Premise
The High Renaissance, Mannerism and Early Baroques occur during 16th cnetuy Italy. The Papacy was a political force and a leading patron of the arts.. The popes commissioned the prominent architects, painters and sculptors for works to glorify the Vatican and the Holy City.
"After the upheavel in FLorence, artists flocked to Rome to work for the popes, who strove to make the city the spiritual and artistic center of Europe. During this turbulent age, marked by foreign invasion, militaristic expansion under Pope Julius II, and the Reformation, artists created the magnificent, refined, heroic style of the High Renaissane. Balance, serentity, perfection and beauty of forms characterize the High Renaissance."
Artists begin to assume a god-like status and "mingled with the great minds of the age."
"Human images took on an impressive grandeur, perfection, and beauty that was unparalleled in Western art. Italy soon came in conflict with Francis I of France and Emperor Charles who sacked ROme in 1527. The Reformation (1517), ignited by Martin Luther, rapidly spread and by mid century one fourth of the population in Europe was Protestant. Political and religious upheavels, economic decline, and social crises in Rome and FLorence contributed to the complex, distortred forms of Mannerism, 1520-90. By the end of the century, Venetian artists creaed a colorful, dynamic, Early Baroque style that influenced the 17th century."
Moving into the era known as the High Renaissance- between 1490 and 1530- we meet Leonardo da Vinci, the artist some say was the prototype of the multi-talented “renaissance man.”.
Overview
" It was during the sixteenth century that the perception of the artist as genius rather than artisan developed. Though the High Renaissance lasted only from 1495 to 1520, many well-known personalities, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto, and El Greco, lived during this time. The concept of the Renaissance man emerged, representing an individual with diverse interests who has proven expertise and mastery in different areas.Florence, which up to this point had been the artistic center of the Renaissance, was in political upheaval; as a result, Venice, Rome, and Milan began to share artistic leadership. There was continued growth in the monumentality of the arts, including architecture, and the developing perception of the arts as intellectual endeavor. The various artistic centers began to represent different schools of thought, with Rome and Florence being the centers of the Mannerist style. During the period between the late fifteenth century and the mid-sixteenth century, Rome became the center of political and artistic power owing to the efforts of a succession of powerful popes. The technical aspects of the arts were not the only issue of attention; the creative dimensions of artistic work were valued as well."
Part --: Unit Exam Essay Questions (from previous Art 260-261 tests)
· Masaccio owed much to the work of Giotto. What had he learned from the older master and what innovations did he make?
· What made perspective so important to Renaissance artists? Discuss at least three examples.
· Why were Renaissance architects so fascinated with the central plan‑church design? What are its advantages and its disadvantages? Cite at least two examples of buildings that used this type of design.
· Discuss the extent to which Alberti realized the principles of his theoretical writings on architecture in specific buildings he designed.
· SLIDE QUESTIONS.
· When were these two equestrian portraits done? In what ways do they resemble each other and how do they differ?
· How does the renovation done on this church by Alberti demonstrate his ideas about classical form and harmonic relationships between parts?
· What major change had taken place in the representation of pictorial space between the time Ghiberti created the panel of the Sacrifice of Isaac and his completion of the Gates of Paradise? How well did he utilize the new ideas?
(from AAT4)
· Using the examples in this chapter, discuss the meanings and functions of the circular plan in Renaissance buildings.
· Describe the development of New Saint Peter's. Discuss the contributions of the various architects who worked on it.
· What are the differences between Giotto's and Michelangelo's Last Judgment? To what do you attribute the differences?
· How does High Renaissance Venetian painting compare with that of Rome?
· How does School of Athens exemplify the High Renaissance?
· Discuss the Classical revival in Italy in the 14th century, and illustrate its influence on the arts.
· Compare and contrast the styles of Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned with Giotto's Madonna Enthroned. What does each illustrate about the artists and their times?
· Describe a working day in the life of a fourteenth-century Italian fresco painter
· Explain why Giotto's frescoes are more dramatic than Romanesque and Gothic pictorial imagery. Give examples from the text.
· Compare the style of Duccio's Maestà with that of the Arena Chapel frescoes. Include a discussion of the patrons and the relationship of the works to their contexts.
· Compare the style of Giotto with that of International Gothic. Include a discussion of patronage and influence.
