The Rebirth of art The renaissance

The Renaissance: The Beginning of Modern Painting In the early 1400s, the rebirth of culture (known as the Renaissance) took place throughout Italy, originally in Florence before spreading to Rome and Venice By the 1500s the rest of Europe found the Renaissance: the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, and England (also known as the Northern Renaissance) Common elements: rediscovery of the art and literature of Greece and Rome, the scientific study of the body and the natural world, and the intent to reproduce the forms of nature realistically Focused on: Portraiture Landscape Mythological Paintings Religious Paintings Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo peaked during the High Renaissance (unfortunately, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did not peak for many, many years)

Connection to History The exploration of new continents and scientific research boosted man’s belief in himself The Protestant Reformation (which we’ll study in the future) decreased the sway of the Church That’s why so much of the artwork focuses on human beings rather than God (the Supreme Being); people developed art based on attitudes, thoughts, and feelings that the culture developed

The Nitty-Gritty details of Art The major technical renovations of art representing reality during the Renaissance OLD Tempera paint on wood panels Fresco on plaster walls NEW Oil on stretched canvas Use of perspective (giving weight and depth to form) The use of light and shadow (instead of just drawing lines) Pyramidal composition in paintings

1. Oil on Stretched Canvas Technical stuff you don’t need to know but is interesting: they made the paint by grounding fine a mineral like lapis lazuli and mixing it with turpentine and oil Why oil paint? This led to rich colors It led to smooth gradations of tone This tone allowed painters to represent textures This tone allowed the simulation of three-dimensional form

2. Perspective Perspective was the method of creating the illusion of depth on a flat surface Perspective becomes the foundation of European painting for the next 500 years Types of Perspective Linear Perspective: created the optical effect of objects receding in the distance through lines that appear to converge at a single point in the picture known as the vanishing point Shown in Masaccio’s “The Tribute Money” (shown on next slide) Painters also reduced the size of objects and muted colors or blurred detail as objects got farther away

“The Tribute Money” by Masaccio (1427) Where is the vanishing point in this painting?

3. The Use of Light and Shadow Italian name of the technique is Chiaroscuro (pronounced key-arrow-SKEWR-o) Chiaroscuro means “light/dark” in Italian It refers to the new technique for modeling forms in painting by which lighter forms seem to emerge from darker areas, producing the illusion of rounded, sculptural relief on a flat surface

4. Pyramid Configuration This was simply the use of a more three-dimensional approach in painting This symmetrical composition builds to a climax at the center, as in Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” (shown on the next slide)

“Mona Lisa” by Leonardo (1503-1506) Where is the focal point in this painting? How does Leonardo use light and shadow? How does Leonardo show perspective? Historically, Mona Lisa was nobody special, likely the young wife of a Florentine merchant. (Mona stands for Mrs.)

Key Artists: the First Three Masaccio (1401-1428) Became the cornerstone of European painting for more than 6 centuries Nicknamed “Sloppy Tom” because he neglected his appearance in his pursuit of art First since Giotto (pre-Middle Ages painter) to paint the human figure not as a linear column in the Gothic style, but as a real human being Mastered perspective Used as single, constant source of light accurately casting shadows

Key Artists: the First Three Donatello (1386-1466) Primarily a Classical sculptor Weight was concentrated on one leg with the rest of the body relaxed, and often turned He carved figures and draped them realistically with a sense of their underlying skeletal structure “David” was the first life-size freestanding nude sculpture since the Classical period “Mary Magdalen” was harshly accurate and more “real” than ancient Roman portraits (on the following slide) Magdalen was carved as a “gaunt, shriveled hag, with stringy hair and hollowed eyes”

“Mary Magdalen” by Donatello Look at the time Donatello was alive (1386-1466) and fill in the blank of what Donatello reportedly shouted at Magdalen, “Speak, speak or the ________ take you!”

Key Artists: the First Three Botticelli (1444-1510) He went the opposite way from Masaccio and Donatello He used decorative linear style He focused on tiptoeing, golden-haired maidens in a remembrance of Byzantine art His nudes epitomized the Renaissance though and “Birth of Venus” marked the rebirth of Classical mythology

The Artists of the Italian Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Universally admired for his handsome appearance, intellect, and charm He was a tall man with long blond hair “whose every movement was grace itself, and whose abilities were so extraordinary that he could readily solve every difficulty.” He also could sing “divinely” and “his charming conversation won all hearts” (I heard a rumor he also saved the last unicorn ever born and could actually throw a rainbow into the sky with only his painted hands…but that’s just a rumor) He was also fascinated with flight Leonardo created the concept of the artist-genius by stressing the intellectual aspects of art and creativity (previously artists were viewed as menial craftsmen) Having said that, his curiosity lured him from one incomplete project to another Less than 20 completed works survived until today, the most famous being “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper”

“The Last Supper” by Leonardo (1495) Two aims: To paint the man and the intention of his soul. This is hard: How does Leonardo use perspective?