Visual Analysis PowerPoint Project
One of the more traditional assignments that students encounter in an introductory Art
History class is to analyze the stylistic qualities of an art object held in a museum
collection and compare it to a variety of pieces that share a similar subject matter.
Students will be required to select one (1) painting that can be viewed digitally (a
selection of which are provided in Blackboard) from the Lowe Art Museum on the
University of Miami campus that has a very fine collection of Renaissance to Rococo
period paintings donated by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation on permanent display in
the Kress Wing.
Once having selected the painting from the Lowe’s digital collection, pay close attention
to stylistic features (i.e., composition, color, use of light/shadow, perspective, figures,
pose, gestures, et al). Describe the object and compare/contrast it to pieces we have
studied in class, whether in the PowerPoint lectures or in the textbook. Be discerning
when selecting objects to compare. That is, try to find pieces that share more
characteristics than not. As a guide, a separate PDF that introduces students to the
fundamentals of how to think about a Visual Analysis had been uploaded into
Blackboard.
The aim of this assignment is for students to develop an eye for style and locate the
subtle differences that distinguish one art movement or period from another. As such,
organize the PowerPoint lecture in a logical, analytic fashion (i.e., chronologically).
Conclude the paper with a slide that includes remarks about the significance of the
object that became the centerpiece of the analysis — that is, how it fits into a larger art
historical framework.
An approximate guideline for how many slides to include in the body of the presentation
is twelve to fifteen (12-15). This includes slides that establish context and/or discuss
technique; slides with pictures of the objects and analysis that is organized by bullets;
comparison slides; and a slide that contains concluding remarks. At the end of the
PowerPoint project, include an “Image Index” (essentially, equivalent to “Works Cited”
or bibliography) that contains information (e.g., artist, title, date, materials, size, and
collection) about each object and/or comparison. Examples of an Image Index are
included at the end of each PowerPoint uploaded into the Blackboard units.
Submission of this PowerPoint project should be uploaded into Blackboard, rather than
attached to an email or message.
Due Date: Sunday, October 10, 2021
ART HISTORY 132
High Renaissance: Italian Painting
Raphael
(1483-1520)
Raphael
(c. 1483-1520)
•
•
•
•
biography: father had been court
painter to Duke of Urbino
training: workshop of Perugino
significance: most complete
expression of High Ren
ideal of harmony
techniques: synthesizes lessons of
Leonardo & Michelangelo
– linear & aerial perspective
– strong contour lines
– colorism
– graceful figures
– Christian and Humanist (re:
mythological) themes
Raphael
•
Marriage of the Virgin (1504)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
subject matter: NT
figures: idealized
poses: contrapposto
composition: stable
color: vibrant
light/shadow: directed
perspective: combines linear & aerial
• vanishing point
– unlike Perugino, opens up
horizon into deep space
• vantage point
– lower (more intimate) than
Perugino’s
– increases area that figures’
occupy
RAPHAEL’s Italian High Renaissance Marriage of the Virgin (c. 1500)
vs.
PERUGINO’s Italian Early Renaissance Delivery of the Keys (c. 1475)
RAPHAEL’s Italian High Renaissance Marriage of the Virgin (c. 1500 CE)
vs.
Classical Greek Nike Adjusting Her Sandal
from the south frieze of the Temple of Athena Nike atop the Acropolis (c. 425-400 BCE)
Raphael’s Italian High Renaissance
Madonna of the Meadow
(1505-1506)
RAPHAEL’s Italian High Renaissance
The School of Athens
(c. 1500)
Raphael
•
Galatea (1513)
–
–
–
–
–
–
theme: mythological
composition:
• dynamic → movement & gestures
• stabilized →
– principal narrative figure placed
along CVA
– implicit triangular format → angels
above
color: vibrant/localized red cloak
complimented by aqua green
figures: idealized
poses: dynamic
• moves beyond “contrapposto” in Botticelli’s
Birth of Venus
perspective:
• linear → established by human figures’
movement rather than architecture
– overlapping
– foreshortening
• aerial → view into deep space
(Left) Leonardo’s Leda and the Swan (1510)
vs.
(right) Raphael’s High Renaissance Galatea (1513)
Raphael
•
Pope Leo X (1517)
–
–
–
–
figures: realistic
• unflattering physical features
• does not falsify sitters’ personality
composition: synthetic
• principal figure placed along CVA
• dynamic diagonals & lines of
sight/gazes
color: vibrant, rich textures
light/shadow: variation of “chiaroscuro”
IMAGE INDEX
•
•
Slide 2:
Slide 3:
•
Slide 4:
• Slide 5:
• Slide 6:
• Slide 7:
• Slide 8:
RAPHAEL. Self-Portrait (c. 1500)
RAPHAEL. Marriage of the Virgin (1504), Oil on panel, 67 x 46 ½
in., Milan, Italy.
(Left) RAPHAEL’s Marriage of the Virgin (1504); and (right)
PERUGINO’s Delivery of the Keys (c. 1480), Fresco, Sistine Chapel,
Vatican, Rome.
