Exam 1 Flashcards
1
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Manuscript illuminations from Christine de Pizan’s City of Women, ca. 1405: Left: Christine at her desk; Right: Christine presenting her book to the queen of France
–––––––
- Married French nobleman, received any education, thanks to her father
- Around the 1380s, her life fell apart, King Charles V died, and her husband’s position in court took a turn for the worse, then her father died, and then her husband, so she is left a widow
- Decides to become a professional writer, which was quite an astonishing decision, at this point women were discouraged from being literate (it’s dangerous! Women can’t use their brains!)
- City of Ladies
- Christine is visited by three women and told to build a city of ladies
- One of her principle themes as a writer is about the status of women
- She is an exception to the usual fate of women, mostly because she was educated
- Mentions in one of her manuscripts, people get intrigued by the novelty of her being a writer and a woman, people would commission writing from her and come to watch her write
- Worked very closely with scribes
- One of the illustrators she worked with was a woman, named Anistas, supposedly one of the great illustrators
2
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Limbourg Brothers, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, ca. 1411-16 :
Left: January; Right: February
————-
JANUARY
- this is probably the first time that a portrait of the patron is included within the book of hours, Duke is surrounded by members of his court who are very opulently decorated
- although the scene is very busy, the duke is silhouetted by a fire screen that sets him off in a way that visually functions as a halo
- figures very elongated like in martini, INTERNATIONAL STYLE
- some of the scenes show nobles and some show peasants
FEBRUARY
- complete contrast in figures, peasants
- setting is an exterior landscape rather than the interior from January
- probably the first winter landscape in western art, at least that has survived
- different style for peasants than rich, not as elongated or idealized, actually seem almost more naturalistic
- anatomical specificity of the female body, the entire thing seems tilted up, as linear perspective is not yet at work (not until the later period), however still pretty convincing scene of spatial distance
3
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Limbourg Brothers, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, ca. 1411-16, April
- Here’s one of his castles
- Nobles in the foreground
- Some of his lands and gardens
4
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Limbourg Brothers, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, ca. 1411-16, October
–––––––
- Number of important innovations
- Arguably the first surviving example in which we can see naturalistically cast shadows, new level of visual sophistication
- Elements of developing naturalism, more specific in some areas more so than others….
- Which forms of naturalism are they particularly engaged in pursuing?
- Scale, perspective
- Accurate shadows
- Not so much the anatomy…
- Bright jewel-like colors
5
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Limbourg Brothers, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, ca. 1411-16 : The Fall and Explusion
——————
Eve receives the apple from a female serpent, presents the apple to Adam, then the expulsion
6
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Limbourg Brothers, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, ca. 1411-16 :Astronomical page/Zodiacal Man
_________
- Theories that certain parts of the body are tied to certain parts of the zodiac
- This kinda has to do with the idea of bleeding people out
- Expensive use of lapis lazuli blue
7
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Jan van Eyck, Man in a red turban (self-portrait?), National Gallery London, signed and dated 1433
8
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Hubert van Eyck?, Annunciation, Metropolitan Museum, before 1426
____________
- Also had another brother and a sister
- Tradition of the van Eycks being an artistic family
- Shows the annunciation with some stylistically similar qualities as in the ghent altarpiece
- Last Flemmish paintings to situate annunciation outside of the church?
