Final Post

Taking this class I have learned more about renaissance art and the different characteristics the works of art had. I like that art was used as propaganda to spread messages to others, I find it interesting we still do that today. My favorite part that we studied was the Northern renaissance art.

I liked the Northern renaissance art the most because of the naturalism used throughout the works. My favorite artist from this time was Jan Van Eyke. I really enjoyed his work of the “The Ghent Altarpiece”. I really like this work of art because there is so much detail and use of naturalism. I found it very interesting to see that Eyke took into account the lighting of the room where the work was to be displayed and he incorporated the light reflection into the gems. Another one of Eyke’s work I really liked was the “The Arnolfini Portrait”. I really like this piece again because of how natural the picture looks. I also like it for the great use of detail and the iconography in the painting. I think it’s fascinating that there are hidden symbols in the painting that have great meaning. For example the chandelier has only one candle on it and the lit candle over the husband might signify that he was still alive. While the traces of the other candle, hanging over the wife’s side, is to signify that she is deceased. Also there is great detail on the mirror in the background, from the reflection to the hidden symbolic biblical figures.
Another painting that I really liked was the “Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli. I think I like this painting so much because it tells a story. Also naturalism is used in this painting as well an illusionism. There is so much movement and energy around Venus but yet her face is at a natural expression.

I also found it interesting that as we moved on to different time periods there were characteristics that were used in the past but then evolved into new characteristics. For example artists still used naturalism but then added more things that were idealized. Also Mannerist art came into play with elongated figures and unnatural poses. Then there was also baroque art that was interesting to me as well. I liked that there was more energy and drama shown with baroque art work. For example when we compared the two David statues done by Michelangelo and Bernini. I felt that was a great example to compare and show the characteristics of baroque art.

Going through the time periods really opened my eyes to new artists that I have not heard of and to see the different works of art that were created. I really like how much detail was put into creating paintings. I also really liked the hidden symbols in the paintings as well. It made me look harder throughout the paintings. I just hope one day in my life I am able to go and see the great works we have talked about in person. 

John Henry Fuseli 18th Century

Looking through the works of art done by John Henry Fuseli you can see that his work is very dark and can seem somewhat morbid. Fuseli would also paint tragic or violent situations from European literature mostly from Shakespeare and Milton. The painting “The Shepherd’s Dream” is an image from Milton’s poem Paradise Lost.

In the painting you see a man at the bottom, which is the shepherd, above him you see four figures that are meant to be fairy elves in a dream he is seeing. It is said that there were a few more copies of this painting and Fuseli left out certain things on purpose. Each of the painting and drawing has a few differences. One main difference is the fairy that is flying in the middle is fully clothed but in the Princeton sheet the fairy is nude. The fairy that is swooping down to touch the shepherd is also nude. On the drawing Albertina they are clothed with flowing cloth flowing around them. And in the painting they are clothed as well. There are other slight changes that were made. Such as a smile on a girls face to the wand of a fairy taken out. These are slight changes that seem to make the painting a better fit for Fuseli’s style. The smiling adolescent girl also has another change that was made to her. In the Albertina drawing the girl is pointing towards the shepherd but in the painting she is point away from him and up towards the fairies instead. I think this change was made to put more importance on the dream of the shepherd rather then just him sleeping.

As you can see in the Albertina drawing (on the right) you can see so much more going on in the scene than you do in the painting. The painting is darker and shows off more of Fuseli’s style of that tragic look. In Fuseli’s work you can see a dark figure that looks real evil like, almost like a demon. You can see a couple of these figures in the Albertina drawing but not in the painting. According to Mandle “Fuseli’s paintings lack the spontaneity and weird energy.” I agree with him that there is more energy in his Albertina drawing. I personally like the finished painting better than the Albertina drawing. I think that the finished painting looks more like his style of artwork. I think his style is very unique he has a high tendency to use real dark colors to make his work look more tragic and morbid. I also think that the Albertina drawing is really busy for his style of work, it reminds me of mannerism type of art. I liked that he turns more towards the fantasy world. I think this is brought out because he follows the works of Shakespeare and Milton. Both have unnatural stories and poems.

Fuseli can really see and imagine what fairies, demons, and just weird dreams people may have. Seeing the differences between the painting and the drawing I can see the differences and changes that were made. I think that any more changes to the drawing could lead to a different viewpoint of the piece. I like the painting and the changes that were made and other objects that were hidden. It really adds to his style of artwork and it also applies to the views of Shakespeare and Milton’s works.

           

Works Cited

Lindsay, Suzanne G. The Art Bulletin. http://www.jstor.org/‌stable/‌3050980. College Art Association, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/‌stable/‌3050980>.

