art history study
GHOST HAM
Chapter18Lecture.pptxEurope in the 16th Century
Beginning of the Lutheran Reformation 1517: 95 Treatises nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral; Martin Luther called the Pope the Antichrist and the Catholic Church the whore of Babylon; the basic ideas of Protestantism are: 1) Salvation by faith alone (good deeds got one into heaven in the Catholic tradition); 2) the Bible is ultimately the only guiding truth in believers’ lives – do not need a church official to tell them what to believe or how to believe; 3) rejection of all sacraments except for baptism and Communion and that Holy Communion is only commemorative, not a reenactment (no transubstantiation where the taking of the bread and wine are the actual taking of Christ’s body and blood in Catholicism); this affects art in that most Protestant churches were not decorated with religious imagery – most felt that it was a form of idolatry
Cortéz conquers Aztec empire for Spain in 1519; Pizarro conquers Peru in 1521
Henry the VIII founds Anglican Church in 1534
Jesuit order founded 1534
John Calvin (a protestant leader) writes influential book Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1536
Wars of Lutheran vs. Catholic princes in Germany; Peace of Augsburg of 1555 lets each ruler decide religion of his subjects
Figure 18-3 ALBRECHT DÜRER, Self-Portrait, 1500. Oil on wood,
2’ 2 1/4” x 1’ 7 1/4”. Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
Dürer was one of the first Northern artists to achieve international celebrity as an artist. He was a talented painter, engraver, and printmaker. Like Leonardo, Dürer wrote theories on perspective, ideal human proportions, and fortification, however, he published his writings, unlike Leonardo. He also left a detailed account of his life through many self-portraits, correspondence and diary.
Painted when the artist was 28, this image recalls the rigid frontality of Byzantine icons. The focus on the hand as a creative instrument is also apparent. He paints himself like a Christ-like figure, recalling that we are all children of God made in God’s image.
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Figure 18-3A ALBRECHT DÜRER, The Great Piece of Turf, 1503. Watercolor, approx. 1’ 4” x 1’ 1/2”. Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna.
Like Leonardo, Dürer was interested in observable facts in nature. He painted this watercolor as a study for a piece of turf. Dürer believed that sight was the noblest sense of man. This work is scientifically accurate and poetic.
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Figure 18-4 ALBRECHT DÜRER, The Fall of Man (Adam and Eve), 1504. Engraving, approx. 9 7/8” x 7 5/8”. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (centennial gift of Landon T. Clay).
This engraving shows the breadth and talent of Dürer. Here he is distilling the ideas of Vitruvian theory on human proportion. These two figures are classical in proportion as they stand in front of a very heavily wooded Northern landscape. Although the figures are idealized, he was committed to naturalism as seen by the representation of the background itself. The choleric cat, the melancholic elk, phlegmatic ox, and sanguine rabbit are symbols of the four humors, bodily fluids that were the basis of theories of the body’s function during the Medieval era. Notice the cat and mouse in the foreground – they symbolize the relationship between Adam and Eve at this moment in time.
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Figure 18-5 ALBRECHT DÜRER, Four Apostles, 1526. Oil on panel, each panel 7’ 1” x 2’ 6”. Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
This image is for SmartHistory HW #5.
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Figure 18-6 LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER, Allegory of Law and Grace, ca. 1530. Woodcut, 10 5/8” x 1’ 3/4”. British Museum, London.
Cranach continued with his religious work, but his woodcut designs (notably those for the first German edition of the New Testament in 1522) are generally more interesting that his paintings in this sphere. He also painted several portraits of Martin Luther. Despite his allegiance to the Protestant cause, he continued to work for Catholic patrons and was a very astute businessman. During the last years of his life Cranach was assisted by his son, Lucas the Younger (1515-86), who carried on the tradition of the workshop and imitated his father's style so successfully that it is often difficult to distinguish between their hands.
The most effective and successful of the doctrinal representations came from the school of Lucas Cranach, the contrast between the Law and the Gospel, or the Old and New Testaments. The earliest example from Lucas Cranach the Elder comes from the later 1520s. It is based on the antithesis, a form used so often throughout Reformation propaganda. The visual space is divided down the centre by a tree, to the left of which is depicted the Law as expounded in the Old Testament. In the left background, Adam and Eve east the fruit of the tree of life after being tempted by the serpent. As a result of this original sin, man is the prey of death and the Devil, through he can only be damned, indicated by the two figures hounding Man into the jaws of hell. This is Man under the Law, signified by Moses holding the tables of the Ten Commandments, with other Old Testament prophets behind him. In the clouds above, Christ as Lord of the world sits judging man, with the sword and the lily in his ears. Two figures, Mary and John the Baptist, seek to intercede for sinful man, although in vain. The gloomy message of the Old Testament and the Law, which only condemn man, is also signified in the barren branches on the Old Testament side of the antithesis formed by the central tree.
