Category: Uncategorized (Page 34 of 48)

Today we continued our discussion of high renaissance in the north and mannerism. The first artist that we discussed in class today was Albrecht Durer. The influence of his father who was a goldsmith led him to develop a unique style when he joined an art and print workshop. I found his wood cut to be far more interesting and engaging than his painting though those were also interesting. Woodcut prints are far more uncommon in contemporary art which is why I think I was drawn to it. I also really appreciate how much time and care goes into the process considering there is zero room for error.

I also found the idea that the print was for mass production interesting. It is obvious that artists need to make money in some way but this is the first I remember hearing about a Renaissance artist with this type of entrepreneurial spirit. Durer’s self-portrait is also hard to ignore. Though Professor Plesch described him as someone self-obsessed I wonder if this is just part of his marketing strategy. Though this could be entirely wrong, maybe he thought if he was a more polarizing figure he would be able to sell more art.

We began today’s class by finishing the lecture on Mannerism. We looked at the works by Agnolo Bronzino, including Allegory of Venus and Cupid. The painting was given as a gift from Cosimo to the King of France, and elements within the work can be viewed as symbols of syphilis, which the King of France suffered from. The work would have certainly served as a conversation piece, as a group could endlessly discuss the meaning of the rather strange assortment of characters and symbols.

We then transitioned to a discussion of the High Renaissance in Northern Europe. It was first important to note that there is a rather vague distinction between the High Renaissance and Mannerism in Northern Europe. There was a wide range of art being produced in Northern Europe at the time, with some artists continuing medieval work, while others adopted the styles of Italian Renaissance men. The protestant reformation had a significant impact not only on religion in Northern Europe but also on the art that was being produced. We began considering the printed works of Dürer and comparing his mastered printmaking technique with past works.

In class today we picked up on Agnolo Bronzino and his mannerist style in his “Allegory with Venus and Cupid” painting. We discussed the elaborate subject matter and its history during the sixteenth century. During class, we broke down the composition of the art piece and how some figures have been interpreted differently by historians. We then transitioned to another piece of art from Agnolo that we noticed lacked expression and emotions, which we noticed among other artists was very popular. After wrapping up Bronzino we then turned to the High Renaissance in Northern Europe which was an easy transition from mannerism. We discussed many aspects in the north that speak to the shift in how artists conveyed their artwork. During our lecture, we then shifted our eyes to the works of Albrecht Durer who had much experience as a goldsmith which contributed to his unique techniques. After a brief history of Durer, we concluded that he was a German replica of Leonardo. We then visited some of his artwork that we noticed he signed all the time and his Italian influence.

On Monday, February 26, our focus centered on High Renaissance in Italy, specifically discussing Leonardo da Vinci and his strong influence on many artists to come. Before speaking about Leonardo, we looked at Botticelli and Raphael. Both artists incorporated Ancient Greek myths, historical events, and philosophers. Raphael’s The School of Athens displays Plato versus Aristotle is necessary to discuss and analyze. Plato points upward to the sky, referring to the platonic school’s ideal principal to achieve excellence. Aristotle, on the other hand, holds down his palm, representing the Aristotelian philosophy, the principle of observing life through observation and using one’s senses to gain experiences and new ideas/concepts. 

Moving on in class, we focused on Italian painter and polymath, Leonardo da Vinci and his focus on macrocosmic and microcosmic worlds, believing mathematics was the “absolute paradigm of knowledge” (Powerpoint from class). Leonardo drew great interest from the anatomy of human bodies and the geometrical design of the shape of the human body. Leonardo specifically portrayed this interest through sketches, such as the Virtruvian Man. By developing the three aspects of painting: pictorial, graphic, and speculative, it displayed his love for abstraction and deep thinking. Of course we all know Leonardo da Vinci as the painter of the famous Mona Lisa, however this class, and Professor Plesch specifically, opened me up to the complex story behind Leonardo’s paintings, and ultimately why Leonardo serves as a paragon of the bridge between mathematics and painting. Leonardo was looked up to so much by society that when his Madonna of the Rocks was never completed after starting it in 1483, Leonardo was sued by the confraternity for not finishing the work. Finally the painting depicting the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, young Jesus, and the Angel Uriel, was finished in 1508.

