Northern European Art from the Fifteenth Century

After looking over everything that we have learned about this quarter, I am amazed. We have gone over so many great eras of art as well as artists and styles. What stood out to me the most and still continues to cross my mind from time to time is the art created in the fifteenth century in Northern Europe.
    
I found myself mostly intrigued with the great attention to detail, naturalism, an humanism that was used. I still cannot wrap my mind around how much time, thought, and experimenting went into many of these paintings. A great example of the use of naturalism and humanism is Jean Van Eyck's "Ghent Altarpiece." Directly in the middle, on the top half of this piece sits a depiction of Christ the King. When you look at this specific part closer, you'll notice how real the gems and the gold looks on Christ the Kings attire. Van Eyck found a way to make the jewels shine and pop out as any real jewel would. Each jewel is also very small and there are so many of them. It amazes me how each one also has that shine and that detail, which must have taken time to achieve. At the bottom sits a crown and we can see light reflecting on it, giving it a shine and a very worthy appearance. Even the way that the King's robe falls is so realistic and gives us that sense of depth and naturalism. 

Another piece within this period that I find myself in awe with is, Claus Sluter's "Well of Moses." Again, we see the great use of naturalism, humanism and detail. The hair, the wrinkles within the faces, and the hanging fabric are all done so well and look so real. This piece really stands out to me too because it's a sculpture. There are so many fine lines and small details within this piece that Sluter somehow manages to create through sculpting. I have taken a sculpting class before and I put a lot of work and time into each of my pieces and when I look at a piece like this, I feel that it would take me a lifetime to include all of the detail that Sluter included. I especially enjoy how each figure stands out from the pillar behind. To me, it looks as if they all could just step down and walk off. 

Overall, I find that I really appreciate these specific pieces and many others from this area and time period because of how much detail as well as time and pride were put into these pieces. Because these pieces appear to be successfully done, I feel that the artists made sure that they would be proud of their own work and because of that, I appreciate what I see and most of all, I enjoy what I see. 

John Henry Fuseli: The Shepherd's Dream

               

 

As I looked through the beginning of our text book I found myself intrigued with John Henry Fuseli’s painting, “Nightmare.” I then went on to look at more of his work and found it all to be very interesting but one that I particularly enjoy is his oil painting of “The Shepherd’s Dream” created in 1793. Fuseli’s paintings were included in the Romanticism period. He found himself to be inspired by dramatic subjects from stories, plays, and poems and he also found himself interested in the dark side of the human mind. Many of his images revolve around mythical creatures and the supernatural.  In this painting we see a shepherd resting while mythical creatures such as nymphs, fairies, and elves, circle around him. It was said that when Fuseli first exhibited this painting, he pointed out the relationship it shared with John Milton’s poem, “Paradise Lost.” His poem describes angels shrinking in order to make more room in Hell after the Fall of Man or the temptation of Adam and Eve. I find it interesting how Fuseli found a way to include religion in this painting without directly including any religious figures. I feel that the only way for someone to completely understand what Fuseli was getting across with this painting is to either have read the description or to have read Milton’s poem. What appeals to me the most is the darkness within the painting. Because of the dark border that is created, we can tell that a dream is being depicted in this paining. The bright center between all of the haunting creatures also allows for us to see the depiction of a dream. I get the sense of Hell that is described in Milton’s poem because of the darkness that is used. Although there is a lot of black being used and colors with the same dark tone, Fuseli found a way to create the figures within and allow viewers to see what is going on in his painting. We are able to make out each figure in this scene and we can tell what is going on. We are so used to seeing paintings that use a lot of color or depict bright scenes such as landscapes but Fuseli focused on darker scenes and still managed to make each figure visible and the scene visually engaging without the use of many colors. The creatures around the Shepherd have an eerie look to them. We can tell that they are not human and are meant to be supernatural or mythical figures. Although they have some characteristics of a human, they also have unfamiliar characteristics that make them seem dream-like. For instance, the figure off to the left seems somewhat human-like but it also has a smaller size compared to the shepherd as well as an unfamiliar headpiece. Next to her we see other creatures that are more hidden within the dark. They too have somewhat human-like faces, but they also have an unnatural and eerie look to them. Although the dog is there to protect the shepherd, he too looks a bit disturbing with its unnatural muscle structure. This painting serves as a great example of Fuseli’s work. We can see that he found inspiration in darkness and he found a way to make the unreal appear real to his viewers. I enjoy this piece as well as his other work because it is different from what we are used to seeing in the Renaissance period. It seems that Fuseli took a step forward with self-expression.

