first set exam revision, content Flashcards
Philosophers carved as sculptures often had luscious beards to signify wisdom. Example-
Marcus Aurelius
Roman sculptures always depicted emperors…
in their youth, no matter how old they really were to present them as fit warriors in their prime
Why are manuscripts presented as divine?
People go to war, marry and live their lives off these manuscripts, they have to radiate divinity to be worthy, done through gold leaf and calligraphy
What are Bestiary manuscripts?
Manuscripts like encyclopaedias informing people on plants and creatures.
The Christian desire for heaven is…
a yearning for completion
‘Castle of love’ sculpture 1310
courtly love tropes depicted, illicit images of penetration, sexual innuendo, a subversion in gender norms
What is the meaning of Insular art?
Island art in the ancient Celtic world
Kubler
‘Every work of art is a bundle of components from different ages’
The great mosque of Cordoba
- The designers and architects are mainly anonymous
- Became emblematic of the islamic dynasty, only islamic mosque which was in Medieval Europe
-Made largely out of recycled materials
Human figure and islamic art
The human figure wasn’t largely depicted in Islamic art due to the fear that depictions of animals and humans could be used to worship to instead of their God
Gothic architecture
- Pointed arches
- Slender internal columns
- attention to light and high ceilings
the ‘Gothic Rose Manuscript’
opened up a conversation where men could be openly affectionate, masculinity was nuanced
Raunchy Medieval Europe?
Medieval Europe was not a prudish place, open depictions of bodies and sexuality, the popular theme of courtly love was erotic and explicit
Gothic metaphor for a castle
A castle was a metaphor for a women’s body, made to be penetrated, a seal to be broken into and infiltrated
symbol of flowers
a women’s virginity
women preferred to live in nunnery’s?
to escape the heteronormative social conventions expected of them
a women’s vision
- By claiming a direct connection to God through visionary experience, women could take up space in a male dominated field of intellect and respect, e.g. Hildergard, the pope himself said she was to be taken seriously. She is always depicted with a writing tablet in her hands, always reinforcing that the words we are reading come from her and no one else.
Disability in the Middle Ages
researches associated disability directly with sin, which then may require blessing to heal
St Augustine’s argument
there was no correlation between a physical body and spiritual health
Vasari’s Book
‘The lives of artists’ biographies of the most prominent artists which would go on to form modern art
When was the invention of ‘fine art’
15th-17th century Italian Renaissance
Meaning of Renaissance
Rebirth, humanism. revival of classical ideas. emphasises on education
Why must we approach Vasari’s work critically?
- he had a bias for Florentine artists as he was from there
- he held artists in favour who had a known narrative around them therefore he had a disdain for medieval art
Connotations of nudity
Humour, lust, intimacy, purity, rape
The Sistine Chapel is seen as…
The high point for Renaissance art
Female nakedness is associated with…
Sin. back to genesis and eve and the apple, women cursed with painful periods and childbirth. Adulterous women punished by being processed through city naked
the ‘perfect body’
Michelangelo’s David, carved from a single block of marble although not accurate eg. hand proportionally big
where did interest in the human body stem from?
Christianity. The human body was meant to be the peak of Gods creation. So, when artists replicate it they are approaching the power of god through craftsmanship
Nude paintings of women…
can function as a form of diplomacy or a gift, they have a performative quality to them
a prime example of nudity in Renaissance Italy
Rapheal ‘Feast of the Gods’, lots of nudity, the objects in the garlands are also provocative, painted on a ceiling in Villa Farnesina in Rome, becoming an immersive experience of nudity
successful female artist who was put down by Vasari
Properzia de Rossi- in ‘the lives of artists’ he hardly comments on her art, instead he comments ‘very beautiful’, ‘skilful in household duties’
Why did women do needlework?
