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Renaissance Art Themes

• Classicism

• Individualism

• Secularism

• Nudes

• Nature

• Youth

• Religion

“Dead Christ” Andrea Mantegna

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Medieval Art – One dimensional and

always focused on religious themes

Sample section of the “Bayeux Tapestry”

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Renaissance

= Bold new

artistic

techniques

“Trompe

L’oeil”

(deceives the

eye) on

ceiling of

Palazzo

Ducale.

Mantua, Italy

1474

Fresco

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Michelangelo worked under great

pressure from Pope Julius II

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Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel / The Vatican / Michelangelo

Art represents a progressive attitude toward man and his

capability that resulted in great progress during the

Renaissance period

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Individual Panels from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel

“Creation of Adam (Ceiling, Sistine Chapel)”

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Individual Panel from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel

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Individual panels from the ceiling of the

Sistine Chapel - Vatican

The Fall from Grace

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Michelangelo Buonarroti – Ceiling of

Sistine Chapel

Adam & Eve Expelled from Eden

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Causes of Artistic Change:

• Weakening of the Roman Catholic

Church {Avignon Papacy 1309-77,

Great Schism 1378-1417}

• Secularization

• Humanism

• Expansion of patronage

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Technical Painting Advances of the Renaissance:

• Oil paint {dries more slowly / more time to adjust}

• Three dimensionality (new techniques to illustrate depth and proportion)

-- Shading (or shadowing)

-- Linear perspective – row of trees, fence, ceiling tiles that recede diagonally to focal point. Get smaller as they recede.

-- Foreshortening – the item appears to be shorter than normal due to the angle at which the viewer sees it.

-- Atmospheric perspective – as you move into the background of the art piece, it becomes more blurry.

-- Chiaroscuro – directional light, especially shown by sunshine on walls or shadows.

-- Anamorphic art – art which appears to be 3 dimensional

-- Emotion – facial and body expressions which depict feelings or personality.

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Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-

1564, Tuscany)

“David” 1501-1504 Marble

14’ 3” high

Galleria dell’ Accademia, Florence

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Michelangelo

Buonarotti’s statue of

“David” in the

Academia, in Florence

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Michelangelo Buonarotti, “The

Pietà” 1499 Marble

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Michelangelo Buonarotti, “The Last Judgement” fresco on

altar wall of Sistine Chapel, Vatican 1534-1541

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Linear Perspective

“The Last Supper” Leonardo da Vinci

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Linear Perspective

“The Flagellation” Piero della Francesca (1469, oil & tempera on wood)

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Atmospheric Perspective

“The Madonna

of the

Chancellor

Rolin”

Jan van Eyck

(1434, oil on

wood)

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Atmospheric Perspective

“Mona Lisa”

Leonardo da Vinci

(1505, oil on

cottonwood)

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Chiaroscuro

“St. Jerome in

His Study”

Albrecht Dürer

(silver engraving)

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Anamorphic Art

“The French

Ambassadors”

Hans Holbein the

Younger (1533)

Item in bottom center of

the painting is the

anamorphic art. If

viewed from parallel to

the painting and

diagonally lower, it

becomes a three

dimensional skull.

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Early Pioneers of

Renaissance Artistic

Change:

Cimabué – “Madonna

Enthroned with Angels

and Prophets”

Tempera on wood. 1280-

90 AD

Known for use of depth,

proportion, and emotional

expression.

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Early Renaissance Art Pioneers = Giotto di Bondone

“The Lamentation” 1305

Fresco in Arena Chapel

of Padua, Italy

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Giorgio Vasari

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Early Renaissance Pioneers = Masaccio

“Expulsion of Adam and Eve from

Eden” Fresco 1425 “Holy Trinity” 1428 Fresco

Masaccio introduced the

idea of chiaroscuro or

directional light.

Also known for linear

perspective and shading.