Comparing and Contrasting the "David's"

      When looking at Michelangelo's depiction of "David" in comparison to Bernini's depiction of "David," we see many similar techniques used as well as different ones. The Baroque period picked up on many of the early Renaissance ideas and these two depictions of David are good examples of how the Renaissance period inspired them. 

When comparing the two pieces, we can see that they both incorporated a lot of naturalism and humanism. In Michelangelo's sculpture, David is seen standing in the contraposto stance, putting his weight on his right foot. This stance gives us that naturalistic feel and we see a similar stance being played out in Bernini's piece. David, in this piece, also puts all of his weight in his right foot. We are also given the sense that Bernini's David is about to move or is in motion with the way his body is angled. With that sense of movement, we are seeing a great use of naturalism. In both depictions we also see the use of humanism. In both figures, we see a lot of lines emphasizing the muscles, bones, and veins of their bodies. Both figures also show emotion and life within their face. In Michelangelo's piece, David's eyebrows are a bit creased showing tension within his face. In Bernini's piece, David also has his eyebrows creased and he is biting his lip as if he is really pushing himself and working hard. Not only do their facial expressions give them both characteristics of an actual human, but the sense of movement we get from both figures also gives them that attribute. Michelangelo's David is raising his left arm showing movement as well as humanism. Bernini's David, again, is angling his body and his arms are both bent allowing viewers to sense the movement an the humanism. When I look at this piece, I can feel the movement and I can imagine David finishing his move. Another trait that both pieces share is idealism. We see two very young looking figures with a very muscular physique and flawless hair. Although they have very natural characteristics an attributes of an actual human, they are both very perfect and nearly flawless in appearance, showing idealism. 
   
 A lot of the traits that both David's share, have carried on from classical periods, such as the contraposto stance and the use of naturalism, all the way through to the Baroque period but there are also many traits that came about later and are different in both of these pieces. Looking at Michelangelo's piece, David is very balanced. We can sense that, although David uses the contraposto stance, he is grounded on either side. The fact that his arm is bent on the left side, equals out his entire body. Michelangelo has created a very calm and somewhat elegant depiction of David. When looking at Bernini's depiction, we see an unbalanced piece. His sculpture is more dramatic and makes our eyes want to move around the piece. Instead of seeing a very balanced  piece, we see a piece that is set diagonally. Although the piece is not balanced, the diagonal form is very intriguing and invites us to move with and around the piece. In Bernini's depiction, drapery falls over David's groin area where as in Michelangelo's piece, David stands naked and uncovered. The Baroque period began looking towards appropriateness and decency in art, therefore, Bernini found a way to cover David's groin area. 
 
 It amazes me how many techniques used in the early Renaissance period actually influenced the Baroque period. Both depictions or David are great and the different attributes that each one has is what makes them great pieces to compare and contrast. 

Italian Influence on Albrecht Durer

Albrecht Durer created some very exquisite self-portraits in his day and it is clear to see that he was greatly inspired by Italian art, especially when looking at his self-portrait from 1493. When I look at this portrait and think about the different details used, I can't help but be reminded of Jan Van Eyck's paintings. Just as Durer did in his self portraits, Van Eyck would place an inscriptions somewhere within his painting to get more of a meaning behind the painting across to its viewers. In Durer's self-portrait in 1493, he inscribes in another language, "My affairs shall go on ordained on high." This portrait was created for his fiance. He sent it to her while he was away to reassure her that he was okay and still faithful. In Jan Van Eyck's "Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife," he inscribes his signature in the background on a wall. Naturalism was a big part of Italian art and we definitely see it here in Durer's self-portrait. He did not try to portray himself as an idealized figure with large muscles and a young face. Instead, he depicted himself as being the ordinary man he was. He is wearing a very prestigious outfit in the portrait but he was looking to show his fiance that he was happy and healthy. When looking at many pieces from Italian art, we see a lot of dark colors and reds standing out from these darker shades. Durer's self-portrait does the same thing with his choice in color. There are very dark colors surrounding him and the one color that grabs the eyes attention is the red that is on his clothing. Again, Van Eyck shows us this contrast in color in his portrait of the "Man in a Red Turban." The colors within the portrait are very dark and bland but the eye is caught by the red turban that sits upon the mans head just as the eye is caught by the headpiece of Durer's head or the cuffs of Durer's sleeves. Another attribute that we see in Durer's portrait that relates to Italian art is his use of the three-quarters pose. In Italian portraits, people were hardly ever seen as facing the viewer head on. Instead, they would sit with their body slightly turned. We see the three-quarters pose used in Jean Hey's "Portrait of Margaret of Austri and Van Eyck's portrait of the "Man in a Red Turban" serves as another example. Creating portraits or having a portrait created became a popular thing in Italy to pass on a memory or to just have a portrait painted by a famous artist. Durer seemed to enjoy portraiture considering that he went on to do more self-portraits of himself. Durer was known for taking many trips to Italy which probably gave him inspiration. When I look at his work, I can't help but compare him to Jan Van Eyck, one of Italy's most prominent artists. Looking at his color scheme, inscriptions, naturalism, and use of the three-quarters pose, Albrecht Durer must have went to Italy and found his inspiration there. 

