!

  "Renaissance" is French for "Rebirth“

"  Spans roughly the 14th through the 16th centuries.
"  Revival of Classical Themes in art, a return to the realistic depiction of
nature through observance and revivalism of the Greek philosophy of
Humanism (human dignity, ideas and capabilities are of central
importance)

!  Two most significant areas: Italy in the south (Italy never quite
succumbed to Gothicism) and Flanders (Belgium and the
Netherlands) in the north.

!  Important to know: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, and WHEN!

!  Northern Renaissance began with illuminated manuscripts
"  Flanders – big on Medieval tradition of Northern Europe and continued to be concerned
with the spiritualism of the Gothic era, adding a supreme realism to it. Subject matter
remained more on religion, but representation was that of an exact “tromp l’oeill” (fool the
eye) rendition of things of this world; used this technique in a realistic manner. This
exactness of representation originated in manuscript illumination where it was reduced to
a minute scale. This imagery was often laden with symbolic meaning. Symbolism carried
forth into panel paintings, where iconography was fused with a keen observation of
nature.

!  Page illuminations became

larger, and when they began to
interfere with that of text, artists
shifted to tempera on wood
panels

“Largest Cities of Western Europe, circa

1500”, geopolitical map
 WHO: The Limbourg
Brothers ("International
Style")

WHAT: Le Trés Riches du

Duc de Berry (The Book of
Hours)

WHERE: Northern Europe

(Flanders)

WHEN: Early Renaissance

Example of minute illustrations going to more substantial
illustration is Limbourg Brothers Le Tres Riches Heures du Duc
de Berry (a Book of Hours) during beginning of 15th Century.
Used by nobility as prayer books: included psalms and litanies to
saints. Contain calendar pages illustrating domestic tasks and
social events of the 12 months. Rendered in International Style,
common throughout Europe during the late 14th, early 15th
centuries – characteristics are ornate costumes embellished with
gold leaf and subject matter fit for a king (courtly scenes and
processions).
“May” from the Le Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry
(a Book of Hours) by Limbourg Brothers
WHO: Robert
Campin

WHAT: Merode
Altarpiece

WHERE: Northern
Europe (Flanders)

WHEN: Early
Renaissance
Renaissance artists tried to reconcile religious subjects with scenes and objects of everyday life, using symbolism. Ordinary
interiors were populated with objects of spiritual significance, such as an ordinary kettle (symbolic of the Virgin’s body – an
immaculate container of the savior of the Christian world.)

Campin painted soberly realistic religious figures, using attention to detail and use of commonplace settings, such as his
triptych, Merode Altarpiece. An Annunciation scene, using contemporary Flemish dwelling and a proper middle-class Flemish
woman for the Virgin Mary. Painting also uses much symbolism, such as the kettle, mousetraps, etc. Campin humanizes his
Mary and Joseph, making them more secular in nature.
 WHO: Jan Van Eyck

WHAT: genre paintings;

"Giovanni Arnolfini and His
Bride"

WHERE: Northern Europe

(Flanders)

WHEN: 15th Century

Renaissance

Van Eyck painted genre paintings, becoming popular in 15th

century Northern Europe, that depict ordinary people engaged in
ordinary activities. Genre paintings make little or no reference to
religion, existing almost as art for arts sake, though still full of
symbolism.

Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride, served as a marriage contract, or

record of the couple’s marriage vows in the presence of two
witnesses, serving as a recording of the event to avoid lawsuits.
Painting is full of symbolism, such as furry dog representing fidelity,
bedpost finial of St. Margaret, patron saint of childbirth, whisk
broom, for domesticity, etc. and Van Eyck and his wife are reflected
in the mirror as the witnesses.
 WHO: Grünewald

WHAT: Isenheim Altarpiece

WHERE: Northern Europe

(Germany)

WHEN: late 15th century

Renaissance

The most emotional charged work of the period created by German artists (as was their poetry). Their work has less detail
and symbolism as that of Flemish artists, but the message is more powerful.

Matthias Grünewald painted the Isenheim Altarpiece more than ¾ of a century after Van Eyck. All figures in this depiction of
the Crucifixion show emotional tension in this impassioned painting, such as were not found outside of Germany during the
Renaissance.

