawrence's Church, Nuremberg. Removed in a quiet, systematic way so that the altarpiece would not be destroyed. Patronized by a private citizen in the town; not the property of the community, city. Meant to hang from the top altar. Light would highlight the image, golden crown. The Annunciation, material figures, not saintly. Should not be the focus of worship, Mary is only an intercessor; misleading. Circle of roses; prayer of rosary, commercialization of religion; if I do this, God will do that. NOTE: crucifixes were not objects of iconoclasm. Commissioned by Anton II Tucher.

Albrecht Dürer, St. Jerome in his Study, 1514, engraving

Meant to circulate together with St. Jerome in his Study like a diptych. Skull in prominent location. Vanitas; everything material is temporary. Bishop hat. Hourglass on wall; time is running out. Three dimensional; linear perspective at an angle. Lion as symbol of St. Jerome; books located close to the skull. Take advantage of this time to carry out a life that would maintain a good afterlife. Intimate chamber. Direct attention towards Jerome. Cartellino.

Maarten de Vos, The Marriage at Cana, 1596-97

NOTE: not a smooth transition between iconoclasts and Catholic takeover, ex: Spanish Fury in Antwerp, tremendous clash. Mary is running out of wine and Christ turns some water into wine. Reinforcement that Christ is a miracle maker. Christ, too, enjoyed creature comforts. Compare to the Last Supper altarpiece: simple gathering v. display of riches, aspects of the Roman church.

Hieronymus Bosch, The Ship of Fools, c. 1490-1500

Not good Christian practices. Foolish tasks. Based off of Sebastian Brandt's "The Ship of Fools," in which follies, vices and crimes of the time are satirized. Evidence that Bosch was in contact with humanist writers who were presenting this critical view of the contemporary world, in visual terms. Allegorical boat, carrots, BLINDNESS: people just looking for their own immediate benefit, not paying attention to the rest of the world/society.

Pieter Aertsen, Meat Seller's Stall, 1551

Not incredibly appealing. Narrative scenes in the background. The flight into Egypt. Generosity of Mary and the Holy Family. Giving alms to an individual in need. Indulgence (oysters - aphrodisiac). Contrasting lifestyles. The indulgent consumers and those who reject. Two options, not telling people which to follow, however. The edibles by themselves are not bad, it is your personal decision to indulge. Genre painting, everyday life, not anchored to a literary or biblical narrative. Things that happen in the everyday life. Still life, representation of inanimate things, main subject matter.

Albrecht Dürer, Self-Portrait, 1498

Painter as the aristocrat. Venice. Representation of oneself. Creating a public image of yourself, introduces elements that compliment himself; inner qualities as well. Perspective as an open window to the world. Recession, foreground v. background and perspective to understand the complexity of the world. The nature of the genius: not only the claim of a good craftsman but also the mind of a good creator (God-given gift.) Inscription.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Peasant Kermis, c. 1566-8

Peasant feast. Rural community. Time to relax, clothing. Grotesque nature of peasant dancing. Not court dancing, not choreographed.

Albrecht Dürer, Handbook for Draughtsmen (Underweisung der Messung), 1525

Perspective drawing. Manuals. Preoccuped with mathematics and theory; 'artistic painter.' Treatises on painting, measurement, human proportions. Proper foreshortening.

Horace's Ars poetica

Poetic creation; kinship between poetry and painting. Divided into three parts: discusses respectively poetry in general, the form of the poem, and the poet. "Ut picture poesis" (As in painting so is poetry). The phrase had a direct impact on art practice, by the beginning of the 16th century the kinship of painting and poetry was widely acknowledged. Artists and scholars believed that both arts were alike committed to the imitation of nature, to the use of invention, design and coloring and to the maintenance of decorum. Departing from predominantly religious subject matter.

Hieronymus Bosch

Profane theme contained within a religious format, profuse use of hybrid creatures, inversion of the natural order of things, references to pleasures and the five senses. Abundance of sexual/phallic imagery. References to both "academic" and "popular" sources of knowledge: alchemy, proverbs and moralizing literature. Pictorial strategies creating the effect that the painting looks back. The emergence of the conversational piece. Decode.

Frans Floris, Fall of Rebel Angels, 1554

References from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Basic struggle between good and evil; good (God) and evil (Demons). Subvert the laws and teaching of God. Patroned by the Guild of the Fencers in the city (sword men, angels have their particular, elaborate swords). Following the style of Michelangelo - nudes. Not affected by iconoclasm.

Council of Trent (1545-1563)

Response of the Catholic Church. Images teach the illiterate, serve as didactic aids and motivate worship. Regulate/supervise the production of images.

