Author: Lucy Rayback (Page 2 of 3)

We began with a continued investigation of the work of the “Little Masters” in Holland, who all had niche specialties for paintings. One section was known as skyscapes, created on horizontal canvases. Using a 1/3 land, 2/3 sky composition, a visually pleasing ratio, landscapes were used to show everyday activities or views of the land. The smaller the figures, the larger the land appeared. Interior landscapes were also a subject, with the interiors of churches being painted to display their architectural details. Traditionally, in the hierarchy of painting, landscapes were low. Even below these were still lives. However, still lives gained respect in the Baroque era for Holland. Many incorporated the idea of Vanitas, a reminder that life is fleeting, to evoke emotions from simple objects such as dishes or flowers.

Transitioning to France, King Louis XIV was a big supporter of art. He commissioned the building of the palace of Versailles, with a rational, clean facade, artfully crafted gardens, and lavishly decorated rooms. A relief of the king himself decorates his Salon of War to glorify him, and his famous Hall of Mirrors works to open up the room and mirror the space and riches. Louis XIV’s portrait by Rigaud sums up perfectly the grandness he emitted. Painted in full length, the king looks down on his viewer surrounded by symbols of his power – the crown, scepters, ermine fur, and the Fleur-de-lis. His positioning gestures outwards and makes him appear dominating, projecting an image of a rich, strong nation and King.

Today in class we looked at Baroque art in Flanders and Holland, a region collectively known as the Low Countries. Beginning in southern Flanders and Antwerp, Peter Paul Rubens was a famed artist heavily influenced by Caravaggio who interacted with high society. He directed a large studio that produced many paintings and had many artists working for him. Rubens’ large triptych altarpiece, Elevation of the Cross, depicted the scene of Christ being raised with the cross as he’s nailed to it. This religious scene was consistent with the Catholic views of Flanders and with the Baroque style. The raising of the cross is frozen mid-action, creating an instantaneous snapshot of the scene. The painting also contains many powerful diagonals emphasized with the contrast between light and dark, and muscled characters similar to those from the Sistine Chapel. Anthony Van Dyck worked in Ruben’s studio as a portraiture. He became known for his portraits of kings, including Charles I of England Hunting. The seemingly casual portrait depicts the king off his horse, but his position on a hill above the viewer and horse bowing his head still give him an air of authority.

In northern Holland, the region was Protestant and as a result, artwork had a more secular influence. Rembrandt, for instance, was fascinated with self-portraits and explorations of self-representation at varying points of life. He also tackled the group portraits such as The Night Watch where he painted an entire militia company assembled for a parade. Influenced by Caravaggio as well, he used tenebrism to enhance the mood of the scene and illuminate his central point.

Class today took place in the art museum where we were able to see real examples of the techniques for printmaking discussed in class. Beginning with reliefs, a woodcut by Dürer Pass Christi: Christ before Pilate had uniform lines creating details and depth in the scene. Made using a gouge, the tool carved lines from a wooden block, moved for curving lines by turning the block, not the hand. Most of our time however was spent discussing Intaglio, specifically etchings and engravings. The engraving by Goltzius The Roman Heroes: Mucius Scaevola can be characterized by its variation of thick and thin lines. This effect is achieved with the burin tool used for engravings, which alters the thickness of the line depending on the amount of pressure applied.

Etchings are different from engravings as they’re made with an etching needle and often a varnish coating. The maneuverability of the needle gives etchings the impressions of drawings, as the lines are imperfect and more free. This was seen clearly in Collot’s Dwarf with Big Belly and From the Medici Landscapes: La Chasse Au Cerf (The Deer Hunt). The inclusion of aquatint on a printing medium adds a final details to prints – gray. Melted dots of resin as contrast with the ink, preventing a completely dark print as in Goya’s Disparate Volante. Overall, the detail and time it takes to create these prints is especially impressive when they’re seen in person, up-close with a magnifying glass.

