Burial of Count Orgaz El Greco 1586 Oil on canvas. In a Toledo
church. Count Orgaz had died a hundred years before this painting,
but because he was very generous with his money when it came to the
church, he was honored with this painting. Shows his soul going up
to Christ. Virgin and John the Baptist present. Celestial, dynamic
between the two zones. Plaque under painting (where he was buried),
ties literal to painting. Isenheim Altarpiece Matthisas Grunewald
German, oil on wood. Commissioned by hospital run by monks for
people in advanced stages of disease. Polyptych, double- hinged.
Curling hands, green skin. Mary Magdalene, Virgin, John the
Baptist, st Sebastian (shot with arrow), St Anthony (both you
prayed to when you were sick). Lamentation on predella. Inside:
Annunciation, Virgin and child, Resurrection. Double inside: Carved
shrine, polychrome, painted gold. St Anthony and St Paul. St
Anthony tormented by demons, predella shows last supper. Instill
hope, try to heal. Message of the promise of everlasting life. The
French Ambassadors Hans Holbein 1533 Oil and tempra on wood. French
dignitaries. Mosaic inlay, robes, attention to detail is great, men
of great learning, many objects, well traveled, skull, anamorphic,
perspective, crucifix. Piazza and Colonnade of St Peters Bernini
Important symbolically; arms of the mother church receiving her
pilgrims. Had to work around fountains. 4 columns thick. Square
more of a rectangle, circle more of an oval; complex forms. Extends
vertical thrust of columns with statuary. Baldacchino, St. Peters
Rome Bernini ft canopy. Located at high altar right smack dab under
the dome (where St. Peter was buried). It is considered a very
special symbolic marker. Twisted, corkscrew columns (pent-up
energy), different textures, all column orders used. Cast bronze,
gilded bronze, stylized leaves at bottom. Four angels on four
corners, sculpted canopy with tassels. The Fall of Man (Adam and
Eve) Durer 1504 Intaglio metal engraving. Sell work multiple times,
more affordable, modest size. Classical idealization, beautiful
bodies, graceful poses, ideal proportions (Italy). Adam based off
of statue, Eve is a collaboration of sources. Each animal
represents a vice. St Theresa Bernini Angel pierced her heart with
a flaming arrow multiple times. She experiences religious ecstasy.
Rays of light made of yellow glass. Bernini=installation artist.
Very intimate. Theatrical, side balconies with figures watching the
scene unfold. Garden of Earthly Delights Hieronymous Bosch Subject
of the imagination. Left: God presenting Eve to Adam. Array of
animals. Center: Children of Adam and Eve. Lots of activity, orbs,
lunar landscape. Right: Hell. Early form of surrealism. Combining
things that dont belong together. Light has been drained.
Instruments - The devil once played for God, music can lead you to
misgivings. Revolting images; bird creature eating humans, shitting
them into a pit. Water=alchemy (ordinary materials into gold).
Exterior: Sphere, creation of the world, separation of light from
dark. God the creator in the upper left. Inscription of Psalm 33.
Ominous tone, warns of the faults of mankind, gluttony, greed, etc.
Narrative sequence, left to right progression. The altarpiece is a
triptych. In a palace, around high ranked people. Owl=bird of
darkness. Grotesque front and center, not just dancing around
edges. Disconnection of scale. Lots of berries symbolizing
perishable freshness and goodness. Hunters in the Snow Breugel the
Elder 1565 Oil on wood. Landscape that shows ordinary happenings,
not biblical or royal figures, just normal people. Portrays the
ordinary. Ordinary people doing ordinary tasks. Calendar image.
Attention to detail. Depth of space, atmospheric perspective.
Foreground has sharper detail, more bold color, both fade as space
goes back. Butchers Stall Pieter Aertsen 1551 Genre and still life
together. Access to meat = high monetary status. Treating the
viewer to a feast, but in the background (not foreground like
usual) there is a biblical narrative happening - the Virgin is
giving alms to the poor. Spectacle of riches, especially through
clams. Fish are crossed, Christian symbolism. Pretzels = sacrament.
Provisional splendors. Rent Collection Courtyard Ye Yushan and
others 1965 Socialist Realism. Art recast to fit need of new
nation. No individual personhood. Realist, Socialist nation as it
exists now. 114 life size sculptures, positioned like in a diorama.
Narrative: evil, rice-taking Landlord. Installed in his mansion.
Facade of St Peters Maderno Axial plan. Central plans are too
Pagan. Its ceremonial, made to accommodate large pilgrimages.
Complexity; colonnade not evenly spaced, pilasters with square
edges. Mix it up. Rhythmic architrave. Variety of window shapes.
The Four Apostles Durer 1526 Given to city of Nuremburg - turned
Protestant. Left: John, Peter. Right: Mark, Paul. Text at bottom in
German, warns city officials not to stray from the word of God. San
Carlo alle Quatro Fontane Borromini St Carl of the Four Fountains.
Curvy forms, circle becomes oval, complex dome. Coffered ceilings
with different forms. At the center is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Ornamentation (deeply carved). Man In a House Beneath a Cliff
Shitao Late 17th Century Small in scale, collected in album of 12
paintings. Paint for play, self expression. Scholar Studio
surrounded by nature. Stalks of Bamboo by a Rock Wu Zhen 1347 Done
toward the end of his life. Two stalks of bamboo and a rock, very
literal. No 3d. Some spacial depth, but its minimal. No local
color. Brush strokes, dots in rocks, lines in stalks. Black/gray
strokes of ink. Erase marks of painters hand. Writing and stamps,
marks of sociality. Social gathering context. Stamp seal to prove
its yours. Mark of ownership. Commentary becomes part of paintings.