"Madonna with the Long Neck" and "Allegory with Venus and Cupid"

When looking at Parmigianino's "Madonna with the Long Neck" and Bronzino's "Allegory with Venus and Cupid," we see two pieces that represent the sixteenth century's mannerism style.

Elongation was thought to create a more elegant look in terms of mannerism, which my be one of the main reasons why mannerism styled art contained a lot of unnatural looking human figures. When looking at both "Madonna with the Long Neck" and " Allegory with Venus and Cupid," we see a lot of elongation being used in different areas of each painting as well as oddly proportioned bodies. In Parmigianino's "Madonna with the Long Neck," we see Mary holding her sleeping child. Mary herself has a very oddly proportioned figure with her obvious long neck, which holds up her smaller sized head. Below her neck we see her unnaturally slanted shoulders and her elongated fingers resting on her chest. Her legs also appear to be very long as we can see a point at which they begin and they look much bigger than the rest of her body. In Mary's lap is her baby who also has unnaturally long features. For one, his body as a whole is very long giving him the height of about a three or four year old. He seems to have the head of a baby as well as the feet of a baby but his body is very long, especially his legs. I also find it very interesting how Mary's son is given a muscular figure. The fact that he has the outline of muscles, gives him an even more unnatural look. Right next to Madonna and her baby we see a lady looking up at Madonna and this lady seems to have a very long thigh on her right leg that is peeking out. Looking at where her shoulders and her head are, she seems to have a very small torso. When comparing Madonna to the women who stand beside her, Madonna is huge. If she were to stand up, she would be incredibly tall next to those beside her. She would also probably be taller than the canvas used, another common trait in mannerism.

When looking at Bronzino's "Allegory with Venus and Cupid," we see a few areas of elongations but mostly, the figures appear to be awkward for other reasons. Cupid has the head of a young boy but a tall body of almost a teenage boy. The young features within his face do not go along with the length of his body. The way that cupid bends over to kiss Venus is very awkward as uncomfortable looking. It looks as if Venus is supporting him from falling over. Looking at Venus, she too is in an awkward pose. It looks as if her buttocks is elevated in some way yet the way her legs are bent, she looks as if she is supposed to be sitting. Her right leg looks as if it would be the leg supporting her lift but it's hard to tell if her thigh is supporting her or if her knee is. Either way, her body seems unnaturally supported. Again, we see elongated fingers used in both Cupid and Venus' hands. The man in the corner about Venus and Cupid, who reveals they're wrong-doing has an incredibly long arm to me. Compared to where his shoulder is, it seems as if his arm is a lot longer than it should be. Just like Mary, if Venus were to stand up, she would be incredibly huge and would be much taller than the canvas used.

Although many figures within each of these paintings are unnaturally proportioned, we still see a bit of elegance in them. For instance, both paintings contain drapery with simple folds and realistic wrinkles. There is also elegance in the way that each figure is posed. Mary has such a simple yet pretty look on her face and although her fingers are very long, the way that her hand rests on her chest shows elegance. Venus shows elegance in the way that she grabs Cupid's arrow from his quiver and the way her other arm drapes down. Both Mary and Venus are not making any sudden movements. They both seem very calm and peaceful in what they are doing. Even their children give off a sense of elegance through their bodies. Mary's baby peacefully sleeps in her lap and shows no sign of any rapid action or movement. We see the same thing with Cupid. He looks very still and at ease.

