Ch. 23 High Renaissance and Mannerism in Northern

One of the paintings I found the most interesting in the class is Albrecht Durer's Great Piece of Turf. This painting's figure, a piece of turf, is so simple, yet the simplicity adds to its elegance and uniqueness. The watercolor painting is botanically correct as Durer took in Italian artists' interest in science of the time.

 

Henry VIII (ca 1540) by Holbein the Younger is an impressive piece of art. In the painting, Henry VIII appears to be large and intimidating. However, his facial expression suggests that he may not be such a bad guy. This mixture of good and bad shows Henry VIII to be a good leader. Holbein the Younger made this painting as the official painter to the English court. I imagine this painting pleased his majesty.

Ch. 22: Renaissance and Mannerism in Cinquecento Italy

Mona Lisa (ca. 1505) by Leanardo Da Vinci is one of the most famous portraits in the world. It was hard not to choose this painting because of how popular it is. The painting's popularity arises from the psychology of the interpretation of the figure's face, the mysterious background, and the mystery of who the figure is. Scholars suggest that the painting is of Lisa di Antonio Maria Gherardini, but it is not certain.

Another Da Vinci painting, Last Supper, is a poppular and famous art piece. The picture depicts Jesus with his twelve deciples from the biblical story of The Last Supper. In the painting, each of the deciples react to Jesus's announcement that one of them will betray Him. Jesus is the center focus of the painting, and the focal point of the converging perspective lines.

Ch 21: The Renaissance in Quattrocento Italy

Donatello's David (ca. 1440-1460) Brings back the classical statuary style and features David in the nude. David uses the revolutionary contrapposto which makes the figure appear more real. I decided to write about Donatello's David because it is an iconic work of art that I recognized before I read about it in our class.

 

 

Birth of Venus (ca 1485) by Botticelli is based off classical Aphrodite statues and uses the theme of the female nude and romantic view of Venus's birth from the sea. The nuditiy of the picture was different for the time as female nudity was rare in art throughout the middle ages. However, there was not any serious uproar against the painting as it was made for and paid by the powerful Medici family. I like the painting because of its elegance. Venus flows onto the shore by the seashell. The painting looks phenomenol.

Ch. 20: Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Northern Europe

In 1434, Jan Van Eyck created Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife. The secular painting is filled with symbols which present a story telling the on-looker who Arnolfini and the woman are. Arnolfini is holding his wife's hand. So, he is either proposing to his wife or discussing the legalities of their financial matters. The shoes on the floor indicate each of the two's working role in the relationship. Arnolfini's shoes are near the door which indicates that he goes to town to work. His wife, however, has shoes in the back of the room suggesting that she stays at home to maintain the house. The clothes on the two indicates that they are of at least high-middle class. However, the size of the room or house shows that Arnolfini and his wife are not among the rich elites. Those are just a few of the symbols. I enjoyed learning about the symbols and what they were put in the painting.

The right wing of Jean Fouquet's Melun Diptych contains two panels. The right panel, Virgin and Child, features the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus surrounded by angels. The image depicts Mary, Jesus, and the cherubs as unearthly. Mary and Jesus are marble-like, and the angels look unreal as if they are made of red and blue candy. The image definitely grabbed my attention, and I honestly did not notice the blue angels the first time I saw the painting in my book. The blue ones are the same color as the background.

Ch. 14: Late Medieval Italy

Giotto Di Bondone's Madonna Enthroned (ca. 1310) presents one of the first paintings that transitioned into the age of the Renaissaince style of painting. The characters in Madonna Enthroned have substance, dimensionality, and bulk which give the illusion that the figures could have shadows. The picture does not appear flat as The Virgin Mary's shape of her breasts are given through her shirt. I like the painting as I can compare it to Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets and see how Bondone's painting is more Renaissance-esque with it's substance.

 

Nicola Pisano's pulpit of the baptistery (ca 1260) features medieval and classical elements.

Some medieval parts include the trefoil arches and the lions supporting some of the columns. The large capitals with crowned columns are a Gothic variation of the Corinthian capital. However, the archesare round, and each of the large relief panels resembles Roman sculptures. I found it interesting that these classical and medieval elements were incorporated together into this one sculpture.

 



The four evangelists, folio 14 verso of the Aachen Gospels

While reading the introduction chapter to our text book, I came across a painting of the four gospel writers of the New Testament. The painting, folio 14 verso of the Aachen Gospels, uses symbols to differientiate the four men. John's symbol includes an eagle, Luke is symbolized by an ox, Mark is represented by a lion, and Matthew's symbol is a winged man. This painting caught my attention because I immediately recognized these symbols. I took a New Testament class last year and remembered these symbols associated with each of the four evangelists. I do not quite remember why each symbol is used for the four writers, but recognizing the symbols myself made this painting stand out to me. Learning other such techniques in interpreting art will hopefully make looking at other works as fascinating as it was to see this painting of the 4 writers of the gospels.