1500-1615

Renaissance Art in Renaissance Art in Northern EuropeNorthern Europe

Renaissance Art in Renaissance Art in Northern EuropeNorthern Europe

, Should not be considered an extension of Italian art.

, Italian influence was strong. (many artists went to Italy to study)

, The differences between the two cultures: Italy change was inspired by

humanism with its emphasis on the revival of classical antiquity.

No. Europe change was driven by religious reform, the return to Christian values, and the revolt against the authority of the Church.

Characteristics of Northern Characteristics of Northern Renaissance ArtRenaissance Art

Characteristics of Northern Characteristics of Northern Renaissance ArtRenaissance Art

, Tendency toward realism & naturalism , Northern art looked different from the Italians

[North looked to illuminated manuscripts, while Italians had classical works of Greeks and Romans].

, Use of “picture window” effect, More emphasis on middle-class and peasant life, Great skill in portraiture., Disguised Symbolism: almost everything is a

symbol, Objects/symbols have extreme clarity and detail

therefore, eye-catching, Not much sculpture but a lot of printmaking

Northern vs. Italian Northern vs. Italian RenaissanceRenaissance

Northern vs. Italian Northern vs. Italian RenaissanceRenaissance

, Northern Artists Down-to-earth Literalists (how

things look…literally!)

Emphasis on portraits not anatomy

Depth created by just observing natural world

, Italian Artists Dreamy/Idealized Generalists (how things

usually/should look) Anatomical experts

(extreme understanding of body)

Perspective (made a science out of it)

Jan van Eyck (1395 – 1441)Jan van Eyck (1395 – 1441)Jan van Eyck (1395 – 1441)Jan van Eyck (1395 – 1441)

, The Virgin and Chancellor Rolin, 1435.

, Intertwining of earthly figure with divine

, In Rolin’s chamber with symbolic landscape

Van Eyck -Van Eyck -Adoration of the Adoration of the LambLamb, , Ghent Altarpiece, 1432Ghent Altarpiece, 1432Van Eyck -Van Eyck -Adoration of the Adoration of the

LambLamb, , Ghent Altarpiece, 1432Ghent Altarpiece, 1432• Inside panels:

God, Mary, John the Baptist,Angels, Adam & Eve, Adoration scene, river of life.

• Prophets, patriarchs, and kings of the Old Testament are grouped on the left while apostles and saints are on the right

• God the Father is flanked by Mary and John the Baptist

• Adam and Eve in the top panels are the first almost life size nudes done in Northern Europe

SymbolismSymbolismSymbolismSymbolism, The dove represents the holy spirit

shedding light on the lamb., The lamb is a symbol of Christ

bleeding into a golden chalice (reference to communion)

, The fountain represents eternal life

Van Eyck:Van Eyck: The CrucifixionThe Crucifixion

&&

The Last JudgmentThe Last Judgment 1420-14251420-1425

Van Eyck:Van Eyck: The CrucifixionThe Crucifixion

&&

The Last JudgmentThe Last Judgment 1420-14251420-1425

This artwork is a diptych meaning that it is a painting made up of two painted panels that are hinged together.On the left, are Christ’s followers grieving, soldiers and spectators inthe mid-ground, and three bodies in the upper-ground framed against an azure sky with a viewof Jerusalem in the distance.Right, scene is associated with the Last Judgment, a hellscape at its base resurrected awaiting judgment and Christ flanked by saints, apostles, and clergy

Giovanni Giovanni Arnolfini Arnolfini and His and His

WifeWife

(Wedding (Wedding Portrait)Portrait)

Jan Van Jan Van

EyckEyck

14341434

Arnolfini Wedding PortraitArnolfini Wedding PortraitArnolfini Wedding PortraitArnolfini Wedding Portrait, Meticulous detail and incredibly realistic light produce a painting of reality and unity. Light enters at the left and softly illuminates the metal chandelier, hard walls, soft fabrics, and flesh., Wedding of merchant couple from Bruges,

Germany, Double portrait (portrait and legal document), 2 witnesses reflected in convex mirror, Shoes off & heads covered: a holy place

Quentin Metsys’ Quentin Metsys’ Money Money Changer & His WifeChanger & His Wife, 1514, 1514Quentin Metsys’ Quentin Metsys’ Money Money

Changer & His WifeChanger & His Wife, 1514, 1514

Money Changer & His WifeMoney Changer & His WifeMoney Changer & His WifeMoney Changer & His Wife, Original frame was inscripted with a

scripture from Leviticus “Your shall have just balances and just weights”

, Mirror: shows client and window view of a changing world - creating a link beyond the framed scene.

