Review

Art 109 Renaissance to Modern

ReviewUse the Study Questions on the course website

Cimabue, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets, c. 1280-1290

Master of the Magdalen, Virgin and Child Enthroned with Two Angels. 1270s. Staatliche Museen, Berlin

What are the characteristics of the Italo-Byzantine style?



The Italo-Byzantine Style:Flat gold background (symbolic of heaven)Gold halosHierarchic scaleStylized figures and draperyElongated proportionsLack of dimension and depth



Why did Medieval artists choose to work in this style?



To indicate the “otherworldly” nature of the figures

Emphasis on “divinity” rather than humanity


Giotto di Bondoni, Ognissante Madonna, c. 1310, Uffizi Gallery, Florence

In what specific ways did Giotto break away from the Italo-Byzantine style?


Giotto di Bondoni, Ognissante Madonna, c. 1310, Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Figures are more 3D (modeling with light and shade)

More convincing sense of depth (perspective and “blocking”)

All of this makes for a more “human” and “down to earth” interpretation of the Virgin

Giotto di Bondone, The Lamentation, Arena Chapel, 1305

Landscape background (earthly setting) replaces gold background

Figures are “normal” size (no hierarchic scale)

Figures display more “human” emotions through facial expression and gesture

Giotto di Bondone, Arena Chapel, 1305

Who commissioned the Arena Chapel, and why is it significant?

Interior, Arena Chapel, Padua, c. 1305

Enrico Scrovegni (a banker) commissioned the Arena Chapel

Interior, Arena Chapel, Padua, c. 1305

It is significant because now private individuals, rather than the Church, are commissioning works of art

Giotto di Bondone, The Lamentation, Arena Chapel, 1305

This is what enabled a more “Humanistic” interpretation of religious subjects

Hans Memling, Diptych of Martin Von Nieuwenhove, 1487Oil on panel, Municipal Museums, Bruges

Robert Campin (Master of Flémalle), The Merode Altarpiece, 1425-1428Oil on wood. Metropolitan Museum (Cloisters)

What are these, and how were they used?

http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/the_cloisters/triptych_with_the_annunciation_known_as_the_merode_robert_campin_and_workshop/objectview.aspx?collID=7&OID=70010727


http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2006/diptych/diptych.shtm



Religious diptychs and triptychs were small portable altarpieces that were used for private prayer in the home






So once again, we see how private patronage is driving this trend towards a more humanized representation of religious subjects





Jan Van Eyck, Ghent Altarpiece (Closed), 1432. St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium

What are the most distinguishing characteristics of Flemish painting?





Realistic detail (textures and surfaces; things tiny and far), made possible by the discovery of the oil medium




Jan Van Eyck, Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife, 1434London National Gallery

What is a “donor portrait,” and how is it different from a “secular portrait”?

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait

http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/e/eyck_van/jan/15arnolf/15arnol.html



A donor portrait is when the patron of the picture is depicted in the presence of a Holy individual





In a secular portrait (like The Arnolfini Couple) there is no religious pretext





How can the rise of portraiture be related to Humanism?





To quote from your assigned reading on “Humanism in the Renaissance:

“During the Middle Ages . . . art and learning were centered on the church and religion. But at the start of the 14th century, people became less interested in thinking about God, heaven and the saints, and more interested in thinking about themselves, their surroundings and their everyday lives.”



Review

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