Anonymous, The People of the Islands Recently Discovered, c. 1505, woodcut

Simple woodcut. Accompanying a short letter. Cannibalism and free love and primitive. Dressed in feathers. Sharing new sights, sharing new knowledge coming from very foreign lands, even though the knowledge may be bias. One reproduction; dissemination.

Phillip II

Son of Charles V. King of Spain. Great collector of art. Particularly taken by Northern artists. Collection: Hieronymus Bosch, The Haywain Triptych, c. 1490-5 and Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of the Earthly Delights, c. 1500. Wealth and power to secure works that were not created for him/commissioned by him.

Renaissance Humanism

Stressed the importance of nature and human achievement. 3 aspects: return to pagan classics, appreciation of worldly pleasures, assertion of personal independence and individual. Abandoned the background of fixed religious dogma.

Hans Holbein the Younger, Sir Thomas More, 1527

Used different colors of chalk to capture the salient facial features and clothing. Chalk. Artists becoming part of the humanist circle. Thomas More was remembered as the counselor who clashed with King Henry VIII, refused to acknowledge the king's supremacy over the church, was finally imprisoned and healed. Author of "Utopia," which describes a fictional country in which crime and poverty do not exist, possessions are shared and humanistic ideals prevail.

Johann Gutenberg

Using the new technology of movable type made with cast-metal letters, Gutenberg published a two-volume Bible, known as the 42-Line or Gutenberg Bible in 1453. Printing press!

Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493

The fifteenth century's most ambitious illustrated book. Michael Wolgemut. Business, dissemination of books. Commercial enterprise. From reproduction by monks to reproduction for commercialization/on a large scale. Reproduction of secular books as well. Compiles information. One of the first editorial successes after the creation of the movable type and the printing press. Business enterprise.

Hieronymus Bosch, The Haywain Triptych, c. 1490-5

The left wing: Creation of Adam and Eve, temptation/original sin, expulsion from the Garden of Eden. This is a recognizable sequence of events, a narrative represented within one space. Relate all these sections of the story together without the need of separation of the image into different frames. Story of creation. Right wing: Hell, demons, monsters. Opposite of Christian reality/Garden of Eden. Hell, what happens in the afterlife. Reactionary against the original sin. The Last Judgement. Middle wing: representation of Christ (clouds). The second coming of Christ. Angels, privileged area within the composition. Amorous activity - not a traditional kind of scene of saintly love but the activities in themselves are not sinful (kissing, music, books). Personal decision to undertake sinfulness. Huge pack of hay: haywain. Desirable position, hay is not strong, only can support so many. Closed: peasant, death and decay. People being robbed in the streets, confrontations, dog eats dog atmosphere. CONVERSATIONAL PIECE: engages the viewer; must decode the images. Very traditional format (triptych) but it is used to portray something that is not necessarily religious, and not meant to be located in a church.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559

The visual translation of all these proverbs that were found in the publications of Erasmus. Swimming against the tide, carrying out the day in buckets, counting eggs before they have hatched, putting the bell on the cat (armor), shitting on the world. Upside down globe, usually the cross is on the top of the world (upside down world). Blue cloak, cheating. Visual and linguistic game.

Albrecht Dürer, Melancholia, 1514, engraving

The winged personification is Geometry. She holds a compass and a closed book, which rest unused since Geometry is disabled by melancholy. Recognized pose of the melancholic. Only her eyes indicate her mental alertness. Hourglass hanging on the wall. Globe. May be associated with geometry. Ideas of justice/balance (balance of humors?) Three dimensional gray figure. Tablet on wall: 34. Power of math and numbers (Magic square). Nails, saw, carpentry tools: attempting to produce a craft. Woman holding a compass: protagonist is the woman. Wings, but this is a not a religious scene. She is an allegorical figure. Allegorical figures usually take the shape of a female, represent abstract ideas. She is standing in for melancholia: what happens when the humors are not in balance. Associated with artists' frustration in not enjoying life; internal struggle. Smalled winged putto, industry.

Jan Gossaert, Neptune and Amphitrite, c. 1516

These startlingly large nudes have few precedents in Northern Renaissance art. The deities stand like colossal statues in the cella of an ancient temple. Elongated the bodies, accented their erotic character. Contrapposto. New subject matter in Northern Europe. Classical past for contemporary viewers. Clearly paraphrasing from Roman copy of Praxiteles' state of the Aphrodite of Knides, c.370-330 B.C. Imitating Apollo Belvedere. Architecture, boasts about first-hand knowledge of Italy. Represents the most importance place in a space of the temple (Cella or Noas).

Peter Bruegel, The Artist and the Connoisseur, c.1565

Two subjects, evidence of patronage. Connoisseur as patron. Caricature. Thick glasses. Cannot see well, might not even be the best critic! Circles of humanists and artists hanging out together!