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Christian art and Byzantine art
art history renaissance italy
art history renaissance italy
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The era in which Cimabue and Giotto grew influenced how they saw art and how they identified with their portrayal of images. Cimabue a master of the byzantine era and Giotto, early renaissance, however Giotto di Bondone was a pupil of Cimabue. “Cimabue was the last great painter working in the Byzantine tradition” (Finnan). His pupil Giotto was instrumental in the renaissance art movement, influenced by religion. “Di Bondone chose to paint his subjects, the overwhelming majority were religious figures, in a solid and classicizing way reminiscent of Arnolfo di Cambio” (Artble 2015). Though Giotto had been a pupil of Cimabue, each having produced a large painting of the Madonna and child, Mary and baby Jesus. Though Giotto recreated Cimabue’s Madonna and child there are distinct differences between the two paintings. “Around 1285, Cimabue was commissioned to produce a large Enthroned Madonna and Child for the church of Santa Trinita in Florence” (Adams 11). Giotto’s image was produced for “Ognissanti (All Saints’) Church in Florence with Cimabue’s version of the same subject” (Adams 25). Both paintings signify the symbolic importance Mary and baby Jesus had on Christianity and Roman Catholicism and its …show more content…
However, the prophets and angels are not level with the child but beneath as to be gazing upon him through the open spaces or what we would call a window. “The angels also extend vases of lilies and roses, the former being symbols of the Virgin’s purity and the latter (which we believed to have grown without thorns in the Garden of Eden) of her role in redemption of Eve’s sin” (Adams 27). Two other angels are holding gold crowns which symbolizes that the child is king of all kings. In each image Cimabue and Giotto use the same flat style halos around the figures which resemble the Byzantine
Giovanni Pietro Rizzoli also known as Giampietrino spent the vast majority of his known career developing drawings and paintings of nude women from roman mythology under the leadership of the great Leonardo Da Vinci. Under the influential scope of Leonardo, Giampietrino replicated myriad artworks of leonardo’s displaying the importance of honoring the great artists of the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, especially those such as Leonardo who remain a significant figure in the discourse of the canon of art in contemporary art society. Although he developed his own techniques and manipulations to refine his own work and bring forth a change in the development of the renaissance and baroque style of art, Giampietrino closely followed the methods taught in the Lombard school of art and those of his mentor Leonardo Da Vinci. Giampietrino’s similar style of painting to Leonardo can cogently be seen in his painting Lucretia and a plethora of other paintings, which convey the influence of the Lombard school from the incorporated formal elements such as color, form, content, and subjec...
The painting illustrates the martyrdom of St Mathew the evangelist. According to belief, the saint was murdered on the commands of King of Ethiopia while celebrating mass at the altar. X-rays disclose two attempts at the masterpiece before the one we see today, with a progress towards simplification by decrease in figures, and decrease of the architectural aspect. The first translation exposed is in the mannerist approach of an admired artist in Rome. At this point Caravaggio focused more on the calling, a companion piece. This painting signifies the time when mannerism paves way to the baroque. The younger artists were loved the work, and Caravaggio became very famous in Rome. The Taking of Christ is the work of Michalengelo Merisi Da
Jacopo del Sellaio’s Virgin, Child, and St. John is a characteristically iconographic tempera panel painting of Madonna, the Christ Child, and the infant St. John from the early renaissance, dating to the early 1480s. Sellaio was a Florentine painter under the apprenticeship of Sandro Botticelli, which reflects through his style and symbolism in the painting. In this work, he depicts a classically devotional scene filled with biblical symbolism. Sellaio’s Virgin, Child, and St. John expresses Mary’s loving role as Christ’s mother, the protective power and warmth of her maternal bond, and the significance of the birth of Christ.
