Arts In Western Civilization Course Note Stars

(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 they cannot be positively identified as ‘Christian’ art.

The Catacombs of Rome.

Description (catacombs):

underground burial places. 

The Catacombs of Rome.

Significance:

regarded as the birthplace of Christian art.

The Catacombs of Rome.

Why?:

they contain the largest example 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 technique/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

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

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 spirals (volutes).

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

The Corinthian Order

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

The sculptor Phidias

was commissioned by Pericles to oversee the entire sculptural program (Today, the Parthenon’s exterior sculptures continue to be highly praised for their realistic drapery & beautiful human forms).

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

The Tuscan Order.

Influenced by the Doric order.

Notable Features: unfluted and the use of a base.

The Composite Order.

Notable feature: a highly decorative and elaborate Corinthian capital (larger volutes and additional decorative elements).

Often used to mark buildings of the highest importance

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 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.

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).

Leading characteristics:

Verticality (achieved using pointed arches, flying buttresses, & ribbed vaulted ceilings) and luminosity; Note: luminosity was regarded as the key characteristic that separated the Gothic style from the earlier Romanesque 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 (The Italian 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:

the Father of the Renaissance.

The Renaissance: The Big Four. 

2. Da Vinci.

the Genius of the Renaissance. 

The Renaissance: The Big Four.

3. Michelangelo:

the Greatest artist of the Italian Renaissance.

The Renaissance: The Big Four.

4. Dürer:

the Greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance.

Michelangelo Buonarroti: the Greatest Artist of the Italian Renaissance

An Italian painter, sculptor, architect, poet and engineer (1475-1564).

Michelangelo Buonarroti: the Greatest Artist of the Italian Renaissance

He is the best documented artist of the 16th century (he was the first Western artist whose biography was published while he was alive).

Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisis; Italian artist; 1573-1610)

Today, he is widely regarded as the most original and influential artist of the 17th century.

Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisis; Italian artist; 1573-1610)

His unique style “initiated” the Baroque and caused a stir in the art world (*he had numerous followers & imitators known as Caravaggisti).

Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisis; Italian artist; 1573-1610)

A contemporary said "he stuns the world" with his work (*he provided new ways of representing traditional subjects).

Important term: tenebrism

a style of painting characterized by deep shadows and a distinct contrast between light and dark areas (the light areas are strongly illuminated, usually from a single source of light).