Medieval & Renaissance Flashcards
(135 cards)

Antonio Canaletto, Basin of San Marco from San Giorgio Maggiore, ca 1740
Venice Veduta
- Canaletto used a camera obscura to make his on-site drawings true to life
- his paintings were popular with foreign tourists; Documentation of particular places became popular, in part due to growing travel opportunities and expanding colonial imperative- era of the “grand tour”
- A veduta (Italian for “view”; plural vedute) is a highly detailed, usually large-scale painting or, actually more often print, of a cityscape or some other vista.
- While the painting gives an appearance of having no editing, Canaletto actually edited his images and subscribed to Renaissance perspectival rules

Mosaic of Theodora and the Attendants, San Vitale, 547 (Byzantine)
- on the South wall of San Vitale
- Theodora stands behind a fluted shell canopy and singled out by a gold halolike disk and elaborate crown, carries a huge golden chalice studded with jewels
- She presents the chalice as an offering for Mass and as a gift of great value for Christ
- With it she emulates the magi, depicted in embroidery at the bottom of her purple cloak who brought valuable gifts to the infant Jesus
- a courtyard fountain stands to the left of the panel and patterned draperies adorn the openings at left and right
- combination of imperial ritual, Old Testament narrative and Christian liturgical symbolism
- the setting around Theodora- shell form, fluted pedestal, open door, and swagged draperies are classical illusionistic devices
- the mosaicists avoided making space-creating elements, no longer conceived pictorial space the way the Roman artists had it
- highly stylized forms bear little resemblance to nature

Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Allegory of Good Government in the Country, Siena, Palazzo Pubblico, 1338-39
Sienese Renaissance
- Lorenzetti continued to develop illusionistic representation and perspective in his frescoes.
- The subject of the frescoes is appropriate given the turbulent politics in Italy during that time.
- Shows illusionistic representation (innovative), allegorical representation (Greek), shows knowledge of perspective and close observation of Sienese architecture and customs, treats the landscape like a portrait showing great detail.
- Student of Duccio
- One of the first appearances of landscape in Western art since antiquity

Vermeer, Allegory of the Art of Painting, c. 1670-75
Dutch Baroque/ Golden Age
- This is the largest and most complex of Vermeer’s works. The model in the painting represents the muse of history, Clio, evidenced by the laurel wreath and the trumpet. The map on the back wall has a rip that divides the Netherlands between north and south.
- Vermeer’s use of window lighting, not spiritual light. Although allegorical representations are present, the interior evokes a middle class Dutch interior and all its morals and values. Example of Dutch genre painting.
- Used camera obscura – ancestor of modern camera
- Shadows are not colorless and dark, adjoining colors affect each other, light is composed of colors!!!

Archangel Michael, ivory diptych, early 6th c. (Byzantine)
- diptych- two carved panels hinged together- originated with Roman politicians elected to the post of consul
- Christians adapted the practice for religious use, inscribing a diptych with the names of people to be remembered in prayer during Mass
- panel depicting the archangel Michael was half of a diptych.
- His relation to the architectural space and the frame around him is new; his heel rests on the top step of a stair that clearly lies behind the columns and pedestals but the rest of his body projects in front of them
- the angel is shown here as a divine messenger, holding the staff of authority in his left hand and a sphere symbolizing worldly power in his right
- the lost half of the diptych would have completed the Greek inscription across the top, which reads “Receive these gifts, and having learned the cause…”
- It is possible the other panel contained a portrait of the emperor or another high official

Giotto di Bondone, Arena Chapel, Padua, c. 1305-06, interior
Italo-Byzantine/Proto-Renaissance
- Also known as the Scrovengi Chapel, commissioned by a local banker
- it is also called the Arena Chapel because it and the family palace were built on the ruins of a Roman arena
- building is a simple barrel vaulted room; as viewers look towards the altar they see the story of Mary and Jesus unfolding before them in a series of rectangular panels
- on the entrance wall Giotto painted the Last Judgment
- a base of faux marble and allegorical grisaille (gray monochrome) paintings of the virtues and vices

