In the previous paper I provided a visual analysis of Piero della Francesca’s Flagellation of Christ (fig. 1) and briefly discussed some interpretations made by renowned scholars. Within the discussion; I provided a brief preview of the iconography, symbolism, and narrative of this extraordinary Renaissance painting. The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at the iconography of Piero della Francesca’s Flagellation of Christ and consider how the iconography of this artwork provides us with details about the function and symbolism of the piece. Due to the fact that “there is no documentation for this small panel” and many aspects about it are unknown, there are a plethora of interpretations about the iconography of this painting. Keeping this in mind, this paper will focus on the iconographic interpretations that hold the most credibility. Let’s begin with what is seen.
“The New Testament scene of Jesus and his Flagellators has been ostensibly relegated to the background while three other figures, whose collective identity there is no consensus, have been cast forward into the prominence of the foreground.” Although it is assumed that the flagellation of Christ would be the primary narrative; that scene is in the background,
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This interpretation also allows us to shed light on another unknown figure in the background who is wearing a grey tunic and matching turban. This figure is watching the flagellation so his face is not shown. Although his face is not shown, this figure can be identified as Murad II. Murad II was the Ottoman Sultan from 1421 to 1451 and during his reign he fought against the Christian feudal lords of Balkans for over 25
Another example of Christian iconography is The Transfiguration. It is located in the Church of Saint Catherine’s monaster...
At the top of the artwork the upper part of the cross extends beyond the altarpiece. The edge of John the Evangelist’s red robe on the left of the altarpiece and the edge of Mary Magdalene’s pale blue skirt on the right are cut off when the panel ends, giving the viewer the feeling that, rather than looking in on the scene, the viewer is actually taking part in the scene. This, added to the empathy invoked through the delicate, heart-wrenching rendering of the figures in the artwork, let the observer directly interact with the painting and places him/her within the narrative.
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...
Campbell examines thirteen Venetian engravings and paintings, as well as an example of early poetry, to illustrate the grafting effect of different imagery sources within a single picture, along with poetic imagery and form used with poesia. Many examples of art that Campbell examines focuses on the nature of the works, such as the juxtaposition of “pagan opposites” in Christian subject matter, the idea of the gaze, juxtaposing two pictorial ...
...ic meanings that still are puzzling art historians today. Some of the key symbols that Stokstad points out in the text is the dove, representing the Holy Spirit; the white lilies as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. She also points out, two rather unknown symbols to the sacrilegious, the date of the Annunciation in signs of the zodiac on the floor, as well as the lone stained glass window that is symbolizing God rising above the three windows that are placed in the background behind Mary. These three windows represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
Moreland, J.P., and Wilkins, Michael, ed. Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
The metaphor in this relief is hard hitting, as this is the only scene without Mary, Joseph or Jesus. In fact, Nicola made a point to show that this scene was without Christ; godless. Pictured are 24 nude jewish children, rather than the standard 3 or 4, struggling against the Roman Soldiers who are to kill them to avoid the fulfilment of the prophecy that the “King of the Jews” would rise up against the Roman powers. The emotional nature and sharp features of this portion of the pulpit are aimed straight at the heartstrings; it tells the story of the prosecution of innocent jews and children. This is an unusual depiction of this event, but an accurate one that Pisano was dedicated to showing.
In the painting, God is not shown in an “otherworldly” place where he would be traditionally depicted, but instead in a realistic space on a platform. The figures are in a sort of pyramidal shape, which is similar to the formation of many other Renaissance works. The Crucifixion takes place under a Roman archway, with a coffered ceiling, barrel vault, pilasters, and columns, indicating the interest that Masaccio (and others at this time) had in Classicism, which means the painting was made during the Renaissance. Furthermore, early Renaissance scientific approach is used in the Holy Trinity to create a convincing illusion of space within the painting. Masaccio uses one-point linear perspective to convey the sense that the images recede back in space. The sunken panels (coffers) on the ceiling create the orthogonal, or perpendicular lines, and the vanishing point is at the base of the cross, which is at the viewer’s eye level. This creates the sense that the viewed space of the fresco painted on the church wall is actually a continuation of the church space. Masaccio paid close attention to the dimensions of the objects and spaces that he painted in the Holy Trinity, so that the dimensions of the room can be determined by the
During the 15th century, Europe started to have different cultural traditions that impacted the type artwork of artwork that was produced. There are several elements that have evolved during this time. Two artworks will be compared so that we will be able to evaluate how various techniques that are used can be used to portray the meaning of the painting as well as how the audience views the scene as well. One of the paintings that we will compare is a Annunciation panel (from the Merode Triptych), which was painted by Robert Campin in 1426. This painting will be compared to Holy Trinity, which was created by Masaccio in 1425. By comparing these two paintings, we will get a sense of what themes and ideals were valued during this time period.
