Art History: Early Renaissance to Realism Practice Flashcards

Early Renaissance (South): Rebirth and a New Perspective

• General Characteristics:

  • Realistic Human Figures: A shift toward depicting the human form as it appears in nature, moving away from the stylized, flat icons of the Medieval period.

  • Classical Greek and Roman Influence: Artists and scholars looked back to the antiquity of Greece and Rome for inspiration in aesthetics, philosophy, and architecture.

  • Balance and Harmony: Works were composed with a sense of equilibrium and mathematical proportion.

  • Use of Perspective: The development and application of techniques to represent three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.

  • Human-centered Subjects: While religious themes remained, there was an increasing focus on human experience and individuals.

• Key Concepts and Technological Advancements:

  • The Printing Press:

    • Invention: Created by Johannes Gutenberg.

    • Date: Approximately c.
      1440.

    • Impact: It significantly reduced the cost of books, making them more accessible to the public and facilitating the rapid spread of Renaissance ideas throughout Europe.

  • Humanism:

    • Defined by a focus on human potential, achievement, and the importance of the individual.

  • Linear Perspective:

    • A mathematical system designed to create the illusion of depth and three-dimensional space on a flat surface.

    • Developer: Credited to the architect Filippo Brunelleschi.

  • The Role of Patrons:

    • The production of art was funded by wealthy families, with the Medici family being the most prominent example.

  • Emergence of the Artist:

    • There was a significant shift in social status where artists began to be viewed as creative geniuses with unique intellectual power rather than mere craftsmen or laborers.

Key Figures of the Southern Early Renaissance

• Donatello ($1386$–$1466$):

  • Key Works: David and Gattamelata.

  • Contributions:

    • Produced the first free-standing nude sculpture seen since the era of Ancient Rome.

    • Introduced a much higher degree of realism and emotional depth into sculptural forms.

• Masaccio ($1401$–$1428$):

  • Key Works: The Holy Trinity and Tribute Money.

  • Contributions:

    • He mastered the use of linear perspective in painting.

    • He pioneered the use of realistic light and shadow (chiaroscuro) to give figures volume and mass.

• Botticelli ($1444$–$1510$):

  • Key Works: Birth of Venus and Primavera.

  • Contributions:

    • Focused on mythological subjects outside of purely Christian themes.

    • Known for creating exceptionally graceful figures and a distinct sense of linear beauty.

Renaissance in the North

• General Characteristics:

  • Oil Painting: The primary medium, allowing for richer colors and slower drying times for blending.

  • Extreme Detail: A focus on minute textures and precision.

  • Religious Symbolism: Everyday objects often carried hidden or overt religious meanings.

  • Everyday Life Scenes: A greater interest in depicting the lives of common people.

  • Minimal Classical Influence: Unlike the South, the North focused less on Greek and Roman antiquity.

• Notable Northern Artists:

  • Jan van Eyck:

    • Key Works: Arnolfini Portrait and the Ghent Altarpiece.

    • Contributions: Credited with perfecting the technique of oil painting and achieving an incredible, almost photographic level of detail.

  • Albrecht Dürer:

    • Key Works: Young Hare and Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

    • Contributions: A master of printmaking and engraving; he successfully blended the Northern focus on detail with Italian Renaissance theories of perspective and proportion.

  • Hieronymus Bosch:

    • Key Works: Garden of Earthly Delights.

    • Contributions: Famous for highly imaginative, fantastical, and surreal imagery intended as moral and religious warnings.

  • Pieter Bruegel:

    • Key Works: Hunters in the Snow and Peasant Wedding.

    • Contributions: Focused predominantly on everyday life, particularly scenes involving peasants and seasonal landscapes.

High Renaissance: The Age of Genius

• General Characteristics:

  • Perfect Balance: Compositions achieved a peak level of stability and order.

  • Ideal Beauty: Figures were depicted in their most perfect, idealized forms.

  • Realistic Anatomy: Deep scientific understanding of the human body.

  • Harmony and Unity: Every element of the work contributed to a cohesive whole.

