King Arthur, Nine Worthies Tapestries - S. Netherlands - 1400 – 1410

The Nine Worthies are nine historical, scriptural, mythological or semi-legendary personages who were established in the Middle Ages as a set of heroes personifying the ideals of chivalry.

Tapestries made probably to hang in an audience chamber

Chivalry = etiquette that originated from the knights “the behavior of the knights that rode the horses” – shapes how the upper-class views themselves

John of Berry collected and commissioned numerous large tapestries. Many of these works represent chivalric themes.

The tapestry cycle of the nine worthis provided the duke with noble figures to imitate. In addition, it reinforces the exchange of exquisite and expensive gifts within the valois court, a social practice deeply intertwined with aristocratic manners and good conduct.

St. Wenceslas Chapel - St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague - 1372 – 1376

Gothic Architecture

Prague – bohemian capital , sponsor was charles IV

Colorful, gaudy, eccentric

series of registers telling the story of st Wenceslas - chapel holds his relics

Wenceslas – first great Christian ruler of bohemia

Charles IV - close proximity – “divine kingship” idea – “chosen” by God

implants the idea that the king is inherently good

You’d pray to saints and they’d be your advocates

“In religion, a relic is a part of a body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial"

political and religious symbolism is not divorced – state functions were based off of religious principles

Man of Sorrows - Meister Francke - 1424

North German Gothic painter and Dominican friar

iconic devotional image

wounds prominently displayed

developed in Europe from the 13th century, and was especially popular in Northern Europe

most precise visual expression of the piety of the later Middle Ages

Evoked emotion and intends to cause the viewer to experience his pain (andachtsbild)

Andachtsbild = devotional image - often a painting or sculpture that depicts the themes of Christian grief and suffering intended to encourage meditation

His turmoil is apparent – psychologically powerful

Duc de Berry at Prayer, Belles Heures - Limbourg Brothers - 1405-1408

International Gothic

Duke of berry employed Limbourg brothers, formerly employed by his brother, Philip the bold of burgundy

from a family of artisans in north Netherlands, inspired by Italian models

Jean de france is a very powerful art patron and aware of its political importance and uses that tradition as a way to further his own importance

“beautiful hours of jean of france” is a manuscript featuring himself

he looks regal in his self depictions with a bright blue robe and a crown

ultramarine blue (lapis lazuli) is worth more that gold

books were displayed openly as a testament to his wealth

a book of hours is a devotional book

started in monasteries and the rest of the world adopted this practice and it became very wide spread

three dimensional space gives the manuscript a more human and relatable portrayal so that the people can use it for devotional purposes and feel like they are actually seeing this take place

there are also combinations of naturalistic depictions and also the medieval styles

the first of several sumptuous manuscripts commissioned by the duke of Berry from the Limbourg brothers

Using a luminous palette, the artists blended an intimate Northern vision of nature with Italianate modes of figural articulation

foreshadow the work of Jan van Eyck and the ensuing generations of outstanding fifteenth-century painters in the South Netherlands

Arnolfini Portrait - Jan Van Eyck - 1434

Early Netherlandish painter (aka Ars Nova)

believed to be a portrait of the Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, presumably in their home in the Flemish city, Bruges

Iconography: Fidelity, Wealth, Purity, Fertility

Double portrait depicting a couple taking marriage vows in a bedchamber of a flemish town house is unique in netherlandish art

“marriage candle” burns above (burns until marriage is consummated)

“jan van eyck is was here” – witness to their marriage in gothic script of court documents

the negotiation of wealthy families to work out the distribution of the wealth is what was required for marriage

hidden symbols – everyday objects have immense symbolic value

because of the crispness and sharpness of the images far away, it has been argued that a camera obscura may have been used
his side is associated with outside world (domain of businessman)

her side is associated with the domestic interior

in the center, the two domains are joined in the hands of marriage much like the bridge in Rolin Madonna links one world with the other

