Author: Christos Tzoumakas (Page 3 of 3)

Today, we began discussing Quattrocento, or the 15th century in Italy. We began by talking about Studia Humanitatis, which is the study of humanities. We learned that this involved a liberal arts environment and was anything created by humans. There was a great emphasis on trying to study in the context of literature by the ancient Greeks and Romans. We also discussed the introduction of the printing press in Italy in 1464. Paper was made from old clothing and rags. We then discussed Florence and the Baptistery and Cathedral. We learned that this was a republic with no king. The bankers and merchants controlled the government. There were also many Florentine guilds, which were bodies that legislated and organized trading. They were independent associates of the bankers. I particularly found our discussion on Brunelleschi and Ghiberti very interesting. We compared their different takes on The Sacrifice of Issac and found a few key differences. Ghiberti decided to create a more dramatic effect of the sacrifice by not showing that the angel had stopped Abraham. Instead, it appears as if Abraham is about to sacrifice Issac. Ghiberti was the winner of the competition for the bronze doors. As a result, Brunelleschi decided to take the path of an architect and worked on the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore.

We concluded our discussion on Linear Perspective, which is a very interesting take on art.

Today, we started class by finishing our discussion on the Well of Moses and then began talking about Jan van Eyck, who was a dominant figure in this lecture. He is known for his disguised symbolism by a system of conveyed meaning. The Duke sends him secret travels, implying he could be a spy? He also traveled to Spain and Portugal as an ambassador and searched for the Dukes’ wife. There was a myth that he invented oil painting as well. We then discussed the Arnolfini Portrait. We discussed the different aspects of the painting and what some of the signs mean. We first learn that Giovanni Arnolfini is in the painting, and he is a wealthy Italian merchant. The woman next to him could be his wife, but they were married later than 1434, which was when this painting was created. Although the woman is in an odd stance, she is not pregnant. It is more of a common pose during these times. We can also see that the woman has a lot of material possessions, which, during this time, can be a means of displaying wealth. We also noticed there was only one candle stick lit in the room. This was a wedding tradition and is also referred to as snuffing out a candle. In the back of the painting, we noticed the signature of Johannes de Eyck fuit hic 1434, which is beautifully written. We also see a mirror with many different scenes behind it resembling the passion of Christ. Inside the mirror, we notice there are two more individuals in the room. This is because marriage requires two witnesses since there isn’t a priest. Marriage during this time was more of a ritual that required the joining of hands and taking an oath. We also see some different symbols, such as the bed, the dog, the fruit, and Giovanni on the side of the window. The bedroom during this time is not a private room. The dog next to the bed resembles loyalty and fidelity. It can also be seen as a status symbol of wealth. The fruit is peaches and it could possibly resemble fertility. And finally, Giovanni, next to the window, refers to him as a businessman being close to the city.

We then discussed Rogier van der Weyden and his St. Luke drawing of the Virgin. This drawing was a silverpoint drawing, which is pretty unique. The point of it is for the touch of the silver to oxidize the layer it is written on. In the background of this drawing, we see Northern Europe and contemporary people.

Today, we began by discussing the Virgin Mary and how she is often referred to as the queen of heaven. The altarpiece serves a specific purpose and is often where communion occurs. We then began to discuss Italian art in the 14th century. This was a sense of real progress and suggested superiority. We compared Giotto with Cimabue and found their artworks similar but different in a few key ways. First, you can notice that the robe was gold in Giotto, but in Cimabue, he used shadows and highlights to depict the waves in the robes. Cimabue also began using Gothic Style, which was very popular during the 14th century. In Cimabue’s piece, the faces were also more realistic, and space was rendered in a more believable way. We then dove into the Scrovegni Chapel, also known as the Arena Chapel and Giotto’s contributions to it. We discussed he had many paintings to decorate the chapel, and they fit so well that he may have even designed the building himself. The blue that was used to paint Christ entering Jerusalem was used a seco or after the paint before the blue dried. This often caused peeling. We also discussed a little about Duccio di Buoninsegna and his Madonna Enthroned. This was beautifully painted and included a lot of gold with a sense of richness that was heavenly. Duccio also painted Christ entering Jerusalem; his painting had more detail but was much smaller. There was also an emphasis on figure placement and perspective.

At the end of class, we began to discuss the 15th century art in Northern Europe. This included an interest in depicting a convincing reality. It was also the creation of a new symbolic system called disguised symbolism.

Today was the first day of class, and I have not taken an art history class before, so I am very interested to see what we will learn and cover this semester. In today’s class, we started to cover Art in Thirteenth and Fourteenth Century Italy. We began by looking at Siena and Florence and discussing what a campanile served as. We discussed how citizens would look to the campanile or bell tower and take pride in their identity and city. We then discussed the Piazza della Signoria and Piazza del Campo. The Piazza della Signoria looks almost like a castle and has a strong structure that takes up much of the city. It is meant to resemble the power of the government. I was particularly interested in our examination of the Pisa Baptistery. We discussed how the tubs used had to be larger than what a majority use today because back then, they were baptizing adults. The architecture of the lectern was also very interesting, as there was an eagle resembling St. John the Evangelist. I also enjoyed examining the Mosaics in Monreale, Sicily as they are referred to as maniera greca or the Greek style. This reminded me of my Church back home, as we also have a very similar mosaic of Jesus on the ceiling. I enjoyed this first class and look forward to learning more.