Module 6 (Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo)

Question 1

Albrecht Durer

Answer 1

• Founder and greatest master of the German Renaissance
• Elevated graphic arts to a higher art form (e.g., prints)
• German artist: made woodcuts, engravings (on copper plates), watercolor paintings, and oil paintings
• Was a goldsmith
• Created “Adam and Eve” engraving
• Created set of 3 containing “Knight, Death, and the Devil,” “St. Jerome in his Study,” and “Melencolia I”

Question 2

“Adam and Eve” (“Fall of Man”) (image 074)

Answer 2

• Engravings featuring Adam and Eve in contrapposto with idealized bodies; frontal nude poses
• Knew audience was not ready for classical nudity
• Inspired by ideals of Italian Renaissance
• Ibex symbolizes nonbelieving (perfect because Adam and Eve are the first to break a divine commandment)
• Only work where Durer signed his name in full
• Snake puts the apple in Eve’s hand
• Lots of symbolism: mountain ash repels snakes (like the snake that convinces Eve to take the forbidden fruit) and signifies the Tree of Life, the bull, moose, cat, and rabbit represent the four humors, which were knocked out of alignment when man fell from God’s grace, allowing for sin.
• The mouse by Adam’s foot represents Satan.
• Also called the “Fall of Man”
• Utilizes Classical ideals

Question 3

Woodcut Technique

Answer 3

• A drawing is made on wood and carved away
• Ink can be placed on the remaining areas and the woodblock can be pressed on paper to create a print
• Open spaces appear white in prints

Question 4

Engraving Technique

Answer 4

• A copper plate is carved
• Cut away areas appear black in print; opposite of woodcut
• Ink is placed on the engraving and wiped away; ink only stays in the grooves for printing
• Durer excelled at this technique

Question 5

“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”

Answer 5

• Four riders, Conquest, War, Famine, and Death, ride horses and trample innocent people
• Hades pictured as a terrifying beast accompanying him
• Early 16th century piece by Durer
• Angel overhead the horsemen
• Intense momentum crushes anyone beneath them and the rider’s horses hardly touch the ground

Question 6

“Knight, Death and the Devil” (“The Rider”)

Answer 6

• 1513 -1514
• Active life of Christianity
• early 16th century by Durer
• Knight represents a faithful Christian who must move past the Devil and make it to the kingdom of God (represented by the castle in the background)
• Dog represents faith and lizard represents religious zeal (like enthusiasm)

Question 7

“St. Jerome in his Study”

Answer 7

• 1513 -1514
• Contemplative life of Christianity
• 16th century piece by Albrecht Durer
• Saint Jerome sits in his study; halo around his head
• Lion and dog rest in the foreground
• Hourglass next to a skull represents the transience of life
• Durer differentiates object’s textures and utilizes central perspective (orthogonals converge to a point just next to Saint Jerome)

Question 8

“Melencolia I”

Answer 8

• 1513 -1514
• 16th century piece by Albrecht Durer
• Winged genius holds a compass
• Surrounded by woodcutting tools and geometric shapes
• Negative and positive power of the mind
• Relationship between melancholy and creativity
• Cherub, dog, and bat-like creature surround her: bat holds up a sign that says “Melencolia I”

Question 9

“Great Piece of Turf”

Answer 9

• A hyper-realistic watercolor piece by Albrecht Durer
• Is so detailed, historians could determine what type of vegetation was painted
• No symbolic aspects, simply an observation

Question 10

“The Four Apostles”

Answer 10

• Oil painting by Albrecht Durer featuring 4 men (John the Evangelist, Peter, the Evangelist Mark, and Paul, from left to right)
• John the Evangelist reads from the New Testament
• Peter holds the golden key to heaven
• The Evangelist Mark (who was not an Apostle) stands in the background holding a scroll
• Paul holds a closed Bible and leans on a sword
• Shows Durer’s support of the Lutheran movement: Peter, symbolic of the Pope, stands behind John, whose Bible signifies Christ
• Text warns not to distort God’s word

Question 11

Matthias Grunewald (ca. 1480 - 1528)

Answer 11

• 16th century painter who created the Isenheim Altarpiece
• Northern Renaissance artist

Question 12

“Isenheim Altarpiece” (image 077) - outside and general information

Answer 12

• Painted between 1510 - 1515 by Matthias Grunewald
• Painted for the monastery of St. Anthony hospital in Isenheim
• Bleak colors
• Christ hanging from a cross with greenish skin and sores that could be related to those with ergotism
• St. John the Baptist pointing at Christ to say that the people’s suffering is nothing next to Christ’s
• Mary is dressed in mourning white clothes and it fainting into the arms of St. John the Evangelist
• Hierarchal scale returned; Christ is large and his feet nearly touch the ground (return of medieval and primitive painters)
• Predalla panel (bottom) show a Lamentation scene
• When the work’s wings are opened, Christ’s arms are amputated, as many ergotism patients’ limbs were
• Lamb pouring blood into chalice of Holy Communion at John the Baptist’s feet