· Discuss the changes in art styles in fourteenth-century Italy after 1348. Propose some possible reasons for the change.
· Compare Raphael's Galatea with his Madonna of the Meadow. What does this comparison suggest about his range of subject matter?
Chapter Outline (AAT4)
THE HIGH RENAISSANCE IN ITALY, c. 1500–c. 1550
The ideal of the circle: Vitruvian Man
Bramante: the Tempietto
Leonardo: Mona Lisa; Last Supper
Papal patronage
· Julius II (pope 1503–1513)
· New Saint Peter's; Sistine Ceiling (Michelangelo)
· Stanza della Segnatura (Raphael)
· Leo X (pope 1513–1521)
· Pope Paul III: Michelangelo's Last Judgment
Michelangelo in Florence: The Laurentian Library
The myth of Venice
Venetian painters: the Bellini; Giorgione; Titian
Controversy: painting versus sculpture; color versus drawing
Charles V invades Italy (1527)
Summary and Study Guide
Define or identify the following terms:
[CHP. 14- The High Renaissance in Italy] / Page| 6AAT4 Key Terms
balustrade
broken pediment
buttress
cella
contrapposto
schiacciato
single or one-point perspective (linear perspective)
equestrian monument
International Style
chiaroscuro
atmospheric perspective
double shell dome
central plan
Medici
humanism
printmaking
engraving sacra conversazione (sacred conversation)
foreshortening
Treatise on Architecture by Alberti (completed in 1452, first published in 1485)
Vitruvius (late 1st century B.C. Roman architect)
Sistine Chapel
oil paint
Flemish painting
Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449-1492)
disegno (“drawing with line”)
Neoplatonism
sfumato (“smokiness”)
“triangle composition”
Leonardo’s inventions
chiaroscuro
Contrapposto
entablature
glaze
ignudi
martyrium
painterly
pastel
peristyle
Pietà
sculptured wall motif
sfumato
spandrel
[CHP. 14- The High Renaissance in Italy] / Page| 6Summary and Study Guide
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) epitomizes the concept of the Renaissance man. Sculptor, painter, and architect, his range of interests and achievements spanned and exceeded the dimensions of art, extend¬ing into science, engineering, anatomy, mathematics, and music.
From age fifteen to twenty-five, Leonardo served as an apprentice to the painter and sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. In 1482, he moved to Milan. There he served as the official artist of the duke of Milan until 1499, when he returned to Florence. During his latter years, Leonardo was court painter to Louis XII, king of France, and to his successor, Francis I. Though many of his notebooks and drawings have survived, only a dozen paintings can be absolutely attributed to him; of his sculpture, none are known to exist today, yet his influence was monumental.
The Adoration of the Magi
One of Leonardo's early commissions, an altarpiece for the monks of San Donato a Scopeto, is an unfinished work entitled The Adoration of the Magi (1481-1482). His preliminary sketches for the painting reflect the process he went through to achieve his final image. Leonardo's sense of precise order and his use of perspective are evident in the composition of the work, which depicts over sixty individuals whose facial expressions and gestures serve as the focus of attention for the viewer. His figures are not defined by line but rather by light and shadow (chiaroscuro). Whereas other painters had applied shadow to their figures in order to model them and create a sense of mass, Leonardo's figures appear to emerge from the darkness, challenging traditional conceptions of light and dark and how shape is defined.
The Virgin of the Rocks
In 1485, while in Milan, Leonardo painted The Virgin of the Rocks, utilizing a strong triangular orientation (similar to that seen in Francesca's The Resurrection), as well as chiaroscuro to model the figures. Light and shadow are used to both reveal and conceal the figures, who form a group, unified by their gestures toward one another. Hazy and dreamlike, the atmosphere of the painting contributes to the
work's being perceived as a poetic image rather than as a real-world representation.
