Category: Uncategorized (Page 37 of 48)

Nature is only a giant human being – Leonardo da Vinci expressed (and on his way there, discovered) the nature of the connection between man and nature, between the macrocosmic and the microcosmic. As an artist, engineer, scientist, and generally a highly curious human being, Leonardo is in a particularly unique position to depict the world around him. We could see this playing into his works: the pattern-detecting, research-heavy, highly technical, almost scientific manner of creating. 

This is showcased quite wonderfully through works like The Last Supper, which, on top of the impressive technicality that went into its composition, radiates another key feature of this artist’s creativity: the experimentation for problems and contemplation of complex ideas. Rather than merely recording the scene of Christ’s supper, Leonardo depicted the reaction, dynamic, and nuances of the narrative, exploring the psychological worlds of the players, using rational numbers and hyper-specific calculations to evoke emotions from its viewers. 

Another major figure in the art world at this time is Donato Bramante – his design of Tempietto, echoing Leonardo’s fascination with round churches. With structures of rounded buildings running around one another, as well as the call back to the structure of early Christian matyriums and Roman churches, we can see the general focus of artists of this period on harmony, balance, and the interactions between different parts of the overall structure.

I want to talk about the comparison between Ghiberti vs Brunelleschi, and my personal thoughts on it.

I think from the competition we can get a pretty good idea of what was valued at the time during the High Renaissance. We talked earlier in class about Studia Humanitatis, and how at the time, there was an emphasis on the stuff that what made by us. I think it is interesting that moral philosophy plays a big part in this, for in medieval times, it is pretty clear to me that morals were thought of as entirely dogmatic. (Given, as long as the Catholic Church is in command this is still true).

So with this in mind, it is very obvious why Ghiberti wins. He brings out the moral conflicts of the scene by building tension, he creates a narrative that is thought provoking in the way that the story of the sacrifice is meant to be experienced. It is supposed to make you think. I personally think that Ghiberti’s composition is very crowded, specially with the inclusion of the mountain. Another thing worth mentioning is Ghiberti’s depiction of Isaac. He looks heroic, he thinks his dad is going to kill him and yet he is depicted in the full splendor of a brave boy. In a way, it is counterintuitive that they would choose this scene as it shows you Abraham’s most cruel moment: when he is willing to kill his own child for a God that seems cruel. So it seems to me that this also shows just to how a high regard art was held in the ecclesiastical world at the time in Florence. It is not only about the stories, and no one questions the church so there is no imminent danger in depicting the perceived cruelty of God instead of his benevolence.

Today we spent much of the class discussing Michelangelo. We particularly looked at his painting of the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel. I found this incredibly impressive considering the sheer scale of the operation. Beginning at age 33 he spent 4 years completing the painting. I also did some looking online and he the support of assistants for simple tasks like mixing paint, but they also likely supported him in smaller more unimportant details. I was a little bit surprised when I saw this since I had always heard that he did it entirely himself. Regardless of support it is incredibly impressive.

I also was drawn to the idea that because his painting of the ceiling is so impressive, people forget about the other fantastic paintings throughout the chapel. This almost reminds me of a museum where you cant just walk through and only look at the things that immediately catch your eye. To fully experience the chapel it seems you need to treat it like an art museum and slowly walk through paying close attention to all aspects.

I accidentally posted this in our word press from last semester so that is why it is so late.

In today’s class, we continued our discussion of 15th-century Italy. We focused on the artist Masaccio and his works, which were very significant to the period. What was particularly impressive was how much of an impact and success he had in the short life of only 27 years. The Tribute Money painting is one of his most famous paintings and it has alot to be studied. Like much of artwork at the time the painting is heavily connected to the Bible. He depicted a scene from the Gospel of Mathew, which was not a common scene to be depicted. Since this was an uncommon scene that meant that he had to very closely read and interpret the bible. I found this interesting as alot of biblical art is not particularly unique, since it has been done many times. In this case Masaccio seems to be taking an artistic risk to depict his own interpretation.

I also really enjoyed his style throughout this painting. His understanding of color theory and how to best use color to strengthen elements of the painting was very impressive. We also discussed his use of perspective and the vanishing point. I have found the vanishing point to be a relatively complicated topic, so how well he has mastered it is very impressive.

Although I was not here for 2/14’s class, I took a look at the powerpoint and textbook readings and here are some of my thoughts.

The readings for Chapter 14 covered primarily Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, so I’ll start with those first.

