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| Early Modern Period Beginnings |
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| History: 14th-16th century= Renaissance 17th century= Baroque/ Early Modern 1517-1648: Reformation + Counter-Reformation in Europe North: England/ Germany = Protestant South: France/ Italy = Catholic Background: The Reformation and Counter-Reformation brought with them an anti-art social backlash. Art became acceptable, but only for the “right” purposes. Content came to dominate style as the inquisition began to clamp down on works that advanced impure themes. Nakedness was viewed as wrong because it would stir impure thoughts in the masses. Michelangelo's Last Judgement was criticized for being a vain display of talent rather than the portrayal of a serious Bible scene (The dead are raised in an instant etc). |
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Annibale Carracci, fresco decoration, Gallery, Farnese Palace, Rome, 1597-1601
-Annibile Carracci
-Commissioned by a cardinal, all scenes relate to love; appropriate for private residence
-Room w/ fresco ceiling, made to look as if individual frescos are gilded and framed
+Bacchus and Ariadne Detail “Triumph of Ariadne”
-Sort of takes “this is how the ancient world would have portrayed this scene” approach
-Less like Titian's Bachanal and more like Rafael's Galatea in terms of style
-Subject matter very bachanalic in nature
-Calculated positioning of figures, even with the riotous subject matter
-Polyphemus 1: takes from the pose of ancient Hercules Statue
-Polyphemus 2: takes pose from statue of a faun
-Venus and Ankises: story of birth of Aeneis, sensuous texture for a fresco, framed by painted nudes made to look like statues. |
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Pietro da Cortona, Allegory of Divine Providence, Barberini Palace, Rome, 1633-9
-Pietro da Cortona
-Commemorates the first pope of the Berberini Family
-Focuses eye to the single central event with all other subjects on the periphery
-“Divine Providence” gestures to “Immortality” to set the starry crown of immortality, complete with the keys and cap of the papacy
-The Bumble Bees= Berberini Coat of Arms and combines w/ the other symbols
-Idea= “Divine Providence ordered the Berberini, Urban VIII, to become pope”
-Minerva (wisdom), defeats giants which possibly signify ignorant protestants. Giants spill over the painting into the wall below (as if they're actually falling) |
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Fra Andrea Pozzo, Apotheosis of St. Ignatius Loyola, Sant'Ignazio, Rome, 1691-4
-Fra Andrea Pozzo
-Makes the ceiling look like it goes up into the sky
-The archway is real!, it fades into the painting
-Uses color, perspective etc. to make the fade away look more real, as if the further you go up the more celestial and muted the colors become. Colors= paler near top, more saturated lower
-At the top, St. Ignasius Loyola is accepted into heaven
-Each corner represents a continent where Jesuit missionaries have been to
-Images spill over the ceiling part over the real archway |
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Caravaggio, Bacchus, c.1595
-Caravaggio
-Intentionally takes away from the classical influence in portraying Bacchus
-Makes the concept of the ancient god of wine into a more immediate concept, which is made even more powerful by the figure's interaction with the viewer, as if he is offering us the glass of wine.
-Pushes the limits, Bachus is just an everyday guy, he has an unidealized flirtatious glance |
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Caravaggio, Martyrdom of St. Peter, 1600-1
-Caravaggio
-St. Peter crucified upside down
-“Naturalism”, violence somewhat understated, but the expression on Peter's face is like an old man determined to suffer in an exemplary way.
-Dramatic light contrast intensifies story, puts spotlight on Peter's head |
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Caravaggio, Conversion of St. Paul, 1600-1
-Caravaggio
-Invites us into the most dramatic moment of Paul's life
-There are no rays of sunlight etc, it is very naturalistic and real. The focus is on the psychological state of St. Paul, not the divinity of the story.
