Download NORTHERN RENAISSANCE

Northern Renaissance
NORTHERN RENAISSANCE
I.
OVERVIEW
A. Time period
1. Northern Renaissance refers to artistic developments in
Northern Europe (Flanders, Netherlands, Germany,
England) during the 1400’s and 1500’s
2. The Renaissance was developing in the Northern Europe
contemporaneously with the Italian Renaissance.
B. Locations
1. Burgundy
 Southwestern France to southern Belgium
 Rivals of France, often siding with the English
 Ruled by powerful dukes who were patrons of the arts
2. Flanders
 Modern-day Belgium, southern Netherlands
 Cosmopolitan cities
 Prosperity based upon wool and banking
 Painters from the region are known as Flemish
3. Netherlands
 Present-day Holland
 Painters from this region are known as Netherlandish
C. Rich Artistic Tradition
1. Pioneered the use of oil paints in the 1300’s. Painters from
Flanders travelled down to Italy in search of commissions
from wealthy Italian patrons. Flemish painters interacted
with Italian painters in some of the big cities and shared the
medium of oil painting. The Venetians would be among the
earliest Italians to capitalize on this medium
2. Renowned for exquisite detail in their paintings made
possible by the lengthy drying time of oil paint.
3. Noted for the use of “disguised symbolism” – everyday
objects have hidden meanings
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4. Figures in many Northern Renaissance paintings look a little
strange by the Italian Renaissance standards. People often
have slightly elongated heads and strange-looking faces, but
overall their proportions are realistic. Northern Renaissance
painting lacks the classical references found in Italian art.
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II.
Example: Compare Jan van Eyck’s Adam and Eve
from the Ghent Altarpiece to Masaccio’s Adam and
Even Expelled from Eden in the Brancacci Chapel
Notice how different their bodies look
NORTHERN RENAISSANCE ARTISTS AND THEIR WORK
A. Limbourg Brothers
1. Painted Les Tres Riches Heures de Duc de Berry (The Very
Sumptuous Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry)
2. This is an illuminated manuscript. The Duke of Berry was an
avid collector of manuscripts – he owned more than 300.
3. A Book of Hours was like a breviary. It was a book of
prayers to be recited at set hours of the day from the
morning prayers through evening prayers. The centerpiece
of a book of hours was a special prayer called the “Office of
the Blessed Virgin.”
4. Calendars pages usually preceded the “Office of the Blessed
Virgin.” The calendar pages of Les Tres Riches Heures de
Duc de Berry are what make the book and its artists the
Limbourg Brothers so famous.
5. The calendar pages show the activities performed during the
different seasons of the year. The Limbourg Brothers
alternated between scenes of the duke and his nobles to
seasons of the peasants living in his land. The scenes of the
peasants depict them as content with their lives, which made
the Duke feel better about himself as their ruler.
6. At the tops of the calendar pages, the Limbourg Brothers
painted the zodiac signs. Want to see your sign?
7. The Limbourg Brothers painted with amazing naturalism
and realism. There is a sense of depth to their painting. The
figures cast shadows behind them, which shows the
Limbourgs understood the effect of light.
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B. Claus Sluter
1. Well of Moses
 Commissioned by Philip the Bold for the cloister of a
Carthusian monastery
 Designed as a fountain for a well that provided water
for the monastery
 Probably didn’t actually spout water – Carthusian
monasteries were known for their silence
 Old Testament figures – Moses, David, and Old
Testament prophets decorate the base
 Once supported a Crucifixion group
 Compare Sluter’s Moses to Michelangelo’s Moses. How
are the similar? How are they different?
C. Robert Campin
1. Also referred to as “Master of Flemalle,” because he was a
master painter from that city in Flanders.
