The document provides summaries of several key works of art from the Renaissance period in Italy and Northern Europe: - Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper depicts Jesus announcing that one of the Apostles will betray him. - His Vitruvian Man illustrates the proportions of the ideal human form. - Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling depicts scenes from Genesis on the vaulted ceiling. - Albrecht Dürer's Melencolia I reflects the self-doubt artists faced after returning from Italy. - Raphael's School of Athens depicts Plato and Aristotle surrounded by ancient philosophers.

1. AP Art History Midterm Term 2

2. The Last Supper 1495-98, da Vinci, Milan, tempera and oil Commissioned by Duke Ludovico Sforza’s request Painted in the refectory, or dining hall of the Monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie The tapestries and coffered ceiling seem to extend the painting Jesus and the apostles are seated parallel to the picture plane The vanishing point lies behind Jesus’ head Pyramid composition Disciples grouped in 3’s The scene captures the moment when Jesus tells them that one will betray him Symbolically shows Jesus’ coming sacrifice and the institution of the ritual of the Mass Judas, John, and Peter form a triad Medieval tradition of numerical symbolism He eliminated the halo Careful geometry, perspective lines, stability, timelessness, calm, classical sculpture

3. Vitruvian Man C. 1490, ink, Venice Da Vinci sought precise details of anatomy and geometric basis of perfect proportions He equated the ideal man with both circle and square Diagram for the ideal male figure

4. Virgin and Saint Anne with the Christ Child and the Young John the Baptist C. 1500, da Vinci, charcoal on paper, done in Florence Full scale model = cartoon Mary sits on the knee of Anne and holds Christ, who strains to reach for his cousin, John He created the illusion of high relief by modeling figures with chiaroscuro There is a circular movement rather than a central focus This retains the individual importance of each figure and makes each o them an integral part of the whole Figures have tender expressions

5. Mona Lisa C. 1503, da Vinci, oil on wood panel The subject may have been Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, the wife of a prominent merchant in Florence Solid pyramidal form Desolate grandeur of mountains reinforces the paintings mysterious atmosphere Very enigmatic expression Her gaze looks out at the viewer There is an implied challenge with her direct stare and an apparent serenity with inner strength Da Vinci covered his works with a thin, lightly tinted varnish which resulted in a smoky overall haze = sfumato

6. Pieta C. 1500, Saint Peter’s, Vatican, Rome Taught by Ghirlandaio by whom he learned fresco painting and drawings of classical monuments Joined the Medici family Influenced greatly by Savonrola Commissioned by a French cardinal and installed as a tomb monument in Old St. Peter’s Pieta = Gothic tradition Shows forever mother and child Only work he ever signed He traveled btwn Rome and Florence

7. David 1501-04, Galleria dell’ Academia, Florence Originally meant to be placed atop a buttress of the Florence Cathedral Later it was planned to go next to the seat of Florence’s government Embodies athletic ideal of antiquity Emotional power of its expression and concentrated = entirely new The male nude implies heroic or even divine qualities Shows power of right over might = perfect emblem for Florentines who recently fought Milan, Siena, and Pisa Similar to Spear Bearer

8. Sistine Ceiling 1508-12 Commissioned by Julius II His initial order was trompe l’oeil coffers Later he wanted the 12 apostles to be painted in the spandrels He was later given free reign do paint whatever he wanted Illusionistic marble architecture establishes a framework Pilasters display little nude boys = putti Old Testament prophets and classical sibyls (female prophets - foretold Jesus’ birth) scenes run down the middle God’s earliest acts of creation are told closest to the altar Beheading scenes in corners

9. Moses 1513-1515, Tomb of Julius II, S. Pietro in Vincoli, Rome This was Michelangelo's first papal sculpture commission The only sculpture from the original design to be incorporated in the final monument Moses is inspired by Laocoon and His Sons Only 2 base figures were carved (?)