Man in a Red Turban - Jan Van Eyck - 1433

“as I can” – false humility

believed to be his self portrait – a mirror would be needed but only the REALLY wealthy would have one

only portrait where the sitter is not identified, only the artist’s signature, date, and motto

very specific face, painstakingly rendered in microscopic detail

veristic – not just realistic, it’s so realistic in its aging that you actually believe it to be a true depiction

displays elements of wealth

Virgin and Child - Jean Malouel - c. 1410

Burgandy/Flaunders

uncle of limbourg brothers

Similar to icon of Theotokos (virgin)

Much more naturalistic and soft

based on reality yet not an exact depiction

interest in the subject’s mental/emotional psychology

Entombment Triptych - Robert Campin - c. 1415-1420

left: donor kneels in a  garden below Gogotha

right: Resurrection

bulky figures that displace space with their twisting pyranidal draperies are familiar aspects of Campin's style

colorfully garbed figures along foreground plane

pronounced emotionalism is delicately accentuated by certain details such as the angel to the right brushing away a tear

Portrait of a Lady - Rogier van der Weyden -  c. 1455

Gothic Portraiture

rogier's portraits are naturalistic, but not as harshly realistic as van eycks

present abstractions of aristocratic types with an aloofness and detachment

rather than exploring the inner blood of the people, he preferred to display their status in society as dignified, well-bred members of the aristocracy

elegance and detachment characterize this particular portrait

from a well-to-do Flemish family

her downcast eyes convey a sense of piety

but her tensely intertwined fingers and the strong chin betray some inner emotion

Chapel of the Holy Cross - Karlstejn Castle - 1348 on

Castle founded by Charles IV to store his overflow of relics

Charles IV own private chapel of the holy cross (within)

he employed leading artist in the painters’ guild in Prague: master theodoric

Stylistically similar to wencelas chapel- stone cutouts inlaid (symbolic)

Iconic portraits of Saints, apostles, evangelists, angels, other important figures

Drastic stylistic change due to a response to influence from northern italy

Agnus dei – “Lamb of God” symbolic representation of Christ/trinity

humanistic qualities - Portraits attempt to create a sense of kinship so that they seem reachable and relatable on a human level

Nativity, St. Thomas Altarpiece - Meister Francke - 1424

North German Gothic painter and Dominican friar

Humanizing scene has a tenderness and charm that surpass previous renditions of the Holy Night – loving adoration toward “My Lord, My Son”

tries to portray Christ as a relatable, humble person

you are going to feel closer to him, not when he is portrayed in a grandiose manner, but in a very humble, human way

emphasis on his humanity in order to allow for people to feel a kinship

Meister francke made master Bertram’s work seem archaic and passé

His artwork suggests that he was a man of deep religious convictions

Triptych of the Holy Face - Master Bertram - 1390-1400

Medieval Gothic

portrait of Jesus - from a variety of icons known as Acheiropoieta

Acheiropoieta: a particular kind of icon which are alleged to have come into existence miraculously, not created by human hands. Invariably these are images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary

Michelangelo stated that the northern renaissance lacked beauty because there was a lack of symmetry. However, hardly face is actually symmetrical

Master Bertram is one of the first artists in the history of German art who is known to us by name

certain realism makes a strong impression

musical angels have well articulated bodies, even though they retain the decorative character which links them to Gothic art

July, Très Riches Heures - Limbourg Brothers - 1412-1416

one of the most famous of the Limbourg brother’s manuscripts

peasants portrayed are incredibly overdressed and are overtly idealic

perspective is not as rigid and calculated as the Italian renaissance

The work of the Limbourg brothers were created for the private eyes of the religious. The brothers had their artistic base in the Netherlands.

