In this class we explored Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. It was fascinating to see how Leonardos intellect and curiosity for math heavily influenced this fresco. First off, Prof. Plesch pointed out the very geometric way of the fresco. There are four panels on the walls, and three in the back. This is connected to the four groups of three apostles seen in this scene. The summation of 3 and 4 is twelve, which can be connected to the number of apostles, the hours in the AM and PM, or the months of the year. It is also interesting that Leonardo decided to choose the moment of the scene where Jesus tells them that one of them will betray him. This adds a serious sense of movement to the fresco.
Author: Charlie Stevenson (Page 1 of 2)
I think the comparison between Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer was very interesting. Both we master painters, however, they painted for different purposes. It appeared that Leonardo painted to understand. He used art as a very effective tool to portray ideas, much like how in modern times we use photographs and diagrams. Leonardo was using his art in place of photographs. Dürer, on the other hand. appeared to be similarly detailed-oriented, but without the intention of discovery or learning. While his painting were also intensely realistic, they were that way only for the sake of being intensely realistic
What interested me the most in this class was the discussion on St. Francis. He led an interesting life considering he left a wealthy family to become a monk and live a life of servitude. He became canonized 2 years after his death, which is incredible considering the process that one has to go to to become a saint
In this class we looked at the Limbourg Brothers’ Original Sin. This painting depicted the Garden of Eden. What was interesting about this was the depiction was a continuous narrative, where there was a passing of time shown. We see the serpent tempting Eve, and then Eve tempting Adam. It is interesting to see how Adam was depicted, in a weak and vulnerable position. In the conclusion, we see Adam and Eve getting expelled from the garden of Eden, fully aware that they are naked.
This class we explored the collection of John, Duke of Berry. We began to dig into his extensive private collection of works. We particularly looked at his Books of Hours, which he had many. He took this function object and made them showpieces. Him owning multiple showed that he was acquiring them more just because he could, not necessarily for the intention that they were produced for. Another interesting aspect of The Duke of Berry’s collection is that he not only collected art, but artists as well. Berry brought in the Limbourgh brothers, who were some of the best manuscript artists at the time. He bailed them out of jail and gave them permanent residence is a large house. It shows how deeply invested Berry was in art at this time. It also shows the value of artists and their works among the both the average man buying a book of hour to pray with and the social elite who buy volumes of them and even house the artists who make them.
In class we views Vittore Carpaccio’s Scenes from the Life of St. Ursula. This painting utilizes our typical viewing path of left to right to show a passing of time. In the painting itself, we knew the girl was Ursula as there were multiple Christian relics to indicate this. We then viewed St. Ursula’s reliquary which gave the greater story of her life, including her ultimate demise when her 11,000 female colleagues and herself were massacred by the Huns. We also viewed The Miracle of the profaned host, which was many panels that displayed a story of a scene that shows many symbols of Jews, scorpion, and a Moors head. The story ends with the massacre of some Jews, another theme that is becoming more and more prevalent in the Christian altarpieces we view.
In this class, we continued to examine the Isenheim Altarpiece. We examined the scene that depicts Jesus’s ascension back into heaven, skin clear and laceration free. This was supposed to provide hope to the people effected by St. Anthony’s Fire (ergotism) that they will also be seen as pure when they die. We also looked at the Assault of the Monsters. This fantastical work is very exciting to look at, as the hybrids are very dramatic. we also discussed relics and their importance, along with their controversy. Since relics supposedly have such immense power, they are typically utilized to attract tourism and boost local economies
The religious symbolism in the Portinari Altarpiece showed how the divide between the Jews and the Catholics were seen. The artist made the choice to poorly depict the Jews and make the Catholics seen as better. In the work, the Catholics were represented by and Ox and the Jews were were represented by a donkey. One of these animals is seen as more noble and harder working than the other. Outside of religions symbolism, there were also many other symbolic figures in the altarpiece. These include glass vases, to represent the virgins virginity. Flowers are also representative of traits such as royalty, purity, and passion.
I think that our discussion on compassion was extremely interesting. The idea of suffering is prevalent in many forms in the pieces we have looked at. In many cases, there are many iterations of Jesus suffering on the cross or other figures who are going suffering through other tragedies. I think it is interesting to look into the intent of why the artist portrays these ideas. In many cases, the audience for these works can relate to the suffering that the subject of the art is going through. It validates their struggles and gives them a sense of security. It is also very human in nature to sympathize with people who are going through similar hardships, which makes Jesus seem all the more human
In this class we discussed the holy trinity in detail, and the many different interpretations of it. The idea of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were portrayed in many different ways, depending on the region and artist. This is a form of iconography. We also went into detail about purgatory, both what it is and how it works. I found it interesting the different illustrations and how purgatory was interpreted back then. Some forms being much more extreme than others.