10. Tomb of Guiliano de’ Medici 1519-34, Medici Chapel (New Sacristy), Church of San Lorenzo, Florence Michelangelo became chief architect for Medici family projects at the Church of San Lorenzo The older men’s tombs were never built Younger relatives were placed on opposite side walls of the New Sacristy (the Old Sacristy by Brunelleschi, is at the other end) Each of the monuments consists of an idealized portrait of the deceased Male and female figures on the sarchophagi show times of day San Lorenzo was built by Brunelleschi Looks classical but feels compressed Looks like exterior architecture inside Guiliano represents the active life - his allegorical figures are day and night Lorenzo represents Contemplative life - his figures = dawn and evening

11. The Small Cowper Madonna C. 1505, Raphael, oil on wood panel Native of Urbino Studied with Perugino Work named for a modern owner He must have studied da Vinci’s work to achieve such simple grandeur Solid forms The domed Church of San Bernardino is in the background - = church in Urbino Known for his Madonna and Childs Seen as the culmination of the Renaissance in Italy Bathed in great light Interested in Flemish art

12. School of Athens 1510-1511, fresco in the Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Part of 4 branches of knowledge: religion, philosophy, poetry, law Summarizes the ideals of the Renaissance papacy in its harmoniously arranged forms and rational space and calm dignity of its figures Plato and Aristotle are silhouetted against the sky Plato holds a book and gestures towards the heavens as the ultimate source of philosophy Aristotle, emphasizes the importance of gathering empirical knowledge from the material world The niches show earthly wisdom + platonic thought

13. Leo X with Cardinals Guilio de Medici and Luigi de’ Rossi C. 1518, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence Raphael became director of all archaeological and architectural projects in Rome under Leo X This portrait depicts Leo X as a great book collector Leo’s driving ambition was the advancement of the Medici family Clement VII and a Medici Cardinal also shown This painting shows van Eyck’s great influence on Raphael Embodies renaissance ideas Triangular, solid figure

14. Tempietto 1502-10, Church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome, martryium Bramante typified the new ideal classical style He led the new Renaissance style in architecture He was attached to the Sforza court in Milan, but he eventually went to Rome Commissioned by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in Spain Small shrine over spot in Rome where the apostle Peter was believed to have been crucified He created a renaissance interpretation of the principles of Vitruvius Recalls early Christian shrines and ancient Roman temples Deep wall niches create contrasts of light and shadow

15. Plan for the New Saint Peter’s 1506, Bramante Commissioned by Julius II Appointed as chief architect The plan = a Greek cross in a square Resembles traditional Byzantine domed churches and the central dome was inspired by the Pantheon Raphael replaced Bramante when he died as papal architect

16. Isenheim Altarpiece C. 1510-15, Grunewald, chapel of the hospital of St. Anthony, Isenheim, Germany Worked in the cort of archbishop of Mainz Illustrates intensity of religious feeling that motivated the religious reform movement that would sweep Germany Created to protect the shrine by Niklaus Hagenauer at the Abbey of St. Anthony Commemorates the abbey’s patron saint = Anthony of Egypt or Anthony Abbot St. Sebastian and St. Anthony are shown in lifesize proportions b/c they’re associated w/ the plague He showed the most horrific details of the tortured Christ The lamb alludes to the Christian rites of baptism and the Eucharist & to Christ as the lamb of God When opened, it shows Christian events of joy -- Annunciation, Nativity, Resurrection

17. Unlike Italian Ren., his aim = strike the heart, not the mind & evoke sympathy, not an intellectual idea Great religious symbolism Showed range of ethnic types and differently aged angels Symbolic and narrative imagery Grunewald actively supported peasants

18. Self-Portrait C. 1500, oil on wood panel, Albrecht D ürer Shows himself as an idealized, even Christ-like figure in a severely frontal pose, meeting the viewer’s eyes like an icon His hair and robe creates a triangle, the timeless symbol of unity

19. The Fall of Man C. 1504, Albrecht Durer, engraving He had an interest in Italian art and theoretical investigation This is his first documented use of a canon of ideal human proportions based on Roman copies of Greek sculptures The plants have great naturalistic detail The landscape has symbolic content The four human temperaments are symbolized by the animals The mouse symbolizes Satan

20. Melencolia I 1514, Engraving, Durer Reflects the self-doubt that beset Durer after he returned from Italy Created a superhuman figure caught in mental turmoil Surrounded by math and drawing implements Artist = craftsman and intellect Symbolic of night with bat The sad person was thought to live under the influence of black bile Durer seems to brood on the futility of art and the fleeting nature of human life Foreshadows affects of religious turmoil, social upheaval, and civil war soon to sweep northern Europe

