Renaissance And Reformation In 16th Century Northern Europe

Renaissance and Reformation in 16th Century Northern Europe

Overview

• Key events during the High Renaissance had significant impacts and changes throughout Europe (Italy), including Northern Europe.

• Northern Europe experienced changes beyond the Italian Renaissance's cultural expressions, including:

  • The Reformation, led by figures like Martin Luther, posed a religious challenge.

  • The growth of centralized states in France, England, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire (HRE).

  • The expansion of European economic influence globally.

  • The quick spread of new ideas and styles.

• Artists in Northern Europe integrated local traditions with these new conditions.

Reformation and its Impact

• The Reformation fundamentally altered the map of Europe.

• Areas controlled by Charles the Fifth who will abdicate the throne and split it between his son, Philip, and his brother Ferdinand

  • Eastern portion given to Ferdinand

  • Areas of the Netherlands and Spain given to Philip

• France, England, Italy, and Portugal becoming consolidated

• Florence falls under the control of Charles the Fifth

• Key figures in religious reform:

  • Martin Luther.

  • John Calvin.

  • Others attracted adherents to the Protestant faith.

• Entire states converted to Protestantism, fracturing religious unity.

• Catholic Europe was pitted against Protestant Europe, resulting in significant loss of life.

  • France and Spain remained Catholic.

  • Germany, England, and the Netherlands experienced religious division.

• Radical reformers rejected Catholic traditions, religious images, and relics and encouraged the destruction of images in the areas that converted to their beliefs, leading to iconoclasm in newly converted areas.

Art in the Context of Change

• Artists had to adapt to new conditions and find new markets.

• Trends from the 15th century continued.

  • A growing capitalist economy increased urban wealth and population.

  • Manufacturing and trade expanded, especially with new Atlantic trade routes and colonial settlements in the Americas and Asia

  • Authoritarian rulers increasingly asserted control.

• Painting became more important due to Protestant reformers' suspicion of sculpture.

• Artists shifted to secular themes for patrons in cities and courts as religious patronage declined.

• Artists specialized in specific subjects to compete in the open market.

Influence of the Italian Renaissance

• Northern artists were influenced by Italian:

  • Compositions.

  • Ideal figure types.

  • Admiration of antiquity.

• Courts used the Italian style to express power, building monumental palaces.

• Catholic rulers used Italianate forms to affirm their faith.

France and Italian Influence

• France was receptive to Italian ideas due to centuries of French kings intervening in Italy.

  • King Charles VII invaded Milan in 1499.

  • Francis I invited Leonardo da Vinci to work in the Loire Valley; Leonardo designed a chateau but died in Amboise in 1519.

• Francis I's appreciation for Italian art made his court attractive to artists.

  • Rosso Fiorentino, Francesco Primaticio, Benvenuto Cellini, and others worked there.

• French traditions persisted as local architects interpreted Italian ideas.

Cour due Cheval Blanc (Court of The White House) Fontainebleau

• Construction began in 1519; Italian influences evident.

• Built by Gilles Le Breton

• Started on the grounds of a hunting lodge in Fontainebleau.

• King Francis I initiated significant construction in 1528.

• The chateau was not fortified, reflecting a more peaceful era, despite religious conflicts.

• During the Renaissance, French castles transformed into palaces.

• Italian architectural design influenced structures like Chambord, south of Paris.

• King funded the expansion of the medieval hunting lodge of King Louis IX into a sprawling castle.

• Original design work was by stonemason Guillaume L'Obreton, with his father Jean having helped design Chambord.

• Fontainebleau set a fashion for French interpretations of Italianate architecture for 250 years.

Architectural Elements and Influences (Court of the White House)

• Entablature unifies the structure.

• Elongated rectangular forms emphasize height, reflecting French architectural traditions from the Gothic period.

• Steeply pitched roof.

• Symmetry.

• Pediments (broken, like Michelangelo's Laurentian Library).

• Italianate staircase (a later addition).

• Rusticated stonework on the first floor, borrowed from Italian designs.

• Pilasters (flattened columns) on the first and second floors.

• Doric columns on the first and second floors, Corinthian columns on the third floor.

• The Chateau blends Italian architectural designs with French architectural ideas for over 200 years.

Square Court of the Louvre, Paris

• The Louvre replaced a Gothic royal palace/castle.

• Architect Pierre Lescot worked on the project, making it more Italianate.

• French sculptor Jean Goujon collaborated with Lescot.

• Sculptures in niches, similar to Italian churches.