2. Regarded as a Flemish master
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Little is known about Campin’s life
His art is known for its startling and amazing precision
3. Merode Altarpiece
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A TRIPTYCH painted with oil paint
Purpose: devotional
Relatively small – central panel is 2 feet by 2 feet and
the side panels are 1 foot by 2 feet
We are in the home of a well-kept middle-class Flemish
merchant – Peter Inghelbrecht (his last name means
“angel bringer”)
Central panel depicts an Annunciation.
Left panel shows the donors
Right panel shows Joseph working in his shop
Many symbols disguised as everyday objects
Lily – symbol of Mary’s purity, three lilies on a single
stalk represent the Trinity, the bud represents Christ
Flowers associated with Mary grow on the outside wall
of the courtyard (Roses – Mary’s charity, Violets –
Mary’s humility)
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Water basin – “the vessel most clean” – symbolizes
Mary’s holy womb
Note that Mary is not handling the Holy Scriptures with
her bare hands. She demonstrates her reverence for the
scriptures by handling them with a towel
Candle – the present of God, light is a common
metaphor for divinity– But the flame is distinguished –
Why?
Baby Jesus has entered the room (very small, coming
through the window carrying a cross) on rays of light
Mousetrap in Joseph’s workshop – Joseph hs made a
mousetrap, symbolic of the theological tradition that
Christ is bait set in the trap of the world to catch the
devil.
D. Jan van Eyck
1. Brief biography
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Successful artist who worked for private patrons
Worked during the 1st half of the 1400s
His brother was also a painter
2. The Ghent Altarpiece
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A POLYPTYCH (multi-paneled paintings or relief
panels – This is common for Flemish altarpieces
On display in Cathedral of Saint Bavo in Ghent
One of the largest and most admired Flemish
altarpieces of the 15th century
With wings closed
 The donors of the piece are shown at the base
 Two saints (John the Baptist holds a lamb – Saint
Bavo’s was originally named after John the Baptist and
John the Evangelist – author of the Gospel of John and
Book of Revelation in the New Testament) are painted
in GRISAILLE to create the illusion of sculpture
 The Annunciation is shown across the central panels
when the Ghent Altarpiece is closed (note the use of
symbols in the guise of everyday objects) – The
Annunciation is the first step in Christ’s coming to the
world
 Note Jan van Eyck’s understanding of recessional space
– a detail view of the city outside the room
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Ghent Altarpiece Opened
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God the Father wears the papal tiara and has a worldly
crown at his feet
Virgin Mary, queen of Heaven with a crown of 12 stars
– 12 tribes of Israel
Saint John the Baptist
Adam and Eve – represent the fall of man and the need
for a Savior, the reason for Christ’s sacrifice
Adoration of the Lamb
Based on a passage from the Book of Revelation – the
end of the world and the coming of the New Jerusalem
Lamb – symbolizes Christ, blood spouts from his chest
into a chalice symbolizing the Eucharist (Holy
Communion)
A dove representing the Holy Spirit is over his head
Ghent pictured in the distance – Can you see Saint
Bavo’s Cathedral?
Surrounded by apostles, martyrs, and prophets
Panels on the left – depict Just Judges and Knights of
Christ
Panels on the right depict pilgrims and Holy Hermits
3. Arnolfini Marriage
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Oil painting with Renaissance qualities – balanced,
detailed, interest in being remembered (both the patron
and the artist), amazing naturalism, understanding of
the role of light/shadow, sense of depth in the room
Giovanni de Arrigo Arnolfini – a wealthy Italian
merchant who settled in Bruges around 1421
Giovanna Cenami – his bride who came from a wealthy
Italian family
Symbolism
Giovanna is not pregnant – she gathers up her green
gown (representing fertility) in a gesture that she has a
suitable womb for bearing children
Their shoes are off – What does this symbolize about
the act of marriage?
