Arts In Western Civilization Course Note Stars Part 2

(Study Guide: Unit Test 2)

Early Christian art represents both -----.

the beginning of Christian art and the final stage of Roman art.

Early Christians simply -----.

did not make works of art prior to A.D. 200.

Early Christians made works of art prior to A.D. 200 -----.

but none survived.

Early Christians made works of art prior to A.D. 200 -----.

but they cannot be positively identified as 'Christian' art.

The Catacombs of Rome Description:

underground burial places.

The Catacombs of Rome Significance:

regarded as the birthplace of Christian art.

The Catacombs of Rome Why?:

they contain the largest examples of early surviving Christian artworks.

Functions of early Christian art:

instruction (to help people grow in the knowledge of their faith) and encouragement (to encourage people during difficult times).

Most popular subject -----.

The Human Body.

Most popular individual -----.

Jesus.

Unknown, Christ Seated, c. 350 - 375, Marble (Civita Latina, Italy); Features:

Youthful, Curly hair (beardless), Suggestion of female breasts (other early images of Christ also include female hips). Inspiration: Apollo (*he was often represented with both masculine & feminine characteristics).

Stonehenge

An early example of post and lintel construction (*the most fundamental, basic, and oldest building techniques/system).

Stonehenge definition

a building system "in which two upright members, the posts, hold up a third member, the lintel, laid horizontally across their top surfaces".

The oldest Egyptian pyramid is believed to be -----.

the Pyramid of Djoser (built c. 2630 BC, constructed by Imhotep, Djoser's royal architect).

The Ancient Greeks Focus:

Greek Temples (widely regarded as the primary context and showcase for the finest achievements in Greek architecture).

The Ancient Greeks

Greek temples are categorized according to three orders or styles of architecture: the Doric, the Ionic, the Corinthian.

The Doric Order

Low status.

The oldest of the three orders.

The Roman architect Vitruvius associated it with the male body (masculinity).

Style: simple, basic, grandiose, and weighty.

Features: the column has no base; the use of flutes (decorative vertical grooves in the column; the grooves meet at a sharp angle), the capital: convex disc.

Famous example: The Parthenon (The Acropolis in Athens).

The Ionic Order

Middle Status.

The Roman architect Vitruvius associated it with the female body (femininity).

Style: graceful and more elaborate (feelings of lightness and delicacy).

Features: the column rises from a tiered base; the use of flutes (separated by narrow bands), the capital: pair of spiral (volutes).

Famous example: The North Portico of the Erectheion (The Acropolis in Athens).

The Corinthian Order

High status.

The most decorative of the three orders and developed as an elaborate substitute for the Ionic.

The Capital: decorated with the leaves of an acanthus plant (a common Mediterranean plant); Note: many ancient cultures used floral elements in their capital designs, e.g., the ancient Egyptian use of palm capitals.

Important Building: The Parthenon

The sculptor Phidias was commissioned by Pericles to oversee the entiresculptural program (Today, the Parthenon's exterior sculptures continueto be highly praised for their realistic drapery & beautiful human forms).

The Romans: Introduction Important Contributions

The development of two classical orders (*variations of the three Greek orders).

The Romans: Introduction

Concrete (*the Romans did not invent concrete, but rather perfected the use of it).

Post-Constantine Christian Art

More time to make art (overall quality of art improved), More money to make art(able to hire talented artists), More freedom to make art (greater diversity of subjects), & More people to serve (the need for a building that could accommodate large crowds). 

The Early Church

The earliest Christian churches were modeled after a type of Roman basilica.

Important Church: Old Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome

It was founded by Constantine c.321 on the site of a Christian cemetery where the apostle Peter was reportedly buried after his execution (*it was demolished in the sixteenth century to make way for a new church).

Romanesque

It emerged during the late 10th century and lasted until the 13th Century; it spread from France & Spain to Germany & Italy.

Romanesque Problem:

the lack of light

Gothic Important church:

The Church of Saint-Denis near Paris (*widely regarded as containing the first example of Gothic architecture [first half of the 12th century]under the leadership/sponsorship of Abbot Suger).

Gothic Leading characteristics:

Leading characteristics: Verticality (achieved using pointed arches, flying but tresses, & ribbed vaulted ceilings) and luminosity; Note: luminosity was regarded as the key characteristic that separated the Gothic style from the earlierRomanesque style.

The Fourteenth Century:

marks the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the Renaissance.

The Renaissance began in -----.

Florence, Italy, and then spread to Rome and Venice (TheItalian Renaissance) and then, in the 1500s, to the rest of Europe, i.e., the Netherlands,Germany, France, Spain, and England (the Northern Renaissance).

Giorgio Vasari -----.

an Italian painter, writer, historian, and architect; 1511-1574.

He describes Giotto as -----.

the artist who "set painting on its proper course".

Today, Giotto is widely regarded as -----.

the Father of the Italian Renaissance(*Best surviving example of Giotto's work: the interior of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy).

The Renaissance: The Big Four

1. Giotto.

2. Da Vinci.

3. Michelangelo.

4. Dürer.

1. Giotto:

the Father of the Renaissance.

2. Da Vinci:

the Genius of the Renaissance.

3. Michelangelo:

the Greatest artist of the Italian Renaissance.

4. Dürer:

the Greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance.

Leonardo da Vinci: the Genius of the Italian Renaissance

An Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, musician, mathematician, geologist, anatomist, and natural historian (1452-1519).

Leonardo da Vinci: the Genius of the Italian Renaissance

He has been called the genius of the Renaissance (he was well versed in a variety of subjects).