• Concepts and Terminology:

  • Fall of Florence: Political shifts led to Rome becoming the primary artistic center of Italy.

  • Chiaroscuro: The use of strong contrasts between light and dark to create volume.

  • Sfumato: A technique involving the "smoky" blending of edges so that there are no harsh outlines (notably used by da Vinci).

  • Oil Painting: Used for its capacity for rich color and intricate detail.

  • Etching: A specialized printmaking technique.

• Primary Artists of the High Renaissance:

  • Leonardo da Vinci:

    • Key Works: Mona Lisa and Last Supper.

    • Contributions: Pioneered the sfumato technique and utilized rigorous scientific observation to inform his art.

  • Michelangelo:

    • Key Works: David, Pietà, and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.

    • Contributions: Renowned as a master of sculpture and the complex depiction of human anatomy.

  • Raphael:

    • Key Works: School of Athens.

    • Contributions: Perfected the art of composition, creating works of immense balance and mathematical harmony.

  • Sofonisba Anguissola:

    • Key Works: Self Portrait and The Chess Game.

    • Contributions: Distinguished herself as a rare and important female artist of the Renaissance, specializing in portraiture.

The Venetians: Colour, Light, Mood and Individualism

• General Characteristics:

  • High emphasis on rich, vibrant color.

  • Focus on atmospheric effects and how light interacts with the environment.

  • Absolute mastery of oil paint techniques.

• Artist Status:

  • This era saw the emergence of the artist as a true celebrity in society.

• Key Venetian Figures:

  • Titian:

    • Key Works: Venus of Urbino and Assumption of the Virgin.

    • Contributions: Revolutionized the use of color and expressive, painterly brushwork.

  • Tintoretto:

    • Key Works: Last Supper.

    • Contributions: Known for dramatic movement and the use of strong, directional lighting.

Mannerism: Deliberate Disorder and Distortion

• Slogan: "Deliberate Disorder and Distortion"

• General Characteristics:

  • Elongated Bodies: Figures were stretched beyond natural proportions.

  • Unnatural Poses: Complex, twisting, or awkward physical positions.

  • Strange Space: Spatial relationships that felt illogical or cramped.

  • Emotional Tension: A departure from Renaissance calm toward a sense of anxiety or artifice.

• Historical Context and Concepts:

  • Instability: Influenced by the Sack of Rome in $1527$ and frequent outbreaks of the Plague.

  • Philosophy: Prioritized artist imagination and "stylized" artifice over realistic depictions of reality.

• Notable Mannerist Artists:

  • Parmigianino:

    • Key Work: Madonna with the Long Neck.

    • Contribution: Famous for extreme elongation of figures.

  • El Greco:

    • Key Work: Burial of Count Orgaz.

    • Contributions: Utilized dramatic color and achieved a sense of intense spiritual fervor.

The Baroque Period: Light, Action, Drama

• Core Characteristics:

  1. Drama: Intensely theatrical presentations.

  2. Movement: Diagonals and dynamic poses.

  3. Emotion: Direct appeal to the viewer's feelings.

  4. Chiaroscuro: Deeply contrasted light and dark.

  5. Realism: Often gritty or unidealized.

  6. Rich Colour: Bold, saturated palettes.

  7. Theatrical Effects: Use of spectacle.

• Key Religious and Philosophical Concepts:

  • Reformation: A religious movement challenging the Catholic Church's authority.

  • Martin Luther: Initiated the Reformation in the year $1517$.

  • Counter-Reformation: The Catholic Church's response to the Reformation, using art to inspire faith.

  • Indulgences: Payments traditionally made to the church for the forgiveness of sins.

• Artistic Terminology:

  • Trompe l'oeil: An artistic technique meaning "fool the eye," creating an optical illusion of three-dimensionality.

  • Allegory: Using symbols or figures to represent complex ideas or moral truths.

  • Still Life: An arrangement of inanimate objects.

  • Landscape: Art focused on the depiction of nature.

  • Vanitas:

    • Definition: A specific type of still life reminding viewers that life is temporary and fleeting.

    • Period: Prominent during the Dutch Baroque.