, Shows criticism of society’s changing values [commerce and finance replacing religion]Husband absorbed with money – weighing

pearls, jewels, and goldWife is distracted by her husband from her

spiritual duty of reading the Book of Hours (religious book).

Religious routine & prayer replaced with business

Pieter Bruegel the ElderPieter Bruegel the ElderPieter Bruegel the ElderPieter Bruegel the Elder, Bruegel is considered one of the greatest

Flemish landscape painters of the 16th century

, Paintings, including his landscapes and scenes of peasant life, stress the absurd and vulgar, yet are full of zest and fine detail. Also expose human weaknesses and follies.

, First artist to paint common everyday activities of working people – nicknamed “Peasant Bruegel”

, Wide range of subjects: biblical scenes and parables of Christ, mythological portrayals, religious allegories (stories), and social satires (using wit to criticize).

Pieter BruegelPieter Bruegel Parable of the Blind Leading the Parable of the Blind Leading the

BlindBlind, 1568, 1568

Pieter BruegelPieter Bruegel Parable of the Blind Leading the Parable of the Blind Leading the

BlindBlind, 1568, 1568

Parable from Mathew 15:14 (Jesus replied …”They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch …”)

Compares spiritual blindness to physical blindness

The gap between the men give a clear sight of the solid – built church (solid faith in God)

Bruegel’s, Bruegel’s, The HarvestersThe Harvesters, , 15651565

Bruegel’s, Bruegel’s, The HarvestersThe Harvesters, , 15651565

August from a 12 month series painted for a wealthy banker intended to hang together (similar to “Tres Riches Heures”)

This is 7th in the series showing peasant workers resting for lunch

http://vimeo.com/13496550

Jean Clouet – Jean Clouet – Portrait of Portrait of Francis IFrancis I, 1525, 1525

Jean Clouet – Jean Clouet – Portrait of Portrait of Francis IFrancis I, 1525, 1525

Flemish born Clouet was Francis’s portraitist

Clouet softened Francis’s distinctive features but didn’t completely idealize them.

His thick neck seems at odds with the delicately worked costume of silk, satin, velvet, jewels and gold embroidery and shoulders are broadened by sleeves

Clothing and jewels could be painted separately – modeled by

a servant

The School of The School of FontainebleauFontainebleauThe School of The School of FontainebleauFontainebleau

, Gallery [right] by Rosso Fiorentino & Francesco Primaticcio

, 1528-1537

Dürer – Dürer – Self-Portrait in Fur-Self-Portrait in Fur-Collared RobeCollared Robe, 1500, 1500Dürer – Dürer – Self-Portrait in Fur-Self-Portrait in Fur-Collared RobeCollared Robe, 1500, 1500

Durer represented himself as an idealized,even Christ-like, figure in a severely frontal pose,meeting the viewer’s eyes like an icon. His rich fur-lined robes and flowing locks create an equilateral triangle, the timeless symbol of unity.

Albrecht DurerAlbrecht DurerAlbrecht DurerAlbrecht Durer, Durer’s work was influenced by his interest

in humanism and knowledge of science.

, His keen observation of nature lent himto produce extraordinary lifelike studies, superbly drawn, of men, animals, plants and landscapes.

, Considered one of the greatest figures in the history of graphic arts because of the technical mastery of his works and his vivid power of imagination.

Dürer Dürer

FourFourHorsemenHorsemen

of theof theApocalypseApocalypse

woodcut, 1498woodcut, 1498

Dürer Dürer

FourFourHorsemenHorsemen

of theof theApocalypseApocalypse

woodcut, 1498woodcut, 1498

Durer massed fine line together toproduce areas of gray and to give hisprints depth and shading.