- Period where the coat of the virgin is really flourishing, the annunciation became a very popular subject
- New Christian order introduced to the world
- Annunciation appears in the bible in Luke, gives the virgin mary importance
- Links with iconographic things that are like Jan’s painting
- Architecture contributes to the iconography using the gothic and Romanesque styles to stand for the old pre-christian order and the new pre-christian style
- Romanesque old, Gothic new
- Church expresses how we’re in transistion at this moment of the annunciation
9
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Jan van Eyck, The Ghent Altarpiece (exterior), completed 1432
____________
- Top old testament prophets and pagan that predicted coming of Christ
- Annunciation in central area
- Bottom has Jodocus Vyd, the patron and Mayor of Ghent
- Two patron saints John: painted in grisailles, invented in the thirteenth c, monochromatic painting where image simulates or imitates sculptuore
- Patron saint of the church, whom the church was dedicated to probs the chapel
- Grisaille pop, annunciation pop, portraits of patron pop
- A way for the patron to really make a pitch for securing his or her own salvation, period of time where life was short and the life expectancy was about forty years, and a lot of people didn’t survive childbirth
- Terrific emphasis on assuring one’s salvation, very important, and a wealthy citizen painting an altar piece and paying for masses etc were all driven by a concern for salvation
- John the evangelist holds a chalice with snakes to reference the poison he took
- Naturalistic shading even on the grisailles parts, one similar light source, cast shadows
- Not set in a domestic interior
- Virgin mary with dove of the holy sprit on her head
- Van eyck is a master of detail and creates a sense of naturalism but also drives very thoughtful and detailed iconography of his work
- Pages being blown open behind mary because of the wind that is presumably created by the holy spirit
- Wrote an inscription upside down for god’s appreciation
- Tripart window symbolizes the trinity, basin of water a symbol for mary’s purity
- Although the annunciation is not in grisailles, it has a very limited palatte that almost approaches the technique
10
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Jan van Eyck, The Ghent Altarpiece (interior), completed 1432
_________
- Upper register shows three figures: center is Christ or God the Father, asking Christ to be merciful at the last judgement
- Figure is rigidly frontal, enthroned, holds a septre, crowned by the papal tiara which symbolizes the trinity, cloth of honor behind him embroidered with golden pelicans
- Pelican was traditionally understood as a symbol of Christ because it was wrongly believed that the pelican would pierce it’s own breast to feed its young, understood as a symbol of god’s sacrifice
- Crown at his feet designates Christ as the king of kings also been interpreted as the crown of eternal life
- John the Baptist is on the right pointing towards Christ and holding the gospel
- Virgin Mary on the left, crowned as the queen of heavan and wears a grown that is very different than most of them in renaissance art, has alternating lilies symbolizing her virginity and roses which are understood as being the queen of flowers just as she is the queen of heaven
- Flanked by musical angels
- Adam and Eve at the very far edges of the upper register
- Pertinent to a chritological iconography
- Christ is the second adam who redeems the sin of the first
- Amazing passage from naturalistic paintin, subtle light and shadow models the face, crucial ingredient to his painting style
- White in his hair starts to hint at the mortality that was introduced after the fall
- Eve is pregnant, or probably prego idk
- Tempted adam with her sexuality? But not in the book of genesis but idk
11
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Jan van Eyck, The Ghent Altarpiece (interior), completed 1432, Detail: Christ, God the Father
__________
- Upper register shows three figures: center is Christ or God the Father, asking Christ to be merciful at the last judgement
- Figure is rigidly frontal, enthroned, holds a septre, crowned by the papal tiara which symbolizes the trinity, cloth of honor behind him embroidered with golden pelicans
- Pelican was traditionally understood as a symbol of Christ because it was wrongly believed that the pelican would pierce it’s own breast to feed its young, understood as a symbol of god’s sacrifice
- Crown at his feet designates Christ as the king of kings also been interpreted as the crown of eternal life
12
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Jan van Eyck, The Ghent Altarpiece (interior), completed 1432, Detail: Adam & Eve
___________
- Adam and Eve at the very far edges of the upper register
- Pertinent to a chritological iconography
- Christ is the second adam who redeems the sin of the first
- Amazing passage from naturalistic paintin, subtle light and shadow models the face, crucial ingredient to his painting style
- White in his hair starts to hint at the mortality that was introduced after the fall
- Eve is pregnant, or probably prego idk
- Tempted adam with her sexuality? But not in the book of genesis but idk
13
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Jan van Eyck, The Ghent Altarpiece (interior), completed 1432, Detail: Adoration of the Lamb
________
- Pretty extensive detailed landscape with lamb sacrifice
- Has assembled all the faithful, at the iconographic center of the altarpiece
- All saints altarpiece celebrating the sacrament of the eucharist, worshipping christ’s sacrifice and the reinaactment of that sacrifice throught the eucharist
- Mystic lamb symbolizes Christ and is bleeding into a chalice. coooOOooOOol
- Angels with instrument of christ’s passion cross, spear
- Water from well of living waters that makes this such a rich green verdant landscape
- Just judges, giant figure in red no longer a historical and true saint (WHO IS IT)
- Iconographic unity not withstanding the multiple and diverse parts of the ghent altarpiece, completely unprecedented, so ambitious
- Luminous naturalistic and detailed style
- Oil paint on a wooden panel
- Blending of color is typical in oil paint and shows his master craftsmanship
- Shadowing subtleties are also thank to oil paint
- Oil paint is more slow drying than tempura paint, thus very meticulous gave him all the time in the world, aka you can just scrape off and repaint what you’re working on
14
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Jan van Eyck, Madonna in a Church, Berlin, 1425-27
__________
- Central role in the devotional works of Jan van Eyck (Mary)
- She was in the ghent alatarpiece 2x
- Iconography linked closely to style
- 12 inches x 5.5 inches
- represents the Madonna holding the Christ child in a church, disproportionately large in relationship to the church because she is not only its inhabitant but she is a personification of THE CHURCH (Catholic version)
- stands in the knave
- this was before van eyck purely represented her in red robes
- statue of her in the back, a relief of the annunciation as well; clearly the church celebrates mary
- here as human mother of Christ but also crowned as the queen of heavan
- gothic church (new)
- all Christian churches were oriented so the altar faced towards the east, towards the holy land, façade always faces to the west.