Class today focused on a continued look at the Baroque period. Gianlorenzo Bernini was a famed sculptor from Italy in this time. His interpretation of the David for the Borghese family is a new representation of the work. While other sculptures or paintings have focused on his heroism after defeating Goliath, Bernini chose a different moment. Keeping with the themes of Baroque (dynamism, sense of motion), he portrays David as he’s about to release his slingshot. This frozen moment mid-action gives David position loaded with potential and has the appearance of springing to action any second. His concentrated human face is also sculpted with exquisite detail, with skill expertly portrayed in just seven months. Bernini’s The Ecstasy of St. Teresa is another sculpture deserving of attention. The dynamic floating position of Teresa and angel poised to strike the saint’s heart are captivating as the audience waits in anticipation of the action. The use of outside light from windows above the sculpture illuminate the stone with a contrast of light and shadow to give it a divine aura.

Transitioning to Spain, paintings like The Club Footed Boy continue the baroque style. Dedicated to the Counter Reformation and Inquisition, religious themes remained popular in art. The boy is depicted as a beggar with a notes asking for alms for the poor as written in the Bible. His pose with his walking stick mirrors both those of Christ carrying his cross and a man with a weapon, alluding to the beggar boy as a solider of God. But most importantly, the boy is painted with a smiling face. It’s a celebration of life for the boy.

We began by wrapping up our discussion of the Northern European High Renaissance with Pieter Bruegel. His painting The Blind Leading the Blind from 1568 is comedic with a religious undertone. The angled, downhill perspective makes it easy to see the blind men falling into a ditch, as based on a proverb. The inclusion of a church clearly visible in the background could hint at an obscured criticism of their teachings. However, most of Bruegel’s works were landscapes (influenced by his time in Italy) showing peasants going about their everyday lives. The small figures give his scenes an air of contentment and peace, depicting the world as it should be with its small joys. Consistent with other northerners, Bruegel painted to capture this real life in minute details.

We then transitioned to talk about the Italian Baroque period of the 17th century. Influenced by a backlash against Mannerism and the Counter Reformation of the Catholic Church, art became crucial in supporting the church again. Annibale’s Landscape with the Flight into Egypt is an extensive landscape filled with small details of nature and buildings, a composed landscape. His small figures of Mary and Jesus in the front add to the scene, but from their size and lower positioning, are not the focus. Ceiling frescos were also popular, with Annibale’s The Loves of the Gods commissioned for a wedding. Painted in quadro riportato, images are painted to appear separately framed on the ceiling instead of composing one image. Along with Agostino Tassi’s ceiling fresco of Aurora’s chariot, trompe l’oeiel (to trick the eye) was common. His quadratura continued the architecture of the walls into the ceiling. From a certain angle, this gave the impression of the ceiling opening up to reveal the scene.

Finally, Artemisia Gentileschi was an acclaimed artist of this time. Painting many heroines, she was influenced by the works of Caravaggio and often used tenebrism for an effect. Many of her paintings are moments of dramatic pauses, placing the viewer in anticipation of what will happen next.

Our discussion of the Mannerist style was continued with Bronzino. His painting Allegory with Venus and Cupid exhibits this style well with the organized chaos and confusing scene. There are multiple figures who are difficult to identify, with ideas including from Fraud, Folly, Jealousy, Envy, Syphilis, and Pleasure. Erotic themes are present with Venus appearing to kiss her son Cupid and simply weird elements like a snake body with lions feet, Pleasure holding a honeycomb in one hand and scorpion in another, and the right and left hands switched. Another painting by Bronzino, a portrait of Eleonora member of the Medici family, is more refined. Meant to exhibit wealth, status, and the family’s male heir, Eleonora is displayed similarly to the Virgin. The rich blue background and height in the portrait, giving viewers the impression of Eleonora looking down on them, are attributed to this idea.

The second part of class was spent on the High Renaissance in Northern Europe. Albrecht Dürer is one of the most famous German artists during this time. His wooden prints like The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse exhibit intense detail that required patience and skill to carve out. Inspired by the millennial fear of the upcoming year 1500, Dürer represented death, famine, war, and conquest as vicious horsemen taking over. As a print, his images could be mass produced and as a result were widespread. A second impression of him as an artist is his self portrait. Painted in a full frontal view, his appearance imitates that of paintings of Christ. He gives off a self-confident and narcissistic air, and is clearly impressed with his own artistic ability.