• More ornate than Italian structures, with Roman arches, pilasters, Corinthian capitals, and decorative pediments.

• Assimilates Italian ideas into a new French style.

• Incorporates windows that break through the foundation, inspired by Italian designs.

Interior Decoration

• Stained glass windows continued in palace interiors, harking back to medieval styles.

• Illuminated books, especially Books of Hours, were produced.

• Large tapestries decorated palace walls.

Tapestry: Unicorn in Captivity

• A tapestry (8 ft x 12 ft) created around 1500 in the Southern Netherlands or Northern France.

• Symbolic with hidden meanings.

• Depicts the hunt, death, and resurrection of the unicorn.

  • The unicorn: Mythical beast capturable only by a virgin.

  • Potentially symbolizes Christ or a secular bridegroom.

• Plants and flowers displayed in detail.

• The unicorn itself is the center.

• Pomegranates symbolize fertility and eternity, combined with plants and animals to suggest Christian salvation or marriage/procreation.

• Initials "A" and a backward "E" are intertwined in tree branches but remain unidentified.

• Tapestries received a boost with the establishment of the royal factory of Gobelins in the 17th century.

• Created using a warp (vertical threads) and weft (horizontal threads).

Art at Fontainebleau

• Stucco Figures, Francisco Primaticcio

• Art created by Italian and French artists, distinct from Italian styles.

• King Francis I invested in art and architecture to develop a new style in France.

• Italian Mannerist artists, such as Fiorentino, painted frescoes framed by sculpture (stucco putti).

• Primatizio, influenced by Parmigianino, replaced Fiorentino.

• The theme of the artwork (Stucco Figure): An artist painting the abduction of Campaspe by Alexander the Great.

  • Alexander gave his favorite concubine to the artist when he fell in love with her.

  • This gift highlights Alexander's respect for his court artist.

• The image parallels Alexander and Francis I, and Campaspe and the king's mistress.

• The artist may have seen himself as Appellis.

Benvenuto Cellini

• Creation of precious items in gold and silver reflect opulence within the French courts at this time.

Tomb of Henry II and Catherine de’ Medici, Abbey Church at Saint-Denis, Paris

• Collaboration between an artist and sculptor.

• Francesco Primaticcio (Italian artisits) and German Pilon (sculptor)

• Saint-Denis: Important church with Gothic origins and tombs of French royalty.

• Queen Catherine de Medici and King Henry II are shown as they appeared in life, kneeling and praying, sculpted in bronze.

• Figures designed by Primaticio and sculpted by Germaine Pilon.

• Tomb design attributed to Primaticio.

• Inside the tomb: Gisants (effigies) typically showed the body in a state of decay.

• However, these gisants are nude, idealized classical figures.

  • Catherine de Medici lies on her back.

  • The king resembles Christ.

• The king's death led Catherine de Medici to become regent.

• From 1562 to 1598, she took a hard line against the Protestant movement (Huguenots), causing turmoil and violence.

• France, Spain, Italy, these are these are Catholic states

• England, Germany, parts of The Netherlands are Protestant.

• In France, there is struggle. There's basically a violent war between the Catholics and the Protestant groups.

• After her death, the violence eases.

• The Netherlands had more tolerance between Catholics and Protestants.

The Escorial, New Madrid (Spain)

• One of the works for Philip to celebrate his victory over the French in 1557.

• Designed by Juan Bautista de Toledo, who worked with Michelangelo in Rome.

• Includes a church, palace, monastery, library, seminary, and burial chapel.

• Supports the Catholic Reformation.

• Philip collected art, inviting artists to his court such as Sophonispa Anguisola.

• He also commissioned works from Titian and other Italians and collected Flemish art, particularly Bosch.

Architecture of the Escorial

• Construction Began in 1563.

• The symmetrical buildings and focus on the Church of San Lorenzo reflect Italian Renaissance models.

• The scale and simplicity of facades were dictated by King Philip in consultation with Italian architects, including Palladio.

• Juan Bautisto de Toledo was succeeded by Juan de Herrera, who expanded the design and introduced classical details.

• Simple Doric columns, severe facades, and overall simplicity are characteristics of Spanish art during this period.

El Greco in Spain

• Paintings in churches, reflecting Philip's commitment to Catholic orthodoxy.

• The Spanish Inquisition and religious orders, like the Jesuits and Carmelites, were active.

• El Greco (Dominicas Theotokopoulos) was born on Crete, trained as an icon painter, and went to Venice before settling in Toledo.