to train them in the virtue of patience and modesty
the Altarpiece by Jan and Hubert Van Eyck
-Comanding figure of God, Humanised Adam and Eve
-the lamb representing the son of god, all figures directed towards it
-the foliage in the background were identified as accurate plants, encyclopaedic qualities
- Renaissance naturalism had an element of tricking the viewer, eg. the lamb is looking face on at the viewer, with its eyes at the front of its face
Durer
- German artists who documented all of his works and thoughts, he wanted to be remembered
- did a lot of self portraits, most famous [at 26] where he depicted himself with a god like stature, confronting the viewer straight on, his eyes follow you everywhere likes god, raising his hand in prayer. evokes the idea that artists are closer to god as they too are creators
-he was deeply religious
Renaissance naturalism
takes nature and uses the imagination to perfect it, both replicating and manipulating
Bosch is prime example morphing the imagined and reality, the garden of earthly delights
Bosch quote
‘poor is the mind that always uses the inventions of others and invents nothing himself’
Sketches were a big deal in Renaissance naturalism
Before painting the Last supper, Danvinci sketched the scene out as a drawing first to work out accurate proportions and naturalistic gestures
Rosslyn chapel
- small church in Scotland built by the St Claires
– Everything in the church is meant to overwhelm you into a sense of static disorientation, central function of the church is to give you a glimpse into what it would be like to enter heaven
reasons to build a church
- Praising God: angels holding the lamb of God angelic musicians playing in praise for god
Worldly prowess: the Rosslyn chapel is near the St Claire house, publicly displaying their wealth
Salvation: Medieval people had a fear of hell,images that depict the dance of death
most glorious elements of a church
- Stained glass windows are art works in themselves, in the church the light plays through the structure making it feel like a truly divine place
- Singing prayers and playing the organ was thought to be the most powerful form of prayer. A general idea that music can transport you
Symbolism of monkeys
Excoticism, uncontrolled desire, ideas of apishness, greed
Hans Holbein
- was sent to paint Anne of Celves for Henry 8th
- The man who arguably brought the Renaissance to Britain
- Was a master of anamorphic, distorted painting
- theme of death throughout his art
Holbeins anamorphic painting
The Ambassadors, the skull at the bottom
Queen Elizabeth’s image
- Her image was a responsive to the difficulty of her reign. As she was unmarried, through art she had to reassure the country of her power and superiority.
-Due to the Spanish armada being defeated by Elizabeth’s navy, and stormy weather, she was elevated to not just queen but goddess
Queen Elizabeth’s symbols for virginity
- pearls
-hair was often down, purity as brides often wore their hair down
– The two cherries around her ear point to her virginity, her cherry is still in tact. As she has no literal maternal feature she takes on the maternal patron of the country symbolised through the pelican brooch, she has sacrificed her own happiness fir that of her people, highlighting her to be the ultimate ruler
THE DUTCH
-The Dutch republic was an economical powerhouse
-In Dutch art we see the mundane and the everyday elevated, symbols of patriotism and the Dutch way of life
-Diverse social spectrum in Dutch portraiture. Not only the aristocracy could commission portraits, so could merchants
-Wealth was built on trade, an abundance of stuff, reflected in their houses. They were very humble
Symbols of Dutch art
-Common symbols of a Dutch painting- cows, windmills, low lying land
-Genre scenes- scenes from everyday life, an elevation of everyday
-Dutch crossings- Depictions of the landscapes the Dutch had concurred, Indonesia
Blue and white porcelain
-Porcelain is the peak of ceramics, which is one of the oldest art forms
-Originated in China, is exported across to Europe
-Transcultural exchange, the west would add and tweak China’s already perfected art
-The transportation is not always seamless
-Only China could make it until 1708, Europeans didn’t understand the alchemy behind it
-There was a desperation to imitate Chinese porcelain
The inspiration behind the architecture of the palace of Versailles
mostly French with Italian influences
VERSAILLES- opulence
- gold leaf EVERYWHERE
- greek mythology paintings depicted on ceiling
- fountains throughout the gardens to reflect the palace at all times
-hall of mirrors- heights of opulence - Louis 14th’s ego didn’t allow him to stop building and improving
- he moved the seat of government from Paris to Versailles
