The document provides an overview of Northern Renaissance art from 1500-1600 in Northern Europe and Spain. It discusses major artists and styles that emerged in this period in countries like Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain. Key figures mentioned include Matthias Grünewald, Albrecht Dürer, Hans Holbein, Hieronymus Bosch, and El Greco. The document also examines how the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation impacted religious art in different regions.

1. Northern Renaissance Art
N. Europe and Spain,
1500 to 1600
Gardner’s Art Through the Ages,
13e, Chapter 23
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2. Europe in the 16th Century
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3. Goals
• Identify artists from the 16th century Spain and Northern Europe
• Understand the artistic styles in Spain and Northern Europe
• Recognize and cite artistic terminology from this period
• Understand the consequences of the Protestant Reformation and
the Catholic Counter-Reformation
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4. 23.1 Art in the Holy Roman Empire
during the 16th Century
• Understand German culture and artistic styles
• Identify representative German artists from the 16th century
• Recognize and cite artistic terminology from this period
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5. MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, Isenheim Altarpiece (closed, top; open, bottom), from the chapel of the Hospital of Saint Anthony, Isenheim, Germany,
ca.1510–1515. Oil on wood, 9' 9 1/2” x 10’ 9”, (center panel), 8’ 2 1/2” x 3’ 1/2” (each wing), 2’ 5 1/2” x 11’ 2” (predella). Shrine carved by Nikolaus
Hagenauer in 1490. Painted and gilt limewood, 9’ 9 1/2” x 10’ 9”. Musée d’Unterlinden, Colmar.
The Isenheim Altarpiece includes an enormous graphic account of the Crucifixion.
The lamb can be interpreted to symbolize the Son of God
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6. MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, Isenheim Altarpiece (first opened), from the chapel of the Hospital of Saint Anthony, Isenheim, Germany, ca.1510–1515.
Oil on wood, 9' 9 1/2” x 10’ 9”, (center panel), 8’ 2 1/2” x 3’ 1/2” (each wing), 2’ 5 1/2” x 11’ 2” (predella). Shrine carved by Nikolaus Hagenauer in
1490. Painted and gilt limewood, 9’ 9 1/2” x 10’ 9”.
Musée d’Unterlinden, Colmar.
In Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece, the artist has used specific references, saints and symbols to depict pain, suffering, and
salvation and redemption. The following were included in the Altarpiece: The Annunciation, Nativity, Lamentation,
Entombment, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and portraits of its patrons. 6

7. The major
stylistic changes
in Northern
Renaissance art
first occurred in
Germany.
MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, The Risen Christ, Isenheim Altarpiece (open, top right-side), from the chapel of the Hospital of Saint
Anthony, Isenheim, Germany, ca.1510–1515. Oil on wood Musée d’Unterlinden, Colmar.
This radiant image of the resurrection was meant to give hope to the suffering and dying patients at the hospital.
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8. MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, Isenheim Altarpiece (closed, top; open, bottom), from the chapel of the Hospital of Saint
Anthony, Isenheim, Germany, ca.1510–1515. Oil on wood, 9' 9 1/2” x 10’ 9”, (center panel), 8’ 2 1/2” x 3’ 1/2” (each
wing), 2’ 5 1/2” x 11’ 2” (predella). Shrine carved by Nikolaus Hagenauer in 1490. Painted and gilt limewood, 9’ 9 1/2” x
10’ 9”. Musée d’Unterlinden, Colmar.
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9. HANS BALDUNG GRIEN, Witches’ Sabbath, 1510.
Chiaroscuro woodcut, 1’ 2 7/8” X 10 ¼”. British
Museum, London.
