1. The Northern Renaissance
Chapter 17 Section 2
The Northern Renaissance

2. Renaissance Art in Northern Europe
Should not be considered an appendage to Italian art.
But, Italian influence was strong.
Painting in OIL, developed in Flanders, was widely adopted in Italy.

3. The differences between the two cultures:
Italy  change was inspired by humanism with its emphasis on the revival of the values of classical antiquity.
N. Europe  change was driven by religious reform, the return to Christian values, and the revolt against the authority of the Church.
More princes & kings were patrons of artists.

4. Characteristics of Northern Renaissance Art
The continuation of late medieval attention to details.
Tendency toward realism & naturalism [less emphasis on the “classical ideal”].
Interest in landscapes.
More emphasis on middle-class and peasant life.
Details of domestic interiors.
Great skill in portraiture.

5. The Northern Renaissance Begins
By the late 1400s, Renaissance ideas had spread to Northern Europe
Especially: England, France, Germany, and Flanders (now part of France and the Netherlands).
End of Hundred Years War in 1453 sparks growth in Flanders

6. The Northern Renaissance Begins
England and France were unified under strong monarchs
Francis I of France invited Leonardo da Vinci to retire in France
Fontainebleau castle became a showcase for Renaissance art
artists were especially interested in realism

7. The School of Fontainebleau
It revolved around the artists at Francis I’s Palace at Fontainebleau.
A group of artists that decorated the Royal Palace between the 1530s and the 1560s.
It was an offshoot of the Mannerist School of Art begun in Italy at the end of the High Renaissance.
characterized by a refined elegance, with crowded figural compositions in which painting and elaborate stucco work were closely integrated.
Their work incorporated allegory in accordance with the courtly liking for symbolism.

8. The School of Fontainebleau
Gallery [right] by Rosso Fiorentino & Francesco Primaticcio

9. Artistic Ideas Spread
War in Italy resulted in artists moving to Northern Europe for safer lifestyle
N. European artists who studied in Italy carried Renaissance ideas back to their homelands

10. German Painters 1494-Albrecht Dürer studied in Italy
woodcuts and engravings
emphasis upon realism
Hans Holbein the Younger
portraits almost photographic in detail
Emigrated to England
Painted portraits of King Henry VIII

11. Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) The greatest of German artists.
A scholar as well as an artist.
His patron was the Emperor Maximilian I.
Also a scientist
Wrote books on geometry, fortifications, and human proportions.
Self-conscious individualism of the Renaissance is seen in his portraits.
 Self-Portrait at 26, 1498.

12. Dürer – Self-Portrait in Fur-Collared Robe, 1500

13. Durer – The Triumphal Arch, 1515-1517

14. The Triumphal Arch, details

15. The Triumphal Arch, details

16. Hans Holbein, the Younger (1497-1543)
One of the great German artists who did most of his work in England.
While in Basel, he befriended Erasmus.
Erasmus Writing, 1523 
Henry VIII was his patron from 1536.
Great portraitist noted for:
Objectivity & detachment.
Doesn’t conceal the weaknesses of his subjects.

17. Artist to the Tudors
Henry VIII (left), 1540 and the future Edward VI (above), 1543.

18. Holbein’s, The Ambassadors, 1533
A Skull

19. Multiple Perspectives

20. Flemish Painters Flanders-the artistic center of northern Europe
Jan van Eyck
Used oil-based paints
layers of paint
created a variety of subtle colors in clothing and jewels
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
skillful in portraying large numbers of people
everyday peasant life

21. Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife (Wedding Portrait) Jan Van Eyck 1434

22. Jan van Eyck - Giovanni Arnolfini & His Wife (details)

23. Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569)
One of the greatest artistic geniuses of his age.
Worked in Antwerp and then moved to Brussels.
In touch with a circle of Erasmian humanists.
Was deeply concerned with human vice and follies.
A master of landscapes; not a portraitist.
People in his works often have round, blank, heavy faces.
They are expressionless, mindless, and sometimes malicious.
They are types, rather than individuals.
Their purpose is to convey a message.

24. Bruegel’s, Tower of Babel, 1563

25. Bruegel’s, Mad Meg, 1562

26. Bruegel’s, The Beggars, 1568

27. Bruegel’s, Parable of the Blind Leading the Blind, 1568

28. Bruegel’s, Niederlandisch Proverbs, 1559

29. Northern Writers Try to Reform Society
Italian humanists were very interested in reviving classical languages and classical texts
Northern humanists were critical of the failure of the Church to inspire people to live a Christian life
Christian humanism focused on the reform of society

30. Christian Humanists Desiderius Erasmus wrote The Praise of Folly
in order to improve society, all people should study the Bible
Thomas More wrote Utopia
an imaginary land where greed, corruption, and war have been weeded out
More wrote in Latin, but later translated when popular

32. Women’s Reforms formal schooling - usually sent only their sons
Christine de Pizan
First woman to earn a living as a writer
Wrote in French
Men frequently made objections to educating women
She questioned different treatment of boys and girls

33. Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England

34. The Elizabethan Age Renaissance spread to England in the mid-1500s
known as the Elizabethan Age, after Queen Elizabeth I
Well-rounded education
She supported the development of English art and literature

35. William Shakespeare
People regard him as the greatest playwright of all time
He revealed the souls of men and women through scenes of dramatic conflict
Tragedies: Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear
Comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew

36. Printing Spreads Renaissance Ideas
Around 1045, Bi Sheng of China invented movable type
most Chinese printers found movable type impractical due to large number of characters
Gutenberg Improves the Printing Process
13th century - blockprinted items reached Europe from China.
Too slow and laborious for demand

38. Johann Gutenberg improved process Gutenberg Bible first full-sized book printed with movable type

39. The Legacy of the Renaissance
Changes in Society
• Printing changed society by making more information available and inexpensive enough for society at large.
• A greater availability of books prompted an increased desire for learning and a rise in literacy throughout Europe.
• Published accounts of new discoveries, maps, and charts led to further
discoveries in a variety of fields.
• Published legal proceedings made the laws clear so that people were more
likely to understand their rights.
• Christian humanists’ attempts to reform society changed views about how
life should be lived.
• People began to question political structures and religious practices
Changes in the Arts
• Art drew on techniques and styles of classical Greece and Rome.
• Paintings and sculptures portrayed individuals and nature in more realistic and lifelike ways.
• Artists created works that were secular as well as those that were religious.
•Writers began to use vernacular languages to express their ideas.
• The arts praised individual achievement.