Inigo Jones, Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace, London, 1619-22
Neoclassical/ Neopalladian
- Jones interprets Palladian design by placing superimposed ionic and composite orders on the two upper stories over a plain basement level. A rhythmic effect is created from the alternating window treatments - triangular and segmental pediments on the first level. The sculpted garlands create a decorative touch.
- Architect to King James I and Charles I
- A version of Renaissance classicism
- Balustraded roofline, predated Louvre’s façade by more than 40 years
- Jones was an authoritative influence in English architecture for 2 centuries
- Exterior shows 2 stories, but actually one large hall divided by a balcony

Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, 526-547 (Byzantine)
- Byzantine forces captured Ravenna from the Arian Christian Visigoths; Justinian established Ravenna as administrative capital of Byzantine Italy
- a central domed octagon extended by exedralike semicircular bays, surrounded by an ambulatory, all covered by vaults
- design has distinct rootsin Roman buildings such as Santa Costanza
- eight large piers frame the exedrae and the sanctuary
- the round dome is hidden in the exterior by an octagonal shell and a tile covered roof is a light strong structure ingeniously created out of interlocking ceramic tubes mortared together
- Justinian and Theodora did not attend the dedication ceremony for the church of San Vitale, conducted by Archbishop Maximianus in 547 but two large panel mosaics make their presence known

Bayeux Tapestry (The Battle of Hastings detail), c. 1066-83
Norman Romanesque
- October 14, 1066- William takes over England
- Bayeux Tapestry is really embroidery not tapestry- they are stitches applied to woven ground
- Embroiderers, probably Anglo-Saxon women, worked in tightly twisted wool that was dyed in eight colors and used only two types of stitches
- skin and other light toned areas were represented by the bare linen of the cloth
- the embroiderers of the Bayeux Tapestry probably followed drawings provided by a Norman, who may have been an eyewitness to the events depicted
- embroidered linen that tells the history of the Norman conquest of England
- the story is a straightforward justification of the action, told with the intensity of an eyewitness account
- the Anglo-Saxon Harold initially swears his alliegance to William, but later betraying his feudal vows, he accepts the crown of England for himself. Unworthy to be king, he dies in battle
- At the beginning of the Bayeux, Harold is a heroic figure then events overtake him
- the designer was a skillful storyteller who used a staggering number of image
- fifty surviving scenes are more than 600 human figures
- figural are romanesque

John Smibert, Bermuda Entourage, 1729
American Baroque
- This painting is a group portrait reminiscent of Dutch Baroque group portraits.
- Smibert’s debt to Flemish painting is obvious in the balanced but asymmetrical arrangement of figures and great attention to textures and costumes.
- Smibert – 1st artist of stature to arrive in America

Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, c. 1482
Italian Renaissance
- “modest” Venus who covers her sexuality with her hand and hair, averting her gaze. She is blown by the wind - Zephr with his love the nympth Chloris.
- NO real depth of space - linear flattened space
- Secular paintings of mythological subjects inspired by ancient works and by contemporary Neoplatonic thought
- Assistant to Filippino Lippi and in studio of Verrocchio
- Venus based on Praxiteles, Aphrodite of Knidos (480 BCE)
- In contrast to his contemporary Masaccio, Boticelli ignores scientific knowledge of perspective and anatomy