Lastly, I would like to recount our discussion on the Mona Lisa. Leonardo utilizes a technique that contrasts light and dark, known as chiaroscuro and a technique portraying tones and colors shading into one another, known as sfumato. The painting depicts Lisa Gherardini, a rich Florentine woman. Ms. Gherardini’s dress is simple, and she is free of jewelry (drastically different motive than that of many portraits in which are purposeful to show wealth). The smile of Ms. Gherardini is the most well known feature of the woman. Her grin is mischievous, yet simple, calm, and welcoming. The background of the work displays a complex landscape, and upon closer look, an expansive greenery. Given what I have learned about Leonardo, I wonder whether it was his choice solely to provide a woman without displaying her wealthy class or if Lisa Gherardini had any say of what she wore and what her expression was for the painting. I could spend a whole week on this incredible work and what the story and feelings behind this work consist of.

Today we started by discussing Michelangelo and the Awakening Prisoner/ Dying Slave. Here Michelangelo is embodying the ideal artist through architecture and neo-platonism. This led us into Michelangelo’s Pieta, Marble. He was called into Rome from 1496-1501 and receives commission. Compared to Roettgen’s Pieta, where Mary appears uglier as we see an expression of pain, Mary appears younger and calm. The marble is polished and waxed for the shiny finish which gives Mary this young appearance as her face is smooth. As we transitioned to Late Michelangelo and mannerism we see a particular transition from the High Renaissance. This led to what I found most intriguing of this chapter, the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. In the Sistine Chapel, the Cardinals meet to eect the new pope inside through conclave/ con chiave. As for the ceiling, there is 3 segments/layers. The first is Sub gratia which is under the grave. The second being Sub leye which is under the law and the Old Testament. And the third is the Ante leye which means before the law. One layer consists of the prophets which were people in a way that announced Christ. We also see female equivalents who were likely sybils and oracles. Furthermore, we see the Ignudi which we have no idea who they are. But it these figures are particularly unique as they are in contorted poses, and they appear effortless. We then see scenes of all sorts from the bible. And the most famous being the Creation of Adam. A unique thing is that the Sistine Chapel ceiling was very dirty and because Michaelngelo did not really know what he was doing there were cracks throughout the work. As a result a varnesh was painted over it all to secure it.

Towards the end of the discussion we began to talk about the different forms of Maniera. We discussed 4 different types, Maniera Vasari-mannerism, Greca-Italo Byzantine style, Vecchia-Giotto, and Moderna or Bella Maniera-Leonardo. There was emphasis on the decorative element, no general harmony, elongation of forms, angular and flowing lines, and abstraction of the drawing, the color and the form.

In finishing up our last section we talked about Michelangelo. His image was one of the tortured artist. Many of the artists of the time worked with and around other artists while Michelangelo worked alone. His medium of choice was stone. This was in line with the nonplatonic ideology that the world is imperfect and therefor people can extract things from this imperfect world. In comparing his depiction of Mary and Jesus against an older version, there are many obvious differences. His is serine with a younger Christ while the other shows a Grotesk depiction that features an older Christ.

The Sistine Chapple an important building where the catholic church choses a new pope. Throughout the walls and ceilings there are many different paintings showing the history of humanity. On the top the images go from the original sin onward. These were done by Michaelangelo who had made these frescos imperfectly leading to a large amount of degradation of the years.

Michaelangelo’s painting shifts to go against the high renaissance standards. He goes from using simple primary colors to more complex ones. In one of his works, it is chaotic with the weight resting only on an individual’s toes. He uses his complex color palate as well as mannerism.