(Left) RAPHAEL’s Italian High Renaissance Marriage of the
Virgin (c. 1500 CE); and (right) Classical Greek Nike Adjusting
Her Sandal from the south frieze of the Temple of Athena
Nike atop the Acropolis (c. 425-400 BCE)
RAPHAEL. Madonna of the Meadow (1505), Wood, 44 ½ x
34 ¼ in., Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
RAPHAEL. The School of Athens (c. 1510), fresco, Stanza
della Segnatura, Vatican, Rome.
RAPHAEL. Galatea (1513), Fresco, 9’8 ½ ” x 7’4”, Villa
Farnesina, Rome.
IMAGE INDEX
•
Slide 9:
•
Slide 10:
(Left) Leonardo’s Leda and the Swan (1510); and (right) Raphael’s
High Renaissance Galatea (1513)
RAPHAEL. Pope Leo X with Giulio de’ Medici and Luigi de’ Rossi (c.
1518), Oil on panel, 60 5/8 x 46 7/8 in., Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
ART HISTORY 132
Early Renaissance:
Italian Painting
© Joel Hollander, Ph.D., 2020
Republic of Florence
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Florence est. in 59 BCE by Julius Caesar
fifteen old aristocratic families moved to
Florence between 1000 and 1100 CE
12th century: prospered through extensive
trade w/ foreign countries
13th century; barely able to maintain
peace between competing socioeconomic factions
intro of new gold coin (florin) c. 1250
– became dominant trade coin of W.
Europe for large scale transactions
Bubonic Plague (1347-48)
– economic downturn took its toll on
Florentine city-state
– ensuing collapse of feudal system
Ciompi Revolt (1378-1382)
– discontented wool workers
– established revolutionary commune
– wealthier classes crushed rebellion
The Medicis
•
•
bank est. by Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici in 1397
Cosimo de’ Medici
– “first among equals” rather than autocrat
– de facto ruler until exiled to Venice in 1433
– next year, people of F overturned CM’s
exile in democratic vote
– patronage transformed Florence into
epitome of Renaissance city
– ancient manuscripts bequeathed to
Cosimo by leading humanist scholar
– political crisis of 1458
• M’s opponents ruined by cost of
wars w/ Milan
• acquired properties at bargain prices
• opposition demand political reforms
• M response w/ threats of force
• exiled opponents of regime
• introduced open vote in councils
The Medicis (cont.)
Lorenzo de’ Medici (1449-1492)
•
•
•
grandson of Cosimo; greatest artistic
patron of Renaissance
– Verrocchio, Botticelli, Leonardo da
Vinci, Ghirlandaio, & Michelangelo
(who lived w/ Medicis for 3 years)
Pazzi conspiracy (1478)
– unsuccessful coup; conspirators
violently executed
– scheme supported by Archbishop of
Pisa; also executed
– Pope Sixtus excommunicated
everyone in Florence & sent
delegation to arrest LM
– populace refused to resign LM
– war followed, lasting two years
– LM diplomatically secured peace
succeeded by son
The Medicis (cont.)
Lorenzo de’ Medici (cont.)
•
•
•
started collection of books that became
Medici Library
– large numbers of Classical works
– large workshop to copy books and
disseminate content across Europe
supported Humanism
– circle of scholarly friends who
studied Greek philosophers
– attempted to merge ideas of Plato w/
Christianity (“Neo-Platonism”)
diplomatic efforts
– commission of Ghirlandaio, Botticelli,
& Perugino to paint murals in Sistine
Chapel
– sealed alliance between Lorenzo and
Pope Sixtus IV
Humanism
definition: cultural/educational reform during
Renaissance
•
revived interest in ancient Greek/Roman
thought
•
rejects medieval mysticism
aims: civic & spiritual
•
virtuous & prudent actions
•
common good & individual nobility
•
conjunction of faith & reason
curricula: revival of classical liberal arts
•
grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry and
moral philosophy
•
study of ancient republican models of
gov’t
themes: Christianity infused w/ Classical
(pagan) culture → Neo-Platonism
scope: spread through W. and North Europe
•
many upper classes received Humanist
educations
•
many high Church officials were
Humanists
Masaccio
(1401-1428?)
biography:
•
father → notary
•
mother → daughter of an innkeeper
•
grew up near Florence
training: no evidence of M’s artistic education
•
Renaissance painters traditionally began
apprenticeship at age of 12
•
moved to Florence to receive training
•
joined painters guild in 1422
significance: 1st great painter of Quattrocento
•
according to Vasari, M best of his
generation at recreating
– lifelike figures (nudes) & movement
– three-dimensional volumes
– foreshortening
– linear perspective
– aerial perspective & vanishing point
Masaccio
Brancacci Chapel (c. 1425)
•
•
•
•
•
function: private chapel
narratives: OT (Adam & Eve) + obscure
NT stories (St. Peter)
composition: registered
– two (2) horizontal cycles of narrative
extend around chapel
stylistic source: Giotto’s Arena Chapel
– figures → large, heavy, and solid
– emotions → faces and gestures
differences from Giotto:
– M uses linear and atmospheric
perspective, directional light,
and chiaroscuro
– effect: even more convincingly
lifelike than 14th predecessor
Masaccio’s Italian Early Renaissance Tribute Money
(c. 1425)
(Left) Polykleitos’ Classical Greek Spearbearer (c. 450 BCE)
vs.