One lit candle in the chandelier
Dog – represents fidelity
His beaver-skin hat and fur coat – the trappings of a
wealthy merchant
Red for the bed – symbolizes the passion that should
exist in marriage
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Saint Catherine – guardian of the household and patron
saint of housewives, notice the duster hanging
Beautiful beads – a wedding gift from Giovanni to
Giovanna
An amazing convex mirror – shows Jan van Eyck’s
ability to paint with precision and detail – we see the
backs of the bride and groom and two witnesses, one of
whom is the artist himself with the easel
Oranges – symbolic of the fruits of their homeland Italy
also symbolic of temptation – the oranges have been put
off the side
Jan van Eyck signed and dated his work above the
convex mirror.
4. Man in a Red Turban (Jan van Eyck)
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FIRST painted PORTRAIT in Western art in over 1000
years.
As Flemish merchants became more prosperous, they
became more interested in secular art, such as
landscapes and portraits
Objective reality – note that you can see blood vessels in
his eyes and stubble on his chin
No religious allusions like the portraits of the donors in
the Ghent Altarpiece
May be a self-portrait
E. Rogier van der Weyden
1. Brief biographical facts
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Completed his apprenticeship under Robert Campin
(Master of Flemalle)
Undertook important commissions for distinguished
members of Burgundian court
Paintings are renowned for their exquisite natural
detail and ability to portray human emotions
2. The Deposition
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The Dead Christ – streaks of blood stain his cheeks,
neck, and forehead. His mouth hangs open in an
expression of agony and exhaustion.
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Mary, the mother of Christ – her pose echoes her Son’s
pose. The Virgin’s grief is shown with remarkable
realism.
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Mary Magdalene – close female follower of Jesus, a
woman with a bad reputation with men prior to
following Christ, shown with her symbol – the alabaster
vase that holds perfume/ointment, also shown with long
hair
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St. John – the apostle who writes the Gospel of John,
Book of Revelation, and to whom Jesus charges the
responsibility of caring for his mother.
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Joseph of Arimithea – rich man who obtained
permission for Pilate to take Jesus’ body down from the
cross and placed him in a rock-cut tomb in front of
which he placed a boulder
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Nicodemus – a Jewish priest who was a secret follower
of Christ
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Skull of Adam – at the base of the cross, reminds us
that Christ died to redeem Adam’s sin
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Symbols of an archer’s guild – The tiny crossbows let us
know that the Ghent Archer’s Guild paid for this
altarpiece.
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This shows the rise of more secular patronage (regular
people) and less patronage by religious authorities (ex.
Popes) during the Northern Renaissance, a sign of the
prosperity of Flanders.
3. Portrait of a Lady
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Shows the rise of portraiture – a significant feature of
both the Italian and Northern Renaissance – people
wanted to be remembered
Rogier gives us insight into the person – her clothing
shows that she is a noble. Her downward glance and
tightly interlocked fingers indicate that she is a pious
and reserved lady.
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4. Last Judgment Altarpiece
 How can you tell that this piece is Northern
Renaisance?
F. Miscellaneous Masterpieces by Flemish painters
1. Basic points
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In the following paintings look for:
Intricate detail
Hidden symbols
Greater realism and less idealization of the human body
than Italian Renaissance
A sense of depth with good shading
2. DIRK BOUTS, Last Supper
3. HUGO VAN DER GOES, Portinari Altarpiece
4. PETRUS CHRISTUS, A Goldsmith in His Shop, Possibly
Saint Eligius
G. BOSCH – An Unusual Flemish painter
1. Garden of Earthly Delights
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A large triptych – 7 feet tall
A secular (by common person, not a religious figure)
commission for private use
Kept in the palace of Henry III of Nassau, regent of the
Netherlands
What’s the painting all about?
Left panel may represent the Garden of Eden
Central panel may represent humanity run amok after
the Fall of Man (Original Sin by Adam and Eve)
Right panel may represent Hell, the punishment for
humanity run amok
No interpretation of this painting is universally
accepted
Art historians are unsure on how to interpret Bosch and
his work (was he a religious fanatic like Savonarola,
was he a pornographer, was he satirist of humanity, was
he an irreligious mocker?)
