High Renaissance Flashcards
(15 cards)
The Birth of Venus by Botticelli (1486) Comissioned and no longer….
- Commissioned in Florence by Lorenzo de Medici.
- No longer in a Christian context, but in a classical one.
- Venus is based on an ancient Roman sculpture
How does the Birth of Venus differ from the early Renaissance paintings (Masaccio)?
- Early Renaissance is concerned with representing the naturalistic weight of the body.
- Botticelli’s bodies are weightless, reminiscent of a frieze, or a painting on a vase.
- There’s also a lack of concern with deep space (the grove functions like an ornamental screen).
- The Birth of Venus contains the first monumental image of Venus since Roman times.
How could such a painting like be justified in a Christian civilization?
- Neoplatonism, the philosophy that developed among the artists and intellectuals in the Medici circle, a new syncretism of Christian and classical values.
- Marsilio Ficino was the foremost representative of this school of thought, which was based on ancient Greek philosopher Plato—
- Neoplatonism is the second great reelaboration of Plato’s philosophy
Neoplatonism
- believed that all life in the universe was linked to God, and therefore all revelation was one—whether from the Bible, or pagan mythology.
- On the strength of this notion, the Neoplatonists could invoke Venus (terrestrial beauty and love) in the same breath as the Virgin Mary (divine beauty and love).
- The Christian religion and ancient my-thology were regarded as interchangeable, both pointing to the same divine love.
For Neoplatonists,
- All the world is an emanation from the same divine being. Divine beauty can be comprehended through contemplation of earthly beauty (especially the human form).
- The Birth of Venus is about beauty in the all-encompassing, Neoplatonic way: physical, sensual, divine.
La Primavera (1482) by Botticelli.
- Syncretism of Christian and classical iconography
- Setup in which we would typically find the Virgin Mary, we have a mythological allegory on the fertility of the world
- Also about the rebirth of ancient Greek and Roman culture, on which Renaissance art rests.
School of Athens (1510) by Raphael
- The most famous embodiment of the classical revival in the Renaissance.
- The great men of antiquity (philoso-phers, scientists and mathematicians) are set in a huge architecture in the Roman style.
- In the middle are the two greatest ancient Greek philosophers: Plato and Aristotle. Plato was interested in a metaphysical world of ideas that transcends the everyday, so he’s pointing up to the heavens.
- Aristotle, who developed science and empirical ob-servation, points down to earth: two fundamental schools of thought that have coexisted in Western culture ever since.
Michelangelo’s sculptures.
- Pietà, Moses, the Prisoners.
- The Prisoners demonstrate Michelangelo’s famous Neoplatonic notion of sculpting as liberation of human form from the crude matter that traps it.
The Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo (1508-12). Important Neoplatonic elements:
- The liberation of life or spirit from matter is illustrated by God creating Adam from the earth.
- The anticipation of Christ’s arrival is evident not only in the Old Testament but also in pagan mythology, with both prophets and classical sibyls prophesying his coming. The Creation of Adam features a woman, representing the Virgin Mary, while Christ’s presence is implied throughout the artwork.
- The male human body signifies divine perfection, evidenced by the mirroring of God and Adam in the Creation of Adam. However, moral corruption leads to a deterioration of the human form, as depicted in the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, where Eve’s body reflects this moral decay.
The Virgin of the Rocks (1486) by Leonardo da Vinci
This was one of the most complex and intriguing religious scenes to date. Mary is not enthroned but seated on the ground. This type of representation (of Franciscan provenance) is referred to as the Madonna of Humility (from the Latin humus, earth or ground). The setting is quite unconventional, more fabulous than realistic. Yet in the foreground are carefully observed rendered plants and flowers, painted directly from nature at a time when most artists simply copied plants from books. This is the first time that an Italian Renaissance artist has completely abandoned halos, whose unreal nature was antithetical to the realism of the Renaissance. From this moment on, other subtle ways will be found to suggest divinity. One last thing to notice is the arrangement of the figures. Leonardo groups them within a geometric shape of a pyramid. He has the figures gesturing and looking at each other, which creates an unprecedented interconnectedness that unifies the scene.
The Last Supper (1498), by Leonardo da Vinci
- The Last Supper (1498) by Leonardo da Vinci exemplifies mastery in perspective, geometry, and anatomy.
- Christ is positioned as the vanishing point, drawing focus from architectural elements like the tapestry and ceiling coffers.
- A window pediment frames Christ’s head, subtly suggesting divinity in the absence of a traditional halo.
- The artwork exhibits frugality compared to earlier depictions, enhancing the overall purity and drama.
- Remarkable realism is achieved, merging anatomical accuracy with psychological representation.
- Apostles express a wide range of emotions through gestures, postures, and facial expressions in response to Christ’s proclamation
Mona Lisa (ca. 1503–1506).
- A revolutionary portrait
- Traditionally, portraits displayed a stiff figure painted in profile, and cut off at the bust.
- They were intended to represent the status of wealthy people.
- Leonardo invents an entirely new formula for a portrait. The face is frontal, the shoulders are turned three-quarters toward the viewer, and the hands are included in the image.
- The other innovation is the intensity. Instead of the traditional stiffness of the subject being portrayed, we have an uncanny intensity in the face.
- Creates a dreamlike effect, like a mist or haze, which gives objects a sense of mystery.
The Vitruvian Man, by Leonardo da Vinci.
- The Renaissance exemplifies the integration of art and science.
- Focused on the study of male human body proportions based on Vitruvius’s treatise.
- Michelangelo highlights the human body’s aesthetic value.
- Leonardo emphasizes the body’s significance for scientific exploration.
The Last Judgment by Michelangelo
- Twenty years into the Reformation, the harmony and the celebratory mood of the high renaissance are over.
- The ideal beauty is gone. Here we have ugly, bloated figures, chaotic action, strain and effort.
- No longer a celebration of human beings, but a reflection on the sinful nature of man, on the despair of damnation.
- A time of uncertainty, of deep religious questioning and spiritual turmoil.
Neoplatonism was a fusion of what and served the foundational work for?
- Neoplatonism is a philosophical fusion of Christian and Pagan beliefs, inspired by the ideas of Plato.
- It served as a foundational philosophical framework for the Renaissance