(right) detail from Masaccio’s Italian Early Renaissance
Tribute Money (c. 1425 CE)
Masaccio
Brancacci Chapel (cont.)
•
Expulsion from Paradise
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
subject: OT (Adam & Eve)
narrative: assisted by gestures &
facial expressions
composition: dynamic
• diagonal arrangement of forms &
gestures
• foreshortening (torso, forearm)
• sweeping movement of angel’s
drapery
• compliments strict verticality
color: vibrant
light/shadow: chiaroscuro
figures: solidly modeled; nude
perspective: linear (e.g., gate) & aerial
(Left) detail of Adam & Eve from van Eyck’s
Flemish Early Renaissance Ghent Altarpiece (c. 1425)
vs.
(right) Masaccio’s Italian Early Renaissance Expulsion (c. 1425)
Masaccio
Holy Trinity (1425)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
figures:
– God the Father
– dove of Holy Spirit
– Jesus (the Son)
– Madonna/St. John Baptist
– donors (kneeling)
narrative: directed by gestures
– M → instructing about C’s death
• see skeleton below
composition: stable → CVA & tri- format
color: primary red & blue; muted tones
light/shadow: est. volume on figures
issue: Humanism → classical architecture
linear perspective:
– square stone vaulting
– steps leading to niche
vanishing point: implied horizon of J’s
outstretched arms
Piero della Francesca
(1420-1492)
Resurrection (1463)
•
•
•
•
•
•
narrative tone: stoic (Classical)
figures: idealized
– mathematical proportions
– lean musculature
composition: stable
– CVA
– implicit triangular format
– frieze-like arrangement (Classical)
color: pastel & compliments
light/shadow: even distribution
perspective:
– foreshortening
– linear → implied (trees)
– atmospheric → sky/clouds
Sandro Botticelli
(1445-1510)
•
•
•
•
patron: Lorenzo de’ Medici
career: covered in Vasari’s Lives, but
reputation suffered posthumously
until late 19th century
– apprenticed to Fra Filippo Lippi →
one of top Florentine painters
– influenced by Masaccio’s
monumental figures
commissions: included side panel in
Sistine Chapel (1481-82)
– three (3) of original fourteen (14)
large scenes
– Humanist copy of classical Arch of
Constantine (Rome)
mythological subjects: c. 1480s
– very large scale
– classical mythology (see Humanism)
– divine love as important place as
Christianity (see Neo-Platonism)
Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus
(c. 1485)
(Left) Botticelli’s Italian Early Ren. Birth of Venus (c. 1475 CE)
vs.
Praxitele’s Greek Late Classical Aphrodite (c. 350 BCE)
Botticelli’s Venus and Mars
(c. 1485)
(Left) detail of Venus from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485)
vs.
Greek Classical “Dionysius” from pediment of Parthenon
(c. 450 BCE)
(Left) detail of Venus from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485)
vs.
(right) Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina,
pedestal of Column of Antoninus Pius, Rome (c. 161 CE)
(Top) detail of Mars from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485)
vs.
(bottom) Greek Archaic “Dying Warrior”
pediment sculpture from Temple of Aphaia (c. 500 BCE)
Domenico Ghirlandaio
(1449-1494)
Giovanna Tornabuoni (c. 1490)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
subject: noblewoman (aristocrat)
theme: wealth, status, and piety
meaning: memorial; died in childbirth
pose: profile
facial features: idealized
color: vibrant
decorativeness: patterns of clothing
light/shadow: near absence of shadow
flattens volume
iconography: Humanist & religious
– epitaph quotes ancient Roman poet
– coral necklace (rosary) & brooch
– partly closed prayer book
– handkerchief
perspective: limited to linear (windowsill)
(Left) Ghirlandaio’s Italian Early Ren. Giovanna Tornabuoni (c. 1475)
vs.
(right) Leonardo’s High Renaissance La Bella Principessa (c. 1500)
Ghirlandaio
Old Man and Grandson (1490)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
narrative: emotional qualities beyond
traditional portraiture
theme: virtue vs. external appearances
figures: range of qualities of naturalism
– old man → realistic & grotesque
– child → idealized
composition: dynamic
color: vibrant & muted
light/shadow: even distribution on figures
perspective: combines
– linear → architecture (windowsill),
winding road & stream
emptying into lake
– aerial → distant, faint landscape
Andrea Mantegna
(1431-1506)
•
•
•
•
•
biography: born in Venice
training: Squarcione (Padua)
– as many as 137 painters passed
through S’s school; famous all over
Italy
context: Humanism
– fanatic for ancient Rome; traveled in
Italy and perhaps Greece
– amassed antique statues, reliefs,
vases, etc. & drawings from them
aim: optical illusion & perspective
– not always mathematically correct
– attained astonishing effect
approach: fundamentally sculptural
means to painting
(Left) Polykleitos’ Classical Greek Doryphoros (c. 450 BCE)
vs.