Question 13

“Isenheim Altarpiece” (image 077) - 4 internal scenes

Answer 13

• Met with very bright colors in contrast to the outside of the piece; shows hope
• Annunciation scene on the far left; Mary and Gabriel sit inside a Gothic structure (very architecturally detailed). Mary’s Bible is opened to the prophecy of Isaiah, and Isaiah appears in the top left corner
• Left central panel: choir of angels sing praise to the Lord
• Right central panel: Mary hold the infant Christ on an ornate portico symbolizing the Temple of God
• Christ’s Resurrection is on the far right; Christ is surrounded by an orange glowing light to indicate hope and divinity. He has blown the lid off of his tomb and knocked a guard over in his revival; powerful.
• All colors of the spectrum used

Question 14

“Isenheim Altarpiece” (image 077) - innermost layer

Answer 14

• Figures were carved and painted by Niclaus of Haguenau
• Three figures in the middle section: central figure is St. Anthony, patron saint of diseases, and he was meant to be the main focus (left is Saint Augustine and right is Saint Jerome)
• Two panels on the outside picture Saint Anthony chatting with St. Paul the Hermit in a strange, vegetated space on the left, and the same saint being attacked by demons with symptoms of ergotism on the right
• Predella shows Christ and the Apostles at the Last Supper
• Focus meant to be on Saint Anthony, the healer of the disease Saint Anthony’s Fire.

Question 15

Saint Anthony’s Fire

Answer 15

• Ergotism
• Disease had almost no hope for survival; people went to the church that the Isenheim Altarpiece was in to die more comfortably
• Caused by a fungus on rye
• Painful skin disease

Question 16

Niclaus of Haguenau

Answer 16

• Carved the interior portion of the Isenheim Altarpiece, including the three central figures on the main panel and the images of Christ and the 12 Apostles at the Last Supper on predella

Question 17

Predella

Answer 17

• Portion at the bottom of an altarpiece (e.g., the part of the Isenheim Altarpiece showing Christ and the Apostles at the Last Supper and the panel on top of it with the Lamentation scene

Question 18

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472 - 1553)

Answer 18

• German printmaker: prints reflected his beliefs and spread the idea of the Reformation itself
• Made woodcuts, prints, paintings
• Painted portraits of Martin Luther
• Close friend of Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer; each was god parent to a child of the other
• Work reflected beliefs: against traditional Catholicism and for church reform
• Created “Allegory of Law and Grace” and “Christ Blessing the Children”

Question 19

Protestant Reformation

Answer 19

• People felt that the Catholic church had too much power, and so they called for reform
• Wanted to stop Catholic abuses on money and faith
• Martin Luther was a reformer

Question 20

“Allegory of Law and Grace” (image 079)

Answer 20

• Created by Lucas Cranach the Elder
• Divided by a strategically placed tree
• Left side pictures Adam and Eve eating the fruit while God watches judgingly from above. A naked man is chased into the gates of hell and saints stand by pointing at the 10 Commandments, agreeing that this is the way things should go; associates Catholicism with death, law, and damnation
• Right side pictures John the Baptist pointing a naked man toward Christ, who is hung on the cross. This God, who was viewed as merciful in the eyes of Protestants, will save the naked man’s soul on judgement day rather than track which laws he breaks or acts he commits. Pictures Protestant side as full of hope, grace, and salvation.

Question 21

Martin Luther and Lutheran Reformation

Answer 21

• Revealed the abuses of the Catholic church and wished to correct them
• Thought God gave his love freely, without judgement or hate
• Was close friends with Lucas Cranach the Elder

Question 22

“Christ Blessing the Children”

Answer 22

• Painting made by

Question 23

Francis I (1494 - 1547)

Answer 23

• Became king in 1515
• Wanted to create a scene of splendor to present himself
• Portrait painted by Jean Clouet
• Fond of Mannerist styles: ordered artists to decorate his royal palace at Fontainebleau.
• He and his court built Chateau of Chambord: mixed Italian styles with French Gothic
• Began redesigning the Square Court of the Louvre (Henry II continues project after his death)

Question 24

Jean Clouet (1485 - 1541)

Answer 24

• Painted famous portrait of King Francis I: half-length image, hat with pearls and feathers, lavishly embroidered clothing with gold, and gold chain with image of St. Michael on it. One hand rests on a sword’s hilt and the other holds gloves and rests on a velvet covered table
• Court painter and royal artist

Question 25

Turret

Answer 25

• A small tower, usually containing stairs, that is located on the top of a building
• Present on the Chateau of Chambord

Question 26

Lantern

Answer 26

• In architecture, a small, often decorative structure with openings for lighting that crowns a dome, turret, or roof
• Present on the Chateau of Chambord

Question 27

“Chateau de Chambord”

Answer 27

• Ordered to be built by King Francis I
• Mix of Italian Renaissance and French Gothic
• Lower levels have balance and symmetry of Italian work and perfectly aligned windows
• Crowded upper levels with turrets, chimneys, lanterns, and dormers typical of French Gothic style

Question 28

“Square Court of the Louvre”

