Northern Renaissance Final Exam

Madonna and Child with Parrot

German

Time Period: 1470-75

Artist: Martin Schongauer

clearly an earlier work of Schongauer

heavily influenced by Dieric Bouts Madonna and Child

Temptations of St. Anthony

German

Time Period: 1475

Artist: Martin Schongauer

Schongauer is looking to other artists and older philosophers to create this imagery of St. Anthony

Created new iconography for artists to draw influence from later on.

Self Portrait

German

Time Period: 1500

Artist: Albrecht Durer

He is modeling himself after Christ, not to compare himself, but to show that he is striving to be like him.

Adam and Eve

German

Time Period: 1504

Artist: Albrecht Durer

Italian Humanism, but strayed by using hidden symbolism.

Symbolism pertaining to the four humors: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood.

Melencolia I

German

Time Period: 1514

Artist: Albrecht Durer

Melencolia is weighed down by depression and anxiety.

Melancholy was viewed as an illness and something to fear—one of the most feared humors.

Representational of Durer, evidenced by the artist tools.

The Four Apostles

German

Time Period: 1526

Artist: Albrecht Durer

Durer clearly in support of Martin Luther and the reformation.

Traditionally Peter is placed directly below God in the Church Hierarchy, but John is placed in front of Peter here as Lutherans placed more emphasis on him and his teachings of Christ’s humanity.

The Isenheim Altarpiece

German

Time Period: 1515

Artist: Matthias Grunewald

Christ is given wounds similar to that of ergotism, as this altarpiece was placed next to an Antonine monastery who treated patients with ergotism.

Three Ages of Woman and Death

German

Time Period: 1510

Artist: Hans Baldung Grien

Dance of Death is a narrative of death mocking his victim

Vanita - vanity, symbolized with a mirror

Witchcraft is a big fear at the time due to the instability of the protestant reformation.

holds a mirror to society

The Bewitched Groom

German

Time Period: 1544

Artist: Hans Baldung Grien

Idea of sin and temptation, as well as witchcraft and how that could lead someone astray.

Allegory of Love and Gospel

German

Time Period: 1529

Artist: Lucas Cranach the Elder

Goal was to be easy to read and understand

teaching about salvation through Christ and not through law

Christ in the Tomb

German

Time Period: 1521

Artist: Hans Holbein the Younger

Realistic depiction of a corpse

Most likely referenced a real corpse

commitment to realism by Holbein

Money-Changer and His Wife

16th Century Netherlandish

Time Period: 1514

Artist: Quentin Massys

Regarded as first genre scene in the North, which is an everyday scene with moralizing themes.

Ill-Matched Lovers

16th Century Netherlandish

Time Period: 1515

Artist: Quentin Massys

Relates to the parable of the prodigal son, where the moral of the story is that you can fail but still be able to return to God

element of humor/satire, poking fun at sin

Neptune and Amphitrite

16th Century Netherlandish

Time Period: 1516

Artist: Jan Gossart

Modeled after Albrecht Durer’s Adam and Eve, who was inspired by classical artwork

Gossart was looking to other artists in the North who were classically inspired for his own classical inspiration

Butcher’s Stall

16th Century Netherlandish

Time Period: 1551

Artist: Pieter Aertsen

In the foreground is the food of the natural world, which is sustenance for the body

Church and Holy family in the background is for spiritual sustenance

Bar scene on opposite side of the background is for sinful desires

Butcher is seen to pose a question to the viewer if they are going to give into the flesh or the spirt.

Netherlandish Proverbs

16th Century Netherlandish

Time Period: 1559

Artist: Pieter Brugel the Elder

Over a hundred different parables, proverbs, and puns

These were not intended to narrate realistic scenes, but to use realistic figures as a means to symbolize specific puns and proverbs.

Looks silly to show that these actions are illogical

What was the significance of the Printing Press?

• replaced illuminated manuscript art

• became a new source of income for artists

• art became more accesible

What was the significance of the Protestant Reformation on artwork?

• more genre scenes, or more secular scenes

• more protestant iconoclasm

• art is used to teach and spread ideas