-Paul is right at the bottom in the foreground, making him more of an immediate presence to the viewer
○ Fell off horse
○ Christ is making a visitation ○ Getting bathed in light ○ Being converted ○ Viewer is stepping into the narrative, looking down at him, trying to figure out what's going on ○ The narrative has to be completed by the viewer, it won't unfold without you there
○ Have to watch the conversion ○ Indicative of Counter‐Reformation
␣ Don't need mediation to God ␣ Providing the viewer a more direct role in the events ␣ Supposed to bring you back to the Catholic faith ␣ Supposed to make you see the conversion and feel the effects |
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○ 1590s ‐ 1600s Italy
○ David with the Head of Goliath, Boy with Basket of Fruit, Death of Virgin, Calling of Saint Matthew
○ Focus on common man
○ Radical naturalism
○ Emotion
○ Theatrical
○ Tenebrism: light becomes subject matter in painting
○ Art of counter reformation
○ Psychological connection to audience
○ Everyday models |
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Background: Gianlorenzo Bernini dominated sculpture and architecture in his time
○ 1620s ‐ 1650s Italy
○ Damned Soul, Apollo and Daphne, Baldacchino, Colonnade, Tomb of Pope Alexander VII, Ecstasy
of Saint Theresa
○ Theatricality
○ Emotion in the face based on himself
○ Takes you in the moment ‐‐> sweeps you in emotion
○ Radical naturalism
○ Use of ancient mythology ‐‐‐> Ovid
○ Mixed media: stone, marble, and bronze |
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Bernini, Pluto and Persephone, 1621-2
-Gianlorenzo Bernini (phenom/genius by age 12)
-Pluto is 8-9 ft tall
-Entire sculpture carved from a single block, which was incredibly difficult
-2 figures out of one block is very hard
-Her hair even streams out behind her separated from the rest of the statue
-Ridiculously hard to make the fingers separate like that
-Cuts musculature and anatomy to fade into each other rather than have each piece of anatomy its own self-contained entity. Makes for a smoother whole. |
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Gianlorenzo Bernini, Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome, 1645-52
Ecstasy of Santa Teresa
○ Sacked by the Pope, even after many successful projects
○ Given "free‐hand" to create the Chapel
○ Private hiring by the Cornaro family in their Chapel
○ Made a multimedia ensamble ‐ combined architecture, light, stone
○ Subject of chapel is Saint Teresa ‐ Italian saint from the previous century who experienced a piercing by Christ/God
○ Has caused a great deal of comment over the centuries
-Gianlorenzo Bernini
-The chapel around has fictive balconies with Cornaro family males carved as if looking at the centerpiece.
-The chapel organized as a stage with the altarpiece/ centerpiece being the sculpture
-The Sculpture has golden leaf rays coming down, like a spotlight for a theater or the sunrays
-Angel visits Teresa and pierces her heart with an arrow resulting in an out of body experience
-To emphasize the out of body experience, Teresa's robes hide her body, making it difficult to tell that there actually is a body there.
-All carved out of a single block, ridiculously hard for him to render the different textures of Teresa's robe, the Angel's robe, and the cloud |
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Four Rivers Fountain: 1648-1651, Piazza Navona, Rome
-Gianlorenzo Bernini
-Pope wanted to put an egyptian obelisk in the piazza
-Bernini put a sculpture at its base, it is hollow with an arch through it
-The base is designed to look like a mountain with four large figures on it, the 4 rivers of the 4 continents (Nile, Danube, Ganges, ?Amazon?
