Art History Slides

Part 2

Notre Dame Rose Window Detail NOTRE DAME, SOUTH TRANSCEPT ROSE WINDOW

Notre Dame, Paris. C.1200.

The extraordinary rose window, like similar stained glass windows built during the Gothic period, was constructed of hundred of pieces of colored glass. The glass shapes that fit within the greater medallion framework would allow diffused colored light to enter the cathedral. An intended effect of this visual spectacle was to enlighten and uplift the spirit

Rose Window Stained Glass

GargoylesNotre Dame, Paris, 1200-1300.

South side, North Tower. Did you know that gargoyles are not merely ornamental

or decorative figures but may serve as rainspouts, too? Fantastic monsters that

project from cathedral exteriors seem awfully well suited to guard the building

from any unwanted guests.

The Lady and the Unicorn. Tapestry 3.78m high x 4.66m wide. End of the 15th Century. Cluny Museum, Paris.

Large intricate medieval tapestries required the teamwork of artisans who wove them to completion. The unicorn tapestries were part of a series of six and are regarded foremost among great works of textile art. Here, as in other unicorn pieces, mille fluers surround heraldic beasts and assorted small animals.

Mille-fleurs (French) literally means "thousand flowers" and refers to a background made of many small flowers and plants. It was an especially popular motif in the applied arts and crafts during the Middle Ages in Europe.

November (Acorn Harvest) from Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. Limbourg Brothers. C.1400. Conde Museum, Chantilly.

The miniature painting of devotional books-and painting on panels-was the popular art form of this period. The Limbourg brothers illustrated these exquisite calendar pages that show the toils of labor cast against courtly castle life. These is a love of fine detail shown, which is characteristic of Northern art. Space is better understood in depth, along with a realism as clear as each little hair on the hog’s back!

The Arnolfini Portrait

Jan Van Eyck

Oil paint

1434

The subject of this painting is theMarriage of the two individuals Shown.

Mona Lisa Leonardo Da Vinci 1503-1505. Oil on panel. 30x21”. Louvre, Paris.

In this most famous painting, you’ll find that light and shadow are used to model the figure’s volume, and to create a harmonious relationship between foreground and background. The artist moves the viewer’s eye from the folds on Mona Lisa’s sleeve to the ribbonlike water that flows behind her. This unifies the composition and draws attention to the sitter’s face, while topping it all off with a halo of hazy light. There is, after all, more to Mona than her mysterious smile!

Marriage of the Virgin. Raphael. 1504. Oil on panel. 67”x46”. Brena Gallery, Milan.

A panel is no more than a flat, one-dimensional surface until a painter manipulates the planes with the illusion we call a picture. Raphael created a dramatic perspective in this painting. He also connected a foreground to a strongly contrasted background.