“The Crucifixion,” was the center panel of The Isenheim Altarpiece” by Matthias Grünewald, completed in 1515. There were 2
panels to the sides, which closed over this panel, revealing another painting on the cover, when closed
 WHO: Albrecht Dürer

WHAT: Classical Style

"Adam and Eve"

WHERE: Northern Europe

(Germany)

WHEN: late 15th/early

16th century Renaissance

Dürer was enthralled with the Classical style, and

traveled extensively in Italy, where he copied the
works of the Italian masters. Development of
printing press enabled him to disseminate the
works of the Italian masters throughout Northern
Europe. In his Adam and Eve, Durer emphasized
the idealized beauty of the human body of the
Greek and Roman Prototypes.
!  The Early Renaissance: In addition to
marked difference between Northern
and Italian Renaissance art, there
were differences in the art of various
sections of Italy itself. Due mostly to
geography. Florence and Rome were
influenced by Roman Classicism
found in Roman ruins; in Siena, the
International style lingered, and
Venice had strong Byzantine
influence.

!  The Italian Renaissance took root and

flourished in Florence. The
development of this city’s painting,
sculpture and architecture led the
Renaissance in all of Italy

!  Began with a competition to cast, in

bronze, the doors of the Baptistery of
Florence
!  Earliest changes from medieval
to Classical style can be seen in
Florence during the late 13th and
early 14th centuries in the works
of Cimabue and Giotto. Termed
“proto Renaissance” because
their works continue the vestiges
of Gothicism.

!  You have already seen an

example of Giotto’s work, the
example used for “Fresco “Lamentation Over Jesus” by Giotto
Painting”
 WHO: Lorenzo Ghiberti

WHAT: bronze quatrefoil

on the Baptistery doors (he
WON!)

WHERE: Florence
Lorenzo Ghiberti, 1401-1402

WHEN: early Renaissance

The dawn of the Early Renaissance began in Florence with a competition to

cast, in bronze, the doors of the Baptistery of Florence. Specifications included
the subject matter – the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham including the characters of
Abraham, Isaac, the angel and two “extras”, and a quatrefoil format. Won by
Lorenzo Ghiberti, although a panel by Filippo Brunelleschi also still remains.
Both panels show the influence of Classical art.

Filippo Brunelleschi, 1401-1402

WHO: Donatello

WHAT: "David," 1408, (first

life size nude since
Classical times) Portrays
the ideals of the true
Renaissance man, that
intellect, faith and courage
can place one’s fate in one’s
own hands.

WHERE: Florence

WHEN: early 15th Century

Renaissance
 WHO: Masaccio

WHAT: Holy Trinity chapel

fresco;
used 1-pt. Linear
perspective pioneered by
Brunelleschi

WHERE: Florence

WHEN: early 15th Century

Renaissance

Used rules of 1 point linear perspective, pioneered by

Brunelleschi, of Baptistry Doors near-fame.

“Holy Trinity, Santa Maria Novella” by Masaccio, circa 1428

 WHO: Brunelleschi; architect

WHAT: dome of the cathedral of

Florence; was a compromise
between Classical style and
traditional Gothic building
principles. Oespedale degli
Innocenti (Hospital for
Foundlings)

WHERE: Florence

WHEN: early 15th Century

Renaissance
There is no room here on this Powerpoint to tell you of the
amazing construction of this dome (still baffling architects
and engineers to this day), but 20 years after the Baptistery
Door competition, Brunelleschi was commissioned to cover
the crossing square of the cathedral of Florence with a
dome. Used a double shell dome constructed around 24
ribs. The dome was a compromise between Classical style
and traditional Gothic building principles. There is much to
be said of the harassment from Ghiberti, who oversaw him
on this project (but had no idea how it was constructed;
Brunelleschi kept it secret) or the life-long rivalry between
these two men.
WHO: Verrocchio

WHAT: Bronze "David";

commissioned by influential
Medici family. Also depicts
David as an adolescent, but
loses the classically inspired
body to supreme realism.

He ran a shop that attracted

young artists, including
Leonardo da Vinci.

WHERE: Florence

WHEN: mid 15th Century

Renaissance

“David” by Verrocchio, circa 1470

WHO: Piero della Francesca,
trained in mathematics, and
credited with writing the first
theoretical treatise in the
construction of systematic
perspective in art. His
Resurrection fresco reveals his
obsession with order and
geometry.

WHAT: "Resurrection,” circa late

1450s; All figures contained in
triangle, which would become a
major compositional device in
Renaissance paintings.

WHERE: Florence

WHEN: mid 15th Century

Renaissance
 WHO: Botticelli

WHAT: "The Birth of

Venus”

WHERE: Florence

WHEN: 15th Century

Renaissance (circa 1486)

Constructed painting using line instead of chiaroscuro (tonal contrasts) to create a sense of roundness and mass in figures.
Known for his painting The Birth of Venus. A direct adaptation of an antique sculpture of the goddess in the collection of the
Medici family. Graceful movement in the composition is evoked through a combination of different lines, and a different
quality of line.
WHO: Leon Batista Alberti;
sought fame!