In our recent lecture, we delved into the captivating transition from the High Renaissance to the enigmatic realm of Mannerism. The High Renaissance, mostly associated with the works of Michelangelo, showcased a pursuit of ideal forms, harmony, and balance. Michelangelo’s masterpieces such as the “Pieta” and “The Creation of Adam” are very significant to this era, characterized by serene expressions and pyramidal compositions. In the lecture one of the distinctive features of the High Renaissance that was highlighted was Michelangelo’s belief in sculpting as the most ideal art form, shown in his unfinished project, the “Awakening Prisoners.” This period also witnessed the use of primary colors and a focus on simplicity in composition.

We also discussed how mannerism marks a departure from these principles. Artists like Jacopo da Pontormo introduced a new aesthetic characterized by contorted bodies, dramatic expressions, and a departure from primary colors towards less saturated tones. Works such as Pontormo’s “Pieta” and Parmigiano’s “Madonna of the Long Neck” exemplify these shifts in style. What intrigues me most about this period is the political and religious context that influenced artistic expression. The return of the Medici family to power and the religious upheaval with the Protestant Reformation led to a reevaluation of artistic norms. Mannerist artists sought to challenge conventions and express personal emotions through exaggerated forms and compositions.

In particular, Parmigiano’s “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror” resonates with me due to its introspective nature, as the mirror distorts the artist’s image, emphasizing the personal aspect of artistic expression. I really wish to learn how to capture dimensions in a manner similar to that.

In this lecture we finished learning about the High Renaissance and began to discuss Mannerism. We spent some time focusing on Michelangelo’s “Pietà,” a statue depicting a deceased Christ on the lap of an impossibly young Mary. I found the soft, emotional figures to be particularly moving.

We moved on to discuss Michelangelo’s later work, including the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I thought it was very interesting to learn about how quickly the fresco began to fall apart and deteriorate from pollution –– I did not previously know that such a quintessential work had been close to destruction.

In today’s class we wrapped up our discussion of the High Renaissance and began our discussion of Mannerism and the later works of Michelangelo. Since he was the main focus of class today, we spent a lot of time analyzing his works on the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. The amount of work Michelangelo put in to create this masterpiece is absolutely staggering. I found it interesting how we are still uncertain why he included certain aspects of the paintings, given that one would assume it would be fairly obvious why each part of the paintings was included.

We briefly touched on other Mannerist artists and works, such as Madonna of the Long Neck by Parmigianino. These works were very interesting, since there is a level of abstraction in each work that we haven’t really seen before. The shift that took place into Mannerist works is fascinating, as there really is a very noticeable difference between these works and the works that were made before the era began.

I really enjoyed the final pieces of our focus on Michelangelo, especially the reflection of Huomo Universale or “renaissance man” specifically in the Awakening Prisoner and Dying Slave marble pieces. Further, the symbolism of virtuosity as well with the juxtaposition of such a beautiful piece carved out of what was percieved to be a ‘flawed’ stone was was fascinating. In the transition to looking at Mannerism, the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel were pretty incredible, especially with the backstory that the frescoes where in an experiment of Michelangelo’s and the dirty ceiling and cracked frescoes that required pins and varnish. My favorite fresco that we looked at was The Creation of Adam, and although it’s a very famous piece and scene as god reaches to give life to Adam, the woman and what appears to be children behind god are confusing characters and I believe it was mentioned that there are various characters throughout the frescoes that there is still debate over who they are or what they represent. I appreciate that type of ambiguity and I suppose we won’t every know exactly. Finally, with the deeper dive into Mannerism, I enjoyed the work Madonna of the Long Neck by Parmigianino. The obscure man background of both the man and the unfinished columns combined with the elongation of both the madonna’s fingers and neck appear to be a very blatant example of the push towards mannerism, occurring as a result of the political and religous changes at the time.