Renaissance Art

Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

Jan 1, 1413

Early Northern
Artist: Limbourg Brothers
Media: Ink, tempra and gold leaf on vellum
Concept: This panting is actually part of a calendar for the Dke de Berry. This calendar has lots of national gothic influences, and portrayes "genre scenes" of everyday life for the nobles and peasants.

Florence Cathedral Dome (Domo)

Jan 1, 1420

Early Italian
Artist: Brunelleschi
Medium: Brick
COncept: Largest freestanding dome ever created. Brunelleschi used an egg to prove his pont abut his architectural techniques. His knowledge of Roman architechture helped him solve the problem of the unfinished dome, and the rounded arches and simple ratios show classical hints.

Gates of Paradise

Jan 1, 1425

Early Italian
Artist: Lorenzo Ghiberti
Medium: gilded bronze
Concept: Ghiberti uses perspective and a unified landscape as and illusionistic tool.

Merode Altarpeice

Jan 1, 1425

Early Northern
Artist: Robert Campin
Date: 1425
Concept: Symbolic and secualr symbols are depicted in the scene of the Annunication. There is debate as to whether this scene takes place before or after the Annunciation. The white lilies, towel, firegaurd, and vessel are symbols of Mary's purity and incarnationof Jesus. The Gothic influences in the peice are the sharp angles, large figures in a small architechtual space, adn trefoil.

David

Jan 1, 1426

Early Italin
Artist: Donatello
Medium: Bronze
Concept: The David statue was the first freestanding nude since anchient times. He has a contrapostto quality, confident but still very young looking. His hat doesn't make him feel as if he is a Bibilcal character, but a modern day renaissance one.

Holy Trinity

Jan 1, 1428

Early Italian
Artist: Masaccio
Medium: Fresco
Concept: Uses linear perpective an heirarchy of scale to show the sacredness of the trinity and everyone's impending death. This painting is the first ot depict God as a man, and also was painted realistically through observation. There is also hope in this painting that all Christians will have eternal life after death in heaven with Christ.

Ghent Altarpeice

Jan 1, 1432

Early Northern
Artist: Jan van Eyck
Medium: oil on wood
Concept: God is depticted as a God of foregiveness rather than a God of wrath.

Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife

Jan 1, 1434

Early Northern Renaissance
Artist: Jan Van Eyck
Medium: oil on wood
Concept: This painting depicts a weedding or enagement that incorperates the juxtaposition of secular and religious imagery. The detail in the mirror depicts the passion of the chirst, represents the all seeing eye of God, and also shows two witnesses. The man and woman are also placed by symbols that represent their gender roles.

Deposition

Jan 1, 1435

Early Northern
Artist: Rogier van der Weyden
Date: 1435
Medium: oil on wood
Concept: The "S" curves of Mary and Jesus crate a balance.Christ also seemsto be floating, and there is a skull in the corner that represents "Momento Mori". Rogier van der Weyden also expressses agony over Christ's death like no other religious painter.

Birth of Venus

Jan 1, 1482

Early Italian
Artist: Botticelli
Medium: tempra on canvas
Concept: At this time, the church was making connection to secualr Greek/Roman gods and goddesses to Saints of the church, In this image, Venus, the goddess of love, is supposed to be representative of the loving Virgin Mary. But, she also is a standard for ideal beauty.

Virgin of the Rocks

Jan 1, 1485

HIgh Renaissance
Artist: DaVinci
Medium: oil on wood
Concept: "Painting the Soul" through an interest in the psychology of the subject. A pyramid structure was used as well as the light and dark contransts of the subjects and atmospheric perspective create drama.

Last Supper

Jan 1, 1498

High Renaissance
Artist: DaVinci
Medium: fresco
Concept: Psycological interest in emotional responses. Depicts Luke 22;19-20. There is holy light, as well as the motif of three for the holy trinity.