WHAT: Palazzo Rucellai; one of 1st

to study treatises by Roman
architects. First floor has pilasters of
the Tuscan order, which resemble
the Doric order. The second floor
pilasters use a composite capital of
volutes and acanthus leaves, seen
in Ionic and Corinthian orders, and
top floor pilasters are crowned with
capital of Corinthian order, much
like in the Coliseum.

WHERE: Florence

WHEN: 15th century Renaissance

!  The High Renaissance
!  From the second half of the 15th century on, a refinement
of the stylistic principles and techniques associated with
the Renaissance can be observed. Most of the significant
and progressive work proceeded in Florence, where the
Medici family supported the arts. At the close of the
century, attention and artistic endeavors moved to
Rome, where the popes assumed the role of patron. The
3 artists most in demand, the grand masters of the High
Renaissance, were Leonardo da Vinci (painter, scientist,
inventor and musician); Raphael (Classical painter), and
Michelangelo (painter, sculptor, architect and poet).
Also Donato, as the most significant architect of the
period.
 WHO: Leonardo
Da Vinci

WHAT: Everything!
“Madonna of the Rocks” (circa 1438) -- humanism in art

"The Last Supper" (circa 1495-1498, in Milan)-- used

orthoganals

WHERE: Italy

WHEN: HIGH RENAISSANCE

Did everything from solving drainage problems to

designing prototypes for airplanes, submarines and
creating some of the most memorable paintings.

Example: the Last Supper, a fresco painting executed in

the dining hall of a Milan monastery. Current condition
is poor, due to Leonardo’s experimental fresco
technique. Composition uses 1 point linear perspective.
Volumes are constructed from contrast of light and
shadow. Balance is struck between emotion and
restraint. Viewer is attracted to central figure of Jesus
by orthogonal lines (lines placed at right angles to other
lines) that converge over his head, and the figure is
silhouetted against a triple window, symbolic of the
Trinity. Grouping of apostles lead the eye away, and
then back toward Jesus, although the emotion is
constrained, it seems genuinely human; excellent
example of Humanism in the 16th century Renaissance
art.

Another good example of Humanism in art is the

Madonna of the Rocks. Mary is no longer the Queen of
Heaven, rather she is a mother in the midst of the world.
 WHO: Raphael Sanzio

WHAT: "The School of

Athens"

WHERE: Rome

WHEN: High
Renaissance

A younger artist who assimilated the lessons of Leonardo, especially on Humanism. Raphael freely adopted whatever suited his
purposes, adapting the styles and sometimes content of the older masters. Most known for ability to combine the techniques of other
masters with his feel for Classical art. Did countless Madonna and Child paintings, and also several impressive Classical
compositions executed for the papal apartments in the Vatican, including The School of Athens for the Sanza della Segnatura, one of
4 frescoes designed within a semicircular frame. Reads like a veritable “who’s who” of Greek philosophy, and also cast the ‘who’s
who’ of his day as the characters. Painted himself into the composition (upper right in picture, orange-ish sleeves), Michelangelo is
the seated “Heraclitus” and Leonardo de Vinci is Plato walking into the building, orange robe, dead center . Also uses orthogonal
lines to draw the viewer’s attention to the main figures
WHO: Michelangelo
Buonarroti

WHAT: Pieta, David,

Moses; Sistine Chapel's
"The Creation of Adam"
-- one of most
dramatic negative
spaces in history

WHERE: Rome

WHEN: High
Renaissance
 WHO: Michelangelo

WHAT: Pietà, David, Moses

WHERE: Rome “Moses” circa
1513-1515

WHEN: High Renaissance

“Pietà” circa 1499, very large, probably almost 13 feet wide

“David”, circa 1501-1504,

Well known. Portrayed by Charlton Heston in The Agony and the Ecstasy.

Painted the ceiling and back wall of the Sistine Chapel, for Pope Julius II. Divided
the ceiling into geometrical frames, most famous of which is The Creation of Adam.
Created one of the most dramatic negative spaces in history by leaving a small
space between the hand of God and Adam’s finger – they don’t touch!

Saw himself as more of a sculptor than a painter. Even his paintings show a
sculptural style. Reputation as a sculptor began with the completion of the 13 ½ ft
high David at the age of 27. David is part of the Classical tradition of the “ideal
youth” who has just reached manhood and is capable of great physical and
intellectual achievements. Also carved the Pieta, (on display at the ‘64 New York
Worlds Fair,) and Moses
WHO: Titian Vecellio,
one of the first artists in Italy to
perfect the medium of oil
painting as was perfected by
Van Eyck in Flanders.

