Art History 2 Midterm

Question 1

What can the arts tell us about a society? Use three artworks from the same society and time period to make your case.

Answer 1

Italian Renaissance

• economically prosperous
• spread of humanism
• new artistic innovations & standard
• religious
• revival of classical style & values
• Greco-Roman inspired

TRIBUTE MONEY, MASSACIO

• outside lighting (innovation)
• weighted figures
• atmospheric perspective
• biblical event
• linear perspective

SACRIFICE OF ISAAC, GHIBERT

• Greco-Roman inspired
• classical style (as opposed to Brunelleschi’s emotionally-heavy competition piece)
• 1st nude male figure since antiquity
• humanism
• religious theme

DONATELLO,DAVID

• reintroduces contrapposto
• reinvents nude male sculpture
• humanism
• empiricism

Question 2

3._What ideas caused the nature of art to change from the Medieval world to the Renaissance? Use at least three artworks to make your argument.

Answer 2

ERASMUS

• From God centered to human centered-led to the perception of nature as beautiful and no longer just filled with sin and/or temptation
• Belief in empiricism- led to integration of math and science into the arts
• Humanism- led to confidence in human ability which led to high detailed painting with remarkable technique

PORTRAIT OF GIOVANNI ARNOLFINI & HIS WIFE GIOVANNA CENAMI BY HUBERT & JAN VAN EYCK

• High symbolism and detail.
• Humanism: Figures are large in size and take up most of composition as opposed to dog.
• Empiricism: Accuracy of the environment around the figure.
• Gender roles.
• Artist’s self-consciousness.
• Shows Arnolfini’s wealth all over furniture.
• Authority given to woman in legal affairs.
• Candle= God’s presence/ Dog=fidelity.
• Glazing.