- Light pouring into the windows through the northern side of the church, aka not natural, it is divine light, and is a symbol of the divine presence
- Reference to light in the inscription on mary’s dress that is taken from the feast of the assumption, “She is more beautiful than the sun, she is found before it for she is the brightness of eternal light and the unspotted mirror of God’s majesty.”
- Literally symbolizing mary and her particular nature
- Also an inscription on the original frame that alluded to light passing through glass, one of the metaphors frequently used to explain the virgin birth
- This is located in Berlin
15
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Jan van Eyck, Annunciation in a church, National Gallery Washington, ca. 1428-29
____________
- A bit larger than the previous, but still rather small
- Moves the annunciation into the inside of a church, first time in netherlandish panel painting that this happens, there were earlier examples in manuscript painting, one of the arguments used to make the claim that van eyck’s beginning to painting was manuscript illumination (we don’t know this for sure)
- Inscription is for our benefit
- Best dressed angel in western art. SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN.
- Instead of holding the stalk of lilies, van eyck has placed that symbol in the foreground as it symbolizes mary’s virginity
- Very richly detailed pavement tiles that are decorated with old testament scenes
- David slaying goliath
- Sampson vanquishing the philistines, pulling down the building
- Prefigurations for Christ’s triumph over the devil also known as TYPOLOGY, Stories from the old testament reinterpreted as anticipating or prefiguring events of the new testament
- Holy spirit descends via golden rays onto the virgin mary
- This church looks as if it were constructed from the top down, upper part is in the Romanesque style while the bottom is gothic
- Three windows symbolizing the trinity of the new testament
- Consistently develops and defines the iconography using architecture
- Presumably small paintings like this were made for private devotion
16
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Van Eyck, Dresden Triptych, signed and dated 1437
___________
- Signed and dated
- Really liked to do inscriptions on his frames
- Three panel private devotional work
- St Michael and St Catherine on the sides
- Ordered by an Italian gentleman, no other definitive evidence
- Madonna being represented in a church but symbolizing THE CHURCH
- Presides over the ecclesiastical space in which she is placed
- Most sumptuous church interior, filled with rich brocaded cloth
- Columns of different colored marble, lots of relief sculptural decoration
- Virgin and Child are flanked by the donor who is flanked by his patron saint Michael
- Catherine was beheaded and holds the sword from her beheading apparently
- Luminous style of his painting parallels with the iconographic significance of light in these paintings of the virgin mary
- We see the emotional attention of mary to disappear, seems less accessible
- Both the use of grisaille becomes popular in the outside of these pieces
- Outside is Gabriel and Mary, with the dove of the holy spirit
17
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Van Eyck, Madonna with Chancellor Rolin, Louvre, ca. 1433
____________
- We see Rolin in his own castle with a book of hours in front of him
- One of our important patrons of Roger Van derviden’s commission
- Tradition of devotional pictures was to show the patron but usually they do not occupy the same space
- Here we see Rolin right with the holy figure of the virgin and child
- Angel crowning mary as the queen of heaven
- Through the open arcade in the bg of the chamber we can see into a distance landscape, spacious mountains, lots of atmosphere, vineyards, gardens, etc
- Relief sculptures on the capitals of the building
- Cain killing abel
- Drunkenness of Noah (references wine, may had to do with a personal reference to the family vocation in the wine business)
- Three-quarters of van eyck’s paintings include portraits
18
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Van Eyck, Madonna of Canon Van der Paele, Bruges, Musée Communale des Beaux-Arts, 1434-36
___________
- Four feet high, the largest votive painting
- Commissioned for the church of saint donation
- Saint Donation was an archbishop, the titular saint of the church for which this altarpiece was painted
- Madonna and child enthroned in an ecclesiastical interior
- Saint George presenting his namesake to the virgin mary, patron saint of Canon Van der Paela
- Saint Donation has the hat and staff which showcases him as the archbishop
- Everyone is looking at Canon Van der Paela
- Roses embroidered behind her, as the queen of heaven
- Great job with the light and the reflections, showing off his skills in illusionism and modeling
- Reliefs and sculptural decorations of these interiors of Van Eyck always contribute to and play a roll in the iconography
- On the right, we see Eve, and above her sculpture of Sampson killing the lion, an archetype for Christ; On the left, Adam a type for Christ, and Cain Killing Abel, a prefiguration of the sacrifice of Christ
- Christ child holding a parrot, a symbol of eternal life
- Why is Christ barren and exposed, signifies his more human nature, fully human
19
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Van Eyck, Lucca Madonna, Frankfurt, ca. 1434
