Paper

Cooper 2

Ramzee Cooper

Professor Blood

Visual Arts

10 February 2021

Art Analysis

There are many movements of art that all influence each other in a way yet all have their own unique characteristics. The four paintings in this paper will showcase artists from four different art movements and will show how each artist was pivotal and contributed historical elements to that era. In this essay we will cover how the Italian Renaissance and Northern Renaissance compare, as well as how the Neoclassicism and Surrealism compare.

Renaissance is defined as a rebirth or revival of principles from the Classical period. During this period, we see a shift from the Medieval era where the paintings were focused on religion, specifically Christianity, to secular and individualism. Firstly, looking at the Southern Early Renaissance, often referred to as the Italian Renaissance due to its prominence in Florence, Italy, we are introduced to naturalism, humanism, new mediums and techniques and more. To exemplify these we will look at “Christ Handing they Keys of the Kingdom to Saint Peter” by Pietro Perugino.

Figure 1: Christ Handing the Keys of the Kingdom to Saint Peter, 1483, Pietro Perugino, fresco

Christ Handing the Keys of the Kingdom to Saint Peter is a fresco painting created in 1483 commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV to display in the Cistine Chapel. The emphasis of this painting is Jesus Christ at 3 different events of his life. The foreground focuses on the self-title of the painting which is Christ giving the keys to kingdom to Saint Peter. This was taken from Mathews 16: 18-19 from the Bible. Although not as clear to see, in the middle ground to the left this event alludes to Jesus paying someone to access the temple. The event on the right depicts the stoning of Christ. He achieved this by using the one-point perspective and putting Jesus in the center of the foreground. The gap in between him and the groups of people shows a separation and distinction between them as well as Saint Peter kneeling, highlighting his importance. The use of one-point perspective is significant because not only was it not practiced that much but it shows scaling and proportions.

In Medieval times people of importance were drawn larger in comparison to others around them. Perugino wanted to paint the piece like a photograph as compared to other paintings, because photos accurately scale people and buildings depending on their distance from the fore ground which is significant to this area. The closest images appear to be the largest and most detailed. The further back you look the details are obscured, colors are darker and appear smaller. Another aspect in the painting is how to people are anatomically correct. Although some of the bodies in the painting follow the s curve, they show the body’s ability to move and still be proportional. This movement is portrayed in their wardrobe.

You can also see unity in the way the people are dressed. Most of the people are wearing similar garments with sandals or just barefoot. This is portraying everyone to be on the same level, but you can also see someone that is of a higher status because their shoes completely cover their feet and they are wearing gold around their neck.

The painting is symmetrically balanced to the center. Both Jesus Christ and the Temple of Solomon are main focal points that divide the painting evenly. In the background, there is a building on both sides of the temple. Additionally, the middle ground and foreground depicts almost an even amount of people on each side. The negative space is very limited.

To compare the Southern and the Northern Renaissance, both movements still reply on the Medieval or religious significance. Both Italian and Northern Renaissance also focus more on the humanism aspect, such as

The next art movement the Northern Renaisance foll…emphasis of the painting is on the wealth. By looking at the painting, details such as the fur clothing on the male, the womans’s luxurious fabric in her dress, the carpet, the silver and gold cuff links, the intricate detail of the lace on the woman and the shaggy dog. Each element within the painting shows an era where wealthy people are able to be more lavish and materialistic in things.

more so the right side of the painting, The contrast of colors from light to dark

Figure 2: The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434, JanVan Eyck, tempura and oil on oak

Neo-classicism (1700’s)-

Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, oil on canvas, commissioned by Louis XVI, painted in Rome, exhibited at the salon of 1785 (Musée du Louvre)

Leading style in France Rococo

Women were not considered civil of state

Male figures upright and rigid, women were curvilinear

Depicts the musculature from ancient Greek and roman art

Virtuous behavior

Follow orthonal lines to vanishing point be hind the hands holding the swords

Art that depicts virtues of life like honor and dignity

Simplicity

with

their somber, moral tones, stories of family

loyalty and patriotic duty, fine detail, and

sharp focus, works in the Neoclassical style

(c. 1765-1830) were in stark contrast to the

frivolous, sentimental subjects and delicate,

pastel hues of the prevailing Rococo style

Neoclassical works (paintings and sculptures) were serious, unemotional, and sternly heroic. Neoclassical painters depicted subjects from Classical literature and history, as used in earlier Greek art and Republican Roman art, using sombre colours with occasional brilliant highlights, to convey moral narratives of self-denial and self-sacrifice fully in keeping with the supposed ethical superiority of Antiquity.

· Emphasis?

· Unity?

· Balance?

· Proportion?

· Line?

Surrealism (1900’s)-

The Surrealism movement began in the 1900s. This art movement was inspired by Sigmund Freud’s ideals on dream-like state on the unconscious and subconscious mind. Surrealism is widely influenced by the way things of reality are not appearing the same way an audience may see, but the influence of the uniqueness of the artist. By taking the theory, the Surrealist art movement focused on adapting reality into unusual creations. The Son of Man by artist Rene Magritte depths surrealism in creating a self-portrait without showing the full self. The face is covered by a floating green apple, leaving the audience unsure what the rest of face would reveal, which can signify the emphasis of the painting. Another strange aspect the painting offers is the background setting, which conveys a peaceful and calm beach, yet the artist is wearing a well-put suit, red tie and bowler hat. Both the appearance and the setting does not cohesively flow in the painting, essentially not having a balance. While the proportion of the painting is symmetrically balanced with the artist centered in the middle, the juxtaposition of everything makes this painting a Surrealism painting. The artist hcoosing to put an apple in front of the face without holding it does complicate the painting which avoids logic and sense of true reality. Overall, Sureealism art continues to defy the odds of realism and puts a twist on endless possibilities our minds can take us to.

Desire to see the hidden

We cant accept the reality of the unknown

Continues to keep your mind thinking and intrigued

The unconscious and the subconscious become the true reality

Juxtaposition

In the painting the self portrait of the artist is balanced yet the images and the setting are unrelated to eachother

Inspired by freud which strove to create images that are completed disconnected from reason or reality

Avoid logic or in a dreamlike state

· Emphasis?

· Unity?

· Balance?

· Proportion?

· Line?