Title: The High Renaissance
1The High Renaissance In Italy C.1450-C.1520
The Artist as Idea-Maker
2- Both a culmination of the early Renaissance and a
departure from it - Viewed the artist as a genius rather than a
craftsman-creation rather than making - This caused the patrons of the Renaissance to
spend vast amounts of money and the artists to
devote a huge amount of time - Less concerned with rational order and more with
visual effectiveness - New drama meant to engage the viewer
- Six great masters of the Renaissance- did not
trickle down past them (nobody tried to copy
them) - Key monuments all produced between 1495 and 1520
- Leonardo Da Vinci- b. 1452
- 1482- went to work for the Duke of Milan as a
military engineer
3- Very atmospheric, figures emerge from the
background (sfumato) -makes the painting intimate - Do not know who the other figures are and its
hard to place the symbolism but painting is very
simple
Leonardo Da Vinci, The Virgin of the Rocks c. 1485
4Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1495-98
- First real statement of the ideals of the High
Renaissance - Da Vinci experimented with fresco technique,
using oil-tempera medium- began to deteriorate
almost immediately - Extremely balanced, architecture has only
supporting role-vanishing point is in the exact
center, above Christs head, window serves as a
halo - At the moment when Jesus has revealed a betrayal
5- Example of sfumato
- Built up with layers of glazes
- Psychological fascination with the sitter
- Not many smiling portraits in the history of art
(should remind you of archaic smile) - Both an ideal type and an individual
portrait-perhaps a maternal tenderness
Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503-5
6Leonardo da Vinci, two drawings, c. 1490-1510
Created the modern scientific illustration
7- Marks site of St. Peters crucifixion in Rome
- Meant to fit in a molded exterior space- a
colonnaded courtyard- a novel idea - Directly recalls classical architecture
- Monumental weight despite its small size
Bramante, The Tempietto S. Pietro, 1502
8Bramante, design for St. Peters
Bramantes Plan, St. Peters 1506
- During the papacy of Julius II, who decided to
replace the old basilica-wanted to unite Italy
under his command - Coin celebrates the beginning of the campaign,
only proof of his design - I shall place the Pantheon on top of the
Basilica of Constantine - Plan included a huge hemispherical dome over a
Greek cross with four identical facades, no
continuous surface inside- dwarfs the size of all
other churches - Would have required concrete because of cost- not
finished until Michelangelo redesigned it
9-Michelangelo (1475-1564) -considered a genius by
others and by himself-sometimes he thought of
this as a curse -he thought that he should answer
to no human because of his genius -sculptor
first- only thing that satisfied him was to
liberate real three-dimensional bodies from
recalcitrant matter- kind of like God! -the
human figure as the ultimate vehicle for
expression linked him with the Greeks-all of his
figures have Pathos -David commissioned in 1501
(he was 26!) Meant to be placed high on Florence
Cathedral but moved to the center of
Florence -Has pent up energy, action in repose,
very unlike Donatello Had spent time in Rome
studying Laocoon and other Hellenistic work
Michelangelo, David 1501-4
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11Michelangelo,Rebellious Slave, 1513-16
-Part of Tomb of Julius II, a Vast number of
sculptures that he was working on-would have been
his greatest achievement-remained unfinished
because of the Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo, Dying Slave, 1513-16
12-forced into working on this by the Pope (and
Bramante!) -completed the entire thing in 4 years
because he wanted to continue with the
tomb -hundreds of figures within architectural
framework -Scenes from Genesis, prophets-links
Old and New Testament -subject matter probably
picked by Michelangelo
Sistine Chapel, 1508-12
13Shows the passage of the divine spark
Creation of Adam
Bold, intense colors, life-like, modeled forms in
the tradition of Massacio
The Fall of Man
14Michelangelo, The Campidoglio
-during the last 30 years of his life,
Michelangelo became obsessed with
architecture -commissioned to redo Romes
Capitoline Hill, the center of Ancient
Rome -Completed long after his death -completely
balanced symmetry -the square in the middle is a
trapizoid- makes it look like a stage set
15-very compact design -dome meant to come out from
the building rather than top it (unlike
Bramante) -verticality very important- similar to
Florence Cathedral dome, but more
sculptural -more sculptural in design
Michelangelo, St. Peters 1546-64
16Earlier Pieta
Milan Pieta was his last work- very private,
perhaps meant for his own tomb -groping for new
forms, Medieval in nature
Milan Pieta, 1555-64
17-1483-1520 -opposite personality of Michelangelo,
enjoyed equal fame -a complete success
story-almost effortless -less of an innovator,
more of a perfector -Madonna is calm, graceful,
and meditative -sfumato, similar to the Mona Lisa
Raphael, Madonna Del Granduca, 1505
18Raphael, School of Athens, 1510-11
-Raphael was working at the Vatican at the same
time as Michelangelo-in the Popes library-
Frescos represented the liberal arts -This one is
about philosophy- its considered Raphaels
masterpiece -he had probably seen the Sistine
Chapel and was influenced by it -similar feel as
the last supper- attention to the
individual -architecture influenced by Bramante
19-used human figures to create space -cheerfulness
of Greek mythology is celebrated -similar
compositionally to the Birth of Venus
Raphael, Galatea, 1513
20-had a talent for portraiture -did not flatter or
idealize his subjects but makes the sitter looks
powerful -The two men in the back are Medici,
obviously seen as less important
Raphael, Pope Leo X, 1518
21-1488-1576 -only Venetian of the Renaissance
Masters -very pagan painting -figures are joyous,
like Raphaels Galatea (influenced by Raphaels
engravings) -saw classical myths as part of the
natural world, animated rather than statuesque
Titian, Bacchanal, 1518
22-very strange view -in a Renaissance
architectural setting -every figure is in
motion -sparking colors make this a happy
painting but there is a hint of future
action-foreboding
Titian, Madonna with Members of the Pesaro
Family, 1526
23-Later work are full of light and color done with
glazing -shapes emerge from semi-darkness -heavy
impasto -scene of serenity
Titian, Pieta, 1577