_________
- VE again presents Mary as though she is enthroned, implicitly portrayed as both the queen of heaven and the human mother of Christ
- Shows her and the child as very human as he is feeding from her breast
- Lions are shown to remind us of Solomon’s throne, reminding us of his wisdom, which reflects mary receiving all the wisdom of those who proceeded her
- Basin is a reminder of her purity
- Flask with light penetrating it reminding us of the metaphor for the virgin birth
- Light coming through the window is a secondary reminder of that same theme
20
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Van Eyck, St. Barbara, Antwerp, Musée Royale, 1437
__________
21
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Van Eyck, Portrait of Cardinal Niccolo Albergati (right) and silverpoint drawing for the portrait (left), ca. 1432
_________
- Commissioned by the cardinal
- Based off the silverpoint drawing VE did while he was in town
- Rare and important example of preparatory drawing for a painting, more specifically a portrait
- Italians pay more detail and attention to muscles and body structure, but when it comes to portraiture
- Drawings were almost never signed at this time, as they are usually a means to an end, this one however is signed BUT NOT BY VAN EYCK WTF, don’t assume that these names on drawings are usually the artist because a lot of the time collectors mark them idk why tho
22
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Robert Campin, Entombment Triptych, Seilern collection, London, ca. 1415-20
_________
- Campin worked mostly with Middle Class patrons
- one of his earliest surviving paintings
- dates are hypothetical and undocumented
- a work that includes some old-fashioned characteristics [tooled gold leaf background]
- introduced the emotion of someone wiping tears away from someone’s cheek and other forms of expression seen
- donor is in the left side panel along with the crucifixion scene
- modeling of drapery is very detailed and realistic
23
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Robert Campin, Betrothal of the Virgin, Prado Museum, ca. 1420
__________
- iconographic innovations here, the betrothal is taking place in a portal of a Gothic Cathedral and the bg building looks Romanesque
- the Saint Joseph here looks like he’s on his last legs, super old looking whereas Mary looks beautiful and youthful
- he has issues with perspective and packing of characters into space (naturalism is uneven)
- individualized faces, but they aren’t very realistic or natural looking
24
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Robert Campin, Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds, Dijon, ca. 1420
_________
- he’s putting things in a more natural landscape now (fitting the setting better to the subjects)
- but in terms of iconography, he’s interpreted the subjects of this event… it’s in a stable like the real story, but seems like contemporary countryside… stable looks broken down - it’s the “old order”… the old order is being replaced with the new order with the coming of Christ (sun is rising in the bg - dawn of a new day, dawn of a new order)
- strong symbols with just the setting alone
- read about Mary’s white clothing in the textbook
25
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Robert Campin, Merode Altarpiece, Cloisters Museum, New York, 1426
_____________
- central panel shows the annunciation
- joseph is working on the right while the patrons watch on the left
- like some of van eyck, this is a domestic setting (the virgin’s house), she is wearing red
- the lion symbolizes Salomon’s wisdom, that mary is the heir of all the old testament prophets
- extinguished candle, turning of the pages of books (Gabriel’s arrival causes the wind that extinguishes and turns pages)
- the candle could also have been extinguished bc some said that the divine outshine
- little baby with a cross comes flying through the window… the virgin birth thru the window
- figures are pretty naturalistic, but the perspective is all skewed
- Joseph is creating a mouse trap in his wood shop
26
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Campin, St. Veronica, ca. 1430-32
27
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Van der Weyden, Madonna enthroned in a niche, Thyseen Collection, Madrid, ca. 1430-32
_______
- Not a court painter although he occasionally did commissions
- Mostly a middle class guy who worked for middle class patrons
- Guild: kinda like a union, official member, ie Master Painter, or you could not practice your vocation in the city
- More of a low key profile
- Receives his training from Robert Campin, then gets married and moves to Brussels, spends the remained of his career there. Except for a short trip to Rome in the 1450s, jubilee year
- Also influenced by Jan Van Eyck
- Called him an “investigator” What does that mean?
- Sometimes provided a means of controlling foreign infiltrators
- In both cases places Mary in an ecclesiastical environment
- Softer skin, emotional expressiveness
- Assimilates a lot of iconography from Van Eyck (sculptural decorations, lions on mary’s throne
- Seated virgin in a niche very elaborate
- Couple of small details at the top
- Includes elements of landscapes and flowers: iris symbol of the passion of Christ
- Columbines symbolize sorrow, referencing the sorrows of the virgin Mary
- Although in elaborate settings, she is nursing the Christ child, emphasizes the humanity o f Christ and the virigin mary.