-The conception is that the four rivers meet at Rome, the center of civilization, borrows from the “all roads lead to Rome” idea. The idea is channelled to the Catholic Church. |
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-Bernini, building design
-Oval, plays with the expectations of the viewer by making it seem round
-Statue of Andrew looks like it is ascending through the dome
-Through sculpture/ painting, the very building interacts with your interpretation of the story, it becomes an more lifelike active agent |
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Baldachin: 1624-1633, Under Michelangelo's Dome in the Vatican
-Gianlorenzo Bernini
-Cast from bronze, very hard to make, very heavy, tour de force of his skill
-Four twisting columns, sort of showing off
-A “roof” in turn topped by pseudo arches
-12ft high angels hold the chords as if easily placing the roof onto the structure. Enlivens the structure, it is in the process of being completed by angels and not simply an inanimate structure
-Altar/ Throne of St. Peter (Not on the Baldachin) has light from a window that corresponds with the Baldachin |
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St. Peter's Square: 1656 (begun), Piazza San Pietro, Vatican
-Gianlorenzo Bernini
-Huge, would have impressed pilgrims with the sheer awesomeness, like a foretaste of paradise
-The keyhole-like shape emulates the design of a harbor, or of a mother's arms in embrace
-It is oval, which makes the of walking across it much faster than walking lengthwise |
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| Caracci and Caravaggio's Successors: Rubens and Poussin |
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Background: Rubens and Poussin are contemporaries. Poussin heavily borrows from the classical lineage of Ancients → Raphael → Caracci → Poussin. Rubens was more of a naturalist, taking from the tradition of Caravaggio in expressing brutal honesty and the every day without any idealization of basic forms. The treatment of brush strokes in Rubens can be traced through Caravaggio to Titian.
Rubens
○ 1610s ‐ 1620s Flanders (northern)
○ Descent of Cross, Garden of Love, Presentation of Portrait
○ Counter‐reformation ideology
○ Reference to classical figures' musculature
○ Classical architecture and contemporary costume
○ Wide brush laden with paint (impasto)
○ Figures created with color and brushwork ‐‐‐> not line
○ Broad brightly colored brushwork (colorist)
○ Fleshy and contemporary, less idealized ‐‐‐> Venus at mirror
Poussin
○ Classicism
○ Strict geometric shapes
○ Extremely geometric in terms of shape and composition
○ Centers on images of people either in action or thought
○ Focuses on individual people
○ Very specific kind of patron base: highly educated, upper middle class, not kings or popes |
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Peter Paul Rubens, Elevation of the Cross, 1610
-Peter Paul Rubens: trained in Antwerp at first, then moved to Italy and absorbs style
-Side panels are extensions of the central scene (just separated by framing)
-Contrasts the physical exertion of the executioners with Christs passive relaxation. Christ's skin is pale, he is less brawny. Light contrast, light falls on Christ.
-Rubens shows he can paint the nude
-Uses brush strokes, lays paint on with poise
-Rubens looked to ancient sculpture, Christs expression is that of the hellenistic Laocoon
-Laocoon subject matter also important: the struggle against certainty that he is going to die (the viewer already knows the ending). Insight into human mortality and Christ's own story.
-Expression of Christ = acceptance of faith, similar to Laocoon's heroic suffering/struggle
-Rubens fuses the excellence of linear ancient ideals with Venetian painting styles |
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Peter Paul Rubens, Prometheus, 1611
-Peter Paul Rubens
-“Heroic Suffering” of Prometheus (common theme w/ Rubens)
-Bird painted by an assistant at his shop, Rubens did the nude: shows what is valued in art; the master painter paints nudes while workers paint animals (this changes in later still lifes etc)
-Prometheus' pose is also based on the Laocoon, but painted from a different angle
-His head is near the bottom (like St. Paul's conversion) to make his phsychological state more immediate to the viewer. The bird is more central |
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Peter Paul Rubens, Worship of Venus, c. 1638
Peter Paul Rubens
-Venus statue at the center with the classic pose of hands covering private parts
-Chubby babies run around and a group of the cherubs hang a garland over the statue
-Dancing nymphs and satyrs = free/ joyous abandon (open sensuality)
-Alludes to the sensuousness of Titian's Bachanal, Rubens shows brush strokes though, and convey more movement
-Garlands of fruit over Venus symbolize fertility
-Contrast of colors in the light skin of the women of the left vs that of the satyrs
-Women are more heavy-set, but it increases the feeling of abundance in the painting. Contrast 3 females with Botticelli's 3 graces
-Physicality can also be linked to the “raucousness” of Brueghel's pheasant dance? |
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Peter Paul Rubens, Portrait of the Artist's Wife in a Fur Cloak (Het Pelsken), c. 1638
-Peter Paul Rubens
-His wife shows that she is somewhat well off, but it is shown as less of an innate quality and she seems very ill at ease and awkward in her position
-The black dress also shows the same idea (since the clothes palette is muted)
-This is an allusion to an earlier painting by Titian of a woman with a fur coat
-The sensuous contrast of pale flesh (considered beautiful) and dark fur, evokes the theme also
-Liquidity of the eyes is captured very well
-A “poem” of female beauty, but of a more robust, less graceful quality |
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Nicholas Poussin, Rape of the Sabines, c. 1636-7
-Nicholas Poussin, French but moved to Rome and painted classical Italian style for the rest of his life in Rome. He spent a lot of time with scholars of antiquity, loved classicism
-Looks like an ancient relief put on canvas, most figures are in the foreground, the order of the scene is very well understood and intentional despite the violent subject matter.