realistic landscapes, still recognizable today

They supply a window into the medieval world, though it is from the perspective of the king

manuscripts were innovative – didn’t follow any rules

revolt against duke of berry and his unreasonably high taxes

Madonna in the Church - Jan Van Eyck - c .1438-1440

Ars nova

Jan Van Eyck fashioned this imaginary gothic cathedral for his Madonna

Light = symbolic for divine or the virginity of the madonna

Light floods the nave and is coming from two different directions

In the northern hemisphere, it is impossible for light to shine from the north as it does here – supernatural “northern light” is associated with her being the brightness of eternal light

Christ = present past and future

She is immensely huge - personifies the church and the church is the physical embodiment of Mary on earth

She is the vessel of the church – her body is associated with the body of the church because they both provide salvation in the early world

Deposition Rogier van der Weyden c. 1435-1438

one of the most influential paintings in all early netherlandish art and best documented works by rogier (who signed and dated no paintings)

epitome of late gothic expression

differs from jan van eyck and robert campin

deep space and infinite detail of the everyday world are not found here

he has consciously returned to the earlier planar compositions of the Gothic - said to be "Neo-Gothic"

bold "S" curves = strong feeling of instability though composition is contained by parentheses of john the evangelist and mary magdelene

lack of space, depth, and landscape pushes the impressive figures in painful proximity to spectator

attention is sharply focused on one dramatic moment: the compassion of those nearest to Christ

people display a suffering that is more eloquest and dignified - they contribute to one emotional experience of compassion

expressed a late gothic sentiment culminated in Imitatio Christi - preoccupation with the personal identification of the worshiper with the sufferings of Christ

Merode Altarpiece Robert Campin c. 1425

one of Campin's most significant works

one of the earliest examples of an Annunciation placed in a domestic interior which parallels popular devotional literature of the time - no divorce between everyday life and religion in Flanders

may have influenced scene on outside of Ghent Altarpiece

symbolism = purity (lillies, closed garden, other flowers), humility (her position on the floor)

snuffed out candle = marriage candle, marriage has been consumated (refer back to Arnolfini portrait)

Joseph appears in Annunciation scene, which is rare

making mouse traps? alluding to their marriage may have been to fool Satan just as mice are fooled by the bait in the trap

donors kneel at the door on the left - door is open (gates were open to heaven)

Adam and Eve - Ghent Altarpiece (open) - Jan Van Eyck 1432

Jan Van Eyck (and Hubert?)

What we see of hubert’s art is filtered through that of jan

polyptych – multiple frames

outside: donor portraits, patron saints, annunciation 

Inside: celestial cityscape/landscape

Annunciation on outside – the action that allows for heaven to be OPENED

Agnus dei – angels surrounding and He is bleeding into the Holy Grail

Arma Christi around the lamb

eucharis – communion, immediate reference to the wine and bread that would have been placed in front. Painting was interacting directly with where it would have been placed

Father, Holy Spirit, and Son are all lined up

Adam and Eve are on the edges - theologically and according to time, they are the bookends: They began time and sin

They are very realistic - Adam has a sad, pathos facial expression with a very internal emotion with very human details: His face is darker and his hands are rough – indications of a working man. Eve has indications of child birth

Concerning the scale, is likely that much of the planning and painting of the ghent altarpiece had already been completed by hubert before his death

Adam and eve were wholly executed by jan to fit the narrow endpieces

Above them is grisaille representation of the offerings of cain and abel and the murder of abel

Beginning -> End

St. Luke Portraying the Virgin - Rogier van der Weyden - c. 1435-1440

rogier was an admirer of van Eyck - closely related to van Eyck's "Rolin Madonna" from a few years prior, however Rogier is less interested in secondary details

initiated a tradition of depicting the artist in studio

gothic statement of immortality of divinely inspired art

landscape is no direct observation of nature and he avoids symbolism - his primary concern was the figures and their rhythmic design

mary's downcast glance, her shy/quiet expression imbue her with the affectionate and sensitive nature of a good mother

Rogier, more than van Eyck, was the influential figure in the transmission of the ars nova through the netherlands due to the lyrical aspects of his style and his inventions of broader compositional schemes