Ch. 23: The Age of Reformation
23-13: Chateau de Chambord
-1519 -Chambord, France -Commissioned: Francis I -Chateaux (plural) served as country houses for royalty, who usually built them near forests for use as hunting cabins -Plan was originally drawn by a pupil of Giuliano de Sangallo.. includes a central square block with four corridors in the shape of a cross -The Italian palazzo served as the model for this matching of horizontal and vertical features, but above the third level the structure's lines break chaotically into a jumble of high dormers, chimneys, and lanterns that recall soaring ragged Gothic silhouettes on the skyline -Essentially French architectural characteristics
23-9: The Battle of Issus
-ALBRECHT ALTDORFER -1529 -Oil on panel -Artists also addressed historical and political issues -The duke of Bavaria, Wilhelm IV, commissioned "The Battle of Issus" in 1528, concurrent with his commencement of a military campaign against the invading Turks... Both involced societies that deemed themselves progressive enough engaged in battles against infidels -Attired the figures in contemporary military alignments -Reveals Altdorfer's love of landscape, and was set in almost a cosmological setting -Derived the depiction from maps -Appropriately, given Alexander's depiction of the "sun god", the sun sets over the victorious Greeks on the right, while a small crescent moon hovers above the retreating Persians
23-8: Knight, Death, and the Devil
-ALBRECHT DURER -1513 -Engraving -One of the three Master Engravings he made -Used his burin to render differences in textures and tonal values -Knight: Christian soldier of God -Hourglass symbolizes time and mortality -The monumental knight and his mount display strength, movement, and the proportions of Renaissance equestrian statue -Copied a number of Da Vanci's sketches of horses -Used line to not only describe, but also to evoke -Reveals an inspired, inquistive mind, and a gifted talent -Responible for expanding the capability of graphic arts to convey intellectually and emotionally complex themes -Realized this great variety of imagery with the dense hatching of fluidly engraved lines that rivals the tonal range of the painting
23-4: Last Supper
-ALBRECHT DURER: first artist to become an international art celebrity outside of Italy (HRE, center of Reformation) -1523 -Woodcut -DURER CHARGED THE FIRST EVER ARTISTIC COPYRIGHT -LIKE DA VINCI: wrote theoretical theses on a variety of subjects, such as perspective, fortification, and the ideal in human proportions UNLIKE DA VINCI: Finished and published his writings -FIRST NORTHERN ARTIST TO LEAVE A RECORD OF HIS LIFE AND CAREER THROUGH SEVERAL SELF-PORTRAITS, AND DIARY -Treatment of subject alludes to Lutheran doctrine of transubstantiation, the Catholic belief that when consecrated by the priest, the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ -The regularity of the lines creates an evenness of value, contributing to the image's cohesiveness and directness
23-19: Self-Portrait
-CATERINA VAN HEMESSEN -1548 -Oil on panel -With the accumulation of wealth in the Netherlands, portraits increased in popularity -The first known northern self-portrait by a woman -Holds brushes, a palatte, and a "maulstick" (a stick used to steady the hand while painting) -Her father, Jan Sanders van Hemessen, a well known painter, trained her
23-10: The French Ambassadors
-HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER: English court artist for Henry VIII -1533 -Oil and tempera on panel -Produced portraits that reflected the northern tradition of close realism that emerged in 15th century Flemish art -Incorporated Italian ideas about monumental composition, bodily sculpture, and sculpturesque form -Collection of objects are reflective of the humanist's worldliness and interest in learning and the arts -"Anamorphic Image": a distorted image recognized when viewed with a special device, such a cylindrical mirror, or by viewing it from an acute angle -The skull and the Crucifixion in the upper corning is a reminder of death and resurrection -Alludes to the growing tension between secular and religious authorities
23-16: Neptune and Amphitrite
-JAN GOSSAERT (MABUSE) -1516 -Oil and panel -Gossaert traveled to Itlay and became fascinated with classical antiquity and its mythological subjects -Inspired by Durer's "The Fall of Man" -Depicted the sea god with his traditional attribute, the trident, and wearing a laurel wreath and an ornate conch shell -Both stand in a contraposto stance -Architecture combines Doric and Ionic orders with egg-and-dart patterns and "bucrania" (ox skull decorations) -Patron: Phillip, Bastard of Burgundy