Mandle, Roger. Master Drawings. N.p.: Master Drawing Association, 1973. JSTOR. Web. 25 Feb. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/‌stable/‌1553211>.

Baroque Art

        Baroque art of the 17^th century is characterized by propaganda. Like renaissance art baroque art also has a sense of idealism and naturalism. What makes baroque art much more different is the way the art shows more drama and emotions. Baroque art has a classical influence and also has more viewer involvement. We can see these styles compared in the David statue created by Michelangelo and the David statue done by Bernini.

      The David statue created by Michelangelo is somewhat similar to the statue by Bernini but there are characteristics that do differ. The statue by Michelangelo is a nude statue that is created to be very idealized. You can see that the muscles on the abdomen are very muscular. There is also that sense of naturalism as you can see in the way his body is still proportionate and real to life.  Although I feel his hands are much to large for his body but I think it was created that way to show that he is a powerful man with these massive manly hands. Another quality from the renaissance period is the fact that he is in the nude; this was to show the human achievement. It was common for artist to create figures in the nude. In this statue of David there isn’t much action going on, David is just standing there looking over at something or someone. You also don’t really see any emotion in his facial expression.

      As for the statue created by Bernini you can see much more of the baroque style of art. You can see that David is caught in the highest moment of drama and he shows a great detail of emotion in his face.  As he is twisting and turning you see the movement in his body. You can also see a great detail in textures from his skin to the drapery over his thigh. The drama, emotion and movement are big characteristics of the Baroque art in the 17^th century. Another characteristic is the way the viewer can see the movement from another point of view. Baroque art liked to have that sense of the viewer interaction.  As in the renaissance period you can see that there is naturalism in this statue. You can see the realistic definitions in the muscles on the body and the way his body is twisted it looks natural. Knowing that this is a self-portrait of Bernini you can see that his body is a little idealized as well. The fact that David has some drapery over his thigh leading to cover his genitalia shows another difference between renaissance and baroque art. The reason for the drapery was to cover David so that the statue was more decent for people to look at.

        Each of the David statues show either renaissance and baroque art you can clearly see the differences and similarities of the statues from the different eras. Baroque art is known for the drama and emotion while renaissance is known for the naturalism and idealism. It’s also clear to see the different views they have on nudity, renaissance art uses without question, while baroque art is more modest. Baroque art is defiantly more intriguing to the viewer because people are emotionally drawn into the statue done by Bernini over the one by Michelangelo.

16th Century Art in Northern Europe

Albrecht Dürer is a popular artist from Germany. His Italian interests influenced his many works of his art. He was also to take his work to a different level because in Germany there was no guilt system. He has been to Italy a couple of times; on those visits he absorbed the Italian Renaissance art. Durer would also make images for printing press, to do so he used woodcuts and engravings. He becomes famous for his prints and engravings. He also gained knowledge on how to use the influences of Italy in his own art, as you can see in his self-portrait from the 1500.

In his portrait you can see some of the Italian characteristics along with European characteristics. You can see that just like the Italian and European renaissance using humanism, balance and harmony influences his artwork. Albrecht Dürer is very confident in his career. I think you can see that in this self-portrait because it is a very frontal pose and very direct. You can almost say that he has a resemblance to Christ. Another thing that also relates to Christ is the inscription in Latin. Which says something to the effect that the portrait was created with immortal colors. In the self-portrait from 1498 there is no reference to him being an artist. I also think that he uses his work to elevate his social status. In Albrecht Dürer self-portrait you can also see the use of the European traditions of naturalism. You can see this in the way his skin in the painting is so natural looking. He also uses great detail in the curls of his hair to the fur on his robe. The northern European art is characterized by naturalism rather than that idealism of perfection.  You can see that in his work because everything looks as if it more natural and humanized. As you see in the portrait he doesn’t look idealized he looks natural, you can tell when you look at his eyes and his hair. In the self=portrait from 1500 you can see that there is also a sense of balance, even though the pose is direct. You can see his symbol of his initials on one side and on the other there is an inscription on the opposite site. I think those elements help create a pyramidal composition.  I like that Albrecht Dürer has created his own monogram. There aren’t really anymore elements in the background of the portrait from 1500 but the 1498 portrait you can see more Italian renaissance traditions, because in the background you can see a giant window and this creates the 3-quarter pose. The 3-quarter pose is a characteristic of Italian art that has influenced Albrecht Dürer.

In the Albrecht Dürer self-portrait from 1500 you can see that there is a pyramidal composition but there is also that creation of balance and a great use of detail in creating the naturalism of his self-portrait. I think the use of naturalism is the biggest key element Durer used from Italy. 

