Art History IIInstructor: Dustin M Price

What is art and why is art important?

- What exactly constitutes art is difficult to define, especially in the wake of Modern and Postmodern art.

Joseph Beuys: How to Explain Pictures to a Dead HareLeonardo da Vinci: Mona Lisa

What is art and why is art important?

- What exactly constitutes art is difficult to define, especially in the wake of Modern and Postmodern art.

A dictionary definition states art is: “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.”

This definition seems simple enough but these aesthetic principles often differ from generation to generation, society to society, and individual to individual.

Often our understanding of what exactly art is, is influenced by our individual life experiences and education. Making it difficult to exactly pinpoint what art is.

-What shapes our understanding of what art is besides individual life experiences and education?

- gender- race- geography- economic status- pop culture

Just remember that the understanding of what art is, and can be, is always evolving.

-So, what exactly is art in the context of art history?

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-What shapes our understanding of what art is besides individual life experiences and education?

- gender- race- geography- economic status- pop culture

Just remember that the understanding of what art is, and can be, is always evolving.

-So, what exactly is art in the context of art history?

In art history, the work of art is seen as an embodiment of the values, goals, and aspirations of its time and place of origin. It is a part of culture.

-So, why is art important?

-So, why is art important?

- Art has been a part of humankind for thousands of years, some cave art has been dated back 50,000 years. Which tells us something! Among finding food, shelter, and a mate - the need to express oneself was/is incredibly important to humans. Some believe that art fulfills an innate human need to create and is important as other “basic needs” including: protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, identity and freedom.

-So, why is art important?

- Art has been a part of humankind for thousands of years, some cave art has been dated back 50,000 years. Which tells us something! Among finding food, shelter, and a mate - the need to express oneself was/is incredibly important to humans. Some believe that art fulfills an innate human need to create and is important as other “basic needs” including: protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, identity and freedom.

-It helps us understand different cultures, identifying elements that differ from one culture to another celebrating diversity, but at the same time also identifying similarities, in doing so art demonstrates unifying characteristics within all of humanity.

-So, why is art important?

- Art has been a part of humankind for thousands of years, some cave art has been dated back 50,000 years. Which tells us something! Among finding food, shelter, and a mate - the need to express oneself was/is incredibly important to humans. Some believe that art fulfills an innate human need to create and is important as other “basic needs” including: protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, identity and freedom.

-It helps us understand different cultures, identifying elements that differ from one culture to another celebrating diversity, but at the same time also identifying similarities, in doing so art demonstrates unifying characteristics within all of humanity.

- It helps us understand the past.

-Art asks questions.

-Art gives social commentary.

-Art can bring about empathy in the viewer.

Fifteenth-Century Art in Northern Europe(Present day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands)

A definition of the term Renaissance: “the transitional movement in Europe between medieval and modern times beginning in the 14th century in Italy, lasting into the 17th century, and marked by a humanistic revival of classical influence expressed in a flowering of the arts and literature and by the beginnings of modern science.”

(The word renaissance is actually a French word meaning “rebirth”.)

- The philosophy of Humanists had an impact on intellectual ideals.

-in the late 14th century, after the depravity of the dark ages Europe found itself in a revitalization of civic life and economic growth.

-This gave rise to a prosperous “middle class” that supported scholarship, literature, and the arts. Their patronage resulted in an explosion of learning and creativity.

-People began respecting individuals involved in intellectual exploration.

- Individuals began an intense study of the natural world.

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Fifteenth-Century Art in Northern Europe

Up until this point perspective, that is to say: a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on a flat surface. Had been rather primitive, artists had yet to decipher a realistic way of conveying depth on a flat surface. An artist might simply put one object in front of another or make one object larger than another to portray depth.

The Humanists interest in science and art manifested itself in the progression of observational drawings of natural elements and the use of differing perspective devices by artists.

This interest in recording nature as exact as possible lead to the use of intuitive perspective and atmospheric perspective also known as aerial perspective. By artists such as Jan van Eyck, Dirck Bouts, and Hugo van der Goes. These types of perspective were a northern specialty.