Answer 28

• Started in 1546
• French Renaissance style
• Royal palace at the time: not a museum until after the French Revolution in 1789
• Redesign ordered by Francis I
• Architect Pierre Lescot and sculptor Jean Goujon direct the overhaul
• Italian elements: ground story arcade, second story pilasters, alternating curved/triangular pediments
• Elements present in later French style: lower story height, steep roof, large windows, facade with pavilions with arched pediments

Question 29

Pierre Lescot (1510 - 1578)

Answer 29

• Architect
• Hired by Francis I to direct redesign of the Square Court of the Louvre

Question 30

Jean Goujon (1510 - 1565)

Answer 30

• Sculptor
• Hired by Francis I to direct redesign of the Square Court of the Louvre

Question 31

Pavilion

Answer 31

• Light temporary or semi permanent structure used in gardens and pleasure grounds. Although there are many variations, the basic type is a large, light, airy garden room with a high-peaked roof resembling a canopy. It was originally erected, like the modern canvas marquee, for special occasions such as fetes, garden banquets, and balls, but it became more permanent, and by the late 17th century the word was used for any garden building designed for use on special occasions.

Question 32

Changes in Flemish Art Entering the 16th Century

Answer 32

• Flemish school developed in 15th century minimally disrupted by Netherland’s political disunity
• Increased sensitivity to nature
• Shows influence of Italian Renaissance innovations

Question 33

Jan Gossarert (ca. 1478 - 1532)

Answer 33

• Painted “Neptune and Amphitrite:” contrapposto, nude subjects, forms have mass and appear solid, Flemish detail, Neptune has a trident and wears a laurel wreath and conch shell (instead of the classic fig leaf). Wide bodies and defined muscles. Almost expressionless faces. Amphitrite holds Neptune’s hand and puts her other hand behind him.

Question 34

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Answer 34

• Flemish landscape painter
• Greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century; Netherlands
• Paints landscapes with human activities at their center
• Painted “Hunters in the Snow”

Question 35

Bruegel’s Books of Hours

Answer 35

• Depicted work and people throughout the seasons
• Seasons and peasants
• Pieter Bruegel the Elder makes 6 paintings, 5 survive, including “Hunters in the Snow”

Question 36

“Hunters in the Snow” (image 083)

Answer 36

• Painted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565
• One of 6 surviving pieces in a series that depicts labors of the months and seasonal changes.
• Represents January and February
• Hunters return with just one rabbit and women build fires and people skate on the ponds
• Snow covered village
• People, animals, and other figures are all very dark; contrasts against white and pale green of the landscape.
• Optically accurate
• Flemish artwork
• Haze in the distance
• Contrast of work and play: high detail and lots of human figures
• High visual input is characteristic of Renaissance

Question 37

El Escorial

Question 38

Philip II

Answer 38

• King of Spain; son of Charles V
• Spain is the dominant European power in the 16th century; has the most territory that any other political entity in the world

Question 39

Juan de Herrera (1530 - 1597)

Answer 39

• Directed the creation of “El Escorial”
• Reflects Philip II’s desire for grandeur as well as Renaissance simplicity and balance and order of Italian architecture

Question 40

El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (1541 - 1614)

Answer 40

• Greek trained in Byzantine style: Spanish Renaissance’s greatest painter
• Absorbed color use from Venetian school, the distortion of Mannerism, and Spanish mysticism; famous for emotionality, movement, and use of light
• “The Penitent Magdalene” (ca. 1577) is one of his most common subjects. Elongated form of Mannerism and Titian’s use of bold color
• “Burial of Count Orgaz” (1586 - 1588)

Question 41

“The Burial of Count Orgaz”

Answer 41

• 1586 - 1588
• Count Orgaz was so devoutly religoius, Saint Stephen and Saint Augustine came to help bury him at his death in 1312
• Brilliant use of color and lighting
• Sky is bright; angels and cherubs lounge in the clouds, and Christ is at the very top the painting
• People below are all portraits, but the identities of the people were not retained; some look up toward the heavens, others at the body of Count Orgaz
• An angel takes Orgaz’s soul to heaven (soul is in the form of a transparent, naked child as in Medieval times)

Question 42

“The Codex Mendoza” (image 081) - frontispiece

Answer 42

• ca. 1541 - 1542
• Pigment on paper
• Commissioned by Antonio de Mendoza (first Spanish viceroy of New Spain); commissioned native scribes and painters to make it
• Illustrated manuscript
• Tells of the history of the conquered Aztecs and their customs
• Intended for King Charles I of Spain, but he never got it because the French intercepted the ship it was on
• Uses Spanish and Aztec hieroglyphs to explain the founding of Tenochtitlan (1325: an eagle landed on a prickly pear cactus and marked where the nomadic warriors were told to settle by their Aztec deity)
• Eagle at canal intersection marks how Tenochtitlan was divided into four quarters
• Depicts skull rack, founders of the city (seated figures), conquer of Colhuacan and Tenayuca, 51 of 52 hieroglyphs for years on the Aztec recurring calendar system