Gothic and Northern European Art Flashcards
ground zero of Gothic Art
Isle de France
Abbot Suger
guy who invented Gothic architecture
Saint Denis
first building to make use of Gothic architecture
back end of Catholic church
6 characteristics of Gothic cathedrals (and contrasting characteristics of Romanesque cathedrals)
extravagant exterior design (plain exterior design)
pointed arches (round arches)
heavy fenestration (small windows)
flying buttresses (engaged buttresses)
thin walls (thick walls)
complex vaults (ribbed vaults)

known as Notre Dame de Paris or Notre Dame of Paris
from Gothic era
one of largest buildings at time of construction
intended to allow all of Paris to attend mass at once
has 3 portals
nave
main central aisle in Gothic cathedral
apse
hemispherical end of nave in Gothic cathedral
transept
aisle that crosses nave at right angle in Gothic cathedral

known as Chartres Cathedral or Notre Dame de Chartes
from Gothic era
big cathedral in little town
started out as Romanesque style (finished as Gothic style)
has labrynth inside for meditative pilgrimage (not for keeping minotaurs)

known as Strasbourg Cathedral
from Gothic era
locaterd in modern-day France
super complex version of Gothic style
you can get a hotel room for $50/night and not be in Erie

known as Salisbury Cathedral
from Gothic era
located in England
Borowicz visited because he speaks English
has a lot of horizontal lines (looks wider

known as Florence Cathedral
from Gothic era
located in Italy
dome was added on later
started as Romanesque building (became more Gothic over time through renovations)
Giotto was architect of bell tower
has mostly engaged buttresses

known as Milan Cathedral
from Gothic era
largest cathedral built during Gothic era
exterior is covered with 2,300 life-size saint statues

known as Ca’ d’Oro
from Gothic era
name means “house of gold” (Italian)
located in Venice

known as Palace of the Doge
from Gothic era
located in Saint Mark’s Square in Venice
culture contact with Islamic world (ceramic tiles and pointed arches)
connected to New Prison through Bridge of Sighs

known as Palazzo Decchio
from Gothic era
Borowicz says it looks like an ugly little castle from Middle Ages because it is
name translates to “old palace” (Italian)
administrative center of Florence
used as fortress to protect Florence’s rulers from public
façade
false front exterior wall of Gothic cathedral that is not load-bearing
covered with sculptural elements
portal
door of cathedral that comes in sets of 3
jamb
space between doors
usually contains sculpture
tympanum
semi-circular area above doors
usually contains sculpture
church furniture
any sculpted and functional element in cathedral

known as Portals of Chartes Cathedral
from Gothic era
shows entire history of Gothic sculpture
Borowicz says it’s “kind of sucky”

known as Moses Well or Well of Moses
made by Claus Sluter
located in mental hospital in Dijon in France
peak of Northern European sculpture
considered Sluter’s best sculpture
polychromatic (painted)
gisant
life-size sculpture of dead person placed on top of their sarcophagus
sometimes depicts rotting organs


known as Ekkehard and Uta
from Gothic era
Ekkehard looks like a bit of a chubster
Uta looks cold
Borowicz likes that it is relatable

known as Tres Riches Hueres du Duc de Berry or Book of Hours
made by Limbourg Brothers
name translates to “very rich hours of the Duke of Berry” (French)
shows scene of early February
placed in prayer book
Copernicus
guy who discovered that earth revolves around the sun
Martin Luther
priest who started Protestant Reformation
oil paint
pigment mixed with linseed oil
brightly and intensely colored
dries slowly (allows artist to blend colors)
flexible after drying (allows canvas to be rolled up and transported)

known as Mérode Altarpiece
made by Robert Campin
paintings of God were allowed for teaching purposes
Mary got breathed on
mousetrap is symbolic of Jesus

known as Descent from the Cross
made by Rogier Van Der Weyden
altarpiece
uses colors to direct eyes
color which Mary wears in art (and why)
blue (symbolizes faithfulness)
color which Mary Magdeline wears in art
red (symbolizes sin)
color which John wears in art
red (symbolizes devout faith)
altarpiece
painting placed on or behind altar in church
triptych altarpiece
altarpiece with 3 panels
polyptych altarpiece
altarpiece with multiple panels

known as Portinari Altarpiece
made by Hugo Van Der Goes
Portinari was a merchant
wheat symbolizes bread of life
Bethlehem symbolizes house of wheat

known as Garden of the Lights or Garden of Earthly Delights
made by Hieronymus Bosch
Borowicz says it’s better than whatever we do on the weekends
lots of butt stuff
panels show order of events from beginning to end
red fruit is reference to sexuality
bought by king of Spain