• His work exhibits emotionalism shaped by his varied artistic influences from Crete, Venice, and Italian Mannerism.

The Burial of Count Orgaz

• Painted in 1586 in the Church of Santo Tome in Toledo.

• Emphasizes the Roman Catholic belief that good works are needed for salvation and that saints are intercessors.

• Honors a medieval benefactor, with saints Stephen and Augustine at his funeral.

• El Greco portrays the burial as a contemporary event, including local nobility and clergy.

• Venetian influence is shown in the colors and textures of the armor and vestments.

• Mannerism influence: Exaggeration of bodies and elongation.

• Above the count's soul, a cloud-like figure is carried to heaven by an angel.

• The celestial assembly is painted differently from the group below.

• El Greco's space compressions, unearthly light, and figures share features with Italian Mannerist work.

• The artist also incorporated the plaque integrated into the piece.

Matthias Grünewald and the Isenheim Altarpiece

• The work, even though in the North, represents Catholic concepts.

• Not all of the North switched over to Lutheran ideas or the new Protestant movements.

• Not all regions, even German-speaking Europe, converted to the reformed faith.

• Some traditional objects were created in the 16th century to serve Catholic patrons.

• The altarpiece was created by Matthias Goddard Nidard, (Grünewald).

• Born in Wurzburg (Central Germany), he worked for the archbishop near Mainz.

Isenheim Altarpiece

• A transforming triptych was painted between 1509/10 and 1515.

• Painted for the monastery church of the Order of Saint Anthony at Isenheim in Alsace.

• The church served monks and patients of the attached hospital, specializing in "Saint Anthony's fire".

  • A disease caused by eating spoiled rye.

  • Produced painful symptoms including intestinal disorders, gangrenous limbs, and hallucinations.

  • Treatment was soothing baths and amputations.

• The altarpiece stood on the high altar of the monastery church.

• It has a huge shrine carved in wood around 1505.

• Nine panels organized in two sets of movable wings.

• The first view (wings closed) shows the crucifixion, visible during the week.

• The wings depict Saint Sebastian (invoked against the plague) and Saint Anthony Abbot (revered as a healer).

Central Image of the Crucifixion

• Draws on the late medieval tradition.

• Emphasizes the suffering of Christ and the grief of his mother.

• The figure of Christ matches the vision of Saint Bridget.

• Grunewald renders the body on the cross on a heroic scale.

• The crucifixion becomes a lonely event silhouetted against a ghostly landscape.

• Eerie light bathes the foreground figures to heighten awareness of them.

• Mary swoons at the sight of her tortured son.

• Saint John's red robe accents her paleness.

• Mary Magdalene kneels in grief.

• John the Baptist points saying, "He must increase and I must decrease."

• A body of water recalls baptism.

• The bleeding lamb reminds of the Eucharist.

• The victims of amputation may have seen their own suffering here.

Opened Altarpiece

• Everything changes dramatically with these panels open.

• On Sundays a holy day panels are opened with joy.

• At this point in time nothing quite like this altarpiece that's been painted.

• There has never been anything to this point in time, anything quite like this, that's been painted, altarpiece represented.

Second View (Outer Wings Open)

• Scenes include:

  • The Annunciation.

  • Madonna and Child with Angels.

  • The Resurrection.

• Celebrates the cycle of salvation.

• Offered the afflicted a form of spiritual medicine.

• Reminding them of the promise of heaven.

• Music, herbs, baths, and light are represented as therapies.

• The predella with the body of Jesus compared to the resurrected Christ offers consolation to the dying.

Panel Linkage

• Panels are linked through color and composition.

• Reds and pinks in the annunciation panel reach a climax in the brilliant colors of the risen Christ figure.

• The image of the dead Jesus and his mother points to the figure of the child Jesus in his mother's arms.

• The Gothic chapel in the Annunciation leads to a tabernacle housing choirs of angels.

• A figure of the virgin anticipates the resurrected Christ.

• The risen Christ appears to float above his sarcophagus.

• The guards are knocked senseless by the miracle.

• The shroud falls from the hands revealing the wounds on his hands that the artist painted in exquisite detail.

Grünewald's Artistic Approach

• Based on the traditions of the Northern European Renaissance.

• His oil technique, use of color, and rendering of objects draw from this tradition.

• He must have learned from the Italian Renaissance as well.

• Low horizon line suggests deep space.

• The rendering of the tomb is a study in perspective.

• His aim is to create an emotional response with the impact of a vision.