Piero de La Francesa - Mantegna

8/6/2019 Piero de La Francesa - Mantegna

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Piero della Francesca 1415October 12, 1492

1. Born between 1410 and 1420 in BorgoSan Sepolcro near Arezzo.

2. In the 1430s he worked in Florenceunder Domenico Veneziano, assistinghim with the now lost fresco cycle inSan Egidio (now Santa Maria Nuova).

3. In Florence he must have met leadingmasters like Fra Angelico, Mantegna,

Luca della Robbia and Brunelleschi.4. The classicism of Masaccio's frescoes

and his majestic figures in the SantaMaria del Carmine were for him animportant source of inspiration.

5. In 1442 he was listed as eligible for theCity Council of San Sepolcro.

6. Three years later, he received thecommission for the altarpiece of thechurch of the Misericordia in SanSepolcro (including the Madonna dellaMisericordia), which he was to completeonly in the early 1460s.


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Misericordia

1. The compagnia DellaMisericordia founded in

Florence 13th C to carryout missions of mercy(this was originally aresponse to the plague.)

2. In 1445 theycommissioned Piero topaint an altar piece for

Borgo Sansepolcro.3. The central figure in the

picture is the Madonna ofMercy their Patroness.

4. Still active today.

The Madonna della Misericordia (Madonna ofMercy)Is always depicted with a group of peoplesheltering for protection under her outspreadcloak.It was especially popular in Italy from the 13thto 16th centuries, often as a specialised form of

votive (donor) portrait.


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The Duke of Urbino Federigo da Montefeltro. One of the Patrons of Piero de la Francesca Federico was born in Castello di

Petroia in Gubbio, the illegitimate sonof Guidantonio da Montefeltro.

In 1437 he was created a knight At sixteen he began a career

as condottiero under Niccol Piccinino. In 1441 hedistinguished himself in the conquest of the castleof St. Leo, which Federico was to hold for the restof his life.

On July 22, 1444, his half-brother Oddantonio daMontefeltro, recently created Duke of Urbinoby Pope Eugene IV, was assassinated in aconspiracy: Federico, whose probableparticipation in the plot has never beenestablished, subsequently seized the cityof Urbino.

However, the financial situation of the smalldukedom being in disarray, he continued to wagewar as condottiero.

Famous general commanding several armiesduring the territorial battles of the 15th

Also a renowned Scholar and his palace at Urbino

one of the important small courts of Italy andcontained an extensive library. Federico da Montefeltro and his sonGuidobaldo, by Pedro Berruguete.


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His first condotta was forFrancesco I Sforza

Federico lost his right eyeduring a tournament. Hesubsequently carried a vastand disfiguring scar for the

rest of his life, so that it wasnecessary to portray him onlyon his "good" side.

In 1451 accepted a proposalby Alfonso V of Aragon, Kingof Naples, to fight for himagainst Florence.

Federico no stranger toconspiracies and hadsurgeons remove the bridgeof his nose (which had beeninjured in the incident).

This improved his field of

vision to a considerableextent, rendered him lessvulnerable to assassinationattempts

One of the leaders thatinspired Niccol Machiavellito write Il Principe

In the second half of the 15th century duke Federico daMontefeltro gathered around him the greatest painters,poets and sholars of his day and housed them in oneof Italy's most beautiful Renaissance palaces.


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1. Much of Piero's later career was spent working at the humanist court ofFederico da Montefeltro at Urbino.

2. There he painted the portraits of Federico and his wife (Uffizi, Florence, c.1465) and the celebrated Flagellation (still at Urbino, in the Ducal Palace).


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1. Double Portrait of Battista Sforza Federico da Montefeltro2. 1465-66 The Montefeltro family in Urbino was Piero's most generous patron

towards 1465.

3. The diptych with the portraits of Battista Sforza and Federico da Montefeltrocan be dated at the beginning of this period.


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In these two relatively small panels Piero attempts a very difficult compositionalconstruction that had never been attempted before. Behind the profile portrait of the tworulers, which is ichnographically related to the heraldic tradition of medallion

portraits, the artist adds an extraordinary landscape that extends so far that itsboundaries are lost in the misty distance.


