Art History Midterm II

Templo Mayor, Aztec, Mexico

-used for sacrifices

-specific gods dedicated to each temple, one was aztec god and the other was the conquered peoples god, but the were put on equal ground at the top of the temple

-making them both high above the people and closer to the heavens

Temple of the Sun, Inca, Peru

-mummification of emperor inside/ tomb

-held LOTS of gold

-gold was connected to the sun god

-statues of gods

-trapezoid window symbolizes strength

-can withstand against earthquakes

Unicorn is Found at the Fountain, Northern Renaissance, France

-symbolizes christianity but also married couple

-very valuable, show of wealth, HARD to make

regarding christianity:

-animals can represent certain Christian meanings, like resurrection

-jesus can also be depicted as the unicorn with the 12 apostles looking at him

regarding marriage:

-fertility is shown through the bunny and fruit and flowers

-loyalty through the dogs

-this series is “taming the unicorn” and can be symbolization for taming your partner in marriage virgins are also often associated with unicorns

Workshop of Robert Campin, Annunciation Triptych (Mérode Altarpiece), Northern, Renaissance, the Netherlands

-Mary is depicted as elite, and wealthy, with gold hem, and reading

-”modern”(15th century) interior, not the year Jesus was born

-the angle Gabriel is telling Mary is will have Jesus

-baby Jesus is coming though the window on a cross, flying into Marys womb

-the patrons are having a vision and that is shown through their incorporation of looking through a window at this scene

Donatello, David, Early Italian Renaissance, Italy

-rebirth of traditional roman sculptures, depicting the nude, controposto, etc

-because Rome was power and wealth and they want to show that through their art

-david becomes a symbol of florence because florence is the underdog,

-outsmarting enemies, is what florence holds highly

-sensual pose

-androgynous look became consistent in Renaissance

-this promoted taxes in the city and this city needed the funds

Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, High Italian Renaissance, Italy

-jesus is vanishing point because he is main focus

-light silhouetting jesus through the window makes him holy

-feels naturalistic, because of the liveliness and expressions of the apostles

-apostles all look realistically surprised and confused because jesus had announced that one of them will betray him

Michelangelo, Creation of Adam, High Italian Renaissance, Italy

-God has the body of an ideal, muscular man, and Adam looks like god because he was created in his image

-god is also however depicted with a white beard and hair to show wisdom and combined with his youthful body shows his eternity

-there is a reference to patron in the painting using acorns and oak leaves because the family associated with oak trees

Plate from Jingdezhen, Ming dynasty, China

-porcelain: valuable, luxurious, and sought after

-confucianism and well as the four arts are shown here: art, music, calligraphy and strategy

-recognizable for the Chinese

-exotic to others which was sought after

School of Giovanni Niccolò, Portable Shrine with Madonna and Child, Momoyama period, Japan

-European missionaries had created a school in japan where they would teach Japanese about god and had them paint things like this

-European influence obviously shown through the art, through oil paint, realism, Christian beliefs

-some Japanese adornment is also apparent though, like the sides of the shrine

Chōjirō, Muichibutsu (Holding Nothing), Momoyama period, Japan

-rustic, natural, simple look

-meant to put the person drinking tea into a meditative state, and visual noise could interrupt the empty mind

-this contrasts to porcelain which is extremely intricate in design and this design is what gives it its important status

Dry landscape garden, Muromachi Period, Japan

-confucianism in the painting, because of connection to nature and harmony

-sliding screen painting meant. to connect to the rock garden and bring it to life when you enter

-rock garden is simple and open to interpretation

-meant to be used in the form of active meditation, with possibly raking or reading

-trees in the background are also meant to be meditated

Salt cellar, Sapi-Portuguese, Sierra Leone

-commissioned for Europe, made by Sapi because it was exotic

-ivory was extremely valuable and hard. to come by so it was sough after by Europe

-used as salt holder, spoon gets it out

-salt was rare and expensive

-Sapi attempting to push back and resist Europe slavery and harassment through depicting Sapi women being eaten and assaulted by crocodiles, possibly to infer the crocodiles represented Portuguese

Palace Plaque of a War Chief, Warriors, and Attendants, Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria

-hierarchical scale, war chief is the biggest

-is used to signify status and wealth, but not just of chief but also the king Oba,

-everything leads back to celebrating the Oba

Protective Figure depicting a Portuguese Soldier, Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria

-used to ward off evil spirits from the altar of Oba ancestors

-supernatural and relating to the Olokun deity

- made to look lesser than the Oba and Benin because not ornamented

-stance is at the ready and active, relating to the Olokun and differently depicted than other depictions of Benin people

Pendant Portraying Queen Idia, the Iyoba, Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria

-heads were very important, shown throughout much of Benin artworks

-this specifically was the mother of an Oba who commissioned this after she helped negotiate a war and win. She was given the title Iyoba, meaning mother of the oba,

- her ornamentation like the headress and collar shows her important status but also celebrates the Oba

-the Portuguese are depicted with mudfish to show the Benins value for trade because the Portuguese brought wealth.

Sacred Precinct

an area considered holy, around a religious site, such as a temple that is dedicated to a religious purpose

-Templo Mayo

Polygonal masonry

a construction technique using irregularly shaped, large stone blocks fitted tightly together.

-Machu Picchu

Linear perspective

the perspective in which size, shape, and line are used to create the illusion of depth

-Massacio’s, The Tribute Money

Classical ideal

the roman art features that were considered ideal, like nudity, contropasto, stoic, muscular,

-in Michelangalo’s creation of Adam we can see the ideal roman body type and facial expression

Porcelain

Chinese dish ware that was extremely valuable and sought after by other cultures, therefore often mimicked

-plate from jingdezhen

chanoyu

Japanese tea ceremony

-Taian Tearoom Sen no rikyu

Borrowed landscape

outside scenery like trees in the background of rock gardens to enhance meditation and peace of mind

-dry landscape garden