Author: Gwendolen Huo (Page 1 of 2)

In class on Thursday, we discussed the spatial organization of Colby’s campus. Through our dissection of Colby’s campus, it became clear that all the buildings are campus are relatively homogenous and built in the Federal style. Additionally, it was interesting to learn that in designs of old towns/cities there were two main roads that intersect. This can be seen on campus with the path directly in front and down of Miller Library. Furthermore, this type of design is seen in Florence where the cardo and decumanus also intercept through a monumental structure: the Florence Cathedral.

Colby campus’s design alludes a lot to past/ancient designs; likewise, many buildings and works of art also allude to ancient works. Brunelleschi and Ghiberti’s competition panels for the Florence baptistery both show figures dressed in classical togas and tunics — reminiscent of sculptures from antiquity. Furthermore, Donatello’s St. Mark looks almost straight out of Ancient Greece and showcases the same level of naturalism since we get a sense of a body underneath the clothing.

In class on Tuesday, we discussed the shift of artwork from personalized commissioned artwork to art made for the open market. Art made for the open market meant that there was more competition because not only were there more buyers there were also a lot more artists. This meant artists had to specialize their craft to appeal to a niche group of buyers. One artist that created art for the open market was Pieter Bruegel the Elder who created a series of 120 Netherlandish Proverbs. In this series of artwork, Bruegel painted several works of art that have warnings against being hubris and too prideful. These types of works of art are most relatable to ordinary people which opens up another category of paintings: genre paintings. The rise of genre paintings allowed for not only biblical figures and the wealthy to be painted, but also people of lower class and such as in Ill Matched Lovers by Quentin Massys. Furthermore, although the art produced is not strongly religious there are still similar themes such as self-reflecting and not being vain. These messages are loosely consistent with the depictions of the Last Judgement where a person’s character is being judged and serves as a warning to people still alive to not be too full of themselves.

In class on Tuesday, we learned about multiple works of art crafted specifically with the patron in mind. The Studiolo Palazzo uses intarsia, the technique of using different color wood inlays, to create the illusion that the designs on the wood are 3-dimensional. The three-dimensionality works the best for a person who is 175 cm tall which is also the height of the patron. Additionally, works such as Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera, a work made for Lorzeno Medici when he was getting married. This work is specialized for Lorenzo through the multiple references Botticelli makes about him. For example, the abundance of oranges on the trees are a reference to the Medici’s being “physicians” since round things are the traditional shape of medicine. Additionally, there are multiple depictions of “flames” (detail) such as on Venus’s dress and the Cupid’s flaming arrow. Likewise, “flame” is also a reference to Lorenzo because Saint Lawrence is a patron to fire.

One main difference I noticed between a privately commissioned Book of Hours and one produced more generally was the difference in detail and subject of the detail. The Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany is heavily illuminated with idealized images. However, we can tell this prayer book is specific to Anne of Brittany because the borders contain images of plants that are identified by name. These details were included because Anne of Brittany was heavily invested in her garden. In contrast, schools such as the Ghent-Bruge School of Illumination also produced heavily ornated manuscripts for sale. These books contain the same level of detail but are more general with their designs. Common designs seem to be seashells and other more picturesque florals.

Furthermore, I was fascinated by the baby Jesus Christ dolls because they seem to be an early form of toy dolls. This was interesting to me because it seems to parallel the usage of prayer figures where there’s the belief that how you treat the figure is correlated to your own life.

Robert Campin’s Mérode Triptych stood out to me because of all the disguised symbolism Campin includes in this work of art. I found the inclusion of symbolism of both the Old and New Testament a unique take on the Annunciation scene because it neatly alludes the move from old to new and depicts the start of something new: the Birth of Christ. Additionally, I found Campin’s use of Rising Perspective to be an effective method of allowing for as much detail as possible in the painting. Additionally, the slanted nature of the table makes it seem like the viewer is looking up at the scene which is very fitting of the subject. While there is a significant move towards more naturalism in this work of art, parts seem unnatural. For example, the detail of a tiny figure shooting down into Mary’s womb is very unique take on how Mary became impregnated but not very realistic. However, given that this triptych is for personal use I think the depiction of Mary’s impregnation is quite fitting since it adds a fun, humorous aspect to this decor.

In class on Thursday, we analyzed Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper. The tempera wall mural is not in the best condition due to the chosen medium and poor conservation. However, the condition doesn’t undermine all the symbolism and technique Leonardo used in this work of art. Leonardo adds depth to this work by employing one-point perspective in his work where the different structures in the mural lead to a singular vanishing point that is conveniently placed by Jesus Christ’s head. This can be seen with the table and the four panels on each side of the walls — all the lines are orthogonal that lead to the vanishing point. The emergence of this vanishing point allows for paintings to be painted in a more naturalistic manner because it replicates what and how people actually see.

