Author: Flossy Fogarty (Page 2 of 3)

This class we discussed the end of absolute monarchy and how it led to the onset of the Rococo Period. Since the nobles were no longer required to be near the king, they moved into cities. With that, art and design became lighter and less oppressive, as well as much more private. The Rococo was characterized by its derivation from nature, its use of color and emotion, as well as its step away from symmetry. One notable painting from the Rococo is Jean-Antoine Watteau’s A Pilgrimage to Cythera. Watteau’s painting is extremely blended and painterly, and uses warm color. The lack of structure creates a flowing quality, that helps create a sense of escapism.

While many paintings and pieces from the Rococo display the luxurious and self-indulgent lifestyle of the nobility, the bourgeoisie often commissioned paintings warning against hedonism. William Hogarth’s painting, The Orgy, is from a series which tells the story of a wealthy man who indulges in immorality. The painting depicts the main character in a brothel, with urine spilt on the floor. This was reflective of the paintings commissioned by the bourgeoisie, moralistic rather than the flaunting paintings of the aristocrats.

We spent the first half of this class finishing up our discussion of Baroque art in the Netherlands. We discussed three different genres of painting: landscape, still life, and genre. One example of a landscape that we looked at was Jacob van Ruisdael’s Bleaching Grounds near Haarlem. Ruisdael creates an expansive landscape, highlighting the flatness of the low country. Additionally, the influence of Baroque art is evident by the clouds in motion, and the contrast of light caused by them. When talking about still life’s emphasis was placed on a message being portrayed by them. Our discussion about Baroque art in the Netherlands ended with Jan Vermeer’s genre paintings. Vermeer used everyday people and objects to tell a story through his paintings.

The second part of class was spent discussing Louis XIV and the Palace of Versailles. Louis XIV transformed Versailles into a shrine to himself as the Sun God. It served as an overwhelming sense of wealth and power to keep the nobles of France in line. Hyacinthe Rigaud’s Portrait of Louis XIV created a grand portrait of Louis XIV looking down on the viewer. The diagonals created by the positioning of Louis’s body created a feeling of importance and called to the rays of the sun, tying back to Louis’s title as the Sun God.

We spent this class discussing Baroque art in Flanders and Holland. We started off by discussing the religious differences in the Southern Spanish controlled Netherlands (Belgium), which was Catholic, and the Northern Dutch Republic, which was Protestant. We first looked at the work of Peter Paul Rubens, who was heavily influenced by Caravaggio, and spent the majority of his career in Antwerp. The first work of his that we looked at was the Elevation of the Cross from 1611. The painting was done in the old-fashioned style of a triptych. This choice was probably made by the commissioner of the painting to bring viewers back to a time before the Reformation. The painting implements the Baroque theme of taking a snapshot of a scene, evidenced by the straining of those lifting the cross. The contrast between light and dark which draws eyes to the diagonals in the painting, highlights Caravaggio’s influence. We also discussed the concept of group portraits, using Frans Hals’s Banquet of the Officers of the St. George Militia as an example. Hals was able to create a snapshot of a group dinner to create a dynamic group portrait.

Rather than having a lecture in this class, we went to the museum to look at the prints that they have in their collection. At the museum, we were able to get an upclose look at the different techniques of printmaking and the differences in the prints. We talked about intaglio, which is a type of printmaking that uses a metal needle to carve into a sheet of copper, or other metal. Etching implies the use of varnish coated metal plates that are carved and then placed in an acid bath. Whereas engravings refer to the drypoint technique, which uses a needle to carve into a dry metal plate. One of my favorite examples of this was Hendrik Goltzius’s engraving, The Roman Heroes: Mucius Scaevola. Goltzius used a burin to engrave this print, which allowed for a variation of thickness across the same line. We also looked at other methods of printmaking such as relief, which uses a gouge to carve into a block of wood or linoleum. Overall, it was very interesting to see the evolution of printmaking techniques and the difference in details.

We spent this class finishing our discussion of the Baroque Period in Italy. The majority of the class was spent looking at the works of Gianlorenzo Bernini. We first looked at his sculpture of David. David works to combine art with the real space. Bernini chose to represent David between two moments and captures the split-second where he is slinging the rock. The intense forward focus seen in David’s face and the twisting motion of his body adds to the level of realism by making viewer feel like Goliath is behind them. We then looked at The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, a marble sculpture done by Bernini depicting the vision of St. Theresa. Bernini again embeds the viewer into the scene with a theater boxes on the side of the walls looking into the scene. Additionally, he created the illusion of St. Theresa being bathed in heavenly light by using a secret stained glass window reflected on golden metal to create the illusion.