In opposition to the hardness of the Law, the Gospel brings hope, signified by the blooming branches on the New Testament side of the tree. In the background is depicted, however, an Old Testament scene, the brazen serpent, the figure of Christ's saving death on the cross. On the hill in the right background Mary receives the rays of heavenly grace, signifying the incarnation, further indicated by the angel bearing the cross down to her. To the left, further indicated by the angel brings the news of the birth of the Savior to the shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem. The main figures on this side depict the events through which the Gospel message is realized. The crucified Christ sheds his saving blood in a stream onto man. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, the dove through which the stream passes, this becomes the saving water of baptism. Man has his attention called to the sacrificial death of Christ by the figure of John the Baptist. Beneath the crucifix is the paschal lamb, the symbol of Christ's victorious death, which is completed by his resurrection. This is depicted in the bottom right-hand corner, where Christ overcomes death and the apocalyptic beast, representing the Devil. This completes man's release from sin and death, neatly balancing the corresponding depiction on the far left.
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Figure 18-10 ALBRECHT ALTDORFER, The Battle of Issus, 1529. Oil on panel, 4’ 4 1/4” x 3’ 11 1/4”. Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
Albrecht Altdorfer was German artist known for working in fine detail. This work is based on Alexander the Great’s victory over Darius during the Battle of Issus from 333 BCE. It is updated to the 16th century showcasing a battle between Bavaria (Christendom) and Turkey (Islam): armament and towns are unmistakably of that time. There is a love of landscape – figures are ant-like.
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Figure 18-11A HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER, Henry VIII, 1540
Holbein was from Augsburg, Germany, moved to Basel, Switzerland, but traveled to France and England where he did this portrait of Henry VIII. He became the court painter. In this portrait he precisely rendered the clothes and jewels, giving the king and air of unapproachability. The portrait definitely gives us a sense of the king’s ruthless, commanding presence.
Figure 18-11 HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER, The French Ambassadors, 1533. Oil and tempera on panel, approx. 6’ 8” x 6’ 9 1/2”. National Gallery, London.
Holbein was recognized for his portraits, detail, perfect perspective, a balance of light and dark, and symbolism. He reflected the realist tradition that was seen in Flemish art in the 15th century. This is one of the earliest portraits combining two full length figures, French ambassadors to England: Jean de Dinteville and George de Selve. They were devout humanists educated in worldliness and in the arts with great political power. There is an anamorphic image (skull) and may have hung over a staircase so that viewers could see it. Reality must be viewed correctly to reveal its full meaning, the skull symbolizing mortality. There is a half-hidden crucifix behind the curtain in the upper left corner symbolizing salvation. The globe on the bottom shelf shows Polisy, Dinteville’s home. The dagger gives his age as 29. The book is inscribed with de Selve’s age, 25. This painting ultimately shows the tensions between secular and religious authorities. Please watch: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/northern/holbein/v/hans-holbein-the-younger-the-ambassadors-1533
Figure 18-12 HIERONYMUS BOSCH, Garden of Earthly Delights. Creation of Eve (left wing), Garden of Earthly Delights (central panel), Hell (right wing), 1505–1510. Oil on wood, center panel 7’ 2 5/8" x 6’ 4 3/4". Museo del Prado, Madrid.
There are many interpretations of the reasons for why Bosch painted this artwork. It was not made for public religious use, but for private use, possibly a painting for a married couple. Fantastical and strange, this painting has captivated audiences for generations. It was very influential upon the Surrealists in the 20th century.
Please take the tour of the painting here (you won’t be disappointed - click on the tour on the right): https://tuinderlusten-jheronimusbosch.ntr.nl/en
To hear “Butt Music,” go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrICy3Bc2U
Figure 18-15 PIETER AERTSEN, Butcher’s Stall, 1551. Oil on panel, 4’ 3/8” x 6’ 5 3/4”. Uppsala University Art Collection, Uppsala.
This first seems to be a descriptive genre (everyday life) scene, but in the background you can see Joseph leading a donkey carrying Mary. The crossed fishes and the pretzels and wine refer to spiritual food; pretzels were served during lent. The shells on the right side refer to gluttonous food (aphrodisiacs such as mussels and oysters) and the people carousing under the roof nearby.
Please read more here: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/northern/antwerp-bruges/a/pieter-aertsen-meat-stall
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Figure 18-16 CATERINA VAN HEMESSEN, Self-Portrait, 1548. Panel, 1’ 3/4” x 9 7/8”. Kunstmuseum, Öffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel.
This is the first known Northern European self-portrait of a female artist. Her father, Jan Sanders van Hemessen was a well-known painter in Antwerp and presumably her teacher. She was a highly successful painter. Her main patron was Queen Mary of Hungary. Van Hemessen married Christian de Morien in 1554 and thus her career ended. Most historians think this is true because there are no paintings by her after this date and because it was customary for a woman to give up painting after she was married. Queen Mary respected her talent so much that when she died in 1558, she left an endowment for the couple to live out their lives in comfort. Van Hemessen's paintings have a quiet dignity to them, the sitters eyes never meet the viewer's. Her pictures also tend to be small with plain dark backgrounds that give no sense of location or extended space. She also inscribes that she is the artist and her age, 20.