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10. Albrecht Durer
“Leonardo of the North”
• Travelled widely through Europe and became an international
celebrity
• Took trips to Italy to study Renaissance art
• First artist to synthesize Northern European stylistic features
(intricate detail, realistic rendering of objects, symbols hidden as
everyday objects) and blend them with Italian features (classical
body types, linear perspective) - admired the work of Leonardo
• First artist to keep a thorough record of his life (self-portraits,
treatises on his thoughts, and a diary)
• Important graphic artist - best known for his engravings
• Influenced significantly by Martin Luther and Protestant
Reformation
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11. A nonreligious still-
life, The Great Piece
of Turf is a precise
and scientifically
accurate rendering of a
small botanical
landscape. It heeded
Leonardo’s notion that
"observation yielded
truth."
ALBRECHT DÜRER, Great Piece of Turf,
1503. Watercolor, 1’ 3/4” x 1’ 3/8”.
Albertina, Vienna.
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12. Albrecht Durer
made the first series
of self-portraits in
western art.
ALBRECHT DÜRER, Self-Portrait
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13. Albrecht Durer is
considered one of the
greatest printmakers of
all time.
In this engraving, he
demonstrated his blend
of the influence of Italian
art with Northern
European traditions.
ALBRECHT DÜRER, The Fall of Man
(Adam and Eve), 1504. Engraving,
9 7/8” x 7 5/8”. Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston (centennial gift of Landon T. Clay).
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14. Durer's Knight, Death,
and Devil is a
metaphor for the knight
as a soldier of God.
The mounted Christian
knight displays a
monumental strength
and character
reminiscent of
Verrocchio.
ALBRECHT DÜRER,
Knight, Death, and the Devil, 1513.
Engraving, 9 5/8” x 7 3/8”.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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15. Albrecht Durer was
one of the first to
considered “the artist”
to be an educated and
cultured gentleman.
ALBRECHT DÜRER, Four Apostles, 1526.
Oil on wood, each panel 7’ 1” x 2’ 6”. Alte
Pinakothek, Munich.
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16. 23.2 Protestant Reformation
• Understand the consequences of the Protestant
Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation
• Observe how Protestantism affected the role and
imagery of art
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17. LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER, Allegory of Law and Grace, ca. 1530. Woodcut, 10 5/8” x 1’ 3/4”. British Museum, London.
In Allegory of Law and Grace, Lucas Cranach the Elder has depicted the differences between the Roman Catholic Church and
the followers of Martin Luther. This woodcut was dubbed with the title, "painter of the Reformation."
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18. The Bavarian painter,
Albrecht Altdorfer, is
credited with creating the
first 'true landscape'
painting.
The Battle of Issus by
Altdorfer includes his use
of the birds-eye viewpoint.
ALBRECHT ALTDORFER, The Battle of Issus,
1529. Oil on wood, 5’ 2 1/4” x 3’ 11 1/4”.
Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
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19. Hans Holbein
specialized in
portraiture.
An anamorphic
symbol appears in
Holbein's French
Ambassadors.
When viewed from
below left and at
an acute angle a
skull appears.
HANS HOLBEIN THE
YOUNGER, The French
Ambassadors, 1533. Oil and
tempera on wood, approx.
6’ 8” x 6’ 9 1/2”. National
Gallery, London.
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20. 23.3 Art in France
during the 16th Century
• Understand the French culture and artistic styles
• Identify representative French artists from the 16th century
• Recognize and cite artistic terminology from this period
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21. JEAN CLOUET, Francis I, ca. 1525–1530.
Tempera and oil on wood, approx. 3’ 2” x 2’ 5”.
Louvre, Paris.
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22. Château de Chambord, Chambord, France, begun 1519.
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23. PIERRE LESCOT, west wing of the Cour Carre (Square Court) of the Louvre, Paris, France, begun 1546.
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24. 23.4 Art in the Netherlands
during the 16th Century
• Understand Dutch culture and artistic styles
• Identify representative Dutch artists from the 16th century
• Recognize and cite artistic terminology from this period
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25. HIERONYMUS BOSCH, Garden of Earthly Delights, 1505-1510. Oil on wood,
center panel 7’ 2 5/8” X 6’ 4 ¾”, each wing 7’ 2 5/8” X 3’ 2 ¼”. Museo del Prado, Madrid.