We finished class by looking at a few Baroque paintings from Spain. Most notably Jusepe de Ribera’s The Club-Footed Boy. Ribera depicts the beggar in same way as important person, using a low horizon line to make the figure towering.
The beggar is also asking for money for love of God, highlighting the importance of works of mercy during the Counter-Reformation.

In this class, we looked at the Italian Baroque period and how it came about. The period began following the Counter-Reformation and reactions to the Mannerism period. It served as a counter to Mannerism, and a way to support the Catholic Church once more. One of the primary artists from this period that we looked at was Caravaggio, who was considered to be the next Michelangelo. Caravaggio’s oil painting, The Calling of Matthew, from 1600, uses light in order to control the narrative viewers follow. Similar to Masaccio’s The Tribute Money fresco, Jesus is depicted in toga-like garments, whereas Matthew and the others are in more contemporary garb. Finally, we looked at Artemisia Gentileschi, who painted in the style of Caravaggio. She expressed her own emotions through her artwork, and was able to draw the viewer in, as if they were in the scene of the painting.

We began class by finishing the topic of Mannerism and looked at Agnolo Bronzino work. Brozino’s work did a particularly good job of highlighting the complexity and bizarre nature of Mannerism. We also discussed the High Renaissance in the North of Europe. We focused primarily on the work of Albrecht Dürer. In his self portrait, Dürer depicts himself resembling Jesus. This portrays him as narcissistic, as he is also painted in a manner typically reserved for God. His work, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, was an incredibly detailed wood carving, which displayed his skill. With the development of printmaking, Dürer’s works were able to be spread throughout Europe.

We started class by discussing Michelangelo’s Pietá, which is a marble statue depicting Mary holding Jesus after his death. Michelangelo portrays Mary as incredibly young, perhaps the same age as the Nativity. This is potentially a call back to that scene, since she is holding Jesus as a baby, tying together the start and end of his life. Additionally, Michelangelo employs the use of clothing and fabric to give the illusion of Mary being able to support the body of a fully grown adult. This sculpture comes across as very soothing, reflecting the idea of harmony associated with the work of the High Renaissance.

We also discussed Mannerism and how Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel reflects the transition between the High Renaissance and Mannerism. Michelangelo’s frescos depict scenes from the Bible from the Old Testament, progressing in order as you walk through the Chapel. Unlike other paintings at the time, Michelangelo employed much more vibrant colors and complexity. This shows the shift from the simplicity and harmony associated with the High Renaissance to the complexity and odd color palate of Mannerism. The shift to Mannerism can be attributed to potentially both the Protestant Reformation and the Medici take over of Florence.

In this class, we started off finishing the material from the previous class by discussing Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. The painting, however, actually depicts the aftermath of Venus’s birth. Commission by the Medici family, the painting contains several references to the family. The orange trees references the mela medica from the Medici coat of arms, and Venus’s pose resembles the pose of The Medici Venus. Additionally, the depiction of a woman in nude with no moral or erotic undertones, simply existing in her own perfection, displays the neoplatonic philosophy that was developing at the time.

We then moved on to the High Renaissance in Italy. We began this discussion by talking about Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo was focused on solving problems with his art and finding patterns or systems. We looked at three of his paintings, Madonna of the Rocks, The Last Supper, and The Mona Lisa. These painting demonstrate Leonardo’s ability to incorporate his subjects within the landscape of the painting. Additionally, his use of pyramidal symmetry is shown in these paintings.

In this class, we spent a large amount of time discussing Masaccio’s frescos in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence. The frescos depicted different scenes from the life of St. Peter. We looked at The Tribute Money fresco, which blends three different scenes from the story in the Bible into one painting, using continuous narrative. Masaccio places Christ in the center of the painting, even though the narrative does not follow that order, so that Christ would still be the focal point. Despite this, Masaccio employed methods, such as pointing, to make sure the viewer understood how to view the painting. Masaccio also employed both linear and atmospheric perspective, which added to the sense of realism. This painting also demonstrated the reflection of political culture in art. At the time of this set of fresco’s commissioning, the pope had just ordered for churches to pay taxes. The pope is considered to be the descendent of St. Peter, so in these paintings he is reflected as such.