The Last Supper
When Leonardo was commissioned by the friars of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan to do a painting in their refectory, the subject to be depicted was a traditional one: the Last Supper. This theme had been painted many times and, typically, was composed with the Apostles lined up next to Christ on one side of a table and Judas standing on the opposite side. Leonardo's approach to the composition, as seen in his version of The Last Supper (c. 1495-1498), would be considered the first great work of the High Renaissance. His figures are expressive, the Apostles appearing startled at Christ's declaration that one of them would betray him. Christ, in the center, is framed by a window with an arch that acts as a halo, and the reaction of the Apostles to his words is linked to the way they are posed in groups of three. Leonardo's space is created out of a mathematical precision that makes the room seem to be impossibly perfect in its dimensions. Though close scrutiny might lead the viewer to the conclusion that the scale of the figures does not match that of the room, the illusion is necessary to create a powerful image, one that portrays tragedy. Drama is added to the scene in the artist's use of atmosphere and chiaroscuro and through the emotions he has imbedded in the facial features and gestures of the figures.
What is unfortunate about the work is its lack of physical durability. In order to avoid the restrictions of the fresco technique, which required that the artist work quickly in applying paint to still-wet plaster that would adhere it to the wall surface, Leonardo experimented with a
allow him to obtain the subtleties
of light and shadow he sought but would also allow him to work on the entire composition at the same time on a dry wall. Unfortunately, his pigment did not take well to the wall, and even during Leonardo's
lifetime there were signs of deterioration. Restoration of The Last Supper has been continuous; as early as the eighteenth century it had
been repainted twice.
Mona Lisa
Leonardo was also responsible for what has probably become the world's best-known portrait: Mona Lisa (c. 1503--1505). The portrait is of La Gioconda, the wife of Zanobi del Gioconda, a banker in Florence. As in Leonardo's earlier works, his use of sfumato is instrumental in creating a hazy atmosphere. The subtle modeling of the figure's fea¬tures, which obscures the expression on her face, contributes to what has been referred to as her enigmatic smile.
“Michelangelo
“Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), though a master of painting and architecture, saw himself foremost as a sculptor. At age thirteen he was apprenticed to the painter Domenic Ghirlandaio, and at fourteen he entered the sculpture studio of Lorenzo de' Medici, where he studied with Bertoldo. By the time he was seventeen, he felt ready to set out on his own. His manner was one of independence of thought. He dispensed with the mathematical proportions established by others for portraying idealized beauty, trusting instead his own senses, his own eye.”
“David”
“By the time Michelangelo was twenty-five, his reputation as a sculptor was already such that he received a commission in Rome. The sculpture was of the biblical character David (1501--15(4), and its impact upon the viewer is likely no less today than it was more than four centuries ago. The figure, eighteen feet tall, does not represent David after his battle with Goliath, as do earlier versions, but shows him before the confrontation. David appears to stand waiting, preparing himself while looking to the left. His is not a figure at rest, but one with muscles tense, readying himself for action. The expression on his face is one of concentration and determination, contributing to the overall feeling of tension and energy that the sculpture conveys.”
“Though there is reference to earlier Classical sculpture in David, Michelangelo's figure reflects the artist's knowledge of human anatomy (he dissected cadavers) and his reliance upon his own sense of propor¬tion in the way in which he emphasizes the figure's face, hands, and feet. His figure of David, though carved of marble, gives the impression of having a framework of muscle and bone covered with flesh. “
“Moses”
“Michelangelo's Moses (c. 1513-1515), originally intended as one of a number of sculptures for the tomb of Pope Julius II, has many of the same qualities as David. Though sitting, Moses, too, turns his head to the left, but with an angry expression beginning to form on his face. A sense of restraint is implied, though the contraction of the muscles of the arms and the position of the legs lead one to believe that he is about to rise. “
“The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican”
“Between 1508 and 1512 Michelangelo worked on what was to be one of his greatest achievements: the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. Though he had already begun working on sculptures for the tomb of Pope Julius II, the pope decided that he wanted Michelangelo to stop what he was doing and decorate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in fresco. This challenge would entail applying paint to still-damp plaster, which allowed no mistakes, while lying on his back on a scaffolding nearly seventy feet above the floor. Only a small area could be worked on at any given time because the conditions for fresco painting were very restrictive. Given the dimensions of the ceiling, 128 feet by 44 feet, it was quite a task, compositionally as well as techni¬cally. Michelangelo's solution was then and remains today a master¬piece. He organized the space into a framework of painted triangles, squares, and rectangles filled with the portrayal of numerous biblical stories including the Creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall of Man, and his Redemption. Like his sculptures, Michelangelo's painted figures, over 300 in all, contain the energy and physical substance that typify his style. “