Overall, both pieces are very interesting and intriguing to the eye. They also give us an idea for what mannerism was about and how well Parmigianino and Bronzino used it.

Two Venus's From Two Different Periods

     I have alway been intrigued by the many depictions of "Venus" therefore I chose to compare and contrast Sandro Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" from the Early Renaissance and Titian's "Venus of Urbino" from the High Renaissance. 
   
 Both compositions serve as representations of the classical Venus whom typically gives a sense of innocence and modesty. She is typically seen as a beautiful woman and in an idealist manner. When looking at the "Birth of Venus," we see all of these characteristics. Venus is given long beautiful hair, an envious figure, and a pretty face. We see a classical technique being used in this painting with Venus showing such perfection. Her modesty is shown through her actions and facial features. She covers herself up and looks as if she is embarrassed to be seen or like she has been caught off guard. When looking at the "Venus of Urbino," we see a bit of a difference. We still see an idealized woman lying on a bed. Once again, her hair is long and beautiful and her appearance is perfect. The only difference is, this Venus is not as modest as most Venus's are portrayed. In Titian's depiction of Venus we see a woman who has an erotic intent. She shows such confidence  in her pose and the placement of her hand on her genitalia adds to the eroticism. Unlike Botticelli's Venus, we see a Venus who is not ashamed or embarrassed at all to be showing off her breasts or genitalia. One reason for her confidence could be that this was a bride welcoming her husband. The roses in her hand resemble a bride or reference marriage. Also, in the background are servants putting things away in her cassoni, or wedding chests. Viewers are drawn to the sexuality of both Venus's because of the attention that is given to their nude figures. Even though one Venus is more embarrassed by her nudity, we are still conscious of it because of how she  covers herself up. Although Titian's Venus shows a little less modesty, I think that she can still be considered a Venus because of her idealistic appearance, also seen in Botticelli's Venus. 
   
 When looking at the different styles used to create these pieces we can clearly see a difference in color. In Titian's painting, we see bright and vivid colors that were common in the High Renaissance period. Botticelli's painting has a lot of grey to it and the colors are not as bright. Both paintings show a bit of naturalism with their use of a horizon line and the poses that both Venus's are in. Botticelli's Venus stands in a contrapposta stance giving us a sense of movement and naturalism.Titian's Venus gives us that same feeling in the way that one of her legs crosses over the other. The shadows created on her legs also give off a naturalistic feel. I find it interesting that both Venus's have long and wavy blonde hair. It seems like it has become a symbol for a beautiful woman. 
     
Titian's depiction of Venus does contain dynamic unity. In his painting we are seeing what is thought to be a young bride on her wedding day. She is representing Venus in this painting and through her idealized appearance and her slight modesty, we can tell that this woman is a depiction of Venus. She is obviously not Venus herself but she is representing the well-known Goddess. Botticelli's Venus on the other hand, is a depiction of the actual Venus. Botticelli is telling a story about the birth of the actual Goddess, Venus. Because his painting is not a representation but Venus herself, there is a lack of dynamic unity. 
   
Although both of these painting revolve around the same Goddess, Venus, they each have their own styles and show two different interpretations. We also get to see a somewhat similar piece created in the early and the high renaissance period and get an insight on the differences between these periods.

Masaccio's "Holy Trinity": A True Early Italian Piece

    Masaccio created a beautiful piece that now hangs in the Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. In his depiction of the "Holy Trinity," we see many characteristics that tell us this piece belongs to the Early Italian Renaissance. Through the color palette used as well as the texture and the use of depth and illusion that Masaccio's painting contains, one can infer that the "Holy Trinity" does belong to the Early Italian Renaissance. 
 
  Many pieces within the early Italian Renaissance seem to have the same dull colors that are used the "Holy Trinity." Of course many other pieces done by Masaccio stand out in the early Italian Renaissance and have nearly the exact same pallet such as his piece, "The Expulsion of Adam and Eve From Paradise." But most of the other pieces viewed in our book as well as the lectures look as if the colors used within the painting were all mixed with grey to create that dullness and the use of similar colors. We  see a very similar pallet used in Sandro Botticelli's painting of the "Birth of Venus." Again, the colors have a dull look to them and there is a lot of grey throughout the painting. The color that is used in both of these paintings that I find interesting is the coral color. We see it above Jesus in the "Holy Trinity" and we see it again used for the cloak and the flowers in the "Birth of Venus." This coral color is also seen randomly throughout other pieces such as in the "Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds" and in the "Baptism of Christ." This coral color is just the use of red with one or two more colors, which also supports the fact that many paintings in the Early Italian Renaissance contain a lot of reds and blues. Looking at a lot of the paintings, a lot of the people are dressed in either red, blue, or white. We also see the sky in the background of most of the paintings which usually  use the lighter blue and white. 
 
