Early Renaissance Painting in Italy and the Netherlands

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Early Renaissance Painting in Italy and the
Netherlands 14th and 15th Centuries Sources
Gardners Art Through the Ages Mark Hardens
Artchive Web Museum, Paris
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The Renaissance in Northern Italy
Beginning in the 13th century, a combination of
political, social, economic, religious, and
cultural factors contributed to a shift that
began to occur in European culture in the period
known as the Renaissance. These changes occurred
first in Italy, where the growth of a new secular
culture fueled an interest in the classical past.
Amid the social, economic, and religious
upheavals of the 14th century, there emerged a
new interest in human values and the everyday
world, inspired and guided by classical examples.
In the 14th century, Italy consisted of numerous
city-states, each functioning independently.
Expanding Trade and Commerce By the beginning
of the 14th century, the city states of Italy had
established a thriving international trade and
held a commanding position in the Mediterranean
world.
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Letters And Learning
Developing a Vernacular Literature Italy's
intellectual and cultural life was dramatically
affected by the development of an Italian
vernacular literature, which, because of its
accessibility, greatly expanded the audience for
philosophical and intellectual concepts.
Humanism The Revival of Classical
Values Humanism, which was rooted in the study
of the Latin classics, developed models of civil
conduct, education, and scholarly discipline that
underpinned the principles of the self-governing
republics. Humanism resurrected the spirit and
ideals of classical antiquity and promoted the
importance of the individual by focusing on human
virtues and values based on reason rather than
religious dogma.
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The Birth of a New Artistic Culture
The transition from the Medieval to the
Renaissance period occurred in the 14th century.
The medieval preoccupation with otherworldly
values was gradually modified to include a new
interest in the natural world. This was coupled
with a revival of interest in the art of
classical antiquity (ancient Roman sculpture and
architecture), examples of which were available
for artists to study. The result was a new more
naturalistic art in which both figures and their
surroundings are made to appear more as they
might in the real world.
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Byzantine Influence
Bonaventura Berlinghieri's altarpiece of Saint
Francis (1235) is painted in the Italo-Byzantine
style, which is characterized by a strict
formality, a linear flatness, a shallow space,
and an emphasis on the spiritual. The medieval
narrative style also uses frames within the
painting to tell the story of the saints life.
St Francis1235Tempera on woodChurch of San
Francesco, Pescia
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BONAVENTURA BERLINGHIERI, panel from the Saint
Francis Altarpiece, 1235. Tempera on wood,
approx. 5' x 3'6". San Francesco, Pescia, Italy.
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Icon of Blessed Virgin Mary
14th Century
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Icon of Archangel Michael 14th Century
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Mosaic of Zoe and Constantine IX Monomachos
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Sculptural Form in Painting
In his fresco of the Last Judgment in the church
of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere in Rome, Pietro
Cavallini abandons Byzantine conventions and
paints more sculpturally solid figures.
PIETRO CAVALLINI, Seated Apostles, detail of the
Last Judgment, ca. 1291. Fresco. Santa Cecilia in
Trastevere, Rome.
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A Final Summary of Byzantine Style
In his altarpiece of the Madonna Enthroned with
Angels and Prophets, Cimabue moves beyond the
strict conventions of the Italo-Byzantine style
towards an increased naturalism in the treatment
of space and in the solid three-dimentionality of
the Virgin's throne.
CIMABUE, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and
Prophets, ca. 12801290. Tempera on wood, 12' 7"
x 7' 4". Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
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CIMABUE, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and
Prophets, ca. 12801290. Tempera on wood, 12' 7"
x 7' 4". Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
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CIMABUE, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and
Prophets, ca. 12801290. Tempera on wood, 12' 7"
x 7' 4". Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
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A Material Image of a Heavenly Being
The Italo-Byzantine style was abandoned
altogether by Giotto di Bondone, who adopted a
more naturalistic approach based on the
observation of nature. In his Madonna Enthroned,
forms are foreshortened and modeled in light and
shade to create figures that have sculptural
solidity and weight.
GIOTTO DI BONDONE, Madonna Enthroned, ca. 1310.
Tempera on wood, 10' 8" x 6' 8". Galleria degli
Uffizi, Florence.
