Class 4 - Oct. 5.09 - 17th c. art

Veronese, ‘Feast in the House of Levi’, 1573, oil on canvas




-A parody of 'The Last Supper'

-Accused by the Inquisition for heresy

-Later on changed the name of the painting to 'Feast in the House of Levi'



Caravaggio ‘The Calling of St. Matthew, 1599-1600, oil on canvas





-Develops the use of tenebrism, enhanced chiaroscuro,

-Creates a heightened sense of emotion

--------> These techniques used by Caravaggio (intense realism, tenebrism & use of large scale figures in the foreground) became known as Caravaggism or the Caravagesque technique and were copied throughout Europe


Bernini, ‘David’, 1623, Marble




-Dramatic compared to the other versions of David

-Diagonal composition

------> features of Baroque period.


Velazquez, ‘Las Meninas (The Maids of Honour),1656, oil on canvas, Spain




-this painting is a royal portrait, but it is also a self-portrait of the artist

- here he is dressed as a courtier, the Order of Santiago on his chest (added later) and the keys of the palace in his sash

-he shows his importance as an artist

-There are several theories on the interpretation of this painting


Cathedral of St. Martin, Utrecht, 16th c.


-Dutch society had high tolerance in religion

-They destoyed religious icons in art -> Iconoclasm



Rembrandt van Rijn, ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp’, 1632, oil on canvas



-Rembrandt had studied science and nature

-Rembrandt had also studied Italian Renaissance art

-group portrait depicted here

-dramatic narrative scene

-sharp diagonal that pierces space from right to left uniting all of the figures

-use of tenebrism

-starting to reflect some of the new interest in science and medicine


Rachel Ruysch ‘Flower Still Life’, after 1700, oil on canvas




-Still life

-Diagonal

-Use of light

-Appears to depict a beautiful vase of flowers

-Moralizing message contained -> Vanitas

-The flowers are beginning to wilt and this acts as a reminder of the fleeting nature of beauty and of life

The Inquisition: feared organization within the Catholic world.
Anybody accused by the Inquisition was guilty until they could prove their innocence

Counter-Reformation: purpose was to reach and convert the masses of people who had strayed from the church

Tenebrism: strong chiaroscuro, using violent contrasts of light and dark

Iconoclasm : destroying religious icons and/or permitting their use

Vanitas : an image in which all the objects symbolize the transience of life, usually still lifes or genre subjects

Class 3 Sep.28.09 Technologies of realism, Printing Press, Protestant Reformation

Masaccio, ‘Holy Trinity’ Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, 1425-27/28, fresco



-meant to look like a stone funerary monument

-barrel vault: an elongated or continuous semi-circular vault shaped life a half-cylinder
trompe l’oeil (fool the eye) effect with barrel vault through use of linear perspective

-use of Classical columns, semi-arch, coffered ceiling, roundels

-body is more muscular and somewhat idealized

-moralizing message below ( Momento Mori)



Michelangelo, ‘Sistine Chapel’, Vatican, Rome, 1475-81






-Weighty, idealized, Muscular figures - Classical Period

-These paintings in Sistine Chapel shows that Michelangelo was greatly influenced by Masaccio

-Michelangelo was mostly a sculptor



Campin, 'Merode Altarpiece'





- Intuitive Perspective : not mathematical

-extreme detail achieved through use of oil paint



Johanne Guttenberg, 1450 Printing Press




- Inventor: Johann Gutenberg, in Mainz, Germany, in 1450-5


- he made the very first machine printed book, with movable type – the 42 line Bible.

- Europe wasn’t the first culture to have printing.

- Expanded Access to Books, Literacy, Knowledge, Power

- this promoted the exchange of ideas, and hence, increased and sped up cultural change.


-------------> Protestant Reformation


Leonardo da Vinci, ‘Vitruvian Man’ c.1490, ink.



-taken from first-century BCE Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius’ theories on the body

-Leonardo's own observation

-Leonarado’s passions were mathematics, engineering and the natural world

-precise details of anatomy and the geometric basis of perfect proportions

----->an example of science, antiquity, mathematics

Chiaroscuro: (Italian word = light/dark) technique that creates spatial depth and volumetric forms through gradations in the intensity of light and shadow

Sfumato: (Italian word meaning “smoky, soft”) In painting ,the effect of haze in an image. Resembling the colour of the atmosphere at dusk.

Printing Press: is a machine that uses movable metal type to print text.

Protestant Reformation: was a powerful revolt against the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther: was a German reformer monk who publicly criticized all of this.

95 Theses: Martin Luther wrote up a list of 95 complaints against the Church, and nailed it to the church door in Wittenberg.