21. Four Apostles C. 1526, oil on panel, Durer These inscribed panels professed Durer’s belief in Lutheranism The paintings show John, Peter, Mark and Paul in an arrangement that suggests the rise of Protestantism Peter is o the left and holds up his key to the Church, but seems to shrink behind John, Luther’s favorite evangelist Mark hides behind Paul, whose teachings were admired by Protestants Long inscriptions at the base warn the viewer not to be led astray by “false prophets” Excerpts from the Letters of Peter, John, and Paul, and the Gospel of Mark are included from Luther’s German translation of the Bible This piece was presented to the city of Nuremberg

22. Henry VIII By Hans Holbein the Younger, oil on panel Holbein was introduced to the Dutch scholar Erasmus to the humanist circle around the statesman Thomas More He was appointed court painter to Henry VIII Henry envied Francis I and attempted to outdo him in every way, imitated French fashions Shows his likeness and power Painted for his wedding to Anne of Cleaves Shows Northern Renaissance tradition

23. Francis I 1525, Jean Clouet, tempera and oil on panel Clouet became the principal court painter He softened Francis’s distinctive features but didn’t completely idealize them Great color and sense of elegance Very flat

24. Chateau of Chenonceau 1513-21, Touraine, France French Renaissance built on Italian taste Italians hired for French court Looks like Italian renaissance palazzo without decoration Has Gothic detail with simple classical forms Italian palazzo = simple, horizontal, rustication on edges and doors French is more decorated Built on Cher river Medici built gallery on bridge Retains steep decorative elements

25. West Wing of the Cour Carre Palais du Louvre, Paris, begun 1546 Pierre Lescot (architect) and Jean Goujon (sculptor) Building incorporated Renaissance ideals of balance and regularity with classical architecture details and rich sculptural decoration Turrets with pointed roofs gave way to rounded arches Classical pilasters and entablatures replaced Gothic buttresses The rectangular windows + sumptuous decoration = french

26. Wall Decorations, Palace at Fontainebleau 1540’s, Primaticcio This was Francis’s primary residence This was a redecoration of Anne’s - Francis’s mistress- room Combined woodworking, stucco relief, and fresco painting in a complex, but lighthearted and graceful interior design Lithe nymphs are playfully sexual Many mythological figures and Roman architectural ornament Very joyous This Italian phase of the palace decoration established a tradition of Mannerism in painting and interior design that spread to other centers

27. Garden of Earthly Delights C. 1506-15, Hieronymus Bosch, oil on wood panel Piece associated with medieval art Overall subject is sin -- the Christian belief in human beings’ natural state of sinfulness and their inability to save themselves Only damned shown on right Seems to caution that damnation is the natural outcome of a life lived in folly Adam and Eve on the left- watched over by an owl which symbolizes both wisdom and folly He was obsessed with unnatural unions in the world Central panel = parable on human salvation…?

28. Return of the Hunters C. 1565, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, oil on panel Paints in style of Bosch Painted every day people Incredible panoramic Close to Limbourg Brother’s winter scape He had a mannerist heritage The main subject is often deliberately hidden He was a great landscape painter This is one of a cycle of 6 panels, each showing two months of the year They were frequently commissioned as decorations for elegant Netherlandish homes He has captured the damp cold winter atmosphere The hunters appear neutral and realistic The lack of a middle ground is typically Mannerist 3 yrs after it was painted the struggle of the northern provinces for independence from Spain began

29. Self-Portrait 1548, Caterina van Hemessen, oil on wood She learned to paint from her father Quiet realism and skilled rendering have roots in the classical Renaissance style She identified her subject and the subject’s age in the background and signed and dated the work She spent her early career in Antwerp She was a favored court artist to Mary of Hungary

30. Princess Elizabeth C. 1559, Levina Bening Teerlinc, oil on panel Teerlinc was the highest-paid painter in the English court She is assumed to have painted mainly miniature portraits or scenes on vellum Idealized features The book displays Elizabeth’s love of learning