By most accounts, the year 1500 was in the midst of the height of the Italian Renaissance. In that year, Flemmish artist Jean Hey, known as the “Master of Moulins,” painted “The Annunciation” to adorn a section of an alter piece for his royal French patrons. The painting tells the story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to the Virgin Mary to deliver the news that she will give birth to the son of God. As the story goes, Mary, an unwed woman, was initially terrified about the prospects of pregnancy, but eventually accepts her fate as God’s servant. “The Annunciation” is an oil painting on a modest canvas, three feet tall and half as wide. The setting of the painting is a study, Mary sitting at a desk in the bottom right hand corner reading, and the angel Gabriel behind her holding a golden scepter, perhaps floating and slightly off the canvas’s center to the left. Both figures are making distinct hand gestures, and a single white dove, in a glowing sphere of gold, floats directly above Mary’s head. The rest of the study is artistic but uncluttered: a tiled floor, a bed with red sheets, and Italian-style architecture. “The Annunciation” was painted at a momentous time, at what is now considered the end of the Early Renaissance (the majority of the 15th Century) and the beginning of the High Renaissance (roughly, 1495 – 1520). Because of its appropriate placement in the Renaissance’s timeline and its distinctly High Renaissance characteristics, Jean Hey’s “Annunciation” represents the culmination of the transition from the trial-and-error process of the Early Renaissance, to the technical perfection that embodied the High Renaissance. Specifically, “Annunciation” demonstrates technical advancements in the portrayal of the huma...
Each figure has a combination of blue and another color, where blue unifies all three (Levinson 352). The figures sitting around the table have gentle faces and quiet concentration, this is further expressed in the rhythmical arrangement and composition of the figures. The wings of the angels are painted in gold. Their seats are also gold along with the chalice in the center. The light shines around their heads, creating a golden halo which signifies purity. It is believed that the son was dressed in the deepest colors; a reddish brown garment that represents heaven and earth. The next figure is the Father who wears all the colors which can show him representing the universe. On the right would be believed to be the figure of the Holy Spirit. This figure wears blue which represents the sky (Levinson 352). Andrei Rublev was also notable for his depictions of Christ in various
The depiction of Madonna and Christ is among the most ancient and common in Christian iconography and has an extensive number of variations because apart from its symbolic religious functions, it allows one to interpret the link between mother and child in many aspects. (8)
A common topic of artwork throughout history has been the crucifixion of Christ. Since it is such a common topic, it makes it very easy to see how artwork changed and developed from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The painting on the left, The Crucifixion by Pietro Lorenzetti, shows the usual characteristics of a painting from the Middle Ages. The facial expressions are not varied or very in depth, Jesus and the other saints have the typical halo that is used very often, and the colors are mostly all bright, making nothing in particular stand out. The second painting, on the right, is by Caravaggio and is titled The Flagellation of Christ. There is an obvious shift from one painting to the next. Caravaggio’s piece is much more realistic.
Renaissance artists considered the imitation of nature their primary goal. Their search for naturalism became an end it in itself: to persuade onlookers of the reality of the object or event they were portraying. Italian artists began to focus in the area of perspective. An example is the birth of Venus. This connects back to Greco-Roman culture since Venus was one of the God’s of their religion. She is completely nude in the painting which differs very much from the Middle Ages art. Middles Ages art was regulated by religion, so this would have not been allowed. Another example is the death of Jesus, painted by Andrea Mantegna. It truly focuses on the perspective because it makes the viewer of the painting right there as if we are almost in that moment. The portrait is truly focusing on realism. The main differences between medieval and renaissance art was medieval art focused on religion. It stressed world beyond everyday life, used formal figures to express religious concerns, and portrayed scenes of the holy land. Whereas, the Renaissance focused on creating realistic scenes and images, humans were more lifelike, and
“The Met’s very own Mona Lisa” (Tomkins 9). That is what Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Madonna and Child painting is known as today. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art bought the Madonna and Child for forty-five to fifty million dollars” (Tomkins 1). However, the painting was not always in public hands; in fact, the Met purchased the last known work of Duccio in private hands. Originally, the painting was held in the private hands of Adolphe Stoclet and his wife. When the couple died, their house and their collection went to their son, Jacques who held onto the painting, and passed it down to his daughters who lent it to an exhibition in Siena of Duccio and his school. The painting was eventually withdrawn from the exhibition and sold (Tomkins 2). Madonna and Child painting dated 1300 and was painted by Duccio di Buoninsegna a Sienese painter, who is considered the founder of modern Italian painting. I chose to research this painting because the subject matter of religious imagery and symbols interests me. Also because when I looked at the painting the emotion on the Madonna’s face almost jumped out at me. It is as if, she is looking at her newborn child with this deep sadness, which almost makes you think that the painting is foreshadowing the death of Jesus Christ. In addition, the burns of the side of the frame peaked my interest, as to why they were there. Art critics were also interested in this work they even consider Madonna and Child one of Duccio’s perfect works, and it said to be worth all the other paintings exhibited under the name of Duccio (Christiansen 14). The Madonna and Child painting’s iconography, imagery, emotional appeal to the viewers, and meaning all make this painting still a great work of art today.