- Becomes more interested in the human side and the more human part of \
- If you think back to Van Eyck’s Madonna in a church, similar: both in a church, personifies and symbolizes the Catholic church
28
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Van der Weyden, Annunciation, Louvre, ca. 1435
__________
- Annunciation in the church: both campin and van eyck
- Common w Campin: sets the scene in a domestic enterior
- Elaborate drapery
- Very similar composition
- Van der Weyden has a bit more going on with the fingers and the poses more graceful and beautiful
- Facial features are very similar between Campin and Van der Weyden, noses are long, oval shaped faces
- Similar to van eyck, stalk of lilies, a vase of water that casts a reflection on the wall, two pieces of fruit that refer to original sin, patterns
- Medallion above the bed shows Christ
- Snyder suggests that this is a bridal chamber
- “Mystic Marriage” The idea that the church is the bride of Christ because he never got married, lots of symbolism about it
- However Mary symbolizes the church. Mystic marriage between Mary and Christ?
- Landscape outside of the window
29
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Van der Weyden, St. Luke painting the Virgin, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 1435
_____________
- Probably inspired by Jan Van Eyck’s Madonna with Chancellor Rolin, ca. 1435
- Rooms are open to the landscape in both
- Iconography a bit different
- Both appear in front of a man, in Weyden’s St. Luke
- First artist to paint the virgin mary and the Christ child, thus why he is the patron saint of painters
- In this, St. Luke is not actually painting, but making a a drawing from life of the virgin and child, silverpoint drawing
- Suggests that maybe van der Weyden drew from life and did silverpoint
- Also suggests Weyden I sensitive to the miraculous character of this event
- All of the evangelists have a symbolize associated with them, in the painting on the right, you see the Ox
- Mary is seated on a bottom step she stepped down to his level
- She’s nursing again, bitch never stops, human
30
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Van der Weyden, Deposition, Prado Museum, Madrid, ca. 1435-40
____________
- Crossbows representing the painters guild are seen in the details in the corners
- Painted for a church dedicated to the virgin mary
- Unprecedented iconographic emphasis on mary in this interpretation of the deposition
- What has he done that is new or different?
- Jesus and Mary have similar angles of their bodies, parallel, Passion of Christ and the Compassion of Mary
- Limp arm of Christ is the traditional indicator that he is dead
- Has pagan roots but has infiltrated in Christian iconography, that expresses that he is dead
- Puts Mary and Christ in the same light, Mary is the co-redemptress
- Number of theologians who are involved in reflecting on the role of the virgin mary in salvation, she guarantees Christ’s human nature, even though she was without sin and was strong (how could she show weakness?)
- Eventually becomes a sacrilegious notion
- Figures are monumental, not really a space
- Sacred space that emphasizes the special nature of what we see
- Place with the skull is where Adam is supposed to be buried
- Sometimes in crucifixion we see Christ spilling his blood on the skull of Adam
- Mary Magdalene (on far right) her body is contorted showing her intense grief and emotional pain
- Has Weyden crossed the line with all of the tears that are spilt?
31
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Van der Weyden, Madonna and Child in a niche, Prado Museum, ca. 1436-37
__________
- Christ child turning the pages of the book which weve seen in some van eycks
32
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Van der Weyden, Crucifixion triptych, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, ca. 1440
__________
- Continuous landscape throughout the three panels of the triptych, a sense of compositional unitym old fashioned format that doesn’t lend itself to compositional
- Mary Magdalene at left has moved to the side panel, St. Veronica on the left who holds the seudarian
- First time that the virgin mary embraces the foot of the Christ, amped up role of the virgin mary
33
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Van der Weyden, Miraflores Altarpiece, ca. 1440
Detail: Holy family
__________
- Continuing in a pattern of iconography
- Thinks about the meaning of a triptych
- How can I sanctify the space in which these holy events are taking place?
- Devises a scheme in which each panel of the triptych is conceived as a portal
- Creates a slightly different vantage point so that we look up at the figures
- Seems to be deliberately evoking a sense of a gothic cathedral in his design
- Three distinctly different chapters in the Christian story
- First scene shows the nativity, second immediately after Christ’s death (lamentation), and the right shows Christ appearing to his mother after the resurrection.