-Purposefully painted as much as possible in an ancient style “If ancient/classical tradition were to survive until today, this is how such a scene would be painted”
-Poussin follows the lineage: ancients → Raphael → Caracci → Poussin
-Austere, not meant to be sensuous, meant to be more intellectual/ philosophical |
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Nicholas Poussin, Arcadian Shepherds (Et in Arcadia Ego), c. 1650
-Nicholas Poussin
-Arcadia= a land where shepherds can tend their flock in peace etc, utopian society
-Inscription on the tomb, “I too am in Arcadia”, brings up themes of mortality
-Even the Arcadian lifestyle and all its pleasures is bounded by mortal life, it is temporary
-The figures, especially the woman, is modeled like an ancient sculpture come to life. Look at the way her nose is treated, looks like it is carved out of stone |
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Nicholas Poussin, Dance to the Music of Time, c. 1640
-Nicholas Poussin
-Father time with a lyre, baby playing with an hourglass, another baby blowing bubbles
-The figures dancing are seasons: left= summer, back= fall, right= winter, front= spring
-Apollo's chariot w/ Aurora sprinkling flowers in front. Apollo holds a big golden ring= zodiac
-The personification or symbols used to express the passage of time at every level, through seasons etc.
-All a reflection on the passage of time (philosophical idea)
-Poussin was original in his treatment of subject matter, despite his classical style |
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Background: The Spanish Empire, 16th-17th century, is the first global Empire. Spanish architectural style can be found around the world. During this time the Spanish Inquisition was happening (more 16th century), and the themes of Spanish art reflected a kind of religious austerity, and borrows a lot from Caravaggio's style.
El Escorial= The king's palace
-Built under emperor Philip II, as a countryside semi-monastic retreat/ imperial palace
-Combination of monastic austerity and imperial lavishness
-Facade takes from classical styles, engaged columns etc. very Roman
-Italian artists painted the inside (very Italian)
-Spanish building style spreads around the world, church of mexico, Philippines church, SB mission |
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Jusepe Ribera, Clubfooted Boy, 1642
-Jusepe Ribera
-Appetite for nitty-gritty art by Spanish patrons: relationship between subject matter and style
-Beggar boy with crutch on shoulder, holding sign saying “give alms”
-Low horizon elevates the boy in a somewhat idealizing way
-He is holding the crutch like Jesus, alluding to idea that giving alms is a Christian thing to do
-Before this time, such subject matter was rarely painted |
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Francisco Zurbaran, St. Serapion, 1628
-Francisco Zurbaran
-Martyred saint: white robes contrast sharply with dark background, light/dark contrast
-Physicality of the painting evokes suffering |
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Diego Velazquez, Worship of Bacchus (Los Borrachos) 1628
Los Borrachos: 1626
-Diego Velazquez (the best Spanish artist)
-Also borrowed Caravaggio's naturalism
-Everyday-looking Bacchus puts a wreath on a regular looking man kneeling in front of him. Bacchus is dressed in classical clothing and the rest are dressed in contemporary clothing
-Took the “regular guy= Bacchus” idea from Caravaggio
-Brings classical mythology to everyday life, figures are bluntly characterized peasants enjoying a drink during their break time and Bacchus happens to be there.