23-15: Nymphs, from the dismantled Fountain of the Innocents
-JEAN GOUJON -1548-1549 -Paris, France -Marble reliefs -From the Louvre courtyard facade and originally decorated two facades of a fountain -Recall the Italian (particularly Mannerist) canon of figural design (figura serpentinata poses) -Draperies parallel the ancient "wet" drapery of Greek sculpture -Slender, sinuous figures perform their steps within a confined, unspecified space, and they appear to make one continuous motion, an illusion produced by reversing the gestures, as they might be seen in a mirror -The style of Fontainebleau and ultimately of Primaticcio and Cellini guided the sculptor, but Goujon learned the manner so well that he created originally within it -The nymphs are truly French masterpieces characterized by lightness, ease, and grace
23-24: Aerial view of Escorial
-JUAN DE HERRERA AND JUAN BAUTISTA DE TOLEDO -1563-1584 -Escorial, near Madrid, Spain -Patron: Phillip II -Variation of Italian-derived classicism -A royal mausoleum, church, monastery, and palace -The grid-like plan symbolized the gridiron where Saint Lawerence, patron of Escorial, was martyred -The structure keeps with Philip's austere and conscientious character, his passionate Catholic religiosity, his proud reverence for his dynasty, and his stern determination to impose his will world-wide -Phillip insisted the architect focus on simplicity of form, severity in the whole, nobility without arrogance, and majesty without ostentation -The result is a classicism of Doric severity, ultimately derived from Italian architecture and with the grandeur of Saint Peter's implicit in the scheme -Architect's stress on the central axis anticipates the three-part organization of later Baroque palace facades -Granite (building material) conveys a feeling of starkness and gravity -The massive facade and the austere geometry of the interior complex, with its blocky walls and ponderous arches, produce an effect of overwhelming strength and weight -The entire complex is a monument to the collaboration of a great king and a remarkably understanding architect -Stands as the overpowering architectural expression of Spain's spirit in its heroic epoch and of the character of Philip II, the extraordinary ruler who directed it
23-1: Allegory of Law and Grace
-LUCAS CRANACH AND THE ELDER -1530 -Woodcut -Displays the doctrinal differences between Protestantism and Catholicism -"Allegory": small woodcut print -Protestants viewed low-key images such as woodcut prints as useful devotional aids -Prints were a vehicle for educating the masses, because artists could print them easily, permitting wide circulation and the sale of numerous copies -Woodcut prints were the least expensive of all art forms, making them more accessible to a wider audience than traditionally commissioned art -On the left half, Judgement Day has arrived, represented by Christ's appearance at the top scene -"Tablets of the Law": the commandments Catholics follow in their attempt to attain salvation -In contrast to this Catholic reliance on good works and clean living, the Protestants emphasized God's grace as the source of redemption -At Wittenburg, Cranach became a friend and follower of Martin Luther; his close association with Luther and the degree to which Luther influenced his imagery led scholars to refer to Cranach as the "painter of the Reformation"
23-2: Isenheim Altarpiece (closed), Crucifixion (center panel)
-MATTHIAS GRUNEWALD -1510-1515 -From the chapel of the Hospital of Saint Anthony, Isenheim, Germany -Oil and panel -Placement next to a monastic hospital: Saints associated with diseases and with cures appear prominently -Served as a warning, encouraging increased devotion from monks and hospital patients -Offered hope to the afflicted -Effective use of color -Intensified the contrast of horror and hope by playing subtle tones and soft harmonies against shocking dissonance of color
23-14: West Facade of the Square Court of the Louvre