(right) Mantegna’s Italian Early Renaissance
Martyrdom of St. Sebastian (c. 1475 CE)
Mantegna
Lamentation (1490)
•
•
•
•
•
narrative: portrays body of Christ lying
face upward on marble slab
– watched over by VM, St. John
Baptist, and Mary Magdalene
• weeping for His death
• usually shows more contact
between mourners and body
• severely cropped
quality of naturalism: realistic
– enhanced by extreme perspective
– “wet” drapery: wet (Classical)
foreshortening
– dramatizes recumbent figure
– emphasizes anatomical details
(thorax/chest)
color: muted
light/shadow: dramatic modelling
IMAGE INDEX
•
•
•
Slide 2:
Slide 3:
Slide 4:
•
Slide 5:
•
Slide 6:
•
Slide 7:
•
Slide 8:
Map of late 15th century Italy.
15th century Florin gold coins from Florence, Italy.
Portrait of Lorenzo Medici the Great by Agnolo di
Cosimo.
Detail of MICHELANGELO’s staircase in Medici
[Laurentian] Library, Florence, Italy.
HOLBEIN, Hans the Younger. Portrait of Erasmus
(1523), Oil on canvas, National Gallery, London.
Detail of MASACCIO’s self-portrait from St. Peter
Raising the Son of Theophilus and St. Peter Enthroned
as First Bishop of Antioch, Brancacci Chapel, S. Maria
del Carmine, Florence.
MASACCIO. View of left wall of Brancacci Chapel (142627), 255 x 598 cm., Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence.
IMAGE INDEX
•
Slide 9:
•
Slide 10:
•
Slide 11:
•
Slide 12:
•
Slide 13:
•
Slide 14:
MASACCIO. The Tribute Money (1426-27), left wall of
Brancacci Chapel.
(Left) POLYKLEITOS’ Classical Greek Spearbearer (c.
450 BCE); and (right) detail from Masaccio’s Italian Early
Renaissance Tribute Money (c. 1425 CE)
MASACCIO. The Expulsion (1426-27), left wall of
Brancacci Chapel.
(Left) detail of Adam & Eve from van Eyck’s Flemish
Early Ren. Ghent Altarpiece (c. 1425); and (right)
Masaccio’s Italian Early Ren. Expulsion (c. 1425)
MASACCIO. Holy Trinity (c. 1425), Fresco, 22’ x 11’,
Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
DELLA FRANCESCA, Piero. Resurrection (1463), mural
in fresco and tempera, 225 x 200 cm, Museo Civico,
Sansepolcro, Italy.
IMAGE INDEX
•
Slide 15:
•
Slide 16:
•
Slide 17:
•
Slide 18:
•
Slide 19:
Detail of probable self-portrait from Sandro
BOTTICELLI’s Adoration of the Magi (1475), Tempera
on panel, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
BOTTICELLI, Sandro. The Birth of Venus (c. 1485),
Tempera on canvas, approx. 5’8” x 9’1”, Galleria degli
Uffizi, Florence.
(Left) BOTTICELLI’s Italian Early Renaissance Birth of
Venus (c. 1485 CE); and (right) PRAXITELE’s Greek
Late Classical Aphrodite (c. 350 BCE).
BOTTICELLI, Sandro. Venus and Mars (1483), Tempera
on wood, 69 x 173,5 cm, National Gallery, London.
(Left) detail of Venus from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c.
1485); and Greek Classical “Dionysius” from pediment of
Parthenon (c. 450 BCE)
IMAGE INDEX
•
Slide 20:
•
Slide 21:
•
Slide 22:
•
Slide 23:
•
Slide 24:
(Left) detail of Venus from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c.
1485); and (right) Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and
Faustina, pedestal of Column of Antoninus Pius, Rome
(c. 161 CE)
(Top) detail of Mars from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c.
1485); and (bottom) Greek Archaic “Dying Warrior”
pediment sculpture from Temple of Aphaia (c. 500 BCE)
GHIRLANDAIO. Giovanna Tornabuoni (1488), Oil and
tempera on wood, 2’6” x 1’8”, Thyssen-Bornemisza
Collection, Madrid, SP.
(Left) Ghirlandaio’s Italian Early Renaissance Giovanna
Tornabuoni (c. 1475); and (right) Leonardo’s High
Renaissance La Bella Principessa (c. 1500)
GHIRLANDAIO. An Old Man and His Grandson (1490),
Tempera on wood, 62 x 46 cm., Musée du Louvre, Paris.
IMAGE INDEX
•
Slide 25:
•
Slide 26:
•
Slide 27:
MANTEGNA, Andrea. St. Sebastian (1480), fresco,
Musée du Louvre, Paris.