Additionally, I found it really convenient how artists were able to portray the religious aspect of the painting without the overuse of gold/gilded backgrounds and unrealistic halos around the heads of religious figures through symbolism. By using numbers such as 3 and 4 that represent Holy Trinity, theological virtues and the gospels, cardinal virtues respectively, artists such as Leonardo are able to emphasize the religiousness of the painting in a more natural manner.

In class on Thursday, we learned about the Franciscan order, the life of St. Francis, and the associated artwork. I found the formation of a new order interesting because it brings upon new works of art that tell a different story compared to other works. For example, we see scenes of St. Francis renouncing his inheritance to his father and the Franciscan order getting approved by the Pope. These scenes place emphasis on the individual saint instead of Mary and Jesus.

What I found interesting was the creation of religious works that were made with the individual in mind. I found the inclusion of the patron praying in The Lamentation Over the Dead Christ to be fascinating because it seems to be a great way for the patron to show his/her devotion to the church. However, I find this detail to be almost as bad as buying/selling indulgences because it’s an easy way to show the patron is devoted to the church without actually having to put in the effort and attend service.

Additionally, I found The Garden of Earthly Delights to also show this same concept. Since this work of art was not created for a church setting, it depicts a lot more Earthly objects as opposed to the heavily gilded church works. This is quite unusual especially because artists usually emphasized the difference between Since this work is a conversation piece, I believe this opens the door to another use of religious art – for intellectual stimulation and learning.

The artworks we discussed in class on Thursday all differed in mediums, but are unified through their function as a continuous narrative. We learned through Michele de Carcano’s sermon that artwork of the Virgin and saints became popularized for three functions: Didactic (Many humans of the time are not literate and would not have been able to read scriptures), Emotional (Humans are moved in different ways. They might be touched by a painting rather than a sermon), and Mnemonic (Humans might not remember what they hear but they will of what they see). These functions are employed in Original Sin from the Book of Hours where the story of Adam and Eve is told through four different scenes moving from left to right. The Limbourg Brothers painted great detail of the fountain and entrance to the Garden of Eden, in addition to depicting both entirely gold. In this case, the Limbourg Brothers use the mnemonic function, specifically the ornate fountain and entrance, to leave a lasting impression on the viewers. Continuous narratives have the ability to tell a story while using the least amount of space and resources possible.

In class on Thursday, we examined the collection of Duke of Berry who was an avid art collector. What I found most interesting about the Duke of Berry and art was how he used artwork to showcase his power and push artistic creations further in terms of naturalism. While artwork was long used to show off how wealthy the patron was, the Duke of Berry also used his collection to stand his place during power-struggling France. I found it really interesting how the Duke of Berry used gifting pieces of artwork as a way of reminding his family members that he was above them. Additionally, I always thought that the move towards naturalism in Renaissance artwork could only be attributed to the artist themselves. However, I was surprised to learn that patrons also had a hand in this push towards naturalism and more remarkable pieces of works. The Duke of Berry accomplished this by inviting artists to his court and challenging them to create better pieces of artwork than the ones he already owned. This makes me believe that powerful patrons such as the Duke of Berry were able to influence a lot of the artistic styles of the time.

In class last Thursday we discussed the emergence of manuscripts and the significance of owning one of these books. What I found most interesting about these manuscripts such as the Master of Mary Burgundy, Hours of Engelbert of Nassau was the artist’s decision to draw the accompanying images on each page look three-dimensional. For example, in both St.Barbara and Hours of the Virgin: Annunciation pages the artist(s) worked on naturalism by drawing shadows under the flowers and depicting each peacock feather with different designs to show individuality. I found this move towards naturalism to be interesting because it seems to show patrons had a new taste for the life-likeness of the works they commissioned. Additionally, this makes me wonder if how naturalistic the artwork in a manuscript shows a higher status symbol for the owner. Additionally, a lot of the text written in the manuscripts was abbreviated — I think this speaks to the switch from more formal language to vernacular. Furthermore, another way I believe artists worked on naturalism in their artwork can be seen in the Grimani Breviary where most of the page is taken up by a landscape drawing. In this case, the text is incorporated into two banners in the foreground of the scene. This choice by the artist ensures that the viewer sees the landscape as a whole instead of being broken up by the text.