-The bowl of wine held by the guy is about to spill over, the tension of the wine is the only thing keeping it from doing so. This adds immediacy to the painting as it give a sort of timeframe; “any moment the wine will spill” = grounds the story in the physical world
-Confident/ economical Brush Strokes |
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Diego Velazquez, The Spinners (Las Hilanderas), 1657
Las Hilanderas: 1657
-Diego Velazquez
-Working class women spin thread, in the next room aristocratic women wear bright gowns
-The highlights on the spinning wheel show movement in the painting, makes it more immediate and less like a removed picture of people posing
-The graceful, natural beauty of the woman on the right, without idealization or aristocratic...
-Background, woman with helmet= Athena, woman with Roman gown= Arachne
-Takes the classical myth of Arachne and brings it to the real world (like Bacchus before)
-Brings innate philosophical thoughts to a thing so humble as spinning thread. Think of the three muses/ spinners of fate also |
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Diego Velazquez, Portrait of Juan de Pareja, 1650
-Diego Velazquez
-When he was in Rome, Velazquez painted a portrait of his manservant and had him go around town showing it to patrons to show off his work
-(Not Much)
Portrait of King Philip IV: 1632
-Diego Velazquez
-A series of paintings with the king and his son, meant to be shown as a pair |
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Diego Velazquez, Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1650
-Diego Velazquez
-In emulation of Titian's earlier Pope painting
-Way better than Titian at capturing fabrics, light shining off clothing, etc
-He represents the pope without flattery but still somehow admirable/ beautiful |
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Diego Velazquez, Ladies-in-Waiting (Las Meninas), 1656
Las Meninas: 1656
-Diego Velazquez
-Brilliant but complicated painting
-He shows himself painting the scene
-Princess surrounded by servants, treated equally
-Mirror on the wall shows Philip IV and his wife
-Basically, he painted it so that rather than looking at Philip IV and his wife, we as viewers are Philip IV and wife looking out at him painting us while the princess and her attendants watch him paint
-Creative, imaginative originality |
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| Background: France takes over artistic culture in the late 17th, early 18th century. Much of this is thanks to Louis the XIV, for centralizing power. An Academy of Art was built in France headed by LeBrun that worked on standardizing art, much like Leonardo da Vinci had tried to do before. |
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Hyacinthe Rigaud, Portrait of King Louis XIV, 1701
-Hyacinthe Rigaud
-(Aristocratic, over-the-top portrait) |
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Louis Le Vau & Jacques Hardouin-Mansart, Palace of Versailles, enlarged 1668-85
Versailles Palace: 1668-1685
-Louis Le Vau & Jacques Hardouin-Mansart
-Huge, even compared to the Vatican. Sort of “wow” element meant to impress by sheer size
-Court of Marble in the front. Forecourt facade is very formal while the Back Court facade in the gardens is much more familial |
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Jacques Hardouin-Mansart & Charles LeBrun, Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles, begun 1678
Hall of Mirrors, In Vatican Palace: 1678
-Charles LeBrun (decorated by)
-Mable columns set of with golden gilding
-Ceiling frescos in the Italian vein of decoration |
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Andre LeNotre, et al., gardens, Palace of Versailles, begun c. 1665