 One commonly used medium in early Italian art was Fresco. Fresco was when artists would paint over plaster; either wet or dry. When looking at the paintings, they all seem to have more of a rough texture to them which I assume is from the use of plaster. The "Holy Trinity" contains this rough look. It looks as if there is a sort of texture there that was not necessarily painted by Masaccio. We see the same textured look in Fra Angelico's "Annunciation" and again in Piero Della Francesca's "Baptism of Christ." Looking closely at each of these paintings and many others, there appears to be little cracks within the painting which I am assuming to be related to the use of the Fresco. Some paintings have a clearer picture but that does not mean that there was no use of plaster. Painters would sometimes paint using Wet Fresco, which was just wet plaster. Once the plaster would dry, the painting would dry with it and the pigments would be within the plaster. When using Dry Fresco or dry plaster, the paint would just dry on top but was more likely to chip. Either way, I feel that the use of Fresco contributes to the rough an texturized look of each painting. I feel that it also might have had something to do with the dullness in color. I have worked with plaster before and it has a grey tint to it. Especially when working with wet plaster, I could see how the pigments might have gotten more dull in color. Also, most of the early Italian paintings contain that dullness in color so I feel that in someway the use of Fresco might have had something to do with it. 
   
 Although naturalism was not at it's peek in the Early Italian Renaissance, there was a great use of illusion and depth that contributed to the little bit of naturalism that was there. Masaccio's work of the "Holy Trinity" contains this exact illusion and depth. The way Christ pops out from the building behind him gives the painting that sense of depth. The background behind Christ and the Father gets darker and smaller giving us that sense of depth. That small use of depth can also be seen in paintings such as Piero Della Francesca's "Battista Sforza and Federico Da Montefeltro." Both figured in this piece show depth as they stand out from the background. The figures themselves lack a bit of naturalism but because of the background being so small and darker than the two figures, we get that small sense of naturalism. To me it looks as if they are being standing on a hill or a balcony but just like the "Holy Trinity," we get a small sense of naturalism from Francesca's painting. Another painting from the Early Italian Renaissance that has the same minor use of depth and illusion is Giovanni Bellini's "Virgin and Child Enthroned." This painting is very similar to the "Holy Trinity" because of the position that all of the characters take as well as the focal point being directly in the middle of the painting, surrounded by an arched pathway to what looks like a building. We see nearly the same depth and illusion in this painting as we do in the "Holy Trinity." The Virgin and the Child show the most naturalism as they appear to pop out of the scene a little bit. Both figures look as if they were given much detail and compared to the dark background, they really stand out. The lines in the painting help create that sense of depth and illusion as they move back, creating a vanishing point. One other interesting factor that supports the "Holy Trinity's" sense of illusion is Gene Brucker's "Secrion Diagram of the Illusionistic Spatial World Portrayed in Massaccio's Trinity." Through a diagram depicting the "Holy Trinity" from it's side, Brucker's shows how space is suggested within the painting allowing us to receive that sense of depth and illusion. In his chart, we can clearly see the different layers and points of illusion that are created. One last point that I would like to made that somewhat relates to illusion is the triangular composition that was common in Early Italian Renaissance. The creation of a triangle can be clearly seen when looking at the placement of each person. The people in the painting rise up to a single point which is God the Father. The triangular structure was popular because it created balance and gave a sense of harmony. We see this triangular composition again in Perugino's "Crucifixion With Saints." Again we have a depiction of Christ on the cross and the top of the cross created the tip of the triangle and the two people below, create the bottom tips of the triangle. Even in Early Italian sculptures we see the use of triangles. For example, in Donatello's "St. George," we see a triangle surrounding the statue of St. George. Above him is the top point of the triangle and then we have two points on either side of him that create that balanced feeling. 
   
 All in all, Masaccio's "Holy Trinity" is a great piece and just by looking at its use of color, texture, small amount of naturalism, and minor use of depth and illusion, it is clear to see that this piece originated from the Early Italian Renaissance.