William Hogarth, Breakfast Scene, from Marriage a la Mode, 1745
English Rationalism/Enlightenment
- This series of satirical paintings is inspired by a 1712 essay promoting the concept of marriage based on love rather than politics
- Hogarth portray the sordid story and sad end of an arranged marriage between the children of an impoverished aristocrat and a social-climbing member of the newly wealthy merchant class. This installment shows shortly after the marriage where the couple are uninterested in each other and the household deteriorates.
- With Hogarth, a truly English style of painting emerged
- Despite this, his painting drew from the French Rococo artists but subject matter was distinctly English
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El Greco, Burial of Count Orgaz, 1586, Church of Santo Tomé, Toledo, Spain
Spanish Renaissance/ Mannerist
- This painting was commissioned by the Orgaz family as an altarpiece honoring an illustrious 14th cen. ancestor.
- He used mannerist devices such as packing the pictorial field with figures.
- Blend of late Byzantine and late Italian Mannerism, intense emotionalism appealed to the pious fervor of the Spanish during the Counter Reformation. Dematerialization of form along with great reliance on color makes him Venetian and Mannerist, however his strong sense of movement and use of light makes him Baroque.
- Worked under Titian in Venice
- Based on legend that count of Orgaz was buried in church by Saints Stephen and Augustine, who miraculously descend from heaven to lower body into its sepulcher
- Figures in background are portraits

Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Carceri 14, ca 1750
Venetian Romanticism
- Piranesi was trained in Venice as an architect but moved to Rome to study etching and established a publishing house making popular prints.
- He produced a series of prisons (carceri). These views show dark and labyrinthian spaces with huge vaults and stairs winding up. This influenced romanticism and much later surrealism.
- Visual illustration of Edward Burke’s sublime
- Complicated architectural mass

Titian, Assumption of the Virgin, c. 1516-18, Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice
High Italian Renaissance
- This was Titian’s first major commission in Venice, for the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and the largest altarpiece in the city. The dramatic gestures of the figures marked a new turn in Italian painting.
- Supreme colorist; Conveys light through color
- During Titian’s time the canvas was nearly universally adopted as the painting’s surface
- 1516 – appointed official painter of the Republic of Venice

Cathedral Complex at Pisa, (Cathedral begun 1063), Baptistry and Campanile (mid-12th century)
Tuscan Romanesque
- Pisa was a maritime power, competing with muslims for control over trade in Western Mediterranean
- created a new cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary after a decisive victory against the Muslims
- complex included cathedral, campanile (now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa), a baptistry and later a gothic Campo Santo, a walled burial ground
- cathedral is a cruciform basilica, a long nave with double side aisles, builders added a dome over the crossing; interior was richly deocrated with marble
- baptistry begun in 1153, has arcading on lower level to match cathedral (its present dome and ornate upper levels were built later)
- the campanile (bell tower) was begun in 1174, built on inadequate foundations it began to lean almost immediately; tower is encased in marble columns
- creative reuse of ancient, classical theme of colonnade, turning it into a decorative arcasde is characteristic of Tuscan Romanesque art

Cathedral Of Notre-Dame, Reims, France, c. 1225-1290

Michelangelo, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, 1508-12, Vatican, Rome
High Italian Renaissance
- Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor not a painter, nevertheless the pope Julius II ordered him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
- Michelangelo’s design is an illusionistic marble architecture to support the figures. The pilasters are decorated with sculptural putti. The ceiling is divided into compartments containing biblical stories.
- Old Testament scenes: theme is the creation, fall and redemption of man (something he was personally interested in).
- As one enters chapel and walks toward altar, they view in reverse order the history of the fall of humankind
- Painted as if they were sculptures

Peter Paul Rubens, Arrival of Marie de’ Medici at Marseilles, 1622-25
Flemish Baroque
- This was one of 24 paintings commissioned by Marie de’ Medici depicting the events of her life, overseen by ancient gods of Greece and Rome
- Example of Rubens unfailing sense of the dramatic transforms a rather dull and uneventful life into an adventure story
- Standard Rubens vigorous and plump figural compositions.
- Rubens interaction with royalty gave him understanding of spectacle of Baroque art that appealed to wealthy
- Marie de’ Medici, member of famous Florentine Medici and widow of Henry IV, the first of the Bourbon Kings of France
- Welcomed by allegorical personification of France, draped in cloak decorated with fleur-de-lis