34
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Van der Weyden, Miraflores Altarpiece, ca. 1440
Detail: Lamentation
__________
- Pushes to the edge of the space, Christ’s feet almost break through the picture plane into the viewer’s space
- Sense of immediacy in our experience
- Christ is set off by mary’s scarlet robe (which is a symbol for the passion of Christ)
- Reliefs: Christ carrying the cross, scene of crucifixion
- Basically sets a very elaborate task for himself in making all of these relief decorations
35
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Van der Weyden, Miraflores Altarpiece, ca. 1440
Detail: Christ appearing to his mother
_____________
- Can see the resurrection of Christ in the distant landscape
- Narrative reliefs: posthumous miraculous events concerning mary, coronation and the assumption of mary into heaven
36
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A
Van der Weyden, Beaune Altarpiece, Hotel Dieu, Beaune, begun ca. 1443-44: Exterior
_____________
- Commission by Nicholas Rolin chancellor of burgundy, to decorate a hospital that he had founded called the Hotel Dieu, “House of God”
- Probably one of the most important commissions
- Was inspired by the exterior of the Ghent Altarpiece, Van Eyck
- EXTERIOR
- Patron saints in grisaille, as well as a scene of the annunciation
- Rolin and his wife kneel in prayer before a small table with a prayer book
- Skilled diplomat who successfully negotiated on Phillip the Good’s behalf, very important
- Active patron of the arts, Jan van Eyck prior,
- Founded two universities
- One contemporary described him as one of the great minds of the realm
- Notion of making up for his sins with these humanitarian gestures, aka getting time off in purgatory
- Saint Sebastian and Saint Anthony the Hermit
- Common saints for people who are ill to pray to
- Sebastian was the patron saint of the hospital
- Anthony protector from leprosy and skin disease
- One of the biggest altarpieces in its open position
37
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Van der Weyden, Beaune Altarpiece, Hotel Dieu, Beaune, begun ca. 1443-44: Interior with Last Judgment
___________
- A grim but pertinent subject matter, last judgment, salvation
- Iconography of what becomes a central subject really develops
- Central panel Christ in judgment above the archangel Michael
- Angles with instruments of the passion on either side of Christ
- Earth level: virgin mary on his right, st john the Baptist on his left
- Beyond them are the apostles and a few saints
- Down below are the resurrected souls who are coming up from their tombs, some going to paradise, the others to hell
- Christ is seated on a rainbow, reminder of the flood, feet rests on a sphere that symbolizes a globe of the world
- Crowned with a halo, crucifix nimbus which is reserved only for him
- Right hand raised, left hand lowered: fundamental feature of last judgment paintings
- Right blessing, left condemnation
- Lily that symbolizes mercy (can have different meanings)
- Rigidly frontal and iconic, Christ in his divine aspect, not a man
- Archangel Michael surrounded by trumpet that are waking everyone up
- He is also weighing souls bad is heavy, good is light
- Damned souls vs Blessed souls
- No reaction on the face of Michael, he don’t give a FUCK
- Again, frozen frontal, unemotional
- Mary and John are the two intercessors at the last judgment, they intercede for humanity, asking Christ to be merciful
- Far left we see another angel admitting the blessed to paradise, which is gothic architecture
- Far right we see the damned, who are just falling into hell so I guess that although there aren’t demons and stuff torturing them they have kinda done this to themselves and they realize THEY FUCKED UP
38
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Van der Weyden, Seven Sacraments Altarpiece, Antwerp Museum, ca. 1448
_________
- Another triptych, this time an immovable one
- Central panel significantly taller than the side panels, imitating a gothic church
- First time in which all seven sacraments are represented together in the same altarpiece, wooo CATHOLICISM
- Begins in the left panel: Baptism, Confirmation (guy in black here is the patron), Penance
- Center: Eucharist
- Right panel: Last Rights, Marriage, Ordination
39
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Van der Weyden, Bladelin triptych, Berlin, ca. 1425-55
___________
- Wealthy Bladelin built an entire new town called Middleburg and commissioned this altarpiece for the church
- Nativity in the center, announcement of christ’s birth in the east and the west
- Similar to the Campin
- Missing the unification of the three panels in the triptych
- Some of the naturalism is a bit compromised, they are strangely large in the space than they should be, archaic elements making an appearance (mary’s halo made of gold)
- St joseph shielding the candle
- Column is very prominently situated, refers to the flagellation of Christ and the notion that mary held onto a column when she gave birth to Christ
40
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Van der Weyden, Bladelin triptych, Berlin, ca. 1425-55 (center)
_____________
- Wealthy Bladelin built an entire new town called Middleburg and commissioned this altarpiece for the church
- Nativity in the center, announcement of christ’s birth in the east and the west
- Similar to the Campin
- Missing the unification of the three panels in the triptych
- Some of the naturalism is a bit compromised, they are strangely large in the space than they should be, archaic elements making an appearance (mary’s halo made of gold)
- St joseph shielding the candle
- Column is very prominently situated, refers to the flagellation of Christ and the notion that mary held onto a column when she gave birth to Christ
41
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Van der Weyden, Crucifixion Diptych, Philadelphia Museum, ca. 1455-59
________________
- If you see it with a black background, it is later because they restored the wall and the tapestries that VDW did
- Passion of Christ, compassion of the virgin
- Red calls attention to the figures
- Place of the Skull, referencing Adam
- Special event in a sacred location, calls attention to this
- Pushes figures close to us and creates a sense of immediacy
- Things seem to quiet down in VDW’s later works
- Chris is a gaunt angular figure, emphasizing suffering, and juxtaposing to the fluttering draperies is very deliberate in calling our attention to the jarring characteristics of Christ’s body
42
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Van der Weyden, St. Columba Altarpiece, Munich, ca. 1460
_______________
- Patron unknown, although most likely in the court of Philip the good
- Painted for the church St. Columba in Colon
- Relics of the three magi that are in colon may have inspired the iconography here
- Center, adoration of the magi, annunciation and presentation of Christ in the temple on the sides.
