Early Northern Renaissance15th century (Holland & Belgium today)
Italy shouldn’t get all the credit!!!
Netherlands in 15th century
• Most populated area of Europe• Most prosperous economy: capitalism,
middle class merchants• Trade in wool, farming, banking• Art patrons: Church, merchangs• Artists: considered craftspeople, workshops• Artwork: manuscript illumination, panel
paintings on wood (not much sculpture)
Why was early Northern Renaissance so important?
• Take notes on each artwork & artist in video.. Most are flashcards…
• Early Northern Renaissance: Supreme Art• Flashcards on internet will NOT have the
details… you will put those from your notes rather than relying on me to type them for you!!!
Champmoi Altarpiece, Meichior Broererlam, 1393-99, Oil on Wood Panel
STUDENT PRESENT ON OIL PAINTING & PAINTING IN THE NETHERLANDS & FLANDERS
Man in a Red Turban, Jan van Eyck, 1433
Early N. Renaissance
Possibly self portrait
Lettered, educated artist, diplomat.. Rose above level of craftsman
Brother Hubert was also artist
Pioneered oil painting and atmospheric perspective
Paintings full of iconography (symbolism)
WHY WAS OIL PAINTING SO IMPORTANT (STUDENT PRESENTATION)
Flashcard
Marriage of Arnolfini (Double Portrait), Jan van Eyck, 15th century
Northern Renaissance - Early
Flashcard
1st full length portrait ; SIGNED
Mirror was not a cliché, new feature
Signed with text indicating this was like a marriage certificate
Full of iconography; marriage bed window was outside/man’s world, 1 candle represented God in the chandelier, dog respresents fidelity,
See your notes for more details.
Ghent Altarpiece, Closed, Anunciation with Donors
1432 (flashcard)
GET NOTES FROM STUDENT PRESENTATION
Donors praying in corner, annunciation (Mary) in upper section, statues in center are painted.
Considered to launch Northern Renaissance!!
Van Eyck master of perspective, oil painting in layers, humanism in figures portrayed
Hubert & Jan van Eyck
Ghent Altarpiece open-flashcard Notes from video in
class
What were altarpieces used for?
Rogier Van der Weyden
Portait of a Lady (Flashcard)
1455 - oil & tempera on wood panel
Popularized half lengh pose, ¾ profile
Triangular composition
GET NOTES FROM CLASS & VIDEO
Deposition, Rogier Van de Weyden, 1435
Oil on wood panel
Flashcard…
Moving forms, S-curve
Showed individualized grief
Rogier van der Weyden, Last Judgment Altarpiece (closed), shownig donors N. rolin & Guigone de salins, oil