The Ghent Altarpiece was what was discussed in the lecture for Tuesday. This altarpiece initially stands out due to the material that is used and the proficiency at which it is used. As stated in the recorded lecture, Van Eyck used oil paints and he used them so well that people called him the creator of them even though he wasn’t. However, it is possible to see why people called him this when looking into the altarpiece closely and observing all the details. The details start with the light that all comes from a single source, drawing a connection between panels and connects the images. There was also a lot of detail placed on the clothes themselves from the pearls and beads on their clothes to the crown and scepter held by the judge. These were all rendered beautifully to give a realistic look to it. This realistic quality of the paintings stood out the most when looking at the people. For example, Adam and Eve were highly realistic to draw them into our world and even their footing and stature was taken into consideration to create this effect.

The video lecture also discussed the altarpiece called Entombment by Rogier van der Weyden who was famous because of his choices of making it large, lifelike, and presented bare figures without a landscape. He made these choices because they allowed him to place focus on the emotions and the details of the painting needed to showcase these emotions and show a range of emotions.

The comparison between Northern and Italian art was also touched upon through Rogier van der Weyden who took influence from Italian artists and drew the Entombment differently from how Northerners would. For example, instead of drawing the tomb as a sarcophagus, he draws it as a hole carved in rock and draws Christ being held horizontal and not being lowered.

Today, we discussed the Enthroned Madonna (1280-90), Madonna Enthroned(1310, and Madonna Enthroned (1308-1311). These pieces showed similar things but in very different ways. Each artists painted the Virgin Mary carrying Christ after birth; however, the presentation is where differentiation occurred. In the first one, the Virgin Mary pointed to Christ, as if to elevate his status and to make him the center of attention. The second one did not have the Virgin Mary pointing to Christ, but had Christ holding a scroll to indicate his significance and importance within the world. The last painting differed in its representation of naturalistic features. Both the Virgin Mary and Christ are huge in comparison to the rest of the work, making them feel God-like characters. Furthermore, the vibrant effect the colors had provided a ceremonious cause, something the other two paintings lacked.

I thought it was very interesting how Rogier van der Weyden changed his iconography after his trip to Rome. I had never before considered that iconography could be standardized different according to region. In the North, we see the Entombment as more of a classical funeral, with Christ’s body being placed in a standard casket. However, as van der Weyden discovered the conventions of Italian art during his trip to Rome, he chose to depict the Entombment according to Italian iconography. In this version, we see Christ being placed into a tomb that is carved into the side of a rock. Perhaps since Italy is geographically much closer to the site of the actual entombment than Northern Europe is, the iconography associated with the event is more accurate.

Our comparison of Madonna Enthroned works by Cimabue and Giotto drew attention to the importance and variance of iconography. Both time and location affect how an artist chose to impart the message of these altarpieces and what meanings those who viewed them may have gleaned. Positioning of figures is one of the most obvious differences between the pair. For example, angels in Giotto’s version are placed farther below the throne than in Cimbue’s, drawing more attention to the Madonna and implying greater importance. Duccio’s Maesta provides another interpretation of the scene as its center panel. The feet of various figures extend into the borders, almost implying that they are standing in our world. This again draws people to the image and helps convey the importance of the Church in their lives. When examining art in this class, it will be essential to consider the effects of iconography and positioning on perception.

In this class, we talked more about the context which shaped the images and iconography of altarpieces. Interestingly, despite having gone to a Catholic school for middle school, the thought of the altarpieces calling attention to the Transubstantiation hadn’t occurred to me. The framing of the Enthroned Madonna altarpieces generally have a focal point in the depiction of Christ, while also calling attention to the “Body of Christ” that in transubstantiation is the centerpiece to the altar that they generally stood at the front of. Furthermore, we were able to take a closer look at the evolution of altarpieces throughout time and across different artists through varying interpretations of the Enthroned Madonna. Although the iconography had consistent symbols across it, (a gesturing Mary, surrounded by worshippers, with a young Jesus on her lap), the ways in which artists depicted the scene differed over time. As Johnson mentioned, the use of gold generally shifted out of the paintings over time and was replaced with more detailed backgrounds that relied on the (mostly) intricate work of the artist to create perspective.

In this class, we talked about Cimabue, Enthroned Madonna and Child and compared it to Giotto, Madonna Enthroned, and other artists. It is interesting how the painting moved away from lines and the painting moved toward more depth artistry. Also, it moved from less gold to more color, lighting, and shading. We talked about the role of the Virgin in the Church, how she represented the church as a whole and her throne was the physical space of the church. Overall, there was color and depth to the painting that came after Cimabue’s Enthroned Madonna and Child. Toward the end of the class, we started talking about Campin Entombment Triptych.

In this class, we talked about the word iconography. The meaning of iconography is the study of images, the study of the way the subject matters, or how a certain subject that matters is represented. We also talked about different terms like polyptch, ex voto, predella, and the process of a fresco. We also talked about how artist moved from gilded scenes to natural scenes. When everything is gold, it doesn’t look natural and it makes the viewer wonder how supernatural the art piece is. We talked about the father – the son – and the holy spirit and how they are pictured in different art pieces. We talked about Enguerrand painting – Coronation of the Virgin and the meaning of all the different images present in the painting. There was a contract between the patron and the artist and the artist had to meet the need and demands of the patron, but they had some freedom in painting it. We talked about where the souls go and how they get there, in other words- the bible. There is a complex chronology of souls and where they go when people die. For example, after Jesus died on the cross, those who died before him go to heaven, but certain people/souls. It is very complex but I find it interesting on the matter of souls and how it connects to Enguerrand’s Coronation of the Virgin.

In this class, we talked about museums and their purpose in society. Something interesting about art and museums is that art pieces don’t belong in museums, especially renaissance art. As we study different art pieces of the time, they each had a purpose in the church. They were altarpieces before they were displayed in museums. Putting these altarpieces in museums is like caging a penguin in the zoo. Though its surroundings may look similar to its natural habitat, it is not in its natural habitat. Though we may put these altarpieces in museums and surround them with alike pieces, their function won’t be displayed; being used in ceremonies. The ethics, hard work, planning, and such that go into a museum are very interesting and hold a lot of questions. How do artists decide how much a piece is worth and who gets to keep it? Where do we stop and start time on these pieces?

In this class, we talked a little bit about the middle ages. Before the middle ages, we had the classical ages and the Renaissance came after the middle ages. We also talked about the different groups in Europe, like the Barbarians, Vandals, and Huns. We also talked about Giotto and how he believed that we should bring the arts back to life, or how it was coming back to life. The art was always there, but it’s to the eyes that “determines” if the art has life or not. What I think about this is that the renaissance art movement was to revive something that was dead, but it was always there. Another interesting topic is that the word “masterpieces” is controversial because it establishes the “norm” of art, or the standard of art when there shouldn’t be a standard. It also limits people and artists of certain art styles and interpretations.

After looking at works of art that are showing a story, it is interesting to think about how the story is being told. Sometimes the narrative is more concrete and in other instances, they are more abstract. Typically, the works we are looking at provide a more concrete narrative. For example, we have been looking at “polyptychs”, which are altarpieces showing different scenes by using panels. However, back to thinking about storytelling modes, I find it fascinating to consider the intentionality of the artists. With larger works like Quarton’s Coronation of the Virgin, the piece is so large with so much going on that it is interesting to see where the eye is drawn and which areas have more finite detail. By breaking down the work into smaller sections, the differences become far more apparent. 

(forgot to submit this one)