- About ten years after his trip to Italy, some of the motifs are from Italy, the idea of the eldest of the three magi kneels and kisses Christ
- Three magi have all been identified ad portraits of contemporary figures, Philip the Good is the eldest magi, the youngest is his son and heir, Charles the Bold, and the middle aged magus is the King of France, Louis the XI
- Figures are more proportionate to their surrounding
- Gold inscription of the angelic salutation from Gabriel to Mary
43
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Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a woman, National Gallery Washington, ca. 1455
_____________
- Don’t know identity
- Portraits of women are much less common than portraits of men
- Women had no vocational roles
- To be a subject of a portrait probably had to be at least middle class, were supposed to stay at home and not mix publicly
- Clothing doesn’t indicate any richness
- Portraits used to be remembered, to make the absent, present and the dead, live
- Also shows us some of the social and economic status of the family and the individual
44
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Campin, Portrait of a woman, National Gallery London, ca. 1425-30
__________
- A lot like VDW’s 1434 portrait
- Opportunity for the office to utilize a highly realistic and detailed style
- Lots of tactile realism and close attention to modeling forms
45
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A
Rogier van der Weyden
Left: Portrait of Charles the Bold, Berlin, ca. 1457
Right: Portrait of Francesco d’Este, Metropolitan Museum, ca. 1455-60
________
VDW, Portrait of Charles the Bold, Berlin, 1457
- Future duke of burgundy
- Holds the hilt of a sword?
- Order of the Golden Fleece necklace, oldest noble order, very exclusive, had to come from a very old established aristocratic family, differentiating them from the nouveau riche
VDW, portrait of Francesco d’Este, 1355-60
- Son of a Duke, bastard of Duke of Modona in Italy
- Same principle of emphasis through contrast
46
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Petrus Christus (ca. 1410-72/3), Young Lady with black cap, Berlin, ca. 1470
_________
Arguably a student of Jan van Eyck, we do know he worked with him and inherited his studio, seems to have been the artist who completed a couple of works that were begun by Jan van Eyck
47
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Hans Memling, Tommaso and Maria Portinari, Metropolitan Museum, ca. 1472
_________
- Btw they shaved their foreheads during this time period
- Hands almost begin to challenge the picture frame
- Made as a companion piece to the portrait of her husband Tommaso
- Often times these sort of companion pieces feature a saint in the middle, making the man on the right hand side of the saint
- Tommosso commissioned this and an important altar piece from Hugo something
48
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Hans Memling, Man with a medal, Antwerp Museum, ca. 1475-80
_______
- Greatest number of portraiture and has a different style, utilizes landscape background
- This is how a lot of Italian portraits are during the time, sitter is higher up and we see the landscape from a birds eye view, so we look down at a lower level at the distant and also lower landscape
49
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A
Anonymous Flemish painter (Memling?), Portrait of Jacob Obrecht, Kimbell Museum, 1496
____________
- At the Kimball
- Its been suggested that it might be by memling, also suggested its by a French artist
50
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A
Memling, Portrait of a young man, Thyssen collection, Madrid, ca. 1485
____________
Rich tablecloth or rug on table with irises, something to do with the identity of the sitter, idk
51
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A
Jan van Eyck, the Arnolfini Wedding, National Gallery London, 1434
____________
- Argued that this was a wedding portrait celebrating the wedding of an Italian merchant and that these two ex patriots moved to Bruges and wanted to create a commemorative portrait celebrating their wedding far from Lucca
- Raising his right hand taking a vow of marriage, holding hands to signify their reunion, dog fidelity, fruit on chest reminds us of original sin, single lit candle in brass chandelier signifies both the marriage ceremony and the presences of god at this sacrament
- Brick building, its daylight
- Bed references marriage but also speaks to the socio economic status of the couple, it is apparently a pricey big ticket item that is draped lavishly in red which is the most expensive dye for fabric during the renaissance
52
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A
Dieric Bouts, Infancy Altarpiece, Prado Museum, Madrid, ca. 1445
__________
- Dutch painter who comes to Brouges
- Shows influence of van der weyden, portals decorated with sculpture