(Left) Polykleitos’ Classical Greek Doryphoros (c. 450
BCE); and (right) Mantegna’s Italian Early Renaissance
Martyrdom of St. Sebastian (c. 1475 CE)
MANTEGNA, Andrea. The Lamentation over the Dead
Christ (1490), Tempera on canvas, 68×81 cm,
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
ART HISTORY 132
Early Renaissance:
Flemish Painting
Flanders
•
•
•
•
context: political
– northern European areas controlled by the
Dukes of Burgundy
– areas encompassing parts of modern FR,
Germany, Belgium and Holland
context: socio-economic
– urban middle-class
• recovery after Bubonic Plague
• prosperity of merchants & craftsworkers
context: cultural
– overlaps w/ developments in Florence; yet
independent artistic culture
– patrons → private
context: aesthetic
– emphasized light and shadow
– naturalistic figures
– religious themes and settings fully integrated
w/ daily routine & contemporary life
Robert Campin’s (a.k.a. Master of Flémalle)
Merode Altarpiece (c. 1425)
(Left) Classical Greek Three Goddesses (c. 450 BCE)
vs.
(right) Campin’s Flemish Early Ren. Merode Altarpiece (1425 CE)
Robert Campin
(a.k.a. Master of Flémalle)
•
Merode Altarpiece
–
central panel: iconography
• “hidden” symbols
– treated as normal part of
scene
– religious meanings widely
understood
• OT
– prayer shawl
– glazed earthenware w/
Hebrew writing
• NT
– lillies → viginity
– snuffed out candle →
Immaculate Conception
– wind-blown pages →
Holy Spirit
Robert Campin
(a.k.a. Master of Flémalle)
•
Merode Altarpiece
–
right panel: “Joseph”
• perspective:
– linear
» receding lines
indicate depth
– aerial
» view into deep space
• iconography: “hidden”
– mousetraps
– drain board for wine →
Eucharist
Robert Campin
(a.k.a. Master of Flémalle)
•
Merode Altarpiece
–
left panel:
• figures: patrons
– kneeling, gesturing w/ piety
– self-portrait versus OT
prophet (?)
• iconography
– red-rose bush →
» Virgin & the Passion
• Perspective
– linear
– atmospheric
Jan van Eyck
(c. 1390-1441)
•
•
•
significance: most famous/innovative
Flemish painter of 15C
biography/employment:
– 1422-24: court of John of Bavaria,
count of Holland, at The Hague
– 1425: court painter and “valet de
chambre” to Duke Philip the
Good of Burgundy
• undertook several secret missions
– 1428-29: trip to Spain and
Portugal in connection w/
negotiations that resulted in
marriage of Philip of
Burgundy and Isabella of
Portugal in 1430
medium: oil
– perfected the technique
– striking realism in microscopic detail
– permits precise, objective description
– carefully applied, blended brushstrokes
– built up in transparent layers
van Eyck
•
Ghent Altarpiece (1432)
–
–
wing exteriors: closed
composition: registered
• upper register: OT prophets/sibyls
• middle register: “Annunciation”
– perspective:
» aerial → view of city
» linear → rafters
• lower register
– donors
– church’s patron saints
» John Baptist
» John the Evangelist
van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece
interior
van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece
interior
(Left) Detail from VAN EYCK’s Early Flemish Ren. Ghent Altarpiece (c. 1425)
vs.
detail from GIOTTO’s Gothic Last Judgment from the Arena Chapel (c. 1300)
van Eyck
•
Ghent Altarpiece (cont.)
–
upper register: open
• “Adam and Eve”
– aesthetic: realism
– narrative: after the Fall
– setting: niche
» isolated from nature
– figures: realistic
– gazes: introspective
– poses: “contrapposto”
– light/shadow: models forms
to create 3-d
– decorativeness: contrast
starkness to splendor of
angelic musicians
van Eyck
•
Wedding Portrait (1434)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
patron: Giovanni Arnolfini
• prosperous Italian banker
• settled in Bruges
setting: domestic
composition: bilateral symmetry
color: complimentary
light/shadow: directed
perspective: linear/tilted
iconography: “hidden”
• emblems of wealth, piety &
married life
– rosary beads
– St. Margaret
– candle
– fruit
– dog
– convex mirror
Details from van Eyck’s Arnolfini Wedding Portrait
IMAGE INDEX
•
•
Slide 2:
Slide 3:
•
Slide 4:
•
•
•
•
•
Slide 5:
Slide 6:
Slide 7:
Slide 8:
Slide 9:
•
Slide 10:
Map of Europe
CAMPIN, Robert. Mérode Altarpiece (c. 1425), Oil on wood,
25 3/8 x 10 7/8”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
(Left) Classical Greek Three Goddesses (c. 450 BCE); and
(right) Campin’s Flemish Early Ren. Merode Altarpiece (1425
CE)
Detail of central panel of Mérode Altarpiece.
Detail of still-life in central panel of Mérode Altarpiece.
Detail of right panel of Mérode Altarpiece.
Detail of left panel of Mérode Altarpiece.
VAN EYCK, Jan. Man in a Turban (1433), Oil on wood, 25.5
x 19 cm, National Gallery, London.
VAN EYCK, Jan. Ghent Altarpiece (1432), open, detail of
lower register.
IMAGE INDEX
• Slide 11:
• Slide 12:
• Slide 13:
• Slide 14:
• Slide 15:
• Slide 16:
•
Slide 17:
VAN EYCK, Jan. Ghent Altarpiece (1432), closed, oil
on panel, 11’ 5 ¾” x 7’ 63/4”, Cathedral of St. Bavo,
Ghent, Flanders (Belgium).