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III.
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Key AP test point - Qualities of this work such as the
unusual symbolism and strange fantasy imagery may
have inspired the SURREALISTS – 20th century
painters like Dali and Magritte, whose paintings also
contain dreamlike and fantastical imagery
GERMAN MASTERS OF THE NORTHERN RENAISSANCE
A. Matthias Grunewald and the Isenheim Altarpiece
1. An altarpiece for the Hosital of St. Anthony Monastery in
Isenheim, Germany
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The Hospital of St. Anthony at Isenheim specialized in
treating patients with skin diseases. Its monastery chapel
was a pilgrimage shrine for those suffering from skin
diseases.
One of the five major diseases treated at the hospital was
called “St. Anthony’s Fire.” It was most likely the disease
known as ergotism, which is caused by consuming a
fungus that grows on rye bread.
It was believed that all physical illness was a
manifestation of spiritual illness and the first step in
treating patients at the Hospital of St. Anthony was to
bring them before the Isenheim Altarpiece to pray.
The Isenheim Altarpiece was placed in the choir of the
church.
2. Representation of Christ (Altarpiece closed)
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Intense suffering on the cross with gory wounds
Darkness envelops the scene as the Bible described the
day
Christ has boils and marks all over his body – Grunewald
wanted the infirm to know that Christ understood their
suffering
When the altarpiece is partially opened, it appears as if
Christ’s right arm is amputated. If you open one of the
lower wings, it appears as if Christ’s lower legs were
amputated. Amputation was one of the treatments of the
skin diseases turned gangrene.
3. Suffering of the Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist, and
Mary Magdalene
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4. Saint John the Baptist points to Christ and states: “He must
increase and I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
5. Notice that the lamb with the cross by John’s feet spouts
blood from its chest into a chalice. This represents the
shedding of Christ’s blood as the Lamb of God and the
Eucharist / Communion is observed to remember the
shedding of Christ’s blood.
6. The figures on the wings are Saint Sebastian, a saint
associated with suffering who is often shown with numerous
arrows penetrating his body, and Saint Anthony, who was a
saint associated with both dispensing justice and healing. In
the wing with Saint Anthony, you can notice a small
demon/devil, which has broken through a window in the
room and spews pestilence.
7. Altarpiece opened
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It opens up a few different ways.
When the wings are opened, four more scenes are
revealed: Annunciation, Angelic Concert, Madonna and
Child, and Resurrection.
When the interior wings are opened, an interior shrine
sculpted by Nikolaus Hagenauer is revealed (it depicts
Saints Anthony, Augustine and Jerome) as well as two
more scenes: Meeting of Saints Anthony and Paul and
Temptation of Saint Anthony.
8. Grunewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece expresses the terrible
illnesses and suffering, with which patients at St. Anthony’s
Hospital could identify, and expresses hope in healing and
salvation through St. Anthony’s ability to overcome his own
afflictions and more importantly, the suffering and
resurrection of Christ.
B. Albrecht Altdorfer
1. The Battle of Issus, 1529
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A tablet appears to descend from the vault of heaven and
bears the following message in Latin: “The defeat of
Darius by Alexander the Great, following the deaths of
100,000 Persian foot-soldiers and more than 10,000
Persian horsemen. King Darius’ mother, wife, and
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children were taken prisoner, together with about 1,000
fleeing horse-soldiers.”
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This historic battle is depicted as if it were happening
during the 16th century – armored knights are fighting
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Alexander the Great can be seen pursuing Darius across
the battle field.
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Reflects the publication of the first European map of the
world. The view point is from Central Europe. The sea is
the Mediterranean, the island is Crete, across the
Mediterranean you can see the Nile Delta and Egypt as
well as the Red Sea and Sinai Peninsula.
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Altdorfer shows the Northern European interest in
landscape painting.