West Facade, Chartres Cathedral, France, 1194-1220 (1145-55?)
High Gothic
- A fire in 1194 destroyed most of the church but spared the royal portal and its windows and the crypt with its relic of Mary’s tunic
- Vast resources were used to erect such an enormous building- raised money through unconventional means, even putting Mary’s tunic on “tour” across England and France
- transition from early to high Gothic is most eloquently expressed; near perfect embodiment of Gothic spirit in stone and glass
- Constructed in several stanges beginning in the mid-12th century and extending into the mid-13th, with additions such as the north spire as late as the 16th century, the cathedral reflects the transition from experimental 12th century architecture to a mature 13th century style
- main treasure was a piece of linen believed to have been worn by Mary when she gave birth to Jesus
- its most striking feature is its prominent rose window- a huge circle of stained glass- and two towers with their spires

Nave of Chartres Cathedral, France, 1194-1220
High Gothic
- A fire in 1194 destroyed most of the church but spared the royal portal and its windows and the crypt with its relic of Mary’s tunic
- Vast resources were used to erect such an enormous building- raised money through unconventional means, even putting Mary’s tunic on “tour” across England and France
- vaults soar approximately 120 feet above the ground and church is 75 feet wide
- the cross section of the nave is an equilateral triangle measured from the outer line of buttresses to the keystone of the vault
- by making the open nave arcade and glowing clerestory nearly equal in height, the architect creates a harmonious elevation
- relatively little interior decoration interrupts the visual rhythm of compound piers with their engaged shafts supporting pointed arches
- four-point vaulting has been replaced with more complex systems found in Durham or Caen
- the luminous clerestory is formed by windows whose paired lancets are surmounted by small circular windows or oculi (bull’s eye windows); glass fills nearly half of the wall’s surface made possible by the system of flying buttresses on the exterior

Stained Glass (Tree of Jesse), Chartres Cathedral, France, 1194-1220 (or 1150-1170
High Gothic
- Chartres is unique among French gothic buildings in that most of its stained glass windows have survived
- Chartres was famous for its glassmaking workshops, most of the glass dates between about 1210 to 1250
- This is an image of the Tree of Jesse Window; it was apparently inspired by a similar window at Saint Denis and dated from the 12th century
- Jesse is the father of King David and an ancestor of Mary, lies at the base of the tree whose trunk grows out of his body as described by the prophet Isiah; this family tree connects Jesus with the house of David
- window is set within an iron framework visible as a rectilinear pattern of black lines
- vivid color “Chartres” blue was formulated specifically for the church

Chartres Cathedral, France, 1194-1220 (1145-55?): portal sculpt.
Gothic
- so-called “royal portal” inspired by the portal of the church at Saint Denis
- in the central tympaneum, Christ is enthroned in royal majesty with the four evangelists. He appears imposing but more benign than with Gislebertus’ sculpture at Autun
- the apostles are in four groups of three, fill the lintel, and the 24 elders of the Apocalypse line the archivolts
- the portal on Christ’s left is dedicated to Mary and the early life of Christ from the Anunciation to the Presentation in the Temple
- the portal on Christ’s right, he ascends to heaven in a cloud supported by angels
- running across all three portals, storied captions depict his earthly activities

West portal sculpture, Chartres Cathedral, France, c. 1145-1155
Gothic
- Flanking the doorways are monumental jamb figures depicting old testament kings and queens, the precursors of Christ
- these figures convey an important message- just as the old testament supports and leads to the new testament, so too these biblical kings and queens support Mary and Christ in the tympana above
- the depiction of old testament kings and queens is meant to remind people of the close ties between the Church and the French royal house
- Jamb figures became standard elements of Gothic church portals
- At Chartres, the sculptors sought to pose their figures naturally and comfortably in their architectural settings; not painfully elongated as in earlier Gothic churches
- their slender proportions and vertical drapery echo the cylindrical shafts from which they seem to emerge
- calm and order prevails among these figures in contrast to the crowded compositions of Romanesque sculpture














































































