Ghent Altarpiece, open.
Comparison between (left) God from Ghent Altarpiece;
and (right) GIOTTO’s Gothic (c. 1300 AD) painting of
Christ in Majesty from the mural programme in the
Arena Chapel.
Ghent Altarpiece, full-length detail of Adam and Eve on
open wings.
Ghent Altarpiece, detail of Adam and Eve on open
wings.
VAN EYCK. Wedding portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini
and his wife (1434), oil on panel, 33 x 22 ½ in., The
National Gallery, London.
Details from VAN EYCK’s Aldolfini Wedding Portrait.
ART HISTORY 132
Introduction
© Joel Hollander, Ph.D., 2020
Formal Elements
definition: basic building blocks of how an image
is organized and created
•
similar in concept to science (i.e., Table of
Elements), with respect to how molecules
are composed
elements:
•
composition → how image is organized or
arranged; placement of
forms or figures
– stable
• symmetry
• central vertical axis (CVA)
• implicit triangular format
– dynamic
• strong diagonal thrusts
• motion or movement
(Left) stable composition
vs.
(right) dynamic composition
Formal Elements
•
light/shadow:
– function → to establish mass, weight,
volume
– even distribution
– dramatic effects (e.g., chiaroscuro)
•
color
– vibrant
• primary (i.e., red, yellow, blue)
and/or secondary (green, purple,
orange)
• complimentary relationships
– muted
• narrow range of browns
• earth or flesh tones
Formal Elements:
light/shadow & color
Qualities of Naturalism
•
definition: form, figure, and/or motif that
resembles what retina sees in real
(natural) world
•
umbrella term
•
–
not a linear concept
–
may include more than one quality
range of types:
–
idealized
–
realistic
–
grotesque
–
schematic
Qualities of Naturalism
•
range of types:
1.
idealized → aim to represent perfection
•
facial features
•
proportions
•
musculature
2.
realistic → willingness to show agedness
& specificity (e.g., portraiture)
3.
grotesque → depiction of physical
abnormalities, ailments
and/or wounds
4.
schematic → “stylized” or geometricized
•
how a form, figure, and/or motif
“should” appear
•
rather than based on direct
observation
Qualities of Naturalism
1.
idealized → aim to represent perfection
–
facial features
• female
– oval formation
– unblemished skin
• male
– strong jaw structure
–
proportions
• size of head relative to length of
torso
• neither squat nor elongated
–
musculature
• lean, defined & tone
– pectoral plane
– deltoids, biceps, triceps
– abdominal
– quadriceps & calves
Qualities of Naturalism
2.
realistic → distinguished from idealized
–
agedness and specificity
• bags under eyes
• enlarged cartilage (e.g., nose,
ears)
• muscular tone
–
hair style (coiffure)
–
clothing & accessories
Qualities of Naturalism
3.
grotesque
–
physical abnormalities, ailments, and/or
wounds
• dwarf
• skin disease
• blindness
• Christian iconography
– stigmata
– Crown of Thorns
– puncture wound on chest
Qualities of Naturalism
4.
schematic (“stylized”)
–
geometricized
–
conceptual or abstract
–
how form, figure, and/or motif “should”
appear
–
versus based on direct observation
QUALITIES OF NATURALISM
IDEALIZED
facial
features
REALISTIC
agedness and
specificity
GROTESQUE
physical
abnormalities
ailments
proportions
musculature
“stylized” or
geometricized
conceptual
proportions
wounds
pose
SCHEMATIC
pose
musculature
how a figure, form or
motif “should” appear
rather than on direct
observation
“Three P’s”
proportions → relation of size between figure’s
anatomical features
•
naturalistic
•
elongated
•
squat
pose → figure’s stance (e.g., standing, seated,
reclining)
perspective → function is to establish sense of
distance (or depth)
– linear
• parallel lines or surface edges that
converge on vanishing point(s)
located on horizon line
– aerial (atmospheric)
• hazy view into deep space
• blurring of contours as object
increases
• illusion of distance by greater
diminution of color intensity
toward neutral blue
Three P’s
•
perspective
– function → to establish illusion of
distance or depth (a.k.a.