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But wait … The Battle of Issus took place during
Alexander’s invasion of the Persian Empire somewhere in
modern-day Turkey. Why is the battle depicted as
happening in Central Europe?
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In the early 16th century, Suleyman the Magnificent,
sultan of the Ottoman Empire, was attempting to expand
the empire further into Europe. The Ottomans had
conquered Balkan Peninsula and were even threatening
the Holy Roman Empire. The Europeans were finally
able to stop the Ottoman advance at the gates of Vienna.
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Battle of Issus is an allegory for the European defeat of
the Ottoman Turks. Alexander the Great and his army
represent the forces of civilization and Christian Europe.
Darius and the Persians represent the forces of barbarism
and the infidel, Muslim, Ottoman Turks.
C. Albrecht Durer
1. Introduction
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Born in Nuremberg, Germany
Durer was the son of a goldsmith and initially trained in
his father’s workshop
His earliest influences were the artistic traditions of
Northern Europe:
Fine craftsmanship
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Precise detail
Religious imagery and disguised symbolism
2. Prodigious talent with tremendous energy and versatility
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A skilled painter in both oil and watercolor
A skilled graphic artist who made awesome woodcuts and
engravings
3. Two visits to Italy
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Discovered new artistic styles and techniques
Learned about classical sculpture and poses
New conception of the artist: “In Italy, I am a gentleman;
at home, I am a parasite.”
First Northern artist to fully absorb influences of the
Italian Renaissance and synthesize them with Northern
Renaissance characteristics.
4. Raised the status of artists in Northern Europe
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First artist outside Italy to become an international art
celebrity
First northern artist to leave a record of his life and
career through several excellent self-portraits,
correspondence, and through a carefully detailed and
readable diary.
5. The Leonardo of the North
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Wrote theoretical treatises on a variety of subjects such as
perspective, fortification, and ideal human proportions.
For example, Durer published the Four Books of Human
Proportions
Drew paintings of nature
6. Portraits
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Reflect Durer’s desire to elevate the status of artists
Show his ability to paint with detail and reveals that he
understood perspective
Wanted to be perceived as a talented, Renaissance
gentleman
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Durer at age 28 – Frontal pose (shows how he wanted to
elevate his status – this pose was reserved for God, Jesus,
and kings), resemblance to Christ, his patented signature
with a message: “Albrecht Durer from Nuremberg,
painted myself in my own colors at the age of twentyeight,” Renaissance composition
7. Naturalist paintings (plants and animals)
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A hare – One of Durer’s most popular works. Painted in
watercolor.
Large piece of turf – this watercolor is accurate down to
the last detail. All of the plants can be identified.
Sketch of a crab
Wing of a bird
8. Woodcuts and Engravings – Graphic Arts
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Graphic arts involve the arts that involve making prints
through various methods such as woodcuts, engravings,
etchings, and lithography
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Woodcuts are created by a relief process. The artist
draws an image in ink on a block of wood. The
background is then carved away leaving the design area
slightly raised. The woodcut is inked, and the ink adheres
to the raised image. It is then transferred to the damp
paper either by hand or with a printing press.
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Engravings are incised into a highly polished metal plate,
usually of copper, with a cutting instrument called a
burin. The artist then inks the plate and wipes it clean so
that some of the ink remains in the incised grooves. An
impression is made on damp paper in a printing press.
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Key points:
Durer created both woodcuts and engravings.
The invention of the printing press meant that multiple
copies of woodcuts and engravings could be made
As a result, Durer’s work became known throughout
Europe
Durer became famous and wealthy. He was the first artist
known to sue another artist for copying his work.
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9. Fall of Man
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An engraving
The subject, Adam and Eve committing the original sin,
is taken from the Old Testament of the Bible.
Durer has synthesized the Italian Renaissance
characteristic of idealizing the human body based on
classical proportions with the Northern Renaissance
attention to precise detail and use of hidden symbols
Adam resembles Apollo Belvedere and Eve resembles
statues of Venus
The animals symbolize the humors of the body – medieval
medical philosophy that humors (fluids) determine
human personality.