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The reverse of the portraitsPiero's panels depicting the Duke and Duchess of Urbino are both painted on the reverse in astyle that can be regarded as miniature. On the reverse side of the Portrait of Federico daMontefeltro, is the image of a triumphal carriage pulled by white horses. The Duke is shown

in his role as a professional soldier, baton in hand, and dressed in shining armour. Ahumanistic Latin inscription praising Federico is shown below.


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Pieros chief

influences and hisother passion.

The light andsculptural form of

Massaccio. And Donatello. The brilliant clarity

of colour togetherwith an interest inreal landscape

was influenced by

DomenicoVeneziano and bythe Flemish artists.

In his later yearshe turned tomathematics and

as an aspect ofmathematics,perspective.

He was also atheorist and wrotetwo treatise onmathematics andart

Urbino Dorling Kindersly eyewitness travel, Italy


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Donatello (1386?-14661. Donatello was born in Florence, the son

of a wool comber.2. When he was 17 years old, he assisted

the noted sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti inconstructing and decorating the famous

bronze doors of the baptistery of SanGiovanni, Florence.

3. Later, Donatello was also an associate ofFilippo Brunelleschi, with whom hereputedly visited Rome in order to studythe monuments of antiquity.

4. Donatello's career may be divided into

three periods.5. The first and formative period comprised

the years before 1425, when his work ismarked by the influence of Gothicsculpture but also shows classical andrealistic tendencies.

6. Among his sculpture of this period arethe statues St. Mark (Church of Or San

Michele, Florence), St. George (Bergello,Florence), John the Evangelist (Opera delDuomo, Florence), and Joshua(campanile of the cathedral, Florence).


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1. The second period (1425-43) isgenerally characterized by areliance on the models andprinciples of the sculpture ofantiquity.

2. From 1425 to 1435 Donatelloworked with the Florentinesculptor and architectMichelozzo on a number ofprojects, including themonument to BartolomeoAragazzi (Cathedral of

Montepulciano). In their jointwork Michelozzo executed thearchitectural designs and alsohelped in the making of thebronze castings;

3. Donatello executed most of thestatues. From 1430 to 1433Donatello spent periods in Rome,where he created a number ofworks, notably the ciborium inthe sacristy of the Basilica ofSaint Peter, decorated with thereliefs Worshiping Angels and

Burial of Christ.4.

I i Fl h h h d h


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1. It was in Florence, however, that he created themost noted work of this periodthe bronze David(circa 1430-35, Bargello), the first nude statue ofthe Renaissance.


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1. In his third and culminating period,Donatello broke away from classicalinfluence and in his work emphasized

realism and the portrayal of characterand of dramatic action.2. Notable examples of his sculpture of

this period are Miracles of St. Anthony(Sant' Antonio, Padua); Gattamelata (inthe square before Sant' Antonio), thefirst bronze equestrian statue since

ancient times; and Judith andHolofernes (Loggia dei Lanzi,Florence).

3. The sculpture of Donatello influencedthat of Florence and northern Italy inthe 15th century. It was also a majorstimulus on the development ofrealism in Italian painting, notably inthe work of the great Paduan artistAndrea Mantegna. Donatello, who diedon December 13, 1466, had manypupils, the most important of whomwas Desiderio da Settignano.

1 Th diffi lt b l t f J dith d


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1. The difficult bronze sculpture of Judith andHolofernes was made by Donatello for the Signoriaof Florence "... a casting in metal, showing Judithcutting off the head of Holofernes, which wasplaced in the piazza under one of the arches of theirloggia.

2. In the appearance of Judith and the simplicity of hergarments, Donatello reveals to the onlooker thewoman s hidden courage and the inner strength shederives from God and demonstrates the idea ofhumility overcoming pride.

3. One can see the effect of wine and sleep in theexpression of Holofernes and the presence of deathin his limbs which, as his soul has departed, arecold and limp. Donatello worked so well that thecasting emerged very delicate and beautiful, andthen he finished it so carefully that it is a marvel tosee.

4. Donatello was commissioned to do the sculpture by

Cosimo de' Medici between 1455 and 1460 as thedecoration for a fountain in the garden of PalazzoMedici-Riccardi. In 1495 it was placed at the side ofthe main door of Palazzo della Signoria as thesymbol of the liberty of the Florentine people.

5. However, it was considered disturbing by manyFlorentines who petitioned (successfully) for its

removal from the Piazza.