... the way that the artwork is resembled in the religious background of the gospel but reconstructed in to a celebrating impression. Throughout the fresco painting it depicts the myth of the Christ’s three fold temptations relating back to the article that “distinction between fresco and panel painting is sharp, and that painters are seen as competitors amongst themselves discriminating also, between the difference in genuine attempts in being better then the other.” Baxandall, “Conditions of Trade,” 26. in relation, the painting concerns the painter’s conscious response to picture trade, and the non-isolation in pictorial interests.
As the seventeenth century began the Catholic Church was having a hard time bringing back the people who were swept away by the protestant reformation. The conflict between the protestant had a big influence on art. (Baroque Art) The church decided to appeal to the human emotion and feeling. They did so by introducing a style called Baroque. Baroque was first developed in Rome and it was dedicated to furthering the aims of Counter Reformation. Baroque was first used in Italy than later spread to the north. In this paper I will argue that the Italian Baroque pieces were more detailed and captured the personality of the figure, in contrast and comparison to Northern Baroque pieces that aimed to produce a sense of excitement and to move viewers in an emotional sense leaving them in awe. I will prove this by talking about the different artwork and pieces of Italian Baroque art versus Northern Baroque Art.
The artists of the Baroque had a remarkably different style than artists of the Renaissance due to their different approach to form, space, and composition. This extreme differentiation in style resulted in a very different treatment of narrative. Perhaps this drastic stylistic difference between the Renaissance and Baroque in their treatment of form, space, and composition and how these characteristics effect the narrative of a painting cannot be seen more than in comparing Perugino’s Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter from the Early Renaissance to Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul from the Baroque.Perugino was one of the greatest masters of the Early Renaissance whose style ischaracterized by the Renaissance ideals of purity, simplicity, and exceptional symmetry of composition. His approach to form in Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St.Peter was very linear. He outlined all the figures with a black line giving them a sense of stability, permanence, and power in their environment, but restricting the figures’ sense of movement. In fact, the figures seem to not move at all, but rather are merely locked at a specific moment in time by their rigid outline. Perugino’s approach to the figures’themselves is extremely humanistic and classical. He shines light on the figures in a clear, even way, keeping with the rational and uncluttered meaning of the work. His figures are all locked in a contrapposto pose engaging in intellectual conversation with their neighbor, giving a strong sense of classical rationality. The figures are repeated over and over such as this to convey a rational response and to show the viewer clarity. Perugino’s approach to space was also very rational and simple. He organizes space along three simple planes: foreground, middle ground, and background. Christ and Saint Peter occupy the center foreground and solemn choruses of saints and citizens occupy the rest of the foreground. The middle distance is filled with miscellaneous figures, which complement the front group, emphasizing its density and order, by their scattered arrangement. Buildings from the Renaissance and triumphal arches from Roman antiquity occupy the background, reinforcing the overall classical message to the
Looking at The Ascension from its contextual perspective and from its artistic elements, the painting is full of moods and techniques. First, the event itself has an outstanding message of hope. The painter did a good job depicting the majesty of Jesus as he rose physically to heaven by painting a golden halo and purple clothing, which are symbols of holiness and wisdom. On the other hand, the elements used in this painting are the crucial features that vivify the message represented. As characteristic of Renaissance paintings, The Ascension contents triangular placement of figures; its lines follow a triangular pattern to the main figure—Jesus elevating over his disciples. Regarding the lines that outline the objects, they can be distinguished or seen—pigmentation are used instead—except for the traces of the glory that emanates from Jesus' halo.
Though the tilted plane of the scene and cutaways are still characteristic of the International Gothic style, humanistic tendencies shine through with inclusion of the patrons in the right panel, (much like in the Ghent Altarpiece) showing that humans are worthy to view the scene of the Annunciation, another clear example of the Humanism of the Early Renaissance. Campin also turned common household objects into religious symbols, like the candle snuffed out on the table of the center panel symbolizes the end of Christ’s life. A scroll and book are in front of Mary, denoting the Old and the New Testaments, and the role that Mary and the Christ child played in the fulfillment of prophecy. The arrangements for washing at the back of the room, which are considered unorthodox for a domestic interior, may relate to the kindred arrangements of a piscina for the officiating priest to wash his hands during Mass. The lilies in the earthenware vase on the table represent Mary's virginity.