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Figure 18-17 Attibuted to LEVINA TEERLINC. Elizabeth I as a Princess, ca. 1559. Oil on oak panel, 3’ 6 3/4” x 2’ 8 1/4”. The Royal Collection, Windsor Castle, Windsor, England.
A Flemish miniaturist who served as a painter to the English court of Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Teerlinc was the oldest daughter of the Simon Bening (sometimes written as Benninc or Benninck), the renowned illuminator of the Ghent-Bruges school. Bening probably trained his daughter as a manuscript painter. Teerlinc may have worked in her father’s workshop before getting married.
In 1545, she moved with her husband, George Teerlinc, to England. She then served as the royal painter to Henry VIII, whose royal painter, Hans Holbein the Younger, had recently died. Her annuity for this position was £40 greater than that paid to Hans Holbein. Later she served as a gentlewoman in the royal households of both Mary I and Elizabeth I.
Teerlinc is best known for her pivotal position in the rise of the portrait miniature. There is documentation that she created numerous portraits of Elizabeth I, both individual portraits and portraits of the sovereign with important court figures.
Figure 18-18 JOACHIM PATINIR, Landscape with Saint Jerome, ca. 1520–1524. Oil on panel, 2’ 5 1/8” x 2’ 11 7/8”. Prado, Madrid.
The subject of landscape painting was attributed to Patinir by Dürer as Patinir was scene as a highly gifted landscape painter. What’s more important here? Landscape or St. Jerome? St. Jerome is seen here removing the thorn from the lion’s paw. Patinir uses atmospheric perspective to visually achieve distance.
Figure 18-20 PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER, Hunters in the Snow, 1565. Oil on panel, approx. 3’ 10” x 5’ 4”. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Bruegel was from the Netherlands and interested in the humble lives of regular people and in landscape (we will see this tradition continue into the Baroque period in Holland and Belgium). He never worked for the church and remained a humanist (someone who looks to the great Greek philosophers for moral grounding). Landscape is not just the setting, but the actual subject of the work.
Figure 18-22 Château de Chambord, Chambord, France, begun 1519.
A mere hunting lodge for royalty, King Francis I. The king never saw the completion of this home. It is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture that blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Italian structures. It is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, but was built to serve only as a hunting lodge for King Francis I, who maintained his royal residences at Château de Blois and at Château d'Amboise. The original design of the Château de Chambord was by Domenico da Cortona, but was altered considerably during the twenty years of its construction (1519-1547). Leonardo da Vinci, a guest of King Francis at Clos Lucé near Amboise, is believed to have been involved in the original design.
Nearing completion, King Francis showed off his enormous symbol of wealth and power by hosting his old enemy, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
The massive castle is composed of a central keep with 4 immense towers. The keep also forms part of the front wall of a larger compound with two more large towers. Bases for a possible further two towers are found at the rear, but these were never developed, and remain the same height as the wall. The castle features 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, and 74 staircases. Four rectangular vault hallways on each floor form a cross-shape. One of the architectural highlights is the spectacular double-helix open staircase that is the centerpiece of the castle. The two helices ascend the three floors without ever meeting, illuminated from above by a sort of lighthouse at the highest point of the castle. There are suggestions that Leonardo da Vinci may have designed the staircase, but this has not been confirmed. The castle also features more than 800 sculpted columns and an elaborately decorated roof. When Francis I commissioned the construction of Chambord, he wanted it to look like the skyline of Constantinople. The castle is surrounded by a 13,000 acre wooded park and game reserve maintained with red deer, enclosed by a 20 mile wall. The château was never intended to provide any form of defense from enemies. As such, the walls, towers and partial moat are purely decorative, and even at the time were an anachronism. Elements of the architecture - open windows, loggia, and a vast outdoor area at the top - were also borrowed from the Italian renaissance style, which made them out of place in colder central France.
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Figure 18-27 EL GRECO, The Burial of Count Orgaz, Santo Tomé, Toledo, Spain, 1586. Oil on canvas, approx. 16’ x 12’.
Greek born Domenikos Theotocopoulos was nicknamed El Greco when he moved to Spain as the Spanish had a hard time pronouncing his name. El Greco trained in the Venetian School, spent time in Rome, then settled in Toledo, Spain for the rest of his life.
This work portrays the burial of a medieval benefactor who died in 1323, yet the artist represents it as a contemporary event. It fills and entire wall of a chapel. However the bottom is six feet above the floor so El Greco uses foreshortening in order to achieve an illusion of boundless space above, while below the figures look like they are on a stage.It is rendered very realistically, yet the figures in heaven are more supernatural looking in their elongation and color, a Mannerist trait.