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1. DomenicoVeneziano(c.1405/10-1461)

2. 1438 moves formPerugia to

Florence to workfor Piero de Medici

3. 1447 masterworkAltarpiece of St.Lucy of theMagnolias

4. The central panel,Madonna and Childwith Saints,

5. marked an end tothe use of

polyptyches* asaltar paintings.

6. Revolutionary useof colour.

*A work consisting of four ormore painted or carved panels

that are hinged together.


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Domenico Veneziano. St. John in the Desert. c 1445.

1. The figure modeledconvincingly.

2. The landscape isdecidedly Byzantine instyle.

3. Sharp stylized formsgive dramatic emphasisto the desolation of thewilderness existence forJohn.

4. Shown as a youthcasting off his worldlyclothing as he is aboutto enter the wilderness.

5. Early example of therenaissance

preoccupation with theart of ancient Greeceand Rome.

6. from the predella ofAltarpiece of St. Lucy ofthe Magnolias.

P d ll


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Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, c. 1445/1450

Predella

1. In painting, predellarefers to the paintingsor sculptures runningalong the frame at the

bottom of analtarpiece. In latermedieval andRenaissancealtarpieces, where themain panel consistedof a scene with large

static figures, it wasnormal to include apredella below with anumber of small-scalenarrative paintingsdepicting incidentsfrom the life of thededicatee, whetherChrist, the Virgin Maryor a saint.

2. Typically there wouldbe three to five smallscenes, in ahorizontal format.


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The Martyrdom of St. Lucy. c. 1445-48.

Carlo Crivelli

Madonna enthroned 1468

Predella scenes from thepassion of Christ


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Studied the latest finds of MassaccioUccello and Castagno with regard tospace and the figure.

His primary concern was light and

colour

The method of adding more oil totempera as a binder precursor to oilpainting helped with colour intensity.

Last known work St John the Baptist

and St Francis Detached fresco.1455-1460.


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In his later years he turned to mathematics and as an aspect ofmathematics, perspective.He was also a theorist and wrote two treatise on mathematics and art

The Baptism of Christ


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The Baptism of Christ Takes place in an eternal dimensioneven though it is placed in anUmbrian backdrop.

Has he been


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Has he beensuccessful?

This is to someextendsuccessful and a

developmentfrom Uccello andFra Angelico, yetthe frontal stage

is still apparent.

How has he solved the foreground background problem?1. The town of Borgo Sansepolcro with its fortified towers appears small and insignificant

in the distance.2. This treatment of a genuinely recocnisable landscape displays a new realism in art.

3. The art of Flanders had by this stage begun making an impact on the Italians.4. The river is a device he has used to draw the eye into the painting.


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1 The people in rest of the picture


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1. The people in rest of the pictureanything new here

2. the stripping figure t he group in thebackground.

3. The disrobing penitent continues and

varies the column theme.

4. His nakedness symbolises his humilityand is in contrast with the extravagantdress of the high priests in thebackground.

5. This also is a first time example of aman performing a basic human functionsuch as disrobing in a painting. Hishidden identity is also a new idea and isloaded with significance, such ashinting at the new life after baptism oridentification with the viewer.

6. The reflection of the background figuresin the river is also a new innovation.

7. The group of theologians debate in thebackground their clothes reflected inthe river their stature is small insignificance but also in correctperspective.


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The angelsThe tree forms a division from themortal world.They are Greek deities with laurelwreaths expressing their divinity

and in appearance like the threegraces.They are real people with theirweight firmly on the ground incasual stance with hands linked.The wing of the angel on the left is

the only indication of their angelicstatus.

The legend of the true cross


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The legend of the true cross

Taken from a medieval legend aboutthe history of the wood from the truecross.

From the tree of knowledge in theGarden of Eden to its recovery bythe Emperor Heraclius in the 7th C.then its miraculous finding by StHelena (the mother of Constantine)

The Story is a legend developedduring the years of pilgrimage whenpieces of wood were claimed to have

been part of the original true crossand pilgrims would pay to see relicsin the hope of cures or miracles.

In Pieros version we see King

Solomon orders the branch to beused in the building of his Palace.

The branch is too large and is usedas a bridge across a stream.

When the Queen of Sheba visitsSolomon she worships the wood andthen explains how she had a visionof it being used one day for thecrucifixion.