We first covered the Ghent Altarpiece, by both Hubert and Jan van Eyck. I found interesting the inclusion of portraits of the donors depicted next to the patrons of the cathedral. This was also my first encounter with grisaille. I particularly enjoyed the portraits of Adam and Eve, not just for their immense life-sized scale, but also for its careful attention to anatomy, as well as light and shade.

Next was Jan van Eyck’s Man in a Red Turban. Having taken AP Art History in the past, I was immediately able to recognize the 3/4’s positioning of this portrait. I personally (controversially?) do believe that this is a self-portrait because of the subject’s solid gaze with the viewer, combined with the slight strain of his eyes.

The Arnolfini Portrait is iconic. As many times as I have seen this painting, I never noticed the reflection of the two men in the mirror in the background.

Then there’s Rogier can der Weyden. The reading primarily covered two works by him: Descent from the Cross and St, Luke Drawing the Virgin. I really loved how the Descent from the Cross placed such emphasis on the body of Christ, almost in celebration of the Eucharist. I also adored the sculptural forms, and the shallow crowd of mourners, which distinguished this scene from the landscape.

I absolutely adored the landscape in St. Luke Drawing the Virgin. The way it spans so deeply into the distance is just remarkable!

Hans Memling’s Madonna and Child from the Diptych of Martin van Nieuwenhove also particularly stood out to me. I loved how the subject holds a faithful gaze to the Madonna and Child, and how their reflections suggest that they are in the same space (His house, of all places! An earthly setting!)

Finally, I wanted to cover the Mysterious Draught of Fishes by Conrad Witz. The reading explains that due to the contemporary Council of Basel, the question of whether of not the pope alone has the right to determine doctrine was a hot question. For me, this piece seems to express Witz’s opinion on the subject: Peter is depicted flailing in the water and needing aid, a possible reference to the pope needing aid from the bishops?

Class consisted of content from the Early Renaissance in 15th century Italy.

We opened class with a quick recap of studia humanitates, as well as the printing techniques utilized at the time.

I found it particularly interesting that Florence, by establishing itself as a Republic, was inadvertently affirming themselves as heirs to the Roman Republic. I also found it interesting that bankers and merchants (the “Bourgeois”, I had no idea that this was where the term originated from!) began to hold the majority of the political power. I also found interesting the existence of guilds, and how much power they truly held in Florentine government, as well as the arts!

We compared The Sacrifice of Isaac of both Brunelleschi and Ghiberti. I personally agree with the decision of Ghiberti’s victory for its smart composition and tense narrative.

We then covered Brunelleschi’s Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, which is simply an architectural feat. I loved how Brunelleschi incorporated geometric ratios into the exterior of the dome– you can truly see his mind in action!

Continuing with our study of Brunelleschi, we covered the Ospedale degli Innocenti, which also stressed geometric ratios and harmony of shapes through its usage of pietra serena, which contrasted against the building’s white walls.

We concluded class via Donatello’s Feast of Herod, which helped introduce the concept of linear perspective through its usage of lines on the floor.

We opened class by comparing two Madonna Enthroned’s: Cimabue’s and Giotto’s. The main difference for me was that Cimabue’s depiction was conceptual, not naturalistic in terms of its setting, while Giotto had more spatial accuracy with the overlapping of figures.

We then covered the Scrovegni/Arena Chapel, particularly the frescoes of The Lamentation and Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem by Giotto Bondone. Although I remember another student commenting in class that the plain blue background of Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem was underwhelming, I thought that it helped emphasized Christ’s profile as the center of the piece.

We then moved from Florence to Siena by covering Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Maesta altarpiece. I found it particularly fascinating that there was a procession to deliver the altarpiece to the cathedral upon its completion, further highlighting the importance of the relationship between church and state in the 1300’s.

We then covered Ambroggio Lorenzetti’s frescoes for the Sala della Pace, particularly The Good Government fresco which depicted economic exchange, harmonious societal activities (dancing, music), contemporary architecture, and leisurely activities (hunting). I found the inclusion of Securitas (holding a gallows!) to be quite menacing.

We then moved to 15th century art in Northern Europe with the Limbourg brothers’ Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. I found it interesting that the January page was in a way a showcase of the Duke of Berry’s immense collection of wealth. Although there was a diversity of social status amongst the subjects of the scenes depicted in the book, they are all represented as content, pushing a positive image of the Duke’s government.

We concluded class with Charles Sluter’s Well of Moses. I found it quite comical that Moses had horns due to what was basically a biblical typo.

We opened today’s class by looking at some Michelangelo works, specifically Awakening Prisoner and Pieta. I found particularly interesting the Awakening Prisoner, and how it (although unfinished) was a fantastic example of neoplatonism and how Michelangelo was upheld as the ideal artist. Creating an ideal out of an earthly material such as marble is an inherently neoplactonistic ideal.

