My main takeaway from today’s class was the intentional architecture of cities and college campus’s. Starting in the Renaissance, cities began to design themselves with attention to organization, and dedicating parts of the city to different parts of the cities culture. Similarly, college campus’s design themselves with intent of creating a certain atmosphere (as we see with Gothic buildings in regards to Catholicism). This is an interesting topic points as it alludes to the the discussion of geometry and math in creating a certain feeling in art.
Author: Erik Holm (Page 1 of 2)
Today, we discussed the Intarsia technique. Specifically, we focused on the studiolo Palazzo ducale from Gubbio, 1470s, located in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Once again, the discussion centered around the role of perspective. For instance, the illusion of the room appearing larger than it is is a direct result of the artisit calculating a one-point perspective (for a 5’9″ person). The depth off the walls are accomplished through this technique. Furthermore, by looking at each part of the work individually, we noticed that all the objects are related to measurement. For the artists during this time period, mathematics and geometry was the center of attention. Thus, Gubbio incorporates mathematical tools into his work to show their significance in art. This is becoming a reoccuring theme–the use of math to understand a viewer’s perspective which makes the piece of art better.
I think the main takeaway from this lecture is that portraits are a form of manipulation! All portraits are done with the intent of conveying a message of the person who is being painted about. We see this in multiple of Titian’s work, such as the Isabella d’este, Francesco Maria della Rovere, and the Eleonora Gonzaga. The Isabella d’Este work, through her positioning and clothing, says a lot about her status (social political status). Franceso Maria della Rovere says a lot about his character as a mature, determined, wise leader. The use of his attire (helmet, armor), as well as little details such as the furrowing of his brow and the wrinkles accomplishes this character. Lastly, the Eleonora Gonzaga (who is the Duke’s wife), says something different. She is adorned with beautiful clothing/jewelry in comparison to the landscape. It is about status as well, but about a woman’s status. Her character is defined by the clothing she wears. Overall, portraits are all used to manipulate viewers into a narrative of who the people are.
What is disguised symbolism? It is objects that are within a painting that are at home in the painting (do not stick out), but convey symbolic meaning. For reference, there is Jan van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece Altarpiece of the Lamb), c. 1432. Ghent: Cathedral of St. Bavo. The doors, which seem normal in the work, are symbolic of the doors in heaven. The actions occurring inside of the room are all religious, so the altarpiece is saying if you do these things, the doors of heaven will be open. Additionally, all the objects on the table in the middle image are symbolic in a way. The book is a reference to the Old Testament, and the three white lilies refer to the holy trinity. Two of the lilies are fully grown, but the third is a bud, referring to unborn Jesus who is about to enter the Madonna’s womb.
Today, we talked about multiple works. One that specifically stood out to me was the Original Sin which continued on the theme of cinematic storytelling. This one was slightly different, though, because it was a continuous narrative. This means that the different moments are not depicted across different canvas’s, as seen in altarpieces, but all in the same image. Adam and Eve have 4 different scenes. The first one is Eve plucking the apple from the tree. The second is Eve almost forcing Adam into eating the apple. The third is God informing them of their sin. Lastly, the fourth is the angel expelling Adam and Eve from Eden and into Earth. I really liked this painting. It almost felt like a real life cartoon showing out the process of events and depicting a story through the contrasting colors and separate images.
Today we talked about the Duke of Berry’s Book Très Riches Heures. In this book, I specifically noticed the Brussels Hours painting which showed the Virgin Mary holding Jesus. This pose and depiction of the Virgin Mary has been a constant throughout the semester so far. She is always shown holding Christ and is presented as a motherly figure. I find this interesting because it hints towards the role of women in society during the Renaissance. They were supposed to be mothers who’s only job was to give birth to the new generation, or in other words, be a motherly figure. A theme of defined gender norms is prevalent in Renaissance art, and I will be looking to see if this continues to be the norm as we progress through the class.
In class today, we discussed the difference in Vittore Carpaccio’s Scenes from the Life of St. Ursula and Hans Memlic Shrine of St. Ursula. Specifcally, we dsicussed the difference in the narratives and stories they told. Carpaccio’s piece is seen as a more religious and serious canvas, with more rigid characters and demonstrations of faith. Meanwhile, Memlic’s piece shows different situations of the saint arriving in different cities and how those cities reacted. Since the saint is wearing the same outfit, it adds to the story of his travels across Europe. Overall, since Carpaccio is from Venice and Hemlic from Germany, it continues to highlight the differences in Northern vs Florentine Art. While the florentines focus on religious components more heavily, the Northerners focus on depicting stories and reality.
In this class, we discussed the role of animals in the Isenheim altarpiece and its symbolic meaning. The different animals with distorted configurations made for an unsettling reaction to it. The whole point was to portray the assault of illness, which riddled Europe at the time, as similar to the assault of animals. This theme continues to be dominant in the pieces we have discovered so far: art was used to depict modern problems. Though the religious undertone everything is strong, there is still secular elements. In incorporating reality to the religious aspect of art, it strays away from the strictly religious paintings we discussed previously.
Today, we discussed the Isenheim Altarpiece. What interested me about the piece was the representation of current affairs. The altarpiece was built in 1513, during a time of great plague. Christ, therefore, is depicted with gross, disease-like skin. His foot is also riddled with ergotism, a common disease in the 16th century. The theme of realism in Northern Art, and its relation to modern affairs continue to be prominent.
In today’s class, we discussed the differences between Northern and Italian Art. In particular, I noticed differences in themes starting to emerge. In Northern Art, Christ is depicted as more grotesque, alluding to a more realistic theme. Meanwhile, in Italian Art, Christ is depicted as beautiful and untouched by humans. This alludes to a god-like theme. Furthermore, the grotesqueness of Christ in Northern Art ignites a more emotional response to the paintings. This implies Northern Art focused on emotional reactions, in stark contrast to the holy reactions Italian Art ignites.