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The Death of Adam The two youths standing on the left, witness with dismay the


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The Death of Adam The two youths standing on the left, witness with dismay thefirst death in the history of man. They are undoubtedly among the most noble andnatural creations of the painting of all time.


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On the right, the ancient Adam, seated on the ground and surrounded by his children, sendsSeth to Archangel Michael. In the background we see the meeting between Seth andMichael, while on the left, in the shadow of a huge tree, Adam's body is buried in thepresence of his family. By placing all three stages of the story within the same background

landscape, Piero is abiding by traditional narrative schemes already used by Massaccio inhis fresco of the Tribute Money in the Brancacci Chapel.

Exaltation of the Cross


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The last episode of the cycle. The figure of the Emperor is almost entirely illegible now. TheOriental noblemen wear splendid Greek headdresses; the exotic elegance of them had beenadmired by all Florentines at the time. Piero's interest in these enormous hats, cylindrical orpyramidal in shape, is dictated by the same motives which had driven Paolo Uccello toconcentrate on the complex armour of contemporary warriors - the study of shapes andperspective.


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The Queen Sheba in Adoration of the Wood and the Meeting of Solomon and the Queen ofSheba1. Two episodes are shown in the same fresco, separated from each other by the column of

the royal palace. The architectural element (the column) is the centre of the compositionand the vanishing point for the whole fresco. The episode on the left is drawn from the"Golden Legend", while that in the right is an iconographical element added by Piero.

1. Behind the Queen of Sheba, kneeling


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e d t e Quee o S eba, ee gin adoration, is her retinue ofaristocratic ladies in waiting, withtheir high foreheads (according tothe fashion of the time) emphasizing

the round shape of their heads andthe cylindrical form of the neck.2. Their velvet cloaks softly envelop

their bodies, reaching all the way tothe ground.

3. The almost perfect regularity of the

composition is underlined by the twotrees in the background, whoseleaves hover like umbrellas abovethe two groups of the women and ofthe grooms holding the horses.

4. And yet Piero's constant attention to

the regularity of proportions and theconstruction according toperspective never gives way toartificially sophisticatedcompositions, schematic symmetriesor anything forced.


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Discovery and Proof of the True Cross

1. This is one of Piero's most complex and monumental compositions. The artist depictson the left the discovery of the three crosses in a ploughed field, outside the walls of thecity of Jerusalem, while on the right, taking place in a street in the city, is the Proof of theTrue Cross.

2. His great genius which enables him to draw inspiration from the simple world of thecountryside, from the sophisticated courtly atmosphere, as well as from the urban

structure of cities like Florence or Arezzo, reaches in this fresco the height of its visualvariety.

1. The scene on the left is portrayed as a scene of work in


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the fields, and his interpretation of man's labors as act ofepic heroism is further emphasized by the figures' solemngestures, immobilized in their ritual toil.

2. At the end of the hills, bathed in a soft afternoon light,Piero has depicted the city of Jerusalem.

3. It is in fact one of the views of Arezzo, enclosed by itswalls, and embellished by its varied coloured buildings,from stone grey to brick red.

4. This sense of colour, which enabled Piero to convey thedifferent textures of materials, with his use of differenttonalities intended to distinguish between seasons andtimes of day, reaches its height in these frescoes in

Arezzo, confirming the break away from contemporaryFlorentine painting.

5. To the right, below the temple to Minerva, whose facade inmarble of various colours is so similar to buildingsdesigned by Alberti, Empress Helena and her retinue standaround the stretcher where the dead youth lies; suddenly,

touched by the Sacred Wood, he is resurrected.6. The sloping Cross, the foreshortened bust of the youthwith his barely visible profile, the semi-circle created bythe Helena's ladies-in-waiting, and even the shadowsprojecting on the ground - every single element iscarefully studied in order to build a depth of space which,never before in the history of painting, had been rendered

with such strict three-dimensionality.


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1. Angels


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2. Prophets3. Torture of the Jew At the end wall

of the chapel, around the stain-glass window and below theprophets were placed the Burial

of the Wood (on the left) and theTorture of the Jew (on the right).These two stories were paintedby Piero's main assistantGiovanni da Piamonte.

4. Burial of the Wood Giovanni daPiemonte's heavy modeling

draws the stiff folds of thebearer's garments and their hair,rather mechanically tied inbunches.

