I found it interesting talking about the art market and what makes are valuable. Typically big names are the ones that have higher valued items. Its harder to create a following around anonymous art since it is hard to create a following around a single piece. Art is interesting in the fact that beauty can be very subjective. There are also moral and ethics that need to be considered when selling art. The discussion of museums buying and selling art was very interesting. I never thought about the fact that when art goes into a private collection, it is essentially lost to the public eye. Museums have a certain responsibility to keep certain works available to the masses. They also usually have the best tools for restoring and keeping each piece in good condition. There can be a lot of money in art, but in certain cases no matter the value of the piece, there is a duty to keep it for the public eye

What caught my attention above the actual transition in style of altar-pieces during the renaissance is the comparison of late Medieval style to Cubism. When we think of Cubism, we think of a recent, modern and extremely innovative almost eccentric style, brought to fame by Picasso. Yet to think that in the nonsecular states in Medieval times artists used similar style to depict the most divine and sacred figures surprised me. I think it goes to show that art does not actually follow regular chronological path, which also relates to the critique of Vasari’s book, because art reinvents and “revives” itself in different but similar forms constantly.

While reading the “Contract of Enguerrand Quarton with Dominus Jean de Montagnac” and “Enguerrand Quartern’s “Coronation of the Virgin'” critical essay by prof. Plesch the amount of control patrons had over the artwork shocked me. So many details and parts of the composition are predetermined, while artist is given freedom in some parts, but according to his own religious knowledge as well. Thus, even when patron allows for artistic expression, one has to account for the religious boundaries of a given subject, such as the Holy Trinity or Coronation of the Virgin. It is difficult to realize that apart from the technical knowledge, together with the great adaptability and capability to make a liable composition out of great number of requests, the artists also had to be familiar in-depth with the subject of their piece in order to even be considered for it. With “loss” of the patrons, I believe that modern artists enjoy more freedom, as they choose their own themes, modes, application etc.

In this class, we explored iconography, investigating the greek roots of the word, and examining the similarities in which iconic scenes such as the Annunciation were often produced with repeating symbols or scene details. We also continued our discussion on altarpieces, and I was particularly interested in the transition that led to them being placed on the wall. In my opinion, it explains a small step of the shift in context that led to them being considered as artwork (although this was obviously still far off in the future). Furthermore, we discussed how, although we consider altarpiece artists’ talents to be great (and expertise-wise, it was), much of their vision came from the patron, who had their own beliefs depending on their religion and story. This was made ever apparent with the Enguerrand Quarton, which also led to our discussion on the choices of depicting the Holy Trinity, and more interestingly, the conference in which the current depiction was set in stone.

In this class, we introduced the concept of iconography, which refers to the study of how certain objects are presented in the image. We discussed the change in painting: style changed from golden to more real-life colors, and structure changed from having several sections to a more unified space. Then, The Coronation of the Virgin became the main character of our class. As I’m born in an environment where religion is somehow far away from my life, Catholicism is a field which I have no experience or background knowledge of, which means, on the on hand, I now get the chance to learn something about it, and on the other hand, some concepts are unfamiliar and confused. For example, I still do not quite get the point of “Trinity”. It is the father, son, and holy spirit, but what it means to be distinctive but one entity? Anyway, the altarpiece is so vivid and full of details! I can not realize there are so many objects, religious beliefs, and allusions contained and being presented if I didn’t read the essay about it. Although I am confused by the religious ideas, I fully get the point that altarpiece, though today is more appreciated on its aesthetic value, had its true functions in religious and social life in the past.

In class on Tuesday we discussed iconography and its role in religious art around the Renaissance era. We defined iconography as the study of images and the ways a subject matter is represented. For the majority of class we unpacked the elements of Enguerrand Quarton’s Coronation of the Virgin. I was fascinated by the extraordinary attention to detail and unique representation of the Trinity. Being raised Catholic, I have spent a lot of time pondering this concept of the Trinity, and learning about the different ways artists have tried to make sense of a concept that eludes full human understanding was very interesting to me. This painting is quite astonishing, and one of the elements of it that I found to be most incredible is the fantastic attention to detail. My favorite tiny detail is of the Carthusian monk and Orthodox priest meeting on the street with arms outstretched (not far from people who are fighting). This wonderful little detail enriches one of the most important messages of the painting—that of the unification of the Eastern and Western Churches.

In this class, we discussed the The Coronation of the Virgin at length. First, we discussed ‘The Trinity’ and how it is represented very differently across individual art pieces since they are “distinct, but equal” which creates a paradoxical situation. I found this idea to be rather interesting because it shows how something as religion, which is supposedly concrete, is open to various interpretations. Therefore, art can also be interpreted in unique ways and adds a new layer to each piece. Furthermore, there is also subtle references to purgatory in The Coronation which is a concept not discussed in the bible, but finds its way into a religious piece. It demonstrates how educated the artists of the time period were, and illustrates that art is not simply images, but a deeply thought out process layered with symbolism and ideologies. This understanding leads to iconography.

As we discussed the ways in which altarpieces changed during the Renaissance, the differences in what was portrayed were especially interesting. While in general polyptychs with many small, separated images were replaced by larger and more prominent works with fewer panels, the methods in which this was achieved differed greatly. Structural changes such as using a single image or a main image with a predella are the most obvious at first glance. However, the differences in iconography between areas was striking. An interesting example of this was the depiction of the Holy Trinity, which is affected by the beliefs of the patron and the location in which the art was meant to be placed. This resulted in vastly differing portrayals, with artists having to creatively adapt to those requirements.

I enjoyed our conversation about purgatory and how it is uncommon to see depictions of the bridge between Heaven and Hell in Renaissance art. Not knowing much about what purgatory was, it was interesting to learn that one can manage to escape Hell and how fire is associated with cleansing ones sins. I also found the discussion of The Trinity interesting as I again don’t have much background on the religion behind it. I especially liked the way The Trinity can be depicted as three identical figures and also three individual figures, representing the same thing in different perspectives, usually being the idea of jesus being human and also a divine entity.

I found our class conversation about Iconography especially interesting today. Given that before the Council of Trent, there was no standard for depicting religious figures in art, it is interesting to see the various ways they were represented. It is an interesting challenge to represent the Holy Trinity as one, and yet give each their own identity. Probably the funniest example of this was seeing the three headed god. I also found it interesting that father and son were sometimes represented identically, with the Holy Ghost being visually different from them. This implies a lack of equality between the Holy Trinity.