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Sandro Boticelli (1444-1510 Florence)

“Birth of Venus” 1482 Tempera on canvas

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“Virgin of the Rocks”

Leonardo da Vinci 1485

(oil on wood)

Louvre, Paris

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Leonardo da Vinci (Florence / Tuscany

1452-1519)

“Mona Lisa” 1503-

1505, oil on wood

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Leonardo da Vinci

“The Last Supper”

(Fresco, 1495-98)

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Leonardo da Vinci = Renaissance Man

Helicopter and Plane Designs Infant in the uterus drawing

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Leonardo da Vinci

“A good painter has two chief objects to paint, man and the intention of his

soul. The former is easy, the latter hard, for it must be expressed by

gestures and the movement of limbs.” Leonardo da Vinci

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The Roman Renaissance (Pope Julius II moved the center of the

Renaissance to Rome in 1503)

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Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520)

“The School of Athens” 1509-11 Fresco, Papal Apartments in Vatican

36Greek philosopher,Plato, with

the head of Leonardo da Vinci

Greek philosopher, Aristotle (with

his own head)

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Plato and Aristotle{top middle of

fresco}

Self-portrait of Leonardo

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Greek philosopher, SocratesGreek philosopher,Heraclitus,

with the head of Michelangelo

(theory of constantly changing

universe)

Euclid (in red chiton),

the founder of

geometry, with

Bramante’s head

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Heraclitus (philosopher) with

Michelangelo’s head

Portrait of Michelangelo

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Euclid (in red), with Bramante’s

{architect of St. Peter’s Basilica} head

“Listen to

me, fools! I

invented

geometry!”

{bottom right

side of the

fresco}

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Socrates = famous Greek

philosopher(in green chiton at

top left side of the

fresco)

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Diogenes, Greek philosopher connected with Cynicism

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Diogenes, Cynic philosopher

{bottom center of

fresco}

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Pythagoras, Greek

mathematician and

philosopher

Ptolemy, Greek

founder of geocentric

theory of universe (in

gold, only back

visible)

Raphael includes

himself (in profile)

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Pythagoras

{bottom left

side of the

fresco}

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Ptolemy (in gold, with back to

you) and Zoroaster (white)

{bottom right

side of the

fresco}

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Raphael includes himself (on the

left)

{middle, right side

of the fresco}

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Hieronymus Bosch (Dutch, 1450-1516)

“Garden of Earthly Delights” (triptych, oil on wood)

Museo del Prado, Madrid

L= “Creation of Eve” Ctr= “Garden of Earthly Delights” R= “Hell”

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“Creation of Eve” = Left wing of the triptych,

“Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus

Bosch (1505-1510, oil on wood)

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“Garden of Earthly Delights”

{central panel in triptych)

represents the temptations of

earthly life. Nude people

cavorting in land of bizarre

creatures and unidentifiable

objects. Fruit and birds

(fertility symbols) and fact that

there are so many couples,

suggests a message of

procreation. Orgy-like scenes

contrasted with scenes of Hell

and the 7 Deadly Sins seems

to be a warning to sinners.

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Enlarged panel from the central

panel of “Garden of Earthly

Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch

(procreation and fertility

overtones)

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Central panel of “Garden of

Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus

Bosch (triptych)

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“Hell” = right panel of the triptych,

“Garden of Earthly Delights” by

Hieronymus Bosch

“Hell” is commonly thought to depict

the 7 Deadly Sins =

1. Pride

2. Envy

3. Gluttony

4. Lust

5. Anger

6. Greed

7. Sloth

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GREED!!

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PRIDE & LUST!!!

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Envious man being

eaten by dogs!

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“The Garden of Earthly Delights” Hieronymus Bosch 1505-1510 (oil on

wood, triptych)

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The Venetian Renaissance

Titian (1487-1576)

“Assumption of the Virgin” Titian

Oil on wood. 1516-1518

Known for depiction of light through

color. Altarpiece for Santa Maria Gloriosa

dei Frari in Venice. (22’, 6” X 11’ 10”!)

Notice the golden clouds that almost

radiate light! God appears above, ready

to receive the Virgin Mary. Below,

apostles motion wildly as they witness the

ascension. Vibrant color creates drama

and intensity!

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Close up of God in Titian’s

“Assumption of the Virgin”

Titian was known for his

ability to paint realistic human

hair and use of vibrant colors.

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Close up of the Virgin Mary from

Titian’s “Assumption of the Virgin”