Knight, Death, and the Devil Durer 1513 Engraving, classical pose,
Protestant message, Devil behind him, Death next to him with
hourglass. Dog = fidelity. Life is a continuous struggle. Steadfast
faith and medieval symbolism. Judith Slaying Holofernes Artemisia
Gentilrschi Oil on canvas. Violence, guy dying was prosecuting
Jews, Judith was a Jew. Seduced him, cut off his head while he was
sleeping. Focused concentration. Conversion of St Paul Caravaggio
1601 Chapel, kept location and lighting in mind while making.
Struck off his horse. Portrayed a lot because of conversion.
Spotlight effect, position of his hands. Unconventional
composition. Shift from light to dark. Humble attendant, refuses to
idealize. Christ with the Sick Around Him Rembrandt 1649 Etching;
experimental not methodical. Deep pockets of dark, but still lots
of light. Prodigal Son Rembrandt 1665 Bond of father and son. Grace
of story. Forgiveness (paralleled to Christs forgiveness).
Acknowledging mistakes. Figures in attendance are fathers house
attendants. Notice the clothing, lighting. Stepped out of the
darkness. Arrival of Marie de Medici at Marseilles Rubens Part of a
cycle of 21 images, Rubens took it on himself without assistants.
Medici family (same family from Florence, Renaissance). Alegorical
cycle of King and Queens accomplishments. Would be placed in
Luxembourg palace. Daughters of Neptune are the nude characters.
Blue Caped man symbolizes the French. Energy. Elevation of the
Cross Rubens 1610 Oil on wood. Triptych altarpiece. Unlike
altarpieces before, the side panels are a continuation of whats
happening in the center. Asymmetrical, use of steep angles,
illumination of Jesus, implied movement, physical intensity. Mix of
traditional and contemporary clothing. Lush colors, sensuality of
colors and brush work. Calling of St Matthew Caravaggio OIl on
canvas. Drama, light and dark. Captures the moment before Matthew
commits to following Christ, moment of tension. Christ is not
completely illuminated. Naturalism, Christs hand reflects Adams
hand in Michelangelos Creation of Adam. Not all of the figures are
facing forward, not all frontal. Contemporary clothing-not generic
or traditional. The Letter Vermeer 1666 Genre, ordinary scene.
Audience is placed in a different room, peek through doorway.
Letter from a lover? If so, the servant has knowledge. Mini drama.
Domestic intrigue. Window as a light source. Why Baroque?:
lighting, vision, complex interaction. Las Meninas Velazquez 1656
Notion of vision. Commissioned by royal family. Artist shown,
princess in middle, maids, servants and dwarfs. Mirror showing
royal couple (beyond the portrait). Are they the ones posing? Oil
paint. Dutch developed still life. Only still life, no narrative in
background. Holland loves still life. Protestant thinking and
theology. Over use of images detracts from worship, so other
subject matter developed. Clara credited with developing still life
(breakfast/banquet piece). For peoples homes, domestic. Banquet
pieces include elaborate foods. Breakfast piece more standard.
Imported foods, not everyone could afford. Upper middle class
household. Textures and reflected surfaces. Can see the window
reflected, reveal light source. Objects dangled in front of viewer,
right on edge. Holland loved flowers. Imported them, grew them and
exported them. Newly acquired wealth. Money to buy art. Still Life
with Flowers, Goblet, Dried Fruit and Pretzels Clara Peeters 1611
Vanitas Still Life (dont need to know for exam) Not as rich array
of colors/textures. More somber. Placed table right before viewers.
Multiple reflected windows. Artist shown in reflection. Distortion
in orb. Skull. Vanity. People of more wealthy status would have
access to these items. Reminder of human vanity and momento mori.
Worldly goods vs. mortality. Walnut cracked open, gets stale; glass
tipped over, then skull. Subtle then BAM. In life, time is
temporary, get lost in material things. Oil on canvas. Dutch. True
focus on landscape, skies. Painter of Skies. Detail of sky, clouds,
weather effects. Complicated lighting effects. Dutch celebrated
map-makers as well. Superior navigation skills. Church and city in
background, foreground shows humble abodes, laundry hanging. Actual
place with specific location. People laboring. Religious reference
for Gods creation. Because of navigation skills, tried to portray
infinite expanse of land. View of Haarlem from the Dunes at
Overveen Ruisdael 1670 Poussin held up because of stylistic
qualities, and subject matter. He spent a lot of time on Rome.
Spent life in Italy, but most of his paintings sold in France.
Moral message; stoicism. To rise above earthly urges. Even in
Arcadia, I am present. Personification of death. Arcadia was
idealized, rustic countryside. Free from corruption, everyone lives
in harmony. Lady is death. Comes in and gently lays her hand on the
mans shoulder, coming to claim him. Allegory. Death will eventually
come to you. Dont get lost in detail, focus on main message. Focus
is on human form. Quoted from previous works of art. Arranges
figures to foreground message. Primary color scheme. Et in Arcadia
Ego Poussin 1655 Classical Baroque landscape. Idealized landscape.
Human narrative and activity. Sobering message, instill
high-mindedness in viewers. General accused of treason. Was killed
and not given burial within Athens. Was actually innocent, dug up
and re-buried in Athens. Very detailed landscape. Zig-zags back
into canvas. Well-versed in classical architecture. Clear
foreground, middle gorund, background. Burial of Phocion Poussin
1648
