The Renaissance Movement III: Painting
Lesson Intro
* Painting by Giulio Clovio, in 1546.
* Very long title: The Farnese Hours, Adoration of the Magi, and the Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
*Very vibrant, vivid, elegant.
* Figures are beautiful. Work seems less focused on composition itself or the subject matter or story, as much as it on the idea of beauty and grace itself.
Renaissance period being looked at today focuses less on subject matter, but on the sense and idea of beauty and grace. Period of Mannerism.
Mannerism: What is it?
* Mannerism includes intricate, very detailed subjects, highly skilled techniques, and is concerned with beauty for its own sake
- Contains almost an artificial elegance and grace.
- Transition away from importance of subject matter to a focus on beauty and painting for the sake of beauty.
- Inspires a lot of controversy and much debate among historians
- Term Mannerism comes from the Italian word maniera, used in the 16th century to suggest an amount of self-aware elegance and grace to the point of artiface or artificiality. Term Mannerism is a point of view and style in world of art.
| Ex: Paintign in mannerist style-- Called the Madonna with the Long Neck. Made from 1534-1540
* By Artist Parma Giannino
* Madonna (Mary, Mother of God) is presented as beautiful as she cradles Jesus in her lap.
* angels look on
* The beautiful face, peaceful, solemn, restful gaze that Mary display on Jesus. Angels are awed by Jesus and Mary.
* Pose is very gracefull--slender, relaxed, condition of her hand, gentle tilt of her elongated neck
* Everything seems to be out of place in composition.
- Madonna has a very small head yet a very long neck.
- Uppeer and Lower torso of Madonna becomes accentuated and full in its figure, ending with a small pedestal for her feet. She almost looks like a vase, the same vase carried by the angel. Shows a play on images in mannerist style--.
- There is no point for angel to be carrying the vase in the first place
- St. Jerome in corner is completely out of proportion in background with other figures.
- Spatial environment does not make any sense. Almost like they're on a theatrical stage, with a column and curtain used as props.
- Very unconventional. Even the size of the baby that large. Holding baby suggests a Pieta image
- Mannerist style seen here--the artists are purposely designing a composition to create an almost unsettling feeling in the minds of the audience.
Characteristics of Mannerism
* Extraordinary virtuosity
* Intricate compositions, very detailed.
* Sophisticated, elegant figures--as seen in madonna's elongated neck.
* Fearless manipulations or distortions of accepted formal conventions
Pontormo, Entombment
- Example of Mannerist style painting
- Done by Pontormo, called The Entombment.
- Painted in 1525-1528.
- Shows more patchwork color. Less volume associated with color. Very unsettling orientation of figures in landscape that does not make much sense.
- Lacks illusion area or proper background. We only know it's a sky behind them because of the randomly placed cloud, almost to fill the space or create a sense of balance in the compstion.
* Some figures are upfront and pressing against the viewer, while some figures in the background almost appear to be levitating.
* Emotional aspects of scene are expressed through odd poses and difference in scale and proportion from one figure to the next.
* Captures the moment where Jesus has been taken down from the cross after he has been crucified. Mary accepts direction of angels to place Jesus in the tomb.
* Signs of mannerist style: Vibrant colors, intricate details, odd distortions, radical sense of orientation.
Oil Painting by Veronese
* Typically artists would use egg tempera, which was a water-based medium where pigments would be mixed with water and egg yolk.
* Oil painting affords artists much more freedom in their work. Beforehand, egg tempera paints were subject to rapid drying and artist had little freedom to go back and make changes, whereas oil paintings dried at a much slower rate since they were oil based
| Ex: Oil Painting by Veronese--Called "Feast in the House of Levy"
- Done in 1573.
- Focus Appears to be architecture. It is actual architecture at the top, but everything under the top part is painted architecture, trompe l'oeil or "trick or the eye."
- Scene depicted is the last supper. Jesus is at the main center alongside his apostles, depicted the night before he was crucified.
- Painting by Veronese was very controversial during its time. He was called before the Inquisition, which was a jury of priests who were very offended. It was deemed offensive to the Catholic faith, unfocused as it was supposed to be depicting the last supper but the emphasis seems to be on the architectural columns and triumphant arches. Seemed to be blasphemous, monkeys were featured alongside men dressed in German outfits, there were far more men in painting than believed to have been featured.
- 16th century painting. The architectural details are very intricate and convincing.
- Color forms are very vibrant and vivid, which is characteristic of Mannerism.
| Tintoretto. Done by Tintoretto, called The Last Supper | Created in 1592-1594, just before his death.
* Also a Last Supper representation
* Historically depictions of the last supper were dead-on, the line of sight of the viewer was perpendicular to the table that hosted the last supper.. But here, an image of the last supper is being shot from the corner of the room. Also two light sources: Earthly light source from oil lamp, and another comes from the halo of the apostles and Christ. He is is situated in center.
* Very mannerist in its style--elongated forms, attention to detail.
* Not mannerist in its color, lacks color or is simply not as vibrant. Subdued in colors.
* Gives play on lights and darks, and incorporates interesting multi perspective. Painted as if artist were in corner of room
- Tintoretto would develop his compositions first by creating a small-scale model or diorama. An artificial 3d model like environment. He would then mold clay or wax figures and situate them, then using it as the model for his composition.
- He said that his goal was to "combine the color of the artist Titian with the drawing and sculptural qualities of Michelangelo.
Final portrait of Bronzino--called portrait "A Portrait of a young man." Done from 1540-1545.
* Great example of Mannerism. High level of attention is paid to intricacies and details of young man.
* Odd interior environment, landscape. Does not relate to figure
* Graceful, sort of elongated display of his hand, he appears to be stroking the pages of a book, referencing his scholarly appetite.
- He looks at viewers in condescending way. Stature is very graceful, expression of beauty, dominance, supremacy.
- Painted for sake of beauty rather than trying to convey historical or literary message to the viewer.
Extra definitions:
Mannerism - a period in European art in the later years of the High Italian Renaissance concerned with beauty for its own sake
Virtuosity - great technical skill
Intricate - having complex parts
conventions - generally accepted norms or criteria
Pontormo - An Italian Mannerist painter famous for his use of twining poses and ambiguous perspective.
Veronese - Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice
Tintoretto - a painter of the Venetian school
Bronzino - An Italian Mannerist painter
Extension:
“ One of Bronzino’s more important works was a collaboration with Pontormo. The two men worked together in 1525 on a work called Deposition from the Cross, a painting of Christ being removed from the cross after his death. It was painted in the church of Santa Felicita in Florence as one of several frescoes. The painting is a true Mannerist work: The figures appear in a decorative arrangement with a flat background. Thus, the perspective is flattened, and the oddly elongated figures are carefully arranged.”