“spatial order”)
– linear
• parallel lines or surface edges
converge on vanishing point(s)
located w/ reference to horizon
line
– aerial (atmospheric)
• view into deep space (sky)
• creates illusion of distance
• diminished color intensity toward
an almost neutral blue
Historical Timeline: Ancient
Mesopotamian,
Egyptian, & Aegean
(c. 3500 -1250 BCE)
Roman
(c. 150 BCE – 500
CE)
Greek
(c. 750 BCE – 150
CE)
Persian
(c. 500 BCE)
Historical Timeline: Early Christian & Medieval
Early Medieval
(c. 750 – 1000 CE)
Late Medieval /
Gothic
(c. 1100 – 1350 CE)
Early Christian
(c. 250 – 500 CE)
Byzantine
(c. 525 – 1450 CE)
Historical Timeline: Renaissance
Early Renaissance
(c. 1425 – 1500 CE)
Mannerism
(c. 1525 – 1600 CE)
High Renaissance
(c. 1500 – 1525 CE)
Historical Timeline: 17th – 18th Centuries
Baroque
(c. 1600 – 1675 CE)
Neoclassical
(c. 1775 – 1825 CE)
Rococo
(c. 1700 – 1775 CE)
Historical Timeline: 19th Century
Impressionism
&
Symbolism
(c. 1875 – 1900 CE)
Romanticism
(c. 1825 – 1850 CE)
Realism
(c. 1850 CE)
Historical Timeline: Early 20th Century
Cubism
(c. 1900 – 1925)
Abstract
Expressionism
(c. 1950)
Expressionism
(c. 1900 – 1925)
Surrealism
(c. 1925 – 1950)
Historical Timeline: Late 20th Century
Fluxus
(c. 1960 – 1975)
Neo-Expressionism
(c. 1975 – 2000)
Body Art
(c. 1960 – 1975)
Post-Modernism
(c. 1975 – 2000)
Pop Art
(c. 1960 – 1975)
Minimalism
(c. 1960 – 1975)
ART HISTORY 132
Baroque: Spanish
Diego Velázquez
(1599-1660)
•
•
•
biography:
– 1623: became court painter to Phillip IV
– 1628: Rubens’ visit to SP influenced V
to visit Italy
– 1629: lives in Italy for year and a half
– 1649: second visit to Italy
style: “realist” tendency
– influence of Caravaggio’s interest in
surface textures
– light:
• “chiaroscuro” effects
• fleeting effects
– brushwork: Venetian “painterliness”
(see Titian)
themes:
– genre scenes (i.e., everyday life)
– Greco/Roman mythology (Humanism)
– royal portraiture (political & religious)
Velázquez
•
Waterseller of Seville (c. 1625)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
scene: genre
theme: mercy
tendency: realism
• age & facial features
• clothing
composition: stable; intelligible
color: muted, narrow range
light/shadow: tenebrism & chiaroscuro
spatial order: shallow
• overlapping
• foreshortening
surface textures:
• reflections
• beads of water
(Left) detail from CARAVAGGIO’s Italian Baroque Entombment (c. 1600)
vs.
(right) detail from VELÁZQUEZ’s SP Baroque Waterseller of Seville (c. 1625)
Detail of water droplet on surface of jug
in VELÁZQUEZ’s Waterseller of Seville (c. 1625)
Velázquez
•
Feast of Bacchus (1628-29)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
title: a.k.a. “Los Borrachos”
patron: Phillip IV
narrative: anachronistic
• ancient god & cult followers w/
realistic 17C SP pueblos
composition:
• frieze-like, lateral arrangement
• bilateral groupings
– left → ancients
– right → moderns
color: muted earth tones & pastel
light/shadow: manipulated
• bleached-out Bacchus
• eliminates chiaroscuro effects
spatial order: shallow
perspective: limited to overlapping and
foreshortening
(Left) CARAVAGGIO’s Bacchus (c. 1600)
vs.
(right) detail from VELÁZQUEZ’s Los Borrachos (c. 1625)
Velazquez
•
Los Borrachos (cont.)
–
contemporary figures:
• realistic, vigorous naturalism
– ruddy faces
– leathery skin
– plain garments
• complex gestures, gazes & poses
– enlivens narrative, despite
frieze-like composition
(left) detail from PERUGINO’s Italian Early Ren Delivery of the Keys (c. 1475)
vs.
(right) detail from VELÁZQUEZ’s Los Borrachos (c. 1625)
Velázquez
•
Surrender at Breda (1635)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
significance: inspired by 1st trip to Italy
subject: history painting
theme: SP/Catholic triumph/conquest
over Dutch (Protestant)
narrative: courtly tone modified from
Perugino’s Delivery
composition: Classical frieze-like
arrangement
figures: densely packed
landscape: panoramic
brushwork: “painterly”
color: vibrant
light: evenly distributed
perspective: aerial
(Left) detail from PERUGINO’s Italian Early Ren Delivery of the Keys (c. 1475)
vs.
(right) detail from VELÁZQUEZ’s Surrender of Breda (c. 1635)
(Left) UCCELLO’s Italian Early Renaissance Battle of San Romano (c. 1440)
vs.
(right) VELÁZQUEZ’s Spanish Baroque Surrender at Breda (c. 1635)
(Left) CARRACCI’s Italian Baroque Triumph of Bacchus & Ariadne (c. 1600)
vs.
(right) VELÁZQUEZ’s Spanish Baroque Surrender at Breda (c. 1650)
Velázquez
•
Maids of Honor (1656)
–
–
–
–
title: a.k.a. Las Meninas
genre: royal group portrait
theme: implicit Humanism
• comparison to Alexander the
Great visiting his painter (Apelles)
in studio
narrative: spatial complexities
• foreground → daughter,
attendants, & court
painter
• mirror → reveals King Phillip IV
& Queen
• doorway → chamberlain
Velázquez
•
Las Meninas (cont.)