Gardens at Versailles: 1665
-Andre LeNotre
-“Man imposes order on nature” theme. Parallels how Louis is imposing order on France
-Fountains in the garden, very complex, very expensive to maintain (sign of wealth)
-Statue/Fountain of Hellios coming out of the pool suggests that the sun begins its journey over Versailles and France. Louis grounds his authority in natural phenomena and is often called the “Roi Soleil” (Sun King)
-Statue of Apollo with the Muses makes Apollo look like Louis |
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Georges de la Tour, Penitent Magdalene, c. 1635
Penitent Magdalene: 1635
-Georges de la Tour
-Influenced by the light/dark contrast of Caravaggio and the austerity
-Magdalene penitent by the light of a single lamp holding a skull= reflection on mortality
-Stark Naturalism, unidealizing
Hurdy Gurdy Player
-Georges de la Tour
-Impoverished beggar making music. A blind man making music calls forth the legend of the greatest poet of all, Homer, who was blind. Suggests “Homer was such a one as the poor beggar you see on the street playing for money” |
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Charles LeBrun, Nativity (Adoration of the Shepherds), 1689
Nativity: 1689
-Charles LeBrun: Louis XIV favorite artist and leader of the Royal Academy
-Carefully composed in the vein of Raphael/Caracci/Poussin, alludes to Poussin's Nativity
-Tries to fuse Poussin's Nativity with Correggio's (color/ treatment of light)
-Light comes from a fire at Mary's feet and from a hole in the sky with angels
-Poor families and shepherds come to worship. The music-making angels in the top right break away from the linear architecture if the rest of the painting |
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Charles LeBrun, Alexander and the Family of Darius, 1660-1
Alexander and the Family of Darius: 1660
-Charles LeBrun
-Alexander comes into the tent and sets them free= magnanimous character
-Alexander is somewhat modeled after Louis XIV
-The different faces of the figures were put forth by LeBrun as an academic study to systematize the way certain emotions are portrayed
-An attempt to find a philosophical all encompassing structure for natural phenomena. Follows in the vein of Leonardo |
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Anonymous artists, Louis XIV Visiting the Gobelins Factory, c. 1680
Louis XIV Visiting the Gobelins Factory: 1680
-Gobelins Factory Product
-Basically shows what the Gobelins was: an art/ tapestry factory-type thing that was fairly forward looking in its time when factories themselves were not that prevalent
-The industrialization of art was not seen as a bad thing really, because industrialization and the industrial revolution had not given it a bad name yet. It seemed to them like they were crossing the next frontier in art
-Louis XIV present w/ LeBrun to his right |
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| Background: Holland was a different political entity than Spain or France, it was non-monarchic and Protestant. In 1568 it had rebelled against the Holy Roman Emperor (Philip II from Spain), and ended the 80 years war in 1648. By the Mid-17th century it was a viable Nation-State, in which Dutch city-states were very prosperous. The prosperity of the Dutch, however, was driven by a commercial middle class rather than a landlord aristocracy, and this was reflected in the art. |
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Frans Hals, Laughing Cavalier, 1624
Laughing Cavalier: 1624
-Frans Hals
-Despite all the finery and the pose, he gives the viewer a sly smile, sort of making fun of the posturing that he doing. Takes from the idea above: he doesn't flaunt inborn refinement, just success.