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26. JAN GOSSAERT Neptune and Amphitrite, ca. 1516.
Oil on wood, 6’ 2” x 4’ 3/4”.
Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin.
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27. Quinten Massys
was willing to
explore the
various styles of
the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries.
This exploration
can be seen in
Money-Changer
and His Wife.
The artist has given
us an image of a
professional man
transacting
business. He has
provided insight
into the secular life
of the Netherlands.
QUINTEN MASSYS,
Money-Changer and His Wife,
1514. Oil on wood,
2’ 3 3/4” x 2’ 2 3/8”.
Louvre, Paris.
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28. PIETER AERTSEN, Butcher’s Stall, 1551. Oil on wood, 4’ 3/8” x 6’ 5 3/4”. Uppsala University Art Collection, Uppsala.
In Pieter Aertsen's Meat Still-Life, the artist has created what appears to be a descriptive genre scene, a butcher's shop
displaying its products, as well as fish and pretzels. This work also has embedded religious references within it.
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29. CATERINA VAN HEMESSEN, Self-
Portrait, 1548. Oil on panel, 1’ x 9 7/8”.
Kunstmuseum, Öffentliche
Kunstsammlung Basel.
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30. Attributed to LEVINA TEERLINC.
Elizabeth I as a Princess, ca. 1559.
Oil on wood, 3’ 6 3/4” x 2’ 8 1/4”.
The Royal Collection, Windsor Castle,
Windsor, England.
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31. JOACHIM PATINIR, Landscape with Saint Jerome, ca. 1520–1524. Oil on wood, 2’ 5 1/8” x 2’ 11 7/8”. Museo del Prado, Madrid.
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32. PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER, Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559. Oil on wood, 3’ 10” x 5’ 4 1/8”.
Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin. 32

33. In Bruegel's Netherlandish Proverbs, the artist has depicted the
Netherlandish obsession with proverbs. The scene is busy with
a topsy-turvy multiplicity of figures and activities. It is
reminiscent of Bosch.
In Hunters in the Snow, the artist has captured the atmosphere of a
cold winter's day. The landscape is snow-covered and stark with
the returning hunters wearily trudging home. It is reminiscent
of earlier renditions of seasons. Limbourg Brothers' Les Très
Riches Heures du Duc de Berry also described the seasons and
might have been influential in the conception of this work.

34. PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER, Hunters in the Snow, 1565. Oil on wood, approx. 3’ 10 1/8” x 5’ 3 3/4”.
Pieter Bruegel traveled to Italy yet chose not to incorporate classical elements into his work.
He did a series of six paintings showing seasonal changes.
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35. 23.5 Art in Spain
during the 16th Century
• Understand Spanish culture and artistic styles
• Identify representative Spanish artists from the 16th century
• Recognize and cite artistic terminology from this period
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36. Portal, Colegio de San Gregorio,
Valladolid, Spain, ca. 1498.
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37. Portal, Casa de Montejo,
Merida, Mexico, 1549.
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38. Juan de Herrera and Juan Bautista de Toledo, El Escorial, near Madrid, Spain, ca. 1563–1584
(detail of an anonymous 18th-century painting).
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39. In El Greco's Burial
of Count Orgaz, the
artist has successfully
merged his early and
late styles.
He combined
expressive, elongated
figures with rich
color and realism in
this one work.
EL GRECO, The Burial of Count Orgaz,
1586. Oil on canvas, 16’ x 12’.
Santo Tomé, Toledo.
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40. Discussion Questions
 How does art influence or reflect religion? How does
Protestant art differ from Catholic art during the
Reformation and Counter Reformation?
 Does religion influence art today? If so, how? How
prevalent is religious art today? Why?
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