To begin today’s class, we looked at the “Allegory with Venus and Cupid” by Agnolo Bronzino. Bronzino was known for his mannerism painting, one of the characteristics specifically being a confusing composition and characters. This specific painting was commissioned by one of the Medici’s as a gift to the King of France. Some of the characters believed to be in this painting are Father Time, who can be seen holding a clock, while unveiling the scene through a curtain we see. The goddess Venus and her son Cupid are presented in the center of the scene. The figure in the background is holding honey in one hand and a scorpion in the other. Honey represents happiness and love whereas the scorpion represents danger and death. The hands of this figure are reversed, signifying mannerism art which was known for its unusual and puzzling elements. On the one hand, time is revealing love and the amazing things that come with love, but on the other side, we see the dangers of love at times and jealousy that can stem from it.
We then transitioned to the High Renaissance in Northern Europe. The Protestant Reformation played an enormous role in Northern Europe during this era. We then spoke about Albrecht Durer, one of the most famous and important artists from this period. He is referred to as the “German Leonardo” as he had lots of different artistic talents like printmaking and painting, like Leonardo was so multi-talented. Both of their works are extremely well known to this day. One of Durer’s most famous pieces we discussed is “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” part of a larger series of woodcuts made in 1498. Printmaking allowed Durer’s work to be mass produced more easily transferable across villages, which helped to expand his popularity. The four horsemen consist of death, famine, war, and conquest, who all kill creatures as they ride away. We also discussed some of his other pieces, how he signed them all, and his potentially narcissistic personality.