In the two different depictions of the scene Betrayal of Christ, Duccio and Giotto show their different styles on how they compose their paintings. The first decision into the composure of the painting would be the comparison of the size of surface they chose to paint on. Duccio in comparison to Giotto chooses to work on a wooden panel no wider than a foot, and Giotto went with a plaster surface with a width of ten feet. This detail alone lets the viewer know that Giotto’s artwork is embedded in detail and visual consumption. The size difference is the factor between who see’s it and what they see; the fine details and symbolism of the narrative will be better understood if the viewer can see every detail.
Piero della Francesca presented an iconic image of the Renaissance in Italy in his own way, highlighting the two most important idols of the Catholic church, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Through oil paint, he connected sacred biblical meanings into his own masterpiece. He devoted Christ to portray him in a scene of blessing with his surroundings and other holy figures. The Madonna and Child with Two Angels (Senigallia Madonna), is a piece created with such emphasized meaning and such divinity of the holy, Jesus Christ and his mother the Virgin Mary.
Virgin and Christ Child painting with St. Elizabeth, John the Baptist and two Angels is a painting by Rosso Fiorentino Giovanni Battista di Jacopo in Cinquecento, Italy. The painting is dated back in 1521. The painting is currently at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The painting is made on an oil panel whose dimensions are 161.29 by 119.38 centimeters. The painting is available for public view at Ahmanson Building, third floor. Rosso Fiorentino painted asymmetrical and emotionally charged compositions. The painting is unfinished and its subject remains unknown.
The Renaissance art that I've included contains a piece by Robert Campin entitled “Annunciation Triptych,” and another work by Fra Filippo Lippi, called “Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels.” In both of these paintings we see some of the typical themes of Renaissance art. For example, Lippi included in his scene a background which wouldn't have necessarily been needed. Really he could have chosen just about anything, like the woods or the sea, that might have been easier to paint. He chose though what appears to be the inside of a building, likely a church. Not only that but he went to great lengths to ensure everything was in perspective, and the lines and angles are straight and sharp. Similarly Campin has also chosen an interior scenes with strong perspective and exacting details. In both of these the artists seem to be capturing an event, much like with a photography in modern times. While both images portray fictional scenes, the artists wanted to capture the moment to tell a precise historical story. They both go to some lengths to include background details which also capture architectural details. To me it seems that they both approached their work meticulously and with reason and mathem...
In Giotto’s Madonna and Child Enthroned I see an older renaissance painting of a woman and her child. The child is sitting on the lap of his mother who is sitting on a large burgundy throne in the middle of the painting. The woman is dressed in a navy cloak while her child is clothed in a pink robe. Above the child’s head there is a yellow circle. This circle is a renaissance symbol for religious leadership or importance. Surrounding this throne are a gathering of angels. There are exactly seven angels on each side worshiping this mother and child. The background consists of a yellow brick pattern.
Michelangelo and Caravaggio at some point in history were the most famous artists in Rome, Italy. Michelangelo a prominent architect, poet, sculptor, and painter found his success in Italy during the High Renaissance period (1490-1527). While Caravaggio was the most popular painter in Rome and spearheaded the Baroque period (1650-1750). Artists like Caravaggio in the Baroque period turned to a powerful and dramatic realism, intensified by bold contrasts of light and dark. Michelangelo’s reputation as a painter fluctuated during the High Renaissance, but his devotion to his art and his genius undoubtedly influenced artists such as Caravaggio during the Baroque Period. However, each artist had incredibly different styles, and utilized different mediums in their most popular works of art. Despite that there are also many similarities which indicate Michaelangelo’s heavy influences on Caravaggio and Baroque Period art. The comparison will be between Michelangelo, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome, Fresco. c. 1508-1512 and Caravaggio, Calling of St. Matthew, Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome, Oil