Mannerist Art

After Raphael died was when the Mannerist art was then created. It is the end of perfection, harmony and balance that was in the 15^th century renaissance art. Now in the 16^th century renaissance art was created to look more stylized and not realistic. Mannerist art was created to look more artificial and not true to life. There are people that are elongated and disproportionate. For instance the painting “Allegory with Venus and Cupid” by Bronzino has all the characteristics of Mannerist art, along with the painting “Entombment” by Pontormo.

            Bronzino’s Allegory with Venus and Cupid is a very chaotic painting with many different figures. Everything in the painting seems to be tilted upward. Venus is in the center and her pose looks so unnatural. She is rather larger than the other figures. It seems as if she is about to fall over because her weight is all shifted on her right knee and her body pointed upward, she looks very unstable. Cupids pose looks also unreal, it looks like all his weight is on that pink pillow and his body is twisted in a way that make him look elongated. I also think that his head looks like its not even connected to his body, or that is neck is so elongated. You can’t really tell because Venus’s arm is covering that area. There is also a detail in his foot that is mimicking the dove in the bottom left corner they are not touching. Cupid and Venus look as if they might drop and fall out of the picture plane, which is another characteristic of Mannerist art. Mannerist art is very chaotic and it looks like the other figures in the paintings are just shoved into the canvas. The background looks very cramped. The figures look as if they are just placed randomly into the canvas. Venus looks somewhat graceful with her hand reaching around Cupid and taking that arrow out of his wing. This painting is kind of erotic because Cupid is said to be Venus’s son. In the painting he is seen grabbing her breast, and looks like they are about to have a passionate kiss. In the painting if you look closely you can see her tongue coming out of her mouth while they are embracing each other.  Behind the playful child you see a serpent body with a costume like head of a girl. There is also a woman on the left that is screaming in terror, some say it’s over jealousy. Both the serpent and the screaming woman are giving warning to the inappropriate things that are happening with Venus and Cupid.

             Pontormo’s Entombment shows characteristics of Mannerist art. There are people in the painting that are crammed into the canvas, elongated figures, and a use of unnatural color uses. This painting is very large so standing at eye level you only see the bottom portion of the painting, but once you look up you the figures. Some of those figures look as if they are going to fall right out of the painting and usually would give viewers an uneasy feeling. In earlier renaissance art they had pyramidal and triangular compositions. Mannerist art is more chaotic so they don’t have a set up of composition, as in early renaissance art there was triangular and pyramidal compositions. In this painting there seems to be an oval or round composition. You can see that the figures heads are moving around in a circle while in the middle of that circle is empty space with just arms and hands. With there being no pyramidal or triangular shape to this composition it is much harder to find the subject matter.  In the painting there is a guy in a strange unnatural crouch, he is holding the dead weight of Christ. He is standing on his tiptoes and in real life I think it would be very difficult to hold a dead man while on your tiptoes. Also the color of this man’s skin is very unnatural because he is a bright pink and his stomach is a light blue color. As you look at the man crouching you can see that his neck is a little elongated and the other person in blue, holding Christ, also has a disproportionate body. These again are other characteristics of Mannerist art.

Some people may say that Mannerist art is elegant with the curves of the elongated figures and the lines that sweep throughout the paintings. But others may say that it is disturbing and makes the figures look very strange. Both of these paintings show that people are elongated and that takes away from the perfection of people. Also in these paintings there is no order to the compositions they are chaotic and crammed. Many of the Mannerist art are chaotic and don’t make sense to viewers. Mannerist art moves far away from the 15^th century renaissance art it has taken away the harmony, balance or perfection. 

Early Renaissance VS. High Renaissance

When looking through the art works of the Early Renaissance and the High Italian Renaissance you can see there are characteristic that are certainly the same and yet there are others that differ. In high renaissance there is less usage of religious figures and there is no more use of the halo around Jesus’ head. They create art to look more real, they have strong interest in anatomy.  Early renaissance art they were more interested in idealism along with naturalism. High renaissance also has moved away from the triangular compositions and started creating pyramidal compositions instead as you can see in the painting by Leonardo “The Virgin of the Rocks”.  There are some similarities between early and high renaissance art. As you see in the painting by Sandro Botticelli “Primavera” there are some great gestures that the people are making which creates harmony. Both early and high renaissance have that sense of harmony and balance.