known as The Cure of Folly
made by Hieronymus Bosch
“Lubbot Dos” is stupid person
depicts doctor removing stone from man’s head
stone is symbolic of stupidity

known as Madonna and Chancellor Rolin
made by Jan Van Eyck
about 3.5’ to 4’ tall
incredibly detailed
Borowicz says you can’t laugh at little 50-year old baby Jesus (that’s your savior)

known as Ghent Altarpiece or Adoration of the Lamb
made by Jan van Eyck
Borowicz spent 8 hours per day for 3 days just staring at it (had to sneak Snickers bars in for lunch and dinner)
12 panels on front
8 panels on back
depicts biblical figures and leaders of Catholic Church
stolen twice
dissembled and sold separately and then brought back together

known as Arnolfini Wedding Portrait
made by Jan van Eyck
believed to be used as proof of marriage (disproven)
commemorative portrait
singular candle in chandelier symbolizes of Jesus
entire painting can be seen in reverse through mirror (including viewer and van Eyck)
fruit near window symbolizes fertility

known as Temptation of Saint Anthony
made by Martin Schongauer
subject liked by Northern Europeans for showing weird monster creatures
1 of 1st great printmakings
man in left corner suffers from Saint Anthony’s fire

known as Isenheim Altarpiece
made by Matthias Grünewald
from German Renaissance
larger than life-size
highly accurate account of events
lamb is bleeding into holy grail

known as Sir Thomas More
made by Hans Holbein
depicts deputy to King George VIII

known as The Meat Stall or A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms
made by Pieter Aertsen
cow head used for making head cheese

known as Fall of Icarus
made by Pieter Bruegel
genre
genre
painting of everyday people doing everyday people things
atmospheric perspective
art tool used to create illusion of 3-dimensional space on 2-dimensional surface
used in images of outdoors

known as Hunters in the Snow
made by Pieter Bruegel
example of genre
example of atmospheric perspective
has bad composition (all important stuff is on one side)
eyes are led across canvas by birds and direction of people

known as Fall of the Rebel Angels
made by Pieter Bruegel
composition is almost impossible to figure out (horror vacuii)

known as Triumph of Death
made by Pieter Bruegel
post-plague painting

known as Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
made by Albrecht Dürer
horseman with arrow is symbolic of bubonic plague
open mouth on monster is symbolic of Mouth of Hell
example of extremely high-quality woodcut (almost as good as engraving by using many thin lines to make gray)
based on Book of Revelation
printmaking
method for artists to make many copies of single original
types of printmaking in Renaissance
woodcut
engraving
woodcut
printmaking technique made by carving image into block of wood
hard to depict gray
not extremely precise
engraving
printmaking technique made by incising design onto a hard and flat surface by cutting grooves into it
better than woodcut
effects of printmaking on society
allowed artists to make equivalent or more money by selling more copies for lower prices
allowed regular people to afford artwork

known as Melencolia I
made by Albrecht Dürer
depicts references to mathematics

known as Judgment of Paris
made by Lucas Cranach
depicts Greek and Roman mythology
anatomical nightmare
Albrecht Dürer
basically Da Vinci of Northern Europe

known as Knight, Death, and the Devil
made by Albrecht Dürer
goat-head monster is symbolic of death
dog is symbolic of faithfulness
conveys that time takes everyone to death
Jan van Eyck
Flemish painter from Bruges
1 of best oil painters
painted with incredible detail
Borowicz’s favorite artist
Johannes Gutenberg
inventor of printing press
effect of printing press on Renaissance
increased literacy rate of Europe to 17% for both men and women
allowed ideas (particularly Greek literature) to spread much faster
first thing ever printed using printing press
Gutenberg Bible
event which marked beginning of Protestant Reformation
nailing of 95 theses on the door of Church of Wittenburg by Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Catholic priest who started Protestant Reformation in Germany
fought against indulgences within Catholic Church
spread of Protestant Reformation
spread throughout all northern European countries (not adjacent to Mediterranean Sea) except Belgium and part of Ireland
effects of rise of capitalism in Renaissance
creation of a large middle class
effects on Italian Renaissance
invention of printing press (1439)
Protestant Reformation (1517)
rise of capitalism

known as Luther’s Portrait
made by Lucas Cranach
example of fundamentalist painting
portrays Martin Luther as big fat fatty

known as Judith and Holofernes
made by Lucas Cranach
depicts Judith killed by Holofernes
empowering for women
Hans Holbein
German painter and printmaker
greatest portrait-maker of Northern Renaissance
had a bad haircut


known as Erasmus or Portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam
made by Hans Holbein
portrait of Catholic priest
Erasmus of Rotterdam
Catholic priest in Northern Renaissance
reformer from within (not excommunicated from Catholic Church)
wrote satirical book which made fun of pope