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Lecture VIII The Renaissance in Italy and Northern Europe Part I: The Italian Renaissance What is The Renaissance? • Renaissance means “rebirth” • Gradual Shift in European attitude from the religious fervor of the Middle Ages to a resurgence of humanism. What is The Renaissance? The time was marked by: • • • • Individualism Scientific Study Logical Thought Less focus on the afterlife and more focus on the present. What is The Renaissance? • The Greeks were concerned with idealized human form. • The Romans emphasized physical accuracy. • The Middle Ages focused on spiritual concerns over physical existence. • The Renaissance focus went from heaven to earth, and artists portrayed Christian subjects in human terms. The Early Renaissance 14th - 15th centuries Background and Beginnings of The Renaissance in Italy • During the Middle Ages, France was the artistic and intellectual center of Europe. • The artistic and intellectual developments in Italian city-states was aided by a flourishing economy and the growth of the merchant class. • During the Middle Ages, Italy was a land of warring cities and did not take to the Gothic Style of France. • Italian painters did not respond to the northern Gothic style, rather they looked towards Constantinople and decorated churches in the Byzantine style. Sculpture Nicola Pisano Comparison of Nicola Pisano’s work with Medieval Master Gates of Paradise Lorenzo Ghiberti Gates of Paradise (Creation of Adam and Eve) Lorenzo Ghiberti Gates of Paradise, Lorenzo Ghiberti David Donatello Painting Discoveries in Painting • Italian painters sought to integrate Christian spiritual traditions with the rational ordering of physical life in earthly space. • They began an intensive study of anatomy and light and developed linear perspective. • The careful observation of nature of painters helped to advance science. Lamentation Giotto Comparison of Giotto’s work with Medieval Master Comparison of Giotto’s work with Byzantine work The Holy Trinity Masaccio Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden Masaccio The Tribute Money, Masaccio Martydom of Saint Peter, Masaccio Comparison of Massacio’s work with Medieval Master The Birth of Venus Botticelli Primavera Botticelli Architecture Florence Cathedral Dome Brunelleschi The High Renaissance 16th Century The High Renaissance During the 16th Century Italian art reached a peak in the cities of Florence, Rome and Venice. The style that developed was calm, balanced, and idealized; and married Christian theology with the scientific studies of the day. The High Renaissance • Developed during the age of social, intellectual and religious ferment that transformed European culture. • In addition to the humanism of the 14th and 15th centuries, the 16th century was marked by continual warfare because of expansionist ambitions by various rulers. • This led to a “spirit of discovery”. The High Renaissance • The invention of the printing press allowed for rapid spread of new ideas and increased literacy. • Travel became more common, and artists and their work became mobile. The High Renaissance The status of artists changed: • Artists and artmaking were viewed more intellectually. • The myth of the “divinely inspired” creative genius emerged during this time. • Artists became well known as individuals. Leonardo da Vinci Virgin and Child with Saint Anne da Vinci Mona Lisa da Vinci uses sfumato Last Supper da Vinci Michelangelo David Michelangelo Pietà Michelangelo Sistine Chapel Ceiling Michelangelo Sistine Chapel Ceiling Sistine Chapel Ceiling Sistine Chapel Ceiling Last Judgment Michelangelo Raphael Madonna and Child Raphael Madonna and Child Raphael Madonna and Child Raphael School of Athens Raphael Titian Pastoral Symphony Giorgione finished by Titian Venus of Urbino Titian uses Venus Pudica pose Venus, Titian Venus, Titian The Late Renaissance Mannerism • The late Renaissance gave way to Mannerism, which included work with intellectually intricate subjects, highly skilled techniques and art concerned with beauty for its own sake. • This style has been seen as an artistic expression of the unsettled religious and political conditions of Europe at the time. • This style was stimulated and supported by wealthy secular patrons. Mannerism • • • • • • Sophisticated compositons Distortions of accepted formal conventions Irrational spatial effects Figures with unnatural proportions Exaggerated poses and enigmatic expressions Obscure and erotic imagery often favored by patrons Pietà Michelangelo Pietà Titian Madonna with the Long Neck Parmigianino Allegory with Venus, Cupid and Time Bronzino Part II: The Renaissance in the North The Northern Renaissance • Based in the Gothic Style • Oil paint was used in the North earlier and before it became more widespread across Europe. • Artists concentrated on minute detail and rendering the likeness of particular people and things. • More emotional than Italian art, figures are often shown in non idealized/non beautiful forms. • A great deal of the art was destined for private possessions in homes because of the Protestant Reformation. The Arnolfini Portrait Jan van Eyck The Annunciation Jan van Eyck Madonna Jan van Eyck Garden of Earthly Delights, Hieronymus Bosch Garden of Earthly Delights, Hieronymus Bosch Isenheim Altarpiece Grünewald Self-portrait Dürer Adam and Eve Dürer Madonna and Child Dürer Henry VIII Holbein The Ambassadors Holbein Dead Christ Holbein Return of the Hunters Bruegel Example of Genre painting The Harvesters Bruegel