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Giotto(Detail) Madonna in Gloryc. 1311Tempera
on panel128 x 90 1/2 in. (325 x 204 cm)Galleria
degli Uffizi, Florence
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Visualizing the Body and the Soul
Giotto's frescoes in the Arena Chapel at Padua
include 38 framed pictures peopled with
sculpturesque, weighty, emotionally expressive,
quietly dramatic figures arranged in convincing
spatial depth on a shallow stage. Gardners Art
History
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Scenes from the Life of Joachim 1. Expulsion of
Joachim from the Temple1304-06Fresco, 200 x 185
cmCappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua
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Scenes from the Life of Joachim 2. Joachim among
the Shepherds1304-06Fresco, 200 x 185
cmCappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua
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Scenes from the Life of Joachim 3. Annunciation
to St Anne1304-06Fresco, 200 x 185 cmCappella
Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua
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Scenes from the Life of Joachim 4. Joachim's
Sacrificial Offering1304-06Fresco, 200 x 185
cmCappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua
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Scenes from the Life of Joachim 5. Joachim's
Dream1304-06Fresco, 200 x 185 cmCappella
Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua
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Scenes from the Life of Joachim 6. Meeting at
the Golden Gate1304-06Fresco, 200 x 185
cmCappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua
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No. 6 Scenes from the Life of Joachim 6. Meeting
at the Golden Gate (detail)1304-06Fresco, 76,5
cm (full fresco 200 x 185 cmCappella Scrovegni
(Arena Chapel), Padua
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The Kiss
Scenes from the Life of Joachim 6. Meeting at
the Golden Gate, detail1304-06Fresco, 200 x 185
cm (full fresco)Cappella Scrovegni (Arena
Chapel), Padua
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Giotto The Mourning of Christ c. 1305 Fresco,
Cappella dell'Arena, Padua
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Humanism The Rebirth of Classical Culture

• The spread of humanism and the growing interest
  in classical antiquity contributed significantly
  to the remarkable growth and expansion of
  artistic culture in 15th-century Italy. Political
  and economic change contributed to the rise of a
  new class of wealthy patrons who fostered art and
  learning on a lavish scale.
• Humanism emphasized
• education the rediscovery of the literature and
  art of the classical era
• individualism the exploration of individuals
  potential for excellence
• duty voluntary participation in the social,
  political, and economic life of the community.

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Perspective The Illusion of Space
Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise" are comprised of
ten gilded bronze relief panels depicting scenes
from the Old Testament. Ghiberti creates the
illusion of space using perspective and
sculptural means. Ghiberti also persists in using
the medieval narrative method of presenting
several episodes within a single frame.
LORENZO GHIBERTI, east doors ("Gates of
Paradise"), Florence Cathedral, Italy, 1425-1452.
Gilded bronze relief, approx. 17' high.
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LORENZO GHIBERTI, Isaac and His Sons (detail of
FIG. 21-4 ), east doors, baptistery, Florence
Cathedral, Italy, 1425-1452. Gilded bronze
relief, approx. 31 1/2" x 31 1/2".
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Single Point Perspective
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Double Point Perspective
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Creating Shadows
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Chiaroscuro and Perspective
The painter Masaccio introduced a new monumental
style that revolutionized Italian painting. He
manipulated light and shade (chiaroscuro) to give
a tangible sense of three-dimensional substance
to his figures. He applied the new linear
perspective to create the illusion of spatial
depth or distance. These innovations provided
direction for future generations of painters.
Masaccio's fresco of the Tribute Money in the
Brancacci Chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine in
Florence shows psychologically and physically
credible figures illuminated by a light coming
from a specific source outside the picture. The
light models the figures to produce an illusion
of deep sculptural relief. The main group of
figures stand solidly in a semi-circle in the
foreground of a spacious landscape. Masaccio also
employs linear perspective and aerial perspective
to enhance the sense of space and distance.
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Masaccio, Tribute Money (1427)
MASACCIO, Tribute Money, Brancacci Chapel, Santa
Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy, ca. 1427.
Fresco, 8' 1" x 19' 7". http//www.christusrex.or
g/www2/art/tributo.htm
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A Picture of Sinners' Anguish
Masaccio's starkly simple fresco of the
Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden employs
sharply slanted light from an outside source to
create deep relief. The figures appear to have
substantial bodily weight and move convincingly
over the ground.
MASACCIO, Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden,
Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine,
Florence, Italy, ca. 1425. Fresco, 7' x 2' 11".
