Sixteenth-Century Art in Northern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula

Albrecht Dürer

  • Painted a self-portrait in 1500, resembling Christ as Salvator Mundi.
  • Traveled to Italy (1494–1495) and embraced the idea of artists as intellectuals.
  • Published woodcut series on the Apocalypse in 1498.
  • Reflected High Renaissance norms in his works.

The Reformation and the Arts

  • Religious reformers challenged the Roman Catholic Church's practices and beliefs.
  • Martin Luther issued "95 Theses" in 1517, calling for Church reform.
  • Luther emphasized individual faith and the Bible as the ultimate religious authority.
  • Protestantism gained prominence, leading to widespread destruction of religious art.
  • Artists shifted to portraiture, secular subjects, still lifes, and landscapes.

German Metalwork

  • Nuremberg was known for master metalworkers like Hans Krug and his sons.
  • Apple Cup (c. 1510) exemplifies collaborative art, with different artists for design, models, and final piece.

Germany

  • German cities had strong business interests, leading to merchant patronage of the arts.

Sculpture

  • Tilman Riemenschneider favored natural wood finishes.
  • Altarpiece of the Holy Blood (c. 1499–1505) in Rothenburg showcases Riemenschneider's skill.
  • Nikolaus Hagenauer carved altarpiece for the abbey of St. Anthony in Isenheim.

Painting

  • Matthias Grünewald continued medieval mysticism.
  • Albrecht Dürer focused on lifelike representations of nature and mathematical perspective.
  • Grünewald painted wings for Hagenauer's Isenheim Altarpiece.
  • Dürer published The Apocalypse in 1497-1498.
  • Adam and Eve (1504) reflects Italian art and theoretical investigations.
  • Four Apostles (1526) expresses Dürer's Lutheranism.

Martin Cranach, Baldung, and Altdorfer

  • Lucas Cranach the Elder (Luther's favorite painter): Nymph of the Spring.
  • Hans Baldung Grien: Death and the Matron.
  • Albrecht Altdorfer: Danube Landscape.

France

  • Francis I sought to modernize the French court by acquiring Leonardo da Vinci's talents.

Jean Clouet

  • Flemish artist who painted the official portrait of Francis I.

Royal Residences

  • Château of Chenonceau: Blend of Italianate decoration and Gothic building.
  • Fontainebleau: Transformation into a grand country palace directed by Rosso Fiorentino and Francesco Primaticcio.
  • The Louvre: Modernization of the medieval castle began in 1546 by Pierre Lescot and Jean Goujon.

Spain and Portugal

  • Peak of Spanish political power in the sixteenth century.

Architecture

  • The Escorial: Monastery-palace complex built by Philip II.

Sculpture

  • West Window of the church of the Knights of Christ: Example of Manueline style.

Painting

  • El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos): The Burial of Count Orgaz.

The Netherlands

  • Religious and political conflict during the sixteenth century.

Painting for Aristocratic and Noble Patrons

  • Hieronymus Bosch: Garden of Earthly Delights.
  • Jan Gossaert: St. Luke Drawing the Virgin Mary.

Antwerp

  • Commercial and artistic center.
  • Quentin Massys: Money Changer and His Wife.
  • Caterina van Hemessen: Self-Portrait.
  • Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Return of the Hunters, The Harvesters.

England

  • Economically and politically stable Tudor England.

Painting at the Tudor Court

  • Hans Holbein the Younger: The French Ambassadors.
  • Portraits of Elizabeth: Ditchley Portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts.
  • Nicholas Hilliard: George Clifford.

Architecture

  • Hardwick Hall: Home of Elizabeth, countess of Shrewsbury, built by Robert Smythson.