-PIERRE LESCOT (architect) AND JEAN GOUJON (sculptor) -Began 1546 -Italian artists begin to come to France for work, while the French traveled to Italy to study and travel -Incorporation of Italian architectural elements into the persisting French style derived from Gothic, and influenced by the early Renaissance -Arcading on the ground story reflects the ancient Roman use of arches and produces more shadow than in the upper stories due to its recessed placement, strengthening the design's visual base -On the second story, the pilasters rising from the bases and the alternating curves and angular pediments supported by consoles have direct antecedents in several High Renaissance palaces -The decreased height of the stories, the scale of the windows (much larger than in Renaissance buildings), and the steep roof suggest northern models -French Characteristics: pavilion, and double columns framing a niche, tall and wide windows, profuse statuary, steep roofs -The modified classicism the French produced was the only classicism to serve as a model for northern architects through most of the 16th century
23-18: Meat Still-Life
-PIETER AERTSEN -1551 -Oil on panel -Tendency to inject reminders about spiritual well-being -Embedded strategically placed religious images as reminders: Joseph leading a donket carrying Mary and the Christ, Holy Family -Crossed fishes on the platter and the pretzels and wine in the rafters all refer to spiritual food (pretzels were served as bread during Lent) -Allusions to salvation are contrasted with the life of gluttony, lust, and sloth (oysters and mussel shells, and people seen eating and carousing nearby under the roof)
23-22: Hunters in the Snow
-PIETER BRUEGEL -1565 -Oil on panel -Landscape reveals an interest in the interrelationship of human beings and nature and Patinir's influence (human activity remains the dominant theme) -Chose not to incorporate classical elements, even though he traveled to Italy... the influence is seen more in the Italian or Alpine landscape features -One of the five surviving paintings of a series of six illustrating seasonal changes in the year, and refers back to older Netherlandish traditions of depicting seasons and peasants found in Book of Hours -Typical Netherlandic winter scene with a bit of Alpine landscape -Rendered the landscape in an optically accurate manner -Bruegel's consummate skill in using line and shape and his subtly in tonal harmony make this one of the great landscape paintings and an occidental counterpart of the masterworks of classical Chinese landscape
23-23: Netherlandish Proverbs
-PITER BRUEGEL THE ELDER -1559 -Oil on Panel -Netherlandish obsession with proverbs -Array of activities reminiscent of the topsy-turvy scenes of Bosch -Capturing the Netherlander's morality and mentality, and also serves more generally as a study of human nature -Toward the end of Bruegel's life, his commentary on the human condition took on an increasingly bitter edge... The Netherlands were racked by religious conflict, became the seat of a cruel atrocities, made even more terrible by Catholic Spain's attempts to extinguish the Reformation
23-17: Money-Changer and His Wife
-QUINTEN MASSYS -1514 -Oil and panel -The artist's detailed rendering of the figures, setting, and objects suggests a fidelity to observable fact -Provides the viewer with insight into developing mercantilist practices -Tempered the focus to on the material world with numerous references to the importance of a moral, righteous, and spiritual life -Balance between worldly existence and their commitment to God's world -The window of the two men suggests idleness and gossip but the mirror image offsets this idea by reflecting a man reading a bible in front of a church steeple -"Let the balance be just and the weights equal" applies to both the money-changer's professional conduct and the eventual Last Judgement
23-12: Gallery of King Francis I
-ROSSO FIORENTINO and FRANSESCO PRIMATICCIO -1530-1540 -Fontainebleau, France -Ensemble of architecture, sculpture, and painting -Combined painting, fresco, imitation mosaic, and stucco sculpture in low and high relief -The abrupt changes in scale and in the texture of the figurative elements are typically Mannerist, as are the compressed space, elongated grace, and stylized poses -Formalized elegance of the paintings also appears in the stucco relief figures and caryatids, and the shift in scale between the painted and the stucco figures add tension -combination of painted and stucco relief decorations became extremely popular from that time on and remained a favorite ornamental technique throughout the Baroque and Rococo periods