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A Convincing Vision of the Trinity
Masaccio's Holy Trinity fresco in Santa Maria
Novella embodies two principal Renaissance
interests realism based on observation, and
perspective.
MASACCIO, Holy Trinity, Santa Maria Novella,
Florence, Italy, ca. 1428. Fresco, 21' x 10' 5".
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Renaissance Architecture
The architect Filippo Brunelleschi adopted a
classically inspired rational approach to
architecture that employed both classical
architectural forms (e.g., round arches, columns)
and a system of design based on carefully
proportioned shapes (e.g., the square, circle) or
units fitted together in strict but simple
ratios.
FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI, west façade of Pazzi
Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence, Italy, begun ca.
1440.
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Of Ratios and Rationality
LEON BATTISTA ALBERTI, west façade of Santa Maria
Novella, Florence, Italy, ca. 14581470.
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A Crowning Achievement
Filippo Brunelleschi studied the ancient
monuments in Rome. His double-shelled dome for
Florence Cathedral is original in section and
designed around a skeleton of twenty-four ribs,
of which eight are visible on the exterior. The
structure is anchored at the top with a heavy
lantern.
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Donatalleos St. George
A Knight in Marble Armor The armored Saint
George by Donatello was the patron of the guild
of armorers and swordmakers. The figure stands
with bold firmness.
DONATELLO, Saint George, from Or San Michele,
Florence, Italy, 1415-1417. Marble (replaced in
niche by a bronze copy), approx. 6' 10" high.
Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence.
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Nanni di Banco
Four Martyred Sculptors Nanni di Banco's group,
the Quattro Santi Coronati, shows an early
attempt to solve the problem of integrating
figures and space on a monumental scale. Nanni
created a unified spatial composition. The
figures also exhibit a psychological unity. Their
heads were inspired by Roman portrait busts.
NANNI DI BANCO, Quattro Santi Coronati, Or San
Michele, Florence, Italy, ca. 1408-1414. Marble,
figures approx. life size.
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Donatellos St. Mark
Suggesting Motion in Stone A sense of motion is
conveyed in Donatello's Saint Mark by the
weight-shifted stance of the figure. The saint's
drapery also falls naturally and implies a body
underneath.
DONATELLO, Saint Mark, Or San Michele, Florence,
Italy, 1411-1413. Marble, approx. 7' 9" high.
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Donatellos Zuccone
Powerful Bell-Tower Figures Donatello's
unconventional statue of "Zuccone" is powerfully
and realistically characterized. His face is
individualized and discloses a fierce
personality.
DONATELLO, prophet figure (Zuccone), from the
campanile of Florence Cathedral, Italy,
1423-1425. Marble, approx. 6' 5" high. Museo
dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence.
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Verrochio, Equestrian Monument to Bartolommeo
Colleoni (1488)
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Donatello David (ca. 1430) Bronze Height 158 cm
Museo Nazionale Florence
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David, Verrocchio, 1473-1475, height 125
cmFlorence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello
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Political, Economic, And Religious Developments
In The 15th Century
The decline of medieval feudalism in European
society and the rise of a merchant economy
contributed to the creation of a new taste in art
in northern Europe. Generally, artists in
Flanders, France, and Germany were less
interested in the classical past than artists in
Italy. One aspect of the new taste in art is the
increasing integration of religious and secular
themes. The Black Death and the Hundred Years'
War contributed to the instability across Europe.
Consolidating Political Power Governments in
Europe became increasingly more centralized, in
the form of structured bureaucracies, royal
courts, and parliamentary assemblies. The
European monarchies consolidated and expanded
their authority in systematic and comprehensive
ways. Emerging Capitalism New credit and
exchange systems created a new capitalistic
economic network across Europe. Divisiveness in
the Church Political instability was exacerbated
by the religious crisis of the Great
Schism. Gardners Art History
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French Manuscript Illumination
An Opulent Prayer Book In the Trés RichesHeures
du Duc de Berry, the Limbourg Brothers include
calendar pictures with the twelve months
represented in terms of the associated seasonal
tasks. The inclusion of everyday genre scenes
reflects the increasing integration of religious
and secular concerns in both art and life at the
time. Gardners Art History
LIMBOURG BROTHERS September, from Les Trés Riches
Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-1416.
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LIMBOURG BROTHERS September, from Les Trés Riches
Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-1416.
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LIMBOURG BROTHERS detail from June, from Les Trés
Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-1416.
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LIMBOURG BROTHERS August , from Les Trés Riches
Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-1416.