- Figures don’t have much in common with Van der Weyden, figures are stiffer, last movemented, less emotionally expressive
- Wheras the framework is inspired by Van der Weyden, the figures are closer to Jan van Eyck
- Emotionally understated, not the slender and elongated figures that VDW was using
Visitation Detail
- Weird that it is kind of in the center, doesn’t have significant theological significance
- Mary and her leaving with her cousin Elizabeth when they are both pregnant
- Most significant thing: Elizabeth pregnant with John the Baptist, “the child leapt in her womb and greeted his savior” first to accept Christ’s status as savior
Nativity Detail
- Also in the center
- Shepherds in the background, kinda chatting or something, v curious as not quite an adoration of the shepherds as is popular to show during this period
- Angels and the virgin mary are worshipping the Christ child in this interpretation
- Scenes on the side elaborate the iconography
53
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A
Dieric Bouts, Infancy Altarpiece, Prado Museum, Madrid, ca. 1445, Details: Nativity; Adoration of the Magi
________
Nativity Detail
- Also in the center
- Shepherds in the background, kinda chatting or something, v curious as not quite an adoration of the shepherds as is popular to show during this period
- Angels and the virgin mary are worshipping the Christ child in this interpretation
- Scenes on the side elaborate the iconography
54
Q
A
Petrus Christus, Nativity, National Gallery Washington, ca. 1445-50
___________
- Adopts VDW’s invention of the portal decorated with sculpture
- Detail rendering of the exquisite fabrics seems to come from Jan Van Eyck
- Virgin is very elongated, and the Christ child is placed upon her robe
- Joseph has removed his shoes as he is on holy ground
- Very prominent figures of Adam and Eve reminding us that Christ is the second Adam who redeems the sin of the first
- Naturalistic landscape background similar to Jan van Eyck
55
Q
A
Hans Memling, Madonna and Child with Angels, National Gallery Washington, ca. 1485
________
- Archway more incorporated into the painting, it is a space that is occupied by the figures and the angels overlap and are in front of the arch
- Figures are elongated, emotionall expressive
- lot of detailed sensibility that relates to Jan van Eyck with eleaborately rendered brocades and carpets
56
Q
A
Hugo van der Goes, divided diptych, Lamentation, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, ca. 1468-70
__________
- Born in Ghent, spends all of his time there
- Ghent never really was an artistic center comparable to Bruges
- Probably the most significant painter from Ghent
- Artistic originality possible because he was so far from artistic centers
- Becomes an independent master in 1467
- Works on a series of commissions, then enters a monastery near Brussels
- In 1481, seems to lose his mind, then dies the following year, thus a short career
- Only 15 works attributed to him and only one Is documented
57
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A
Van der Goes, Portinari Altarpiece, Uffizi, ca. 1474-76
__________
- Commissioned for the church of st. ageeo something in Florence by Tommaso Portinari
- Pretty significant impact
- Extraordinarily innovative iconography
- Some things about VDG are very forward while others are rather old fashioned
- Old Fashioned
- Gold lines coming out of jesus
- Inclusion of donors and their children, stiff
- Saints disproportionately large in relation to the donor portraits, hieratic scale
- Relegating the donors and the patron saints to the side panels is old fashioned
- Some continuity in terms of landscape and architectural backgrounds (JVE)
- Portinarri and his two sons, patron saints St Thomas and St Anthony
- On the right Maria Baroncelli and her daughter, patron saints Margaret (and her vanquished dragon) and Mary Magdalene
- Influences of JVE and the naturalism
58
Q
A
Van der Goes, Adoration of the Shepherds, Berlin, ca. 1480
___________
- This and the next one are contenders for being the last picture he painted
- VDG conceives this as a scene being revealed to us by two old testament prophets who are pulling the curtains aside to reveal to us this scene
- Figures are much less naturalistic than VDG’s earlier paintings
- Spatial ambiguity, more of a sense of movement and emotional exuberance
- Not entirely convincing
59
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A
Van der Goes, Death of the Virgin, Bruges, ca. 1481
________________
- Exempted from original sin and pain in child birth and pain from death, her body does not decompose, exempted from all of the curses of original sin
- Surrounded by the apostles
- Strange emotional disconnect, nobody is looking at the virgin mary, lack of narrative cohesion
- Christ is probs lookin at mary, holds up his hands revealing scars
- Absence of spatial believability, figures crowded into a less than coherent spatial setting