Goat on a precipice in the background – goats symbolize
lust and the goat ready to jump symbolizes how Adam
and Eve are ready to sin
Notice the tremendous detail in the landscape, the
shading and proportions of the bodies of Adam and Eve.
Remember that all of these details were carved into a
metal plate.
Durer included an inscription with his initials in the
upper left hand corner which shows that he wanted to
receive credit for his own genius, raise the status of
artists, and reflect his interest in humanist education.
10. The Knight, Death, and the Devil
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An engraving
The Knight – embodiment or personification of Christian
faith, a soldier of God. Note that the horse recalls
Verrocchio’s equestrian statue of Bartolommeo Colleoni
in Venice.
Saint Paul wrote in one of his epistles (letters) to the early
Christian church that Christians should put on the full
armor of God – the shield of faith, the breastplate of
righteousness, sword of the Word of God
Death – a corpse shaking an hourglass as a reminder of
time and mortality
Devil – carries a pike and wears a boar’s head and bat
wings.
Faithful dog
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11. Four Horseman of the Apocalypse
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Woodcut
Durer believed that the end of the world was at hand
The Protestant Reformation had begun and Durer was a
follower of the teachings of his fellow German, Martin
Luther.
Durer reflected his religious beliefs in his artwork and
supported Protestantism (Christianity that broke away
from the Roman Catholic Church)
The image is taken from the Book of Revelation in the
New Testament
Death – rides a skeletal nag
Famine – swings his scales
Sickness – lifts a sword
War – aims his arrow
Note the priest at the bottom left being swallowed by a
monster!
D. Hans Holbein the Younger
1. Introduction
 German portrait artist trained by his father
 Left Germany on the advice of the renowned Christian
humanist Erasmus for England
 His ability to paint realistic portraits gained the attention
of Henry VIII, King of England
 Hans Holbein became a court painter for Henry VIII
2. French Ambassadors
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Masterpiece in the National Gallery in London (Jan van
Eyck’s Arnolfini Marriage Portrait is also there)
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A portrait of two worldly, sophisticated men from France
who were ambassadors to the court of Henry VIII. Jean
de Dinteville (left), commissioned the painting of himself
with his friend, Bishop Georges de Selve. Jean de
Dinteville is 29 (age is inscribed on the handle of the
dagger in his hand). Georges de Selve is 25 (his age is
written on the pages of the book on which he rests his
arm)
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Exquisitely painted details – the painting is highly
finished and includes the furniture, still-life objects
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between the two men, and details in the room such as the
floor panels (The mosaic pattern on the floor is an
accurate copy of the floor of Westminster Abbey)
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Holbein was influenced by the work of the Italian
Renaissance – notice how the ambassadors have massive,
fully developed bodies, notice how the painting has a
grand and logical composition and balance
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Holbein includes symbolism – a lute with a broken string,
a celestial globe, a sundial (which shows the date as April
11, 1533), tools used by navigators during the Age of
Discovery. These symbols show that the ambassadors are
educated and sophisticated.
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Religious symbolism – the broken string on the lute
suggests the religious strife between Protestants and
Catholics, the opened book contains a Latin hymn by
Martin Luther as well as the Ten Commandments. The
theme of the hymn and the Ten Commandments are
acceptable to all Christians. Perhaps, Holbein was trying
to encourage unity in the Christian faith. A small crucifix
can be seen from behind the curtain.
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The gray mark between the two men is an
ANAMORPHIC IMAGE – a warped image that can be
seen only by using a special looking device or by standing
at an acute angle to the painting. When you stand at the
appropriate acute angle on the right hand side of the
painting you will notice that it is a skull.
3. Portraits of Henry VIII and his family
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Holbein had the ability to portray his sitters realistically
while subtly idealizing them