Class began with discussing the work of Michelangelo, a true “uomo universale,” renaissance man. Throughout the high renaissance, he was a painter, engineer, and poet, but was most famed as a sculptor. One of his most known sculptures is his version of the Pietá, sculpted from marble and waxed to an incredible smoothness. The scene of Mary holding Christ’s body after his death is depicted by just the two of them and focuses on their emotional connection. A young, serene Mary looks down on her grown son across her lap. The pyramidal composition of the structure allows this to be possible, with flowing fabric from Mary’s outfit creating the pedestal. Even Christ appears to have had a quiet death, with barely visible wounds from his crucifixion. Overall, Mary’s expression of faith and peace gives the sculpture the sense of harmony and balance that was desired throughout the Renaissance.

In the late Renaissance, Mannerism became a popular style and saw the evolution of Michelangelo as an artist. His work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel saw him experimenting with materials and creating a sense of 3D space with pillars and overlapping characters. Even today, visitors to the chapel spend most of their time staring at the ceiling to appreciate Michelangelo’s scenes of The Creation. As for Mannerism, it focuses less on ideal depictions of reality and influenced scenes without harmony, abstraction, and serpentine forms. The Rape of the Sabines is a famous example of the skill of the era but also the twisting of human forms that was popular.

Class today began with concluding our investigation of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. Compositionally, we remarked on Venus occupying much of the central space in the classic contrapposto pose, framed by darker elements to help her stand out. Little details like the gold highlighting, roses falling (the flower of Venus), and the blooming orange trees added context and complexity to the image. Additionally, the representation of a naked woman for beauty, not for a moral or erotic meaning, brought to the discussion Neoplatonic Philosophy. Derived from the philosopher Plato, it emphasized an idealized thinking without focusing too much on real-world issues or constraints.

This philosopher segued into discussing the fascinating contributions of Leonardo da Vinci. Born in 1452, he wasn’t just a painter but also an architect, engineer, and sculptor. His notebook contained many sketches of machines and anatomical drawings as he attempted to find the patterns and systems in life. His paintings included sfumato to unify the subjects and backgrounds and he pioneered the pyramidal composition to create dynamic but stable characters. The Last Supper shows off Leonardo’s mathematical thinking and The Mona Lisa employs the pyramid, sfumato, chiaroscuro, and an interesting lack of status symbols to create the iconic painting.

Today, much of class was spent discussing the works of Masaccio. Early on he was commissioned to paint the private Brancacci Chapel, which included one of his more famous works, the Tribute Money. The continuous narrative he created of a lesser-represented scene with St. Peter is skillful. The use of atmospheric perspective gives the fresco depth and linear perspective all collides to a vantage point above Christ’s head. The range of colors (specifically of the tax collectors, Christ’s, and his apostles’ clothes) also add a range of depth as the warmer colors feel closer to the viewer. Overall, the figures created by Masaccio are realistic and focused on the details to create a convincing portrait. Small details like the gesturing of Christ mirrored by St. Peter represent deeper meaning and the reflection of Christ that St. Peter (the pope) is supposed to be.

Another noticeable work was the construction of the Medici city palace in Florence by Michelozzo. Similar to the construction of other buildings in the city, the palace focused on the appearance of strength. The bottom level is made of rough stone to give it rustication and strength on the level of the people. The middle level, the noble level, is more grand with arched windows. The top level is smooth and the shortest of the three, giving the building the impression of being lighter on top. The fortress architecture helps establish the Medici family as the influential group they were.

Class today focused on a time period known as the Quattrocento, 15th century Italy. This is a time known as the true renaissance as artists truly advanced in their crafts. Florence had established itself as a center for the arts and guilds. With so many known artists in the city, there was a competition to decide who would design and make bronze doors for the baptistry. The choice came down to Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, who both sculpted the scene of the Sacrifice of Isaac. Ghiberti, who was selected as the winner, created a scene with anticipation, anguish, and turmoil through the placement of the sacrifice, impending arrival of the angel, and depiction of Isaac. Additionally, the bronze scene was cast in one piece, displaying his skill.

Brunelleschi, went on to become a famed architect. He focused on mathematical aesthetics and ratios to create buildings that resembled art. One such masterpiece he designed was the Duomo of Florence, a giant dome above an octagonal space using ribs and a lantern on top to bring in light. This grand dome came to symbolize the strength of the city of Florence and is known worldwide.