art 1 - giotto and leonardo test

How did the Guild System train artists to learn their craft during the Renaissance period? 

What 3 steps did an artist have to take? Briefly explain what they did in each step.

The guild system was in place for craftsmen and merchants to learn a trade and perform at a high standard. The first step was with a master craftsman who opened his own business or workshop. He could then either hire workers to help him produce things (much like a small factory.) He could also choose to build/make everything himself, which resulted in fewer but more unique pieces. If a young boy wanted to become a master of a craft, he would become an apprentice at about 12. The boy would either have his parents pay the master up front, or he could repay him at the end of his apprenticeship. The training lasted for about 7 years, beginning with menial chores and building up by handling more and more responsibilities. The apprentice would live with the master’s family, and continue gradually learning the skills necessary. After his apprenticeship was over, he would become a journeyman. This meant that he would travel around, finding work where he could. As he stopped at workshops, the master painters there were obligated to give the journeyman either work there or money to continue his journey. Since the guild system had supported them as young men, they were obligated to help support the new journeymen. In order to become a master, a journeyman had to produce a work of art that was considered a “good piece of work” by the guild. This would become his masterpiece, and he would then be considered a master.

Leonardo was very deliberate in his design of the pictorial space in the Last Supper. Give three examples of how Leonardo used space and shape in his work. The Italian Renaissance was rich in symbolism. Give three examples of the symbolism in the gestures of Jesus and the apostles.

• gave jesus a somewhat triangular shape to convey the holy trinity

• made all lines converge on jesus to draw all the focus to him

• made the space feel crowded and cozy

• judas is grasping the bag of silver as jesus says this

• jesus is reaching for the bread and wine

• jesus and judas are dipping their hands in the same bowl of water

• thomas is asking if this was god’s will

• peter wants to defend jesus

Discuss the 3 phases of the Renaissance period. What 3 artists’ work serves as examples of the development of each of these phases? What did each artist contribute to this period in art?

• early renaissance - he was basically its originator. He started the trend of restoring the art styles of the Greek and Roman times

  • fresco

  • gesso

  • storytelling

  • father of the renaissance

• mid renaissance - masaccio

  • 1-point perspective

  • scientific perspective

• high renaissance - leonardo

  • more realistic art

  • sfumato

  • more vague symbolism

  • proper proportions

  • chiaroscuro

who was Giotto’s teacher/master?

Cimabue

what time period of art was Cimabue part of?

late Byzantine/Gothic

when was the Gothic period?

before the Renaissance

what is Giotto considered?

the father of the Italian Renaissance

what was Giotto known for?

• being a storyteller

• being a family man

• being a good businessman

what was Giotto inspired by?

classical Greek and Roman murals

what did Masaccio’s work display?

a great deal of light and form creating more depth in his work compared to Giotto

who was one of the first use the idea of scientific perspective in his paintings?

Masaccio

when did the Renaissance take place?

approximately 1400 to 1600

what were the three phases of the Italian Renaissance?

• early - Giotto

• mid - Masaccio

• high - Leonardo

what is a Renaissance?

rebirth/a renewed interest in Art/Literature/Science

how long did it take Leonardo to paint the Last Supper?

2 years

how long did it take to restore the Last Supper?

20 years

what happened with Leonardo’s experimentations with fresco while painting the Last Supper?

he failed; the paint started chipping during his lifetime

what was Leonardo’s intent in the Last Supper?

to capture the different emotions of Jesus’s disciples

what were some of the many things Leonardo was considered?

• architect

• inventor

• sculptor

• Master paint

what was Leonardo’s work considered?

it was considered mysterious

who was the model for the Mona Lisa?

Elisabetta Gioconda, the wife of a Flemish merchant

how long did Elisabetta Gioconda model for the Mona Lisa?

4 years

who was Leonardo an apprentice to?

Verrocchio

what does sfumato mean?

• to create a misty background

• softening lines

• no outlines

• creating the illusion of space

what does gesso mean?

gesso is used to prime a surface for painting

• apprentices would lay down a coat of gesso to prepare the surface for paint

what does chiaroscuro mean?

chiaroscuro means modeling from light to dark to show form

what does fresco mean?

“fresh”

• wet plaster

what does foreshortening mean?

to make a figure seem to come out toward the viewer

what does value mean

the lightness and darkness of a hue

is a mural the same as a tapestry?

no, tapestries originated from paintings on sails and are made of cloth. murals are solely wall paintings.

what did Leonardo do to obtain a true and perfect knowledge of the human figure?

he dissected human corpses and sketched from models

what are the steps of the Guild system?

what did an apprentice do?

what did a journeyman do?

what did a master do?

at about what age would an apprenticeship begin?

the age of 12

about how long could the training period for an apprenticeship last?

about 7 years

what purpose did the Guild system serve?

it served to set standards for the work done by craftsmen

what was Leonardo known for doing?

he was known for not finishing his commissioned work on time —> frustrated many of his patrons

• he also had a lovable disposition, though

where is the Last Supper located?

in the room where monks would eat in the church of Santa Maria delle Graze in Milan, Italy

Cimabue’s Madonna Enthroned

Giotto’s Madonna Enthroned

Massacio’s Madonna and Child

Leonardo’s Madonna of the Rocks

what is significant about the way Masaccio painted the Madonna?

• he painted her in a blue veil (expensive, lapis lazuli)

• the way he painted the folds of the rich cloak on Mary is an excellent example of chiaroscuro

what is common among ALL Renaissance work?

it’s all very symbolic

what’s important about lapis lazuli?

it’s a stone used to make paint

• more expensive than gold, used to show royalty in paintings

what’s significant about the way Jesus gestures in the paintings we talkes about?

• he gestures as a blessing

• and with 2 fingers, which symbolizes the hypostatic union