5. On the Cross the vein of thewood, like an elegant decorative

element, forms a halo above thehead of the first bearer, who thusappears as a prefiguration ofChrist on the way to Calvary.

6. The sky covers half the surfaceof the fresco and the irregularwhite clouds are as though inlaid

in the expanse of blue.


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Battle between Constantine and Maxentius1. This episode certainly carried an important idealistic hidden meaning and alsotouched on contemporary events, at a time when Pius II was planning acrusade against the Turks.

2. All attempts to reconcile the two churches had in fact failed, so that, after theTurkish conquest of Constantinople, the only solution appeared to be to unite

all Christians in the struggle against the Infidel.


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Constantine's dream Constantine the Great


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Constantine's dream Constantine the Great(c. 280-337), was a Roman Emperor, the son ofHelena.1. He came to overall power in 312 after defeating

the Emperor Maxentius at the battle of the Milvian

bridge on the Tiber, an event traditionallyregarded as the turning point in the establishmentof Christianity within the empire.

2. According to Eusebius' Life of Constantine (1:27-32), on the eve of the battle Constantine saw in adream a cross in the sky, and heard a voicesaying, 'In hoc signo vinces' - 'By this sign shalt

thou conquer.3. Henceforth, it is said, he substituted the emblem

for the Roman eagle on the standard, or laborum,of the legions.

4. This scene is set in the middle of the night. Insidehis large tent, the Emperor lies asleep. Seated ona bench bathed in light, a servant watches overhim and gazes dreamily out towards the onlooker,as though in silent conversation.

5. With a daring innovation, that almost seems toanticipate Caravaggio's modern concept of light,the two sentries in the foreground stand out fromthe darkness, lit only from the sides by the light

projected from the angel above.

Annunciation


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The subject of this painting has nothingto do with the Golden Legend; this is anaddition by Piero.

The classical architecture is present

once again with the elegant column inthe centre. The symmetry of proportions is broken

by vanishing point, placed not in thecentre but to the right, behind the Virgin.

There is great attention to even the

smallest detail, brought out by thereflections of the light. From the transparent veil that covers

Mary's head, to the pearls that decorateher dress, from the wood intarsia on thedoor, to the shadows that are projected

on the white marble surfaces, there aremany new elements that will be furtherdeveloped in Piero's later works.


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Battle between Heraclius and Chosroes

1. The Eastern Emperor Heraclius wages war on the Persian King and, havingdefeated him, returns to Jerusalem with the Holy Wood.

2. But a divine power prevents the emperor from making his triumphal entry intoJerusalem.

3. So Heraclius, setting aside all pomp and magnificence, enters the city carryingthe Cross in a gesture of humility, following Jesus Christ's example.


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The Resurrection


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1. Its gravely Heroic Christimpassive and heraldicenters as a sombrelycompassionate

conqueror lifting thesleeping world onto anew level of being.

2. Painted for the town ofBorgo Sansepolcro(Italian for HolySepulchre)

3. Painted for his nativecity, probably just beforehis journey to Rome in1458.

4. This exemplifies Piero'sability to use archaic

iconographic elements,belonging to therepertory of popularsacred images, yetplacing them in anentirely new cultural andstylistic context.

1. The lower area, where


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,the artist has placed thesleeping guards, has avery low vanishingpoint.

2. Alberti, in histheoretical writings,suggests that thevanishing point shouldbe at the same level asthe figures' eyes.

3. By placing it on a lowerlevel, Piero foreshortenshis figures, thus makingthem more imposing intheir monumentalsolidity.

4. Above the figures of thesleeping sentries, Pierohas placed the watchfulChrist, no longer seenfrom below, butperfectly frontally.


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1. The landscape alsobelongs to therepertory of popularsacred images:

2. Piero has symbolicallydepicted it as half still

immersed in thebarrenness of winter,and half alreadybrought back to life -resurrected - byspringtime.


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The Flagellation


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An inscription on the frame ("convenerunt in unum") would seem to support thisinter retation. taken from Psalm 2

Political Event


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1. The theory that seems to be proposed mostfrequently is that the painting was commissionedas an attempt to favour the reconciliation betweenthe two Christian churches, of the East and of the

West, in view of the imminent Turkish attack onConstantinople. Both the presence of thecharacter in the centre, dressed after Greekfashion.

