Northern Renaissance Questions: 1. What and when was the northern renaissance? 2. How is northern renaissance art different from southern renaissance art? 3. What symbols are used in northern renaissance art? 4. Who are the artists of the northern renaissance? 5. Did they have help? 6. What other arts were important in the north? 7. What ideas are important in the north? 8. Can we tame a shrew? 1. What and when was the northern renaissance? Northern renaissance includes the arts of England, Germany, France, and the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium -- Flemish ) Culture is affected by: a. THE REFORMATION The Reformation in brief: Martin Luther, monk in Wittenberg, nails 95 theses to the church door in 1517 Seeking reform not separation! Opposed to sale of indulgences Church teachings should be clarified Scripture should be the final authority Salvation by faith only; Faith is a gift of God, not a gift of man Only 2 sacraments -- communion, baptism More individual interpretation of scripture Church hierarchy need not intercede/ are unnecessary in your relationship with God. Reform churches in Germany and Switzerland Nobility break from church for reasons of faith and politics Leads over the next 100 years to Lutheran, Calvinist, Anabaptist, Church of England, etc. b. industries of textiles, pottery, shipping, trade, and printing c. Printing press (particularly important in the North; instrumental in Reformation!) Print culture is emerging! 2. How is the art of the north different from the art of the south? South: North: Concentration on anatomy Away from symbol (Giotto) Large designs- large scale (frescoes) Chiaroscuro/ sfumato Never looks at the social environment
3. What symbols are used in northern renaissance art? Apple fall of man Book Mary, the seat of wisdom, is often pictured with a book. Candle God Chalice Holy communion Cherries Fruit of paradise ; sweetness that comes from a life of good work Cloud presence of God Clover trinity Cucumber phallus Dark Cave mouth of Hell Fish symbolizes baptism Fruit if ripening, fertility; sometimes the temporal quality of life Game temporal quality of life, memento mori Glass Mary s purity Globe power; in Christ s hand, his sovereignty Gold light of heaven; afterlife Goldfinch splashed with a drop of Jesus s blood Grasshopper one of the plagues visited upon the Egyptians Lamb Christ Lily purity Lion resurrection Lizard resurrection of Christ Locusts plague Mirror purity Mountain a life source; the ultimate source of water Owl night Palm victory over death Parrot curved beak comes from pulling nails out of Christ s cross Peacock immortality, resurrection Pomegranate resurrection, the church: one fruit (religion), many seeds(churches) Pearls salvation, worth more that all the treasures on earth Rabbit lust Red carnations pure love Rocks Christ; Moses striking the rock to refresh his people Sheep good shepherd, sacrifice Skull memento mori, mortality Shell pilgrimage Stag piety, religious hope Sun God Swan purity Wheat bounty, communion White Roses Mary s purity
4. Who are the artists of the northern renaissance? A. Robert Campin (1375 1444) Merode Altarpiece One of the first great masters of the Flemish school Catholic Merode Altarpiece (a triptych) shows us -- interest in shadow and light (kettle, Joseph), detail (architecture, window), and symbol! Portrait of a Woman B. Jan Van Eyck (1395 1441) Ghent Altarpiece Arnolfini Wedding Portrait The other first great master! Catholic Created some religious/ some commercial art Called the father of oil painting Oil is best for realism, subtle, more varied colors, richer, better for blending, better range of light and dark. Ghent shows interest in detail, realism, and symbolism Ghent is a polyptych Arnolfini shows interest in the effects of light, symbolism, and shows ties between the North and the South
C. Rogier Van Der Weyden (1399? 1464) Crucifixion Crucifixion is emotionally rich
Portrait of a Lady At the Cloisters! The Deposition
Crucifixion D. Hieronymus Bosch (1450 1516) Garden of Earthly Delights Many different analyses Grew up in a family of painters Catholic; Brotherhood of Our Lady Garden is a triptych Shows creation and Eden, earthly sin, and hell Nowhere is salvation shown Note: women are responsible! Shows detail... everywhere. Lots of symbol: flowers, fruit, rinds and shells, fish, riding, swimming, strawberries
E. Hugo Van Der Goes (1440 1482) Portinari Altarpiece Lives in a monastery; Catholic Shows incredible detail, portions of accuracy, and symbol Made for the Portinaris; astounded Florentines with its detail F. Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525 1569) Wedding Feast Hunters in the Snow First genre painter; painted everyday scenes Catholic Peasant Brueghel is well educated and prosperous Traveled extensively Shows us human folly, dignity, endurance, peasant attitudes and values Hunters is one of 12 (5 survive) Labors of the Months
Peasants Dance G. Albrecht Dürer (1471 1528) Four Apostles Madonna and Child Melancolia Self-Portrait Born in Nuremberg in 1471, 2 nd of 18 kids! Catholic Apprenticed as a goldsmith At 21 -- travels around Europe Draws incessantly, like DaVinci and in all media pen and ink watercolor woodcuts silverpoint engravings oils By 27 -- rich, famous, married Dies at 56 in Nuremberg Wrote 2 books on proportion and measurement to help other artists Self-portrait at 26 shows the Renaissance Man! Illustrated The Apocalypse Madonna and Child shows attention to detail; fascination with nature Melancolia is symbolic, detailed, emotional Four Apostles donated to Nuremberg as a reconciliation gift between Lutherans and Catholics. Shows Italian influence (Painted two years before death)
H. Hans Holbein the Younger (1498 1543) The Ambassadors Known as one of the greatest portraitists of all times! Trained by father; painted in Germany Catholic Travels to Henry VIII s court, marries there Remained at court until his death in 1543 (plague) Ambassadors shows us detail, light on objects, and symbols Other famous portraits
5. Did they have help? Use of optics (mirrors and lenses or a combination of the two) to create living projections Roger Bacon (1268), Witelo (1275), Da Vinci (1450) Camera lucida Camera obscura
Evidence that they may have used optical helpers: a. mirrors, lenses, reflections as optical references in pictures b. clear understanding of perspective combined with errors c. undersketching and the lack thereof d. deep shadows (perhaps) created by deep lighting needed for optics e. size largest mirror 12 wide f. visual evidence Evidence against: 6. What other arts were important in the North? weaving tapestries for both warmth and beauty drama & literature! Satire comes from the North; Shakespeare too! music is Italianized and performance oriented 7. What ideas are important in the Northern Renaissance? A. Christian Humanism St. Francis of Assisi Erasmus Thomas More Aquinas Luther
B. Reformation o Bible v. Doctrine/ Tradition o Reform churches & their looks o Non-religious art is emphasized o Patronage system changes o Reform of other types -- satire, Utopia 8. Can we tame a shrew?