Chapter 21-23 Late Medieval Italy and Early Renaissance Northern Europe to High Renaissance and Mannerism In art history, the 16th century sees the styles we call the High Renaissance followed by Mannerism, and—at the end of the century—the emergence of the “Baroque style” (Chapter 24). Naturally, these styles are all shaped by historical forces, the most significant being the Protestant Reformation’s successful challenge to the spiritual and political power of the Church in Rome. For the history of art this has particular significance since the use (and abuse) of images was the topic of debate. In fact, many images were attacked and destroyed during this period, a phenomenon called “iconoclasm”. Iconoclasm is the destruction of religious icons and other images or monuments for religious or political motives. Over time, the word, usually in the adjectival form, has also come to refer to aggressive statements or actions against any well-established status quo. Read p. 681 Catholic Versus Protestant Views of Salvation.

Today there are many types of Protestant Churches Today there are many types of Protestant Churches. For example, Baptist is currently the largest denomination in the United States but there are many dozens more. How did this happen? Where did they all begin? To understand the Protestant Reform movement, we need to go back in history to the early 16th century when there was only one church in Western Europe - what we would now call the Roman Catholic Church - under the leadership of the Pope in Rome. Today, we call this "Roman Catholic" because there are so many other types of churches (ie Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican - you get the idea).

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Michelangelo Buonarroti Pieta 1498-1500 Marble

Michelangelo Buonarroti David 1501-1504 Marble

Michelangelo Buonarroti Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Ceiling 1511-1512 Fresco

Michelangelo Buonarroti The Last Judgment 1536-1541 Fresco

Source: Data from: University of California, San Diego

The early sixteenth century was a time of great innovation and experimentation in Venetian painting. Led by Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione, and Titian, artists in Venice radically reinterpreted traditional subjects and introduced new ones, such as the pastoral landscape, the provocative woman, and the dramatic portrait. The manner of depicting these new themes was equally revolutionary. Paintings became larger in scale, compositions more dynamic, and brushwork more expressive and fluid. Artists embraced oil painting as the medium par excellence for rendering textures, capturing effects of light and atmosphere, and creating the luminous colors that are perhaps Venice's most dazzling legacy to the history of art.

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Chapter 22 The Baroque in Italy and Spain