We compared Michelangelo’s Pieta to the Rottgien Pieta shown in the textbook. Compared to this other pieta, Michelango’s Virgin is depicted as youthful and serene. He utilized immense amounts of fabric to cover the complex anatomy of Mary cradling Jesus. I particularly loved his usage of pyramidal composition and harmonic forms.

I found very interesting Prof. Plesch’s comment about Pietas, and how they depic Mary cradling Jesus as if he is a child, echoing Nativity.

Next, we began studying Late Michelangelo and Mannerism. We started with the Sistine Chapel ceiling. I found it particularly interesting that the works of art in the Sistine Chapel are arranged in a somewhat chronological order (Ante Legum, Sub Lege, and Sub Gratia). I particularly liked Michelangelo’s usage of illusionism through his depiction of architecture in grisaille. The ceiling contains various artistic elements, such as the lunettes which contain depictions of Christ’s ancestors, prophets and sybils sitting in front of columns, and the mysterious ignudi.

We continued to compare Michelangelo’s Lybian Sibil with Raphael’s Madonna of the Meadow, particularly through their usage of colors, depictions of fabric, and posing, which altogether showcase Michelangelo’s depart from the simplicities of the High Renaissance.

We began to study Mannerism with Jacopo da Pontormo’s Pieta, and discussed the unsettling times that may have incited the artistic movement.

We covered two works by Parmigianino: his self portrait, and the Madonna of the Long Neck. Although the Madonna of the Long Neck was unfinished, I found several parts fascinating, such as the strange anatomical proportions of the Virgin, and her complex, adorned hairstyle that seemed to directly copy the Apollo Belvedere.

We began today by continuing our discussion on Sandro Botticelli and the Birth of Venus. The unique thing about this piece is that the title is misleading as Venus was already born. This is because Botticelli did not actually give the piece a title as titles were not normally given during this time. In the painting, we can see Zephry the god of the west wind blowing towards Venus and pushing her ashore. We also see that he is holding Nymph Chloris and there are gold highlights all around. It’s also important to note that the main subject is a naked women figure with no overtones, and she is the beautiful goddess of love. Neo Platonic ideals are at play here. We then began our discussion on Raphael and the School of Athens. Here we see Plato and Aristotle, two huge historical figures. Plato’s ideals of it’s in another realm and Aristotle’s ideals of it’s grounded in the “now” are accurately depicted in the image. We then dove into the High Renaissance Italy and Leonardo da Vinci. He was a painter, sculptor, engineer and architect. He dealt with the ideas of macrocosm and microcosm. He stated Nature is only a giant human being. This is the purpose of connecting what’s large with what’s small and finding patterns. We also observed his Vitruvian Man which you can notice that the script is backwards. This is because Leonardo was left-handed and it was easier to write the opposite way. For Leonardo, painting is divided into three aspects, pictorial, graphic and speculative. I found our discussion on the last supper particularly interesting as there were many symbols and meaning embellished within the work. For example, there was patterns of 3 resembling the Holy Trinity. The apostles were grouped in 3’s and there were 3 windows and in the center was Christ. There were also groupings of 4 resembling the gospels. The apostles formed 4 groups and there were 4 dark panels on each side. Additionally, 4+3=7 sorrows of the virgin, vices and virtues. 4×3=12 which is the apostles and months in a year.

We concluded the day by talking about the famous Mona Lisa and the use of sfumato and chiaroscuro. And also, Raphael and the frescoes of the stanza Della segnatura in the Vatican. This was a room likely for important documents.

Today in class we finished up our last lecture by looking at the birth of Venus. In this work Zephir, the god of wind, is shown pushing Venus ashore. There are orange trees in the background with its flowers blowing around. Throughout we see gold highlights. Venus as the main entity in this work is shown completly nude, however this is not errotic or an imorral depiction.

In the high renascence in Italy, Leonardo da Vinci was creating a lot from a wide variety of disciplines, while also studying. He creates Anatomical sketches with the help of texts by Galen, a Greek Physician. I believe this helps Leonardo with his depictions of Humans as studying artistic anatomy is part of the process of learning how to depict figures. He creates a lot of sketches and journals which are written backward due to his left-handedness.

The Last Supper is in bad condition due to his experimentation with fresco techniques that failed. This depiction of the last supper shows the moment after Christ reveals one of the apostles will betray him. This allows for him to add more complexity as each of the apostles are shown to react creating varying poses. There is a lot of symbolic references from the windows and panels each referencing to the trinity and four gospels respectively.