    • Imagery: Common symbols include skulls, candles, clocks, and wilting flowers.

    • Purpose: To serve as a memento mori (reminder of mortality).

Regional Baroque Styles and Figures

• Baroque Italy:

  • Caravaggio:

    • Key Works: Calling of St. Matthew and Conversion of St. Paul.

    • Contributions: Mastered extreme chiaroscuro (tenebrism) and used starkly realistic, gritty figures.

  • Artemisia Gentileschi:

    • Key Work: Judith Slaying Holofernes.

    • Contributions: Focused on strong female protagonists and intense narratives.

  • Bernini:

    • Key Works: David and Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

    • Contributions: Brought an unprecedented sense of movement and theatricality to sculpture.

• Baroque North:

  • Characteristics: Focused on everyday life, portraits, and landscapes, largely influenced by Protestantism which avoided overt religious icons.

  • Peter Paul Rubens: Known for Elevation of the Cross and his highly energetic, fleshy compositions.

  • Frans Hals: Known for Laughing Cavalier; famous for his very loose, visible brushwork.

  • Judith Leyster: Known for her Self Portrait and detailed genre scenes.

  • Rembrandt: Known for Night Watch and his many Self Portraits; celebrated for the psychological depth of his subjects.

  • Vermeer: Known for Girl with a Pearl Earring and Milkmaid; utilized quiet domestic scenes and was a master of capturing soft light.

• Baroque Spain:

  • Diego Velázquez: Known for Las Meninas; famous for highly realistic and complex portraiture.

• Baroque France:

  • Nicolas Poussin: Known for Et in Arcadia Ego; emphasized classical order and structure.

  • Claude Lorraine: Known for Seaport with Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba; focused on creating idealized, poetic landscapes.

• Baroque England:

  • Thomas Gainsborough: Known for Blue Boy; produced elegant portraits.

  • Joshua Reynolds: Known for Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse; utilized a "Grand Style" of portraiture.

Rococo and Neoclassicism

• Rococo (The Era of Leisure):

  • Characteristics: Use of pastel colors, playful and lighthearted themes, highly decorative, romantic, and focused on luxury.

  • Key Artist: Fragonard (The Swing).

• Neoclassicism (Order and Logic):

  • Key Institutions:

    • Salons: Official French exhibitions that dictated artistic taste.

    • Prix de Rome: A prestigious scholarship allowing French artists to study in Rome.

  • Characteristics: Inspired by classical antiquity, emphasizing order, logic, heroism, and clean, precise lines.

  • Key Figures:

    • Jacques-Louis David: Known for Oath of the Horatii and Death of Marat; his art was deeply political.

    • Ingres: Known for Grande Odalisque; prioritized extremely precise drawing.

Romanticism ($1800$–$1850$)

• Romanticism in France:

  • Characteristics: Focus on raw emotion, imagination, the overwhelming power of nature, drama, and the quest for individual freedom.

  • Key Figures:

    • Géricault: Known for Raft of the Medusa; emphasized emotional realism.

    • Delacroix: Known for Liberty Leading the People; used dynamic, vibrant color.

    • Goya: Known for Third of May 1808 and the Black Paintings; explored psychological intensity and the horrors of war.

• Romanticism in England:

  • Characteristics: Deeply nature-focused, highlighting emotion and atmospheric conditions.

  • Key Figures:

    • Constable: Known for Hay Wain; painted realistic, nostalgic English landscapes.

    • Turner: Known for The Fighting Temeraire; revolutionized the depiction of light and atmosphere.

Realism

• General Characteristics:

  • Focus on ordinary, working-class people.

  • Depiction of everyday life without any idealization.

  • Emphasis on social issues and accurate, unvarnished observation.

• Key Figures of Realism:

  • Millet: Known for The Gleaners and Angelus; focused on the hard life of peasants.

  • Courbet: The founder of Realism; known for Stone Breakers and Burial at Ornans.

  • Manet: Known for Olympia and Luncheon on the Grass; served as a critical bridge between the Realist movement and the beginning of Impressionism.

Comparison Chart of Major Artistic Movements