Albrecht Durer (Self Portrait)

Jan 1, 1498

High Northern
Medium: oil on board
Concept: Durer was the first artist ot starit a painting series of all sef portraits. This artist was huge on following mathematicall equations to create the perfectly purportioned human, H also showed his status of a person and painter by his clothing and skill, and a adopts a Mona Lisa-esque quality to his portrait.

Tempietto

Jan 1, 1502

High Renaissance
Artist: Donato d'Angelo Bramante
Concept: This church was built in the classical style that Bramamnte was famous for. The building also followed the measurements of vitruvian circles and squares.

Mona Lisa

Jan 1, 1503

High Renaissance
Artist: DaVinci
Medium: oil on wood
Concept: A portrait of a wife of a Florentine merchant, but also has underlying meanings in the background; such as humans having the power to destroy nature. The scen in the background was also seens as apocalyptic. This paintic also shows the personality of the sitter, along with more of the face and body as a result of the 3/4 turn.

Creation of Eve, Garden of Earthly Delights, Hell

Jan 1, 1505

High Northern
Artist: Hieronymus Bosch
Medium: oil on wood
Concept: There is lots of symoblisim in this peice regarding the fall of man, sex, and the punishments that will be given to sinners in hell. Scholars are unsure if Bosch intended to make a mockery of Christianity with his outrageous altarpeice, or if he is using shocking symbolism to catch the viewer's attention and bring it closer to Christian values.
All and all, this is one funky painting that has ruined fruit for me.

The Tempest

Jan 1, 1510

Artist: Giorgionne da Castelfranco
Date: 1510
Medium: oil on canvas
Concept: This painting has many secret meaning that revolve around a Garden of Eden/ Adam and Eve theme. THis painting also romaticizes pastorlal life, as was the popular theme of paintings of the the day.

Isenhiem

Jan 1, 1510

High Northern
Artist: Matthias Gruenwald
Medium: oil on panel
Concept: This altarpeice was kept in a hospital (St. Anthony) where many were dying of gangreen and also had to have their limbs amputated. Gruenwald depicts the sickness and suffering in the green, sickly, and body-especially the arms and hands-that are twisted in pain. The image was a way of instilling the salvation patients had despite their pain and suffering.

Creation of Adam (Sistine Chapel Ceiling)

Jan 1, 1511

High Renaissance
Artist:Michelangelo
Medium: fresco
Concept: Depicts the creation, fall, and redemtion of humanity. The patron for the work was Pope Julius II. Shows the interest of good vs. evil, the energy of youth vs. wisdom of age, adn the Biblical dramas.

The Meeting of Bacchus and Ariadne

Jan 1, 1522

Venitian Style
Artist: Titian
Date: 1522
Medium: Oil on canvas
Concept: Ventiaian style paintings were, and still are, very open to interpretation. Most scholars think this painting primarily shows the instense, exact moment of love at first sight through body motion in multipule directions.

Descent from the Cross

Jan 1, 1525

Mannerism
Artist: Jacopa da Pontormo
Medium: oil on wood
Concept: Pontormo played with placement of body parts-as seen in the serpentinata woman in the upper right- and color to catch the eye(man in the middle who is carrying Jesus). This painting may be a combination of the deposition, entombment, or the pieta.

The French Ambassadors

Jan 1, 1533

Artist: Hans Holbien the Younger
Medium: oil and tempera on panel
Concept: Holbien incorportates the wealth of the fourtuneate-seen by the globes, books and instrument son teh shelves- but also the fact that no matter how rich you are, none of that matters because everyone dies. This theme can be shortened inot two words, Memento Mori, which literally translates to "Remember Your Death". Death themes are represented by the anamorphic skull (meant to appear like driftwood) and the crufix.

Venus, Cupid, Folly and TIme

Jan 1, 1546

Mannerisim
Artist: Bronzino (comissioned by Duke of Tuscany...who was a Medici!)
Medium: oil on wood
Concept: This painting is believed to be an allegory for the impossibilty of constant love. Several masks are scattered throughout the painting, and some faces are painted to look like masks, a very mannerist trait.