In Thursday’s class, we began discussing portraits of women from the Renaissance. One of the most interesting portraits we discussed is Titian’s Venus of Urbino. It is important to note that the title was not give by Titian himself, and this has led to a great deal of debate in the art history world about who the woman in the portrait really is. Is she a representation of Venus? Almost certainly not. It is more likely that the woman is the Duke of Urbino’s mistress or wife. One of the more interesting symbols in the portrait is the sleeping dog. Dogs are often used as symbols of fidelity, and the fact that the dog is asleep in the painting may indicate that the virtue of fidelity is not an active value at work (which could lead one to the conclusion that this is the Duke’s mistress). In thinking about this painting, I began thinking a lot more about portraiture and the ways that the patron and the artist can influence the depiction of the person. Thinking about that artistic manipulation as Renaissance-era photoshop has really helped me to understand the ways the works have been constructed and reminds me to think about what the artist wants me to see (wealth, personal characteristics) in each portrait they do.
Category: AR257 (Page 8 of 33)
During today’s class, we focused on women in the Renaissance. In general, women only had power when the husband died and it would only be that way if the heir was too young and the woman had to fulfill that role, in other words, widows had some power. In addition to widows, nuns also had power in the sense that they were women that removed themselves from a male society and had their own specific hierarchy. It was with these ideas that we started talking about portraits featuring females.
The first portrait we discussed was Lorenzo Lotto’s Portrait of a Woman Inspired by Lucretia. This painting depicts Lucretia Vallier holding an image of her namesake, Lucretia to show her as a model for her way of life which is supported by the note on the side. However, ancient Lucretia is often depicted differently than how she was in this painting because often times she is portrayed very sensually and erotically.
Another portrait we discussed was Titian’s Venus of Urbino. What was interesting about this artwork is that, like other works during the Renaissance, there was no official title. Venus of Urbino was a name given to the work later on in order to be able to reference it. This particular name was also to hide or distract from the fact that it is an erotic image by saying that it is the goddess Venus which shows how prude the times were when they gave this portrait this name. The question then was, if not Venus, who was she? It was believed that the lady depicted was either his mistress or even a courtesan because Venice at the time were known for their amazing courtesans. This portrait was also known to be an erotic image, almost pornographic with some people calling it obscene due to the way the woman is portrayed. It is also because she is naked that details about time have to be found in the background. For example, the structures, the clothes of the girls in the background, and her hair and jewelry all allude to the fact that she is a contemporary lady. The dog that lies next to her also alludes to fidelity but the sleeping of the dog can be interpreted as cheating happening.
In the recorded lecture, I was really interested in the theme of disguised symbolism. I thought all of the examples were clever. I wouldn’t necessarily comprehend the intended symbolism at first glance, but I like how the objects display a certain meaning that adds a level of significance and meaning behind the painting. I liked the double portrait regarding the marriage ceremony because I thought it highlighted ideals / expectations at the time, specifically in marriages. With the placement of certain objects on the distinct sides, I thought it really showed the expectations of the gender roles within a marriage and what is expected of a couple in the 15th century.
In this recorded lecture, we looked at many more examples of intricate portraiture. Although we talked about Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, I found Van Eyck’s Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife to be the most interesting piece we looked at. With many of the parts of the portrait acting as disguised symbolism. Within this portrait, we examined some of the ways in which gender played a part in portrait portrayals, with Giovanni portrayed in the city sphere, an open window to his side. His wife, on the other hand, is portrayed within her contemporary role at the time, within the house. Furthermore, the symbolism on their respective sides of the portrait, which we talked about might have served as part of a marriage pact, also matches values that were expected for a man or a woman at the time. Furthermore, I found Michelangelo’s sculpture of Giuliano de’ Medic to be very interesting, mostly due to his idealization of the looks of the man, and his commentary on it later. His understanding is interesting as he sees portraits as not needing to physically represent the subject, but rather portraying them through portraiture that presented the characteristics that represented the subject.
In today’s class, we looked at a large pool of portraits. In particular, we viewed Robert Campin’s Portraits of a Man and a Woman. These two works reminded me of classic portraits one might see at a museum. Portraits for me were never a point of interest, as I would prefer looking at landscapes. However, Erwin Panofsky’s analysis of portraits that was presented in the powerpoint alongside Portraits of a Man and a Woman shifted my perception. Panofsky claimed that individuality and totality were the two essential qualities of portraiture. While these may be contradictory ideas, each adds very specific and crucial aspects to the art. Individuality is what separates the subject from other people and from other time periods. Totality relates to what the sitter has in common with the rest of humanity, things that are constant throughout time. This added humanity makes a portrait unique and not another figural representation.