–
self-portrait
• painting as endeavor worthy of
courtly recognition
• pose: frontal
• V ordained into royalty
– insignia of Royal Order of
Santiago (stylized red cross)
– did not receive honor of
knighthood until 1659
(three years after painting
completed)
Velázquez
•
Las Meninas (cont.)
–
Princess Margarita
• five-year old daughter of Philip IV
& second wife
• brushwork: painterly
– elaborate dress & jewels
– multiplicity of textures
– details dissolve into
intuitive, chaotic mixture of
color
IMAGE INDEX
•
Slide 2:
•
Slide 3:
•
Slide 4:
•
Slide 5:
•
Slide 6:
•
Slide 7:
•
•
Slide 8:
Slide 9:
VELÁZQUEZ. Self-portrait (1640), Oil on canvas, 45.5 x 38
cm., Museo Provincial, Valencia, Spain.
VELÁZQUEZ. The Waterseller of Seville (c. 1625), Oil on
canvas, 42 x 31 7/8”, Wellington Museum, London.
(Left) detail from VELÁZQUEZ’s The Waterseller of Seville
(c. 1625); and (right) detail from CARAVAGGIO’s
Entombment (c. 1600).
Detail of water droplet on surface of jug in VELÁZQUEZ’s
The Waterseller of Seville
VELÁZQUEZ. Los Borrachos (1628-29), Oil on canvas, 65 x
88 ½ in., Museo del Prado, Madrid.
(Left) Bacchus from VELÁZQUEZ’s Los Borrachos (c.
1625); and (right) CARAVAGGIO’s Bacchus (c. 1600).
Detail of realistic figures in VELAZQUEZ’s Los Borrachos.
(Left) detail from PERUGINO’s Italian Early Ren Delivery of
the Keys (c. 1475); and (right) detail from VELÁZQUEZ’s
Los Borrachos (c. 1625)
IMAGE INDEX
•
Slide 10:
•
Slide 11:
•
Slide 12:
•
Slide 13:
•
Slide 14:
•
•
Slide 15:
Slide 16:
VELÁZQUEZ. The Surrender of Breda (c. 1635), Oil on
canvas, 10’ x 12’, Museo del Prado, Madrid.
(Left) detail of Christ delivering keys to Saint Peter from
PERUGINO’s Early Renaissance Delivery of the Keys (c.
1475); and (right) detail of handing over the keys from
VELÁZQUEZ’s The Surrender of Breda (c. 1635).
(Left) UCCELLO’s Early Renaissance Battle of San Romano
(c. 1440) and (right) VELÁZQUEZ’s Spanish Baroque The
Surrender of Breda (c. 1635).
(Left) CARRACCI’s Italian Baroque Triumph of Bacchus &
Ariadne (c. 1600) and (right) VELÁZQUEZ’s Spanish
Baroque Surrender at Breda (c. 1650)
VELAZQUEZ. Las Meninas; or “The Maids of Honor
(1656), Oil on canvas, 10’ 5″ x 9’ 1”, Museo del Prado,
Madrid.
Detail of self-portrait from VELÁZQUEZ’s Las Meninas.
Detail of Princess Margarita from VELÁZQUEZ’s Las
Meninas.
Unit 1 / Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, Venetian Renaissance, Mannerism & Northern Renaissance
Unit Objectives
The Learners will:
· Contextualize historical, economic, and spiritual developments
Develop terminology regarding the use of formal elements
• Identify qualities of naturalism in 2-d and 3-d objects
• Evaluate proportions, pose, and perspective
• Understand differences between “designo” versus “colore” tradition
Unit 2 / Baroque
Unit Objectives
The Learners will:
• Learn about the religious sectarianism between Protestants and Roman Catholics that dominated the seventeenth century during the Baroque period
• Determine how artists during the Baroque period rejected Mannerism
• Discover how the Council of Trent included directives to artists the Vatican commissioned for a more realistic quality of naturalism (versus idealized preferred during the Renaissance), along with
nplified compositions and logical use of perspec
• Observe the trend of how Roman Catholic artists creating imagery during the Baroque period attempted to create an emotional stimulus to piety
• Also observe how, thematically, Baroque artists continued to represent Humanist topics that address Greco-Roman myths
• Learn how many (but not all) Baroque artists will follow in the footsteps of Titian, by adopting a colorism and painterly brushwork
Unit 3 / Rococo, Neoclassical, & Romantic
Unit Objectives
The Learners will:
• Discuss how the Rococo period concentrated on Humanist topics that focused on the cult of Venus, and, stylistically, artists emulated the pastel colorism and painterliness influenced by Rubens
• Investigate how during the French Revolution and Napoleonic era Neoclassical art returned to Humanist themes by concentrating on Greek and Roman history
Also observe how Neoclassical art shifted to tight and controlled brushwork that had been advanced by Poussin and the French Academy
• Learn about how the visual arts created during the Romantic period in France no longer relied on the government or church for commissions and began to push back against the status quo
• Also discuss how in England and Germany during the Romantic period artists also reject Neoclassicism, by experimenting with colorism and painterly brushwork, on the one hand, and on the other hand
introduce an existential, if not, symbolic imagery

Purchase answer to see full
attachment