WHAT: "Venus of Urbino"; uses

glazing

WHERE: Venice

WHEN: Late Renaissance, 1538

Titian’s Venus of Urbino is one of the most beautiful examples of the glazing (layers of glossy semi-transparent paint) technique. Build up forms
by layering subtle shades and differences of color.

Titian uses color as a compositional device, balancing his compositions by his placement of objects and color areas (red of mattress is balanced
by red of maid’s dress, Venus’s hair balanced by little dog’s fur, etc.

Although he died a quarter of a century before the Baroque Era, had more in common with his followers than his Renaissance contemporaries.
Foremost a painter and colorist, rather than a draftsman or sculptor. Constructed compositions by means of colors and strokes of paint rather
than by line or chiaroscuro. Also, a shift from painting on wood panels to painting on canvas occurred at this time, and with it a change from
tempera to oil paint as the preferred medium.
 WHO: Tintoretto
(Jacopo Robusti)

WHAT: "The Last Supper"

WHERE: Venice

WHEN: Late Renaissance

circa 1592- 1594

No other Venetian anticipated the Baroque style so strongly. Real name was Jacopo Robusti, but called Tintoretto (little dyer) after profession of his
father.

A pupil of Titian, he imitated his master’s love of color, although he combined it with a more linear approach to construction of forms. His dynamic
structure and passionate application of pigment provide a sweeping, almost frantic energy within huge compositions.

Method of achieving perspective – hung and arranged doll like figure on small stages, then used a grid to transcribe them in correct perspective on
sheets of paper. Painted on canvas primed in dark colors, then quickly painted in lighter sections. Painted quickly, this loose brushwork and dramatic
white spotlighting on a dark ground anticipate the Baroque style.

His The Last Supper illustrates the dramatic changes that took place in art in a little over a century. Shows movement, clutter, dramatic diagonals, and
no constraint with emotion.
 Spain polarized into two stylistic
groups of religious painting: the
mystical and the realistic.

WHO: El Greco (“The Greek”;

Domeniko Theotokopoulos)

WHAT: “The Burial of Count Orgaz”

WHERE: Spain

WHEN: Late Renaissance, 1586

Born in Crete. As a young man he traveled to Italy, and for a time was
affiliated with Titian’s workshop – his colors suggest a Venetian
influence, but his distortion of figures and use of ambiguous space
lean toward Mannerism (disclosed further). He was able to pull the
opposing trends of mysticism and realism together.

All this can be seen in his work, The Burial of Count Orgaz. Canvas is
divided into 2 halves by a horizontal line of white collared heads,
separating heaven and earth. The lower figures are somewhat
elongated, but fall within the bounds of realism. The heavenly
figures, however, are extremely attenuated and move under the
influence of a sweeping dynamic atmosphere (very Mannerism).
Heaven and earth are disconnected psychologically but joined
convincingly by the composition. Use of color also hangs between
the real world and the mystical world of heaven – the earthly figures
are vibrantly Venetian in color but the heavenly figures are of
discordant hues, exaggerating the otherworldly nature of the top
portion of the canvas.

His emphasis on emotionalism also links him to the onset of the

Baroque Era.
 WHO: Pieter Brueghel the
Elder

WHAT: “Hunters in the Snow,”

1565, “The Peasant Wedding,”
1568, genre paintings

WHERE: Netherlands

WHEN: Late Renaissance

2nd half of the 16th century, in Netherlands, genre

painting of scenes of everyday life becoming more
popular.

Pieter Brueghel's Peasant Wedding and Hunters

in the Snow focus on human beings in relation to
nature and the life and times of ordinary
Netherlandish folk. No hidden messages or
religious fervor; human activities are presented as
sincere and viable subject matter.
 WHO: Jacopo Pontormo

WHAT: “Entombment,” circa 1525-1528

WHERE: Italy

WHEN: Early Mannerism

Rule of thumb for Renaissance was to observe and emulate/copy

nature. Rule suspended for a time in period of art called
Mannerism, where artists stopped copying from nature and copied
from art instead.

Works became second hand views of nature – characteristics are

distortion and elongation of figures; flattened, almost 2-D space;
lack of defined focal point, and use of discordant pastel hues.

Jacopo Pontormo was Representative of early Mannerism.

His Entombment shows less substantial, almost weightless figures

that balance on their toes and ankles. Limbs are long and slender
in proportion to the torsos, and the heads are dwarfed by billowing
robes of pastel hues. This weightlessness, distortion and ambiguity
of space create an almost otherworldly feeling in the composition.

Artists from the 2nd half of the 16th century through the beginning of
the 17th century all broke away from the Renaissance tradition in
one way or another. This time period possesses artists of intense
originality who provide transition between the grand Renaissance
and the dynamic Baroque.