Today in class, we discussed portraiture further. To start class off, we discussed the article that we read for homework about Trump’s Time Magazine cover. Upon first glance, one may question why such a controversial figure was chosen. However, when engaging at close looking, a more subversive message begins to emerge. First, the color palette utilized reflects the antiquated social values of the 40s and 50s that Trump ran his campaign on. Additionally, the position he is sitting in and the way he is turning his head makes him a shadowy and frightening figure.
We also discussed nude depictions of women in Renaissance art. Many of these images were made for male pleasure, including the Venus of Urbino. It is known for a fact that this portrait is not of the goddess Venus, but perhaps the Duke’s mistress or a prostitute. This is further reinforced by the dog sleeping at her feet, which reflects putting aside the value of fidelity.
In Tuesday’s recorded lecture we really got to dive into the fascinating details of portraiture. Much of the lecture involved unpacking the meanings of the Netherlandish disguised symbolism that was employed throughout the works, and especially in the paintings of Jan van Eyck. Van Eyck’s Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife is a heavily detailed painting that has been thought to represent the actual moment of marriage between the couple (up until very recently—now this seems to be in dispute, and scholars are considering this as a memorial portrait, among other possibilities). Beginning at the ground of the portrait, viewers immediately notice that the couple have removed their shoes, suggesting that they are standing on sacred ground as they join hands in their bedroom with two men standing in front of them (as we examine the mirror we realize that the viewer is standing where the two men are and are perhaps bearing witness to this wedding). There are so many other symbols embedded in the painting that have been interpreted as being good omens for marriage, and therefore make sense in the work. In addition to looking at the details of the portraits, Professor Plesch reminded us of all the visual manipulation that can take place in portraiture to play up certain physical or personal characteristics. This is important to keep in mind as we build ideas about who the people in the portraits were (and how much of that is what they wanted you to see and think).
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.
This lecture focused on differences in styles of portraiture and the meanings behind portraits. Leonardo’s Mona Lisa exhibits the artist’s efforts to improve the construction of a portrait. The 3/4 view is extended down to waist level and allows the hands to rest at a normal position, something not seen in other portraits of the time. Leonardo emphasizes the face and chest of the figure through a clear central vertical line and the use of sfumato, making the clothes and background blend together without distinct boundaries. Gheeraert the Younger’s Elizabeth I and Titian’s Isabella d’Este reflect the power of portraiture in displaying status. The portraits emphasize the social, economic, and political importance of the figures. Decisions made by the artists reflect conscious efforts to portray a specific message about the sitters. I found it interesting how these choices depart from the realistic to emphasize things that may not be reflective of the actual person.
Finally, we continued to examine symbolism through van Eyck’s Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife and Holbein’s The Ambassadors. Both artists hint at the importance of the worldly events happening at the moment depicted through subtle and obvious detail. Van Eyck utilized more visible symbols such as peaches and a dog but also included small details such as possibly himself in the reflection in the mirror to strengthen the scene. Similarly, Holbein’s use of everyday objects on the shelf presents one layer of detail, but hidden within items such as the music and math books is another level of meaning. Finally, I found it fascinating how Holbein’s skull was intended to be seen from a different very specific angle than the rest of the work.
In this recorded class, we were first introduced to the concept of Sfumato, meaning the boundary between character and background landscape is in the form of smoke without clear lines or borders. This term is presented by Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. It is interesting to realize that there’s also manipulation in the painting, which is similar to modern days photoshop. Titian’s Isabella d’Este, for example, depicts a pretty woman at a young age, but Isabella was already in her sixties at the time she was portrayed. We also took a look at Albrecht Dürer’s Self-portrait, and what stood out to me is that, instead of using a three-quarter angle, the artist chooses the frontal position in this portrait, a pose preserved for God. The implying meaning can be the analogy between an artist, a creator of artworks, and the Christ Jesus the creator.
Then we moved to Jan van Eyck’s Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife and talked a lot about the symbolism within. This is a scene of a marriage ceremony. Some domestic items that contain symbolic meanings include the dog that represents fidelity, peaches near the window that represent fertility, the dressing of the wife implying pregnancy even though she is not pregnant, the burning candle implying the ongoing ceremony, etc. I was amazed by the fascinating details in Jan van Eyck’s work and his great skills to incorporate sacred symbolic meanings into a secular scene.
The symbolism applied in Hans Holbein’s The Ambassadors is also fantastic. The objects in the upper and lower layers of the shelf represent heaven and earth respectively, and many details refer to the contemporary tension in society. Cruxication behind curtain refers to the current division of the church, the broken fluent refers to the political disharmony, and the book of mathematic opened on the chapter of division refers to the split at the time. What’s the most interesting part is the skull and the special demanding way to see it. A skull always acts as a comment to earthy pursue–all these tensions and divisions are meaningless, and people will ultimately arrive the death.