At the time one point perspective had already been invented in Italy (early 1400) and was being used by many artists there but this new invention was yet to be mastered or even known by many northern artists.

intuitive perspective: objects are placed at an angle to the picture plane, but their linear elements don’t converge at a single point; an illusion of depth is suggested, but the space doesn’t seem coherent.The artist uses their own judgment to make the image appear to have depth. You can see this demonstrated in February, life in the country. By Paul, Herman, and Jean Limborg to the left.

atmospheric perspective also known as aerial perspective: a technique of rendering depth or distance in painting by modifying the tone or hue and distinctness of objects perceived as receding from the picture plane, esp. by reducing distinctive local colors and contrasts of light and dark to a uniform light bluish-gray color.You can see evidence of this in the gently fading background in the painting to the left.

Jan Van Eyck (Maaseick, circa 1390/1395 – Bruges, 1441)The Virgin and Child with Chancellor Rolin 1430-1434Oil on panel H. : 66 cm ; W. : 62 cm

One-point perspective is a type of linear perspective. All types of linear perspectives include a horizon line and a stationary point (the position of the observer). In one-point perspective, only one vanishing point exists; lines radiate outwardly from this point, and perpendicular lines meet at this point.

The International Gothic Style of Art

- The Dukes of Burgundy (east central France) were the most powerful rulers in northern Europe for most of the 15th century.

- The International Gothic Style emerged out of late 14th century papal court in Avignon, France (southern France) where artists from all across western Europe (France, Italy, and Flanders) all worked side by side.

- This “method” became the prevailing art style in 14th and in early 15th century Europe.

-It is characterized by slender, gracefully posed figures with delicate features. The level of detail is also incredible.

-You can see its influence in many of the images we will be discussing in this lecture.

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Deposition of Christ from the Cross (c.1320) Fresco by Pietro Lorenzetti . (detail)Early International Gothic Style

Robert Campin, Madonna of the Firescreen, c. 1430 International Gothic Style

Tommaso di Folco Portinari (1428–1501); Maria Portinari (Maria Maddalena Baroncelli, 1456–?) , probably 1470Hans Memling (Netherlandish, active by 1465, died 1494)

Tommaso di Folco Portinari (1428–1501); Maria Portinari (Maria Maddalena Baroncelli, 1456–?) , probably 1470Hans Memling (Netherlandish, active by 1465, died 1494)

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Cluas Sluter Well of Moses 1395-14064

Cluas Sluter Well of Moses 1395-1406

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Cluas Sluter Well of Moses 1395-1406 (detail horns)

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Tomb of Philip the Bold at the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy at Dijon, Cluas Sluter

Tomb of Philip the Bold at the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy at Dijon, Cluas Sluter

Tomb of Philip the Bold at the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy at Dijon, Cluas Sluter (detail)

Manuscript Illumination

-An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations. In the strictest definition of the term, an illuminated manuscript only refers to manuscripts decorated with gold or silver, but in both common usage and modern scholarship, the term is now used to refer to any decorated or illustrated manuscript from the Western traditions.

-Only the most lavish books would have full page paintings.

-The Limbourg Brothers Paul, Herman, and Jean were among the finest manuscript painters in the Netherlands.

-Their last name actually refers to their home region

-One of their most famous surviving books Tres Riches Heures or “book of hours” includes the February page.

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Definition of ICONOGRAPHY

1: pictorial material relating to or illustrating a subject

2: the traditional or conventional images or symbols associated with a subject and especially a religious or legendary subject

3: the imagery or symbolism of a work of art, an artist, or a body of art

Manuscript Illumination

-The Mary of Burgundy Painter was recognized as one of the finest painters of Books of Hours in the 15th century.

-Was so named because he painted a Book of Hours for Mary of Burgundy .

-The book is only 7.5” by 5.25” in size

-The detail of the imagery is remarkable. Especially when considering its size.

Mary at Her Devotions, Hours of Mary of Burgundy before 14828