In the painting by Botticelli you can see that there is the sense of the triangular composition. You see that Venus is in the center while there are other people on the left and right of her, thus creating that triangle. It looks as if some of the people are making eye contact with the viewer. That is also seen in the painting of “The Virgin of the Rocks”.  That is also another characteristic of the high renaissance period. You can see people coming out of the painting thus creating that pyramidal composition. There are four figures, the child, the virgin in the center, and then in the foreground there is the Christ child and the angle. The virgin’s hand is also foreshortened that it creates that illusion that they are coming out at you. They create that pyramid along with creating harmony. Another part of this painting that creates that harmony is the gestures of the people they are leaning in, kneeling and the angle pointing. Each gesture brings your eye around the painting. In Botticelli’s painting there is that sense of perfection with the figures. Each person has a natural stance and natural features. Each feature of the figures is painted with perfection, but with the painting by Leonardo there is more of realism. You can clearly see the natural flaws of the children’s skin and curves.

             Each period of Early and High renaissance have differences, the pyramidal and triangular compositions, but yet they also have their similarities, somewhat of a naturalism and realism. Idealism was used more in the early renaissance and high renaissance had more realism in the artwork.

            Dynamic unity I think has to do with the way that you can tell what is happening in each of the artwork.  There are helpful factors in early renaissance art and in high renaissance art. However with the two paintings I have mentioned I think there is more dynamic unity in the painting by Botticelli. I think you can tell more about what is going on because it looks like the people in the painting are having a celebration while in the painting by Leonardo it is hard to tell what they are doing. I think it has to do with their placement in the painting along with the use of sfumato, smoky look to the painting. I just feel it was harder to understand the story of this painting verse the Botticelli painting. Both have their unique characteristics and styles. Each creates that naturalism and realism look, but some have more illusionism. Both also have different composition styles. Both periods have created great works of art that tell stories of the past, and all are done with naturalism in mind. 

Early Renaissance in Italy

In the fifteenth-century Northern Renaissance art was composed of religious figures and they were created with such naturalism. Viewing art from Italy they still use naturalism and religious figures, but they also add other qualities to their art. Such as idealism and humanism. They even paint the Gods and Goddesses as well. Plato’s writings were popular in Italy and the artwork is a representation of his idealism.

In the painting by Sandro Botticelli “Birth of Venus” you can see a great deal of idealism and you also see naturalism. Venus is the roman Goddess of love. The painting tells the story of the birth of Venus and how she was blown to shore on a shell. In the painting you can see depth and balance in the painting.  Early renaissance created balance, depth, harmony and perfection. Also had an interest in illusionism.

There is one main figure in the center, Venus, and there are figures on each side of her, Zephyr’s on the left and a woman on the right.  Zephyr’s is the one blowing Venus to shore and the woman is welcoming her and is giving her a cloak. The two figures on each side of Venus give the painting more balance. Your eye looks at Venus first because she is in the center, and she is the most important in the painting. While your eye travels outward towards the others you gain more of the painting and its story.

The shoreline in the back gives you a sense that there is depth to the photograph. You can see that the use of colors also helps the effect of depth. The use of the whites, blues, and greens in the sea gives the viewer a sense of movement. The waves in the painting don’t look very natural they are more stylized. The waves being stylized show us again that there is that use of idealism. The leaves on the trees show this as well. There is so much perfection in the leaves and the waves that it takes away from the naturalism. The horizon line is fuzzier and has a bluish tint, and makes it seem further away. You can probably say that maybe the depth of this painting is just an illusion. That might be true but not everything is illusionistic.

Along with balance there is harmonious lines that create a triangle. The use of lines gives a movement from figure to figure; they move your eye throughout the painting. Since Zephyr is leaning in towards Venus and the woman is also leaning in towards her this created that sense of the triangle. The composition of the painting has more energy than just the figure of Venus. The lines of Venus seem to lead out into the other objects, which create that movement of energy.

A nude young woman with gold hair illustrates Venus. Botticelli’s Venus is one of the first non-biblical female nudes. People being nude is said to be classical and it celebrates the human body, along with idealism.  Woman in the nude is usually associated with sexuality. The convention Venus pudica is the modest Venus, you can see her trying to cover up her breast with her hands, and she is even using her hair to cover her genitalia. Her trying to cover herself up draws attention to her sexuality. In the painting you see Venus standing on a shell. She is standing with her legs slightly bent and this creates that weight shift which makes her look more naturalistic. She looks very naturalistic in her stance but her body still seems to have a great deal of perfection. Her hair also shows great perfection how it is blowing in the wind and its long and gold. Her golden hair sweeps gracefully over her body to hide her modesty.  Zephyr and the woman also show the idealism in the painting along with the waves and the roses, and leaves on the trees. The waves and the leaves are paint with such detail that they are more idealistic.

Early renaissance art has both naturalism and idealism, you can tell because everything looks so real but yet the people just look so perfect. Idealism came to play when people read the works of Plato. There are many works of art in the early renaissance that had balance, depth, harmony and perfection. As you can see in Botticelli’s painting the “Birth of Venus.”