In this woodcut the aged and withered figure of Death rides the skeletal horse, trampling a bishop whose head is in the jaws of a monster. Cowering before the horse are figures awaiting destruction. Next to Death, and the most prominent of the four, rides Famine, carrying a scale. War brandishes a sword, which is parallel to the angel above. Plague, riding the background horse, draws his bow (the arrow’s wounds were associated with the sores caused by the plague.) Finally, the presence of God as the ultimate motivation force behind the four horsemen is indicated by rays of light entering the picture at the upper left corner.

Hans Holbein, the Younger Hans Holbein, the Younger (1497-1543)(1497-1543)

Hans Holbein, the Younger Hans Holbein, the Younger (1497-1543)(1497-1543)

, One of the great German artists who did most of his work in England.Erasmus Writing, 1523

, Court painter to King Henry VIII

, Great portraitist- painted many portraits of royalty and English contemporaries noted for: objectivity & detachment.

Erasmus was a Dutch Humanist scholar who urged reform.

Holbein’s, Holbein’s, The The AmbassadorsAmbassadors, 1533, 1533

Holbein’s, Holbein’s, The The AmbassadorsAmbassadors, 1533, 1533

Memorializes two wealthy, educated and powerful young men.

The Ambassadors is a tradition of showing learned men with books and instruments.

The objects are a virtual catalog of the two men’s interests: eye glass, lute, celestial globe, Lutheran hymn book, compasses, flutes, sundial, a crucifix, books etc.

Crucifix (upper left) is a symbol mortality

Anamorphic perspective - skullhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PQZUIGzinZA

Hieronymus Bosch (1450-Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516)1516)

Hieronymus Bosch (1450-Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516)1516), Dutch painter with an incredible imagination, well

educated with many talents - also a hydraulic engineerwho designed fountains and civic waterworks.

, Paints a pessimistic view of human folly and sin , His work is often religious (Old Testament scenes, the life of Christ, and stories of saints). His secular work represents the vices of promiscuity, gluttony, drunkenness and

laziness , His figures are flat.

Perspective is ignored.

Hieronymus BoschHieronymus Bosch

The Garden of Earthy The Garden of Earthy Delights, 1500Delights, 1500

Hieronymus BoschHieronymus Bosch

The Garden of Earthy The Garden of Earthy Delights, 1500Delights, 1500This triptych depicts the history of the world and the progression of sin.

Beginning on the outside shutters with the creation of the world, the story progresses from Adam and Eve and original sin on the left panel to the torments of hell, a dark, icy, yet fiery nightmarish vision, on the right. The Garden of Delights in the center illustrates a world deeply engaged in sinful pleasures.

The Garden of Earthly The Garden of Earthly DelightsDelights

The Garden of Earthly The Garden of Earthly DelightsDelights

Little is known about Bosch but his paintings are very well known and intriguing

Painting has many interpretations by scholarsOften thought of as a warning on the perils of life's temptations – seems to caution that damnation is the natural outcome of a life lived in ignorance and folly, and that peopleensure their damnation through self-centered pursuit of pleasures.

Thought to be a mix of parables, religious undertones, and folly of man.

Inspired Surrealism

El GrecoEl GrecoEl GrecoEl Greco

, Style known as Mannerism, He deliberately distorts & elongates

his figures, and seats them in a lurid, unearthly atmosphere.

, He uses an agitated, flickering light., He ignores the rules of perspective,

and heightens the effect by areas of brilliant color.

El GrecoEl Greco

The The View View

of of ToledoToledo

1597-1597-15991599

El GrecoEl Greco

The The View View

of of ToledoToledo

1597-1597-15991599Cityscape is transformed

into a mystical illusion bya stormy sky and narrowlyrestricted palette of greens and grays.

Burial of Count Orgaz Burial of Count Orgaz 15861586

Burial of Count Orgaz Burial of Count Orgaz 15861586

Eliminates specific reference to the spatial setting by filling up the pictorial field with figures and has distinguishedbetween heaven and earth by elongation of the heavenly figures and light emanating from Christ.

Light from Christ is unlike the natural light from below

Summary of Northern Summary of Northern RenaissanceRenaissance

Summary of Northern Summary of Northern RenaissanceRenaissance

, Variety of styles and meaning depending on the region artist was from

, Influenced by religion, manuscripts, Italian art, desire for realism, and naturalism

, “Northern Renaissance” included: Flanders (modern day Belgium & France) , France, Germany, England, The Netherlands, and Spain.

, Subjects included religious material, still life, portraits, and landscapes.