-Skillful rendering of the sleeve (Hals was good)
Portrait of Fat Guy posing Proudly
-Frans Hals: master of 17th century Dutch portaiture
-Round faced, no effort to show refinement or aristocracy. Pride comes from a feeling of merit rather than inborn quality. Doesn't claim to be cultivated, just accomplished
-Approximated brush strokes, unidealized face expresses a kind of individuality |
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Jakob van Ruisdael, Jewish Cemetery, c. 1655
Jewish Cemetery: 1655
-Jacob van Ruisdael
-Tries to make the landscape painting more epic than a portrayal of a specific place
-Combines his experience of landscapes in different places in the scene
-Cemetery subject; evokes a questioning of life/death
-By placing a ruinous cemetery in nature, it sort of reflects on the passage of time and the forces of life/decay in nature
-Landscape painting can also be a method of philosophical expression |
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Jakob van Ruisdael, Wheatfields, c. 1670
Wheatfields: 1670
-Jacob van Ruisdael
-Flat landscape, so ordinary it shouldn't be worth painting
-Ordinariness in itself is worth painting, for Ruisdael
-He is actively trying to paint the empty-est possible picture
-There are some subtle elements that add to the painting, like the shadow of the clouds across the sunlight fields
-Think of the landscapes as an extension to Brueghel's Hunters in the Snow |
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Jan Vermeer, Woman Holding Scales, c. 1663
Woman Weighing Gold: 1663
-Jan Vermeer
-Fairly well to do woman, with jewelry, doing a simple everyday task
-Background “Last Judgement” painting puts it all in perspective
-Her weighing gold is a metaphor for moral worthiness
-The every day has profound philosophical significance
-Vermeer makes the philosophical side very subtle
V.S.
Young Woman with a Pearl Necklace: 1663
-Jan Vermeer
-Pearls + Looking into a mirror are symbols of vanity (a vice)
-Vanity is contrasted by the innocent-looking girl, the painting is sympathetic to her. It sort of shows that the vice is an innocent thing. |
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Willem Claesz. Heda, Still Life ("Breakfast Piece"), c. 1670
Breakfast Piece (Still Life): 1670
-Willem Claesz
-Celebration of the physical beauty of lavishness in the painting
-A celebration of prosperity
-Light flickers off the shiny silver in beautiful ways
-The half eaten cake that looks really sugary/sweet is inviting
-Pocket watch/ key recalls the passage of time and mortality, but in the sense that since we only have a limited time, we might as well take advantage of these pleasures.
V.S.
Flower (Still Life)
-Rachel Ruysch= pretty successful woman painter
-Very, very detailed in painting the flowers
-All those flowers do not bloom at the same time, so her painting is an arrangement that cannot be real (she painted it from memory). The painting transcends earthly time into “heavenly time” with an ideal perpetual springtime. |
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| Jan Vermeer, Artist in his Studio, c. 1665 |
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Rembrandt, Blinding of Samson, 1636
Created to demonstrate the full range of the artistic capacity
- Story from the Bible (Judges 16) ‐ Old Testament
- Protestants tended to prefer stories from the Old Testament
- History painting: had the most prestige
- Created on speculation and then given as a gift with the hope of receiving future commissions
- Created with the style of tenebrism ‐ initially created by caravaggio years ago, to highlight dramatic movement |
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Rembrandt, Bathsheba, 1654
- King David spied on her and fell in love
- Made sure her husband died in the war
- Isolation of the story
- Just a part of the story (psychology in individual figures)
- Patrons liked the fact that you could closely connect with the images
- They were just regular people ‐ not overly idealized like the tradition he was trained in
- In protestant holland there was a tremendous amount of tension regarding nude biblical characters
- Imposto: thickly loaded paint brushes |
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Rembrandt, Shooting Company of Captain Cocq ("Night Watch"), 1642
- History painting, but also a portrait
- Depicts a particular event: the coming together of this group of men in celebration of the arrival of Medici from France
- Paint has oxidized making it look dark
- Engaged literally in the night watch
- Painting is actually during the day
- Full of symbols that celebrate this particular company
- Little girl hiding with a chicken ‐ representative of their company
- Guns were outlawed unless a member of the shooting company or a noble person
- Gun ownership was very special and very expensive
- Combining the narrative with an emblem of the group
- Correct use of the gun is shown all the way through
- Created a sense of drama as well as prestige in his painting regarding the identity of these figures
- Tenebrism = high contrast between light and dark |
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| Rembrandt, Christ Preaching and Healing ("Hundred Guilder Print"), c. 1649 |
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Rembrandt, Self-Portrait, 1657
- Making reference to himself as a painter holding a scepter like God
- Makes him also look like a king
- Nothing idealized about his face, ravaged with age
- Looking at us intensely to engage us directly
- Isolating the figure of the artist and bonding with us as the viewer psychologically
- Impasto ‐ heavily laded brush
␣ Contradicts naturalism ␣ Two kinds characteristic of northern European art ␣ Reflect life with glazes or off the surface |
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| Rembrandt, Woman in a Doorway, c. 1656 |
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Background:
18th Century is characterized by the growth of industrialization and technology, mainly in England.