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October, the month of tilling and sowing, is
represented along the left bank of the Seine. The
view is from the vicinity of the Hôtel de Nesle,
the Duc de Berry's Paris residence, from
approximately the same vantage point as in the
month of June.
LIMBOURG BROTHERS October, from Les Trés Riches
Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-1416.
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LIMBOURG BROTHERS details from October, from Les
Trés Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 1413-1416.
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Fifteenth Century Flemish ArtOil Painting
Portraiture Combining Secular And Sacred
In the 15th century, In painting, the new oil
technique was used to enhance the naturalistic
representation of figures and objects with
meticulous detail. In both sculpture and
painting, textures are skillfully and minutely
differentiated. Figures are lifelike and usually
shown wearing heavy draperies with voluminous
folds. Religious events are often shown in
contemporary 15th-century settings where everyday
objects may also function as religious symbols.
Portraiture emerges as an independent genre.
Medieval ideas and conventions, however, persist
in the treatment of space, scale, and figure
proportions, and in the visionary quality of such
paintings as the Garden of Earthly Delights by
Hieronymus Bosch. THE GUILDS The Art of Building
a Career A Flemish artist's profession was
controlled by guilds. Admission into a guild was
sought upon the completion of an apprenticeship
under a master. Painters applied to the Guild of
Saint Luke. Commissions for paintings were
obtained through the guild, which also inspected
the artist's paintings to ensure quality.
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JAN VAN EYCK, Ghent Altarpiece (open), Saint Bavo
Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium, completed 1432.
Tempera and oil on wood, approx. 11' 6" x 15' 1".
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The Developing Use of Oil Paints
The exactitude found in the work of van Eyck and
others was facilitated by the use of oil paint
that allowed painters to build up their pictures
by superimposing translucent paint layers
(glazes) on a layer of underpainting. Flemish
painting is characterized by deep, intense
tonalities the illusion of glowing light and
hard enamel-like surfaces.
JAN VAN EYCK, Ghent Altarpiece, Saint Bavo
Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium, completed 1432.
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Capturing Class and Character Rogier van der
Weyden's honest and direct portrait of an unknown
young woman is a faithful likeness that also
reveals her individual character. It is composed
in large, simple planes and volumes.
20-16 ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN, Portrait of a Lady,
ca. 1460. Oil on wood, 141/2" x 103/4". National
Gallery, Washington, D.C. (Andrew W. Mellon
Collection).
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Portraiture Meeting the Viewer's Gaze
Jan van Eyck's Man in a Red Turban is a secular
portrait. It depicts a highly realistic
representation of a merchant who is rich enough
to commission a portrait of himself.
JAN VAN EYCK, Man in a Red Turban, 1433. Tempera
and oil on wood, approx. 10 1/4" x 7 1/2".
Reproduced by courtesy of the trustees of the
National Gallery, London.
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For Better, for Worse
In Jan van Eyck's skillfully painted double
portrait, Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride, the
couple stand in a Flemish bedchamber in which
almost every object also serves a symbolic
function. The painting may have served as a
record of their marriage.
JAN VAN EYCK, Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride,
1434. Tempera and oil on wood, approx. 32" x 23
1/2". National Gallery, London.
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Detail of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride, 1434.
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Van Eyck, JanDetail from The Crucifixion and The
Last Judgment1425-30Oil on canvas transferred
from woodEach panel 22 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (56.5 x
19.7 cm)Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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MASTER OF FLÉMALLE, the Mérode Altarpiece (open),
ca. 1425-1428. Tempera and oil on wood, center
panel approx. 25" x 25". Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York (Iconography explained.)
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GrunewaldThe Crucifixion
1515Panel from the Isenheim altarpiece oil on
wood269 x 307 cm (105 7/8 x 120 7/8 in.)Musee
d'Unterlinden, Colmar
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The Risen Christ 1515Panel from the Isenheim
altarpiece
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Christ Carrying the Cross is a painting by
Hieronymus Bosch created sometime between 1495
and 1500. It currently resides at National
Gallery in London.
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Love and Marriage or Sex and Sin?
HIERONYMUS BOSCH, triptych of the Garden of
Earthly Delights. Creation of Eve (left wing),
Garden of Earthly Delights (central panel), Hell
(right wing), 1505-1510. Oil on wood, center
panel 86 5/8" x 76 3/4". Museo del Prado, Madrid.
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