2. An inscription on the frame ("convenerunt inunum") would seem to support this interpretation.taken from Psalm 2 which reads; Why do the

nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth take their stand and therulers gather together against the LORD andagainst his Anointed One. 3 "Let us break theirchains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."4

. . . "I have installed my King on Zion, my

holy hill." 7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:. . . 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned,you rulers of the earth.

3. The capture of Constantinople by the Turks in wasin 1453.

4. The exposure of the Christian Church inConstantinople, representing the Body of Christ

to the torments of the Infidel.


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The bearded figureThe bearded figure may represent the Byzantine

Emperor John Paleologus whom Piero used as aConstantine in the Arezzo series.


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The figure on the right

The Bald figure has been used in the Misericordiaaltarpiece as one of the kneeling figures before the

Virgin. Also in the Arezzo chapel as one of thecouncillors to Solomon.


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The central figure1. The barefoot youth gazing up and outward has

been compared to a prophetic figure, he isonly wearing a tunic and a cloak clearly

intended to be an ancient costume and isprobably David the composer of the Psalm.

2. The bearded figure appears to be talking,perhaps preaching, the bald figure listeningand the figure in the middle as the psalmist,inspiring them both.


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1. Medal of the Emperor John VIII Palaiologos duringhis visit to Florence, by Pisanello (1438).

2. The legend reads, in Greek: "Palaiologos John,King and Emperor of the Romans"


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John VIII Palaiologus, by Benozzo Gozzoli


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Grisaille1 In his love for the solid reality of


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1. In his love for the solid reality ofsculpture Mantegna perfected a formof monochrome painting that imitatedthe effect and colour of stone relief.

Mantegnas technique

1. It resembles stone yet he was able togive it a vitality that brought it to life.

2. The story illustrated is Judith andHolofernes.

3. She stands like a sculpture of Junobefore the folds of the tent in whichshe has murdered the oppressor ofthe people.

4. She is remote and detachedemotionally from the extremity of the

event.5. She passes the head to her attendant.Holofernes foot appears behind her itsdisplacement from the head heightensthe sense of horror.


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He painted another version of this incolour the introduction of colourwith subtle shifts in the composition

heightens the intensity of the scene.

The grisaille shows the distancing.Both show a stillness and statelybeauty.


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The Court of MantuaAndrea Mantegna Detail. 1471-74, walnut oil on plaster,

Palazzo Ducale, Mantua


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1. Ludovico Gonzaga, condottiere and court ruler of Mantua, turned his castle namedthe Corte into a luxurious showplace for the visit of Pope Pius II in 1459.

2. The most impressive room in Gonzaga's Mantua castle was the Sala del Pisanello,a great hall decorated with murals in an Arthurian theme by Pisanello in 1447-48.

3. Mantua was home to a few holy relics, primary among them the "Most PreciousBlood" and the lance of Longinus.

4. The blood was supposedly collected from the lance which was used to pierce the

side of Christ at his crucifixion.

Gonzaga initiated acampaign to improve


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campaign to improveMantua's appearance afterthe pope visited his courtand reportedly criticized

certain aspects of the city. The court architect Leon

Batista Alberti advisedLudovico on restoration ofMantua sites whichhoused the holy relics.

Andrea Mantegna whoserved the Gonzaga forforty-six years as courtartist and was knighted byGonzaga in the 1480s.

Mantegna became anaccomplished courtierand so revered was thathe dominated the artisticscene of Mantua for many

years.

Dead ChristAndrea Mantegna (1431-1506)

Judith and Holofernes


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Artemisia Gentileschi

1. The story of Judith andHolofernes can be found inapocryphal Book of Judith.

2. Judith, a rich and beautiful widowfrom the town of Bethulia, wasrespected for her devotion to God.

3. The Assyrian army undercommander Holofernes besiegedBethulia. Judith came to theAssyrian camp.

4. She managed to deceiveHolofernes with a false reportabout the situation in thebesieged town. Invited to a privateparty with Holofernes, she waiteduntil he got drunk and chopped

his head off.

5. She brought the head to Bethulia.Next day Bethulian soldiers,armed with the head of theenemys commander, managed to

d i h

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Piero de La Francesa - Mantegna