Portrait of George Washington, compare with the Portrait of Louis XIV
1730 Palace Near Munich
-By a French Architect
-Light, Playful, Festive; less awesome than Versailles
-Architecture is meant to enliven rather than impress
-Extravagant hall of mirrors is still less overwhelming and weighty than Versailles
-Playful Variation, less interest in perfect symmetry
-Style= Rococo: early 18th century architectural style, playful
German Church
-Designed by Balthazar?
-Ovals in the Church relate to each other dynamically, all the spaces interpenetrate
-Color scheme/ effect is more animated that the Versailles chapel. More buoyant/ cheery
-Rococo= very sugary style |
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J._G. Soufflot, Sainte Genevieve (Pantheon), Paris, begun 1755
Sainte-Genevieve (Pantheon): 1755
-J. G. Soufflet, in “Neoclassical Style” (Rococo quickly got super-ceded)
-Columns and pediments are like ancient temple fronts
-Very true to the classical ideal of psychological majesty, both inside and out. Reinterpretation of the classical style as a psychological derivation to simple geometric forms
-Classicism reinterpreted as majestic severity, rationalistic organization of simple forms |
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Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, begun 1792
English Building
-Burlington, Palladian Style
-Reconciles Rococo and Neoclassicism in a way
-Palladio (Mid 16th century) designed country houses/ villas in imitation of ancient Roman ones
Monticello: 1794
-Thomas Jefferson, his villa in Virginia
-Example of Palladianism in America |
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Antoine Watteau, Pilgrimage to Cythera, c. 1717
Pilgrimage to Cythera: 1717
-Antoine Watteau
-Cythera= mythical island sacred to Aphrodite. Going to Cythera is a metaphor for being ruled by love
-Statue of Venus, people from the boat are wearing 18th century clothes (fuse myth and real life)
-Subject is similar to the Worship of Venus by Rubens. Emphasis is more on refined, polite flirtation; makes it more of an everyday scene than the abandonment of Ruben's version
-Has a lighter, more delicate, aesthetic than the weighty baroque style
-The boat fades into the shimmering mist, as they appear to be leaving the island (sail is pink)
-Compare to Titian's Concert, melancholy at the fleeting pleasures. “Love occurs in an idealized realm that we must savor, knowing that it is fleeting” |
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J.-H. Fragonard, Progress of Love, c. 1772
The Progress of Love: 1772
-J. H. Fragonard; part of a series
-Classical Statue looks down and observes the lovers
-They are reading the love letters they sent each other while apart, wear contemporary clothes
-They are situated in the center, and all around them nature blooms furiously, so as to make the connection between love and nature. |
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J.-B. Chardin, Still Life, c. 1765
Still Life: 1765
-J. B. Chardin
-Simple, neither a celebration of the items on the table nor a vanity painting
-A regular picture of everyday material objects
-Chasteness/Restraint suggests how we should interact with the objects on the table, we should exercise restraint when using them |
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Jacques Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784
Oath of the Horatii: 1784
-Jacques-Louis David, leading student at the French Academy
-3 sons of Horace elected to fight as champions against the husbands of their wives
-“First Modern Painting” (Fuses Poussin and Caravaggio)
-Still a history picture, with a narrative on a monumental theme (old idea)
-A contrast of the male ideal for duty versus the female's distress (weakness)
-Stereotypical gender roles
-Severity of style much like Poussin, even more minimal, but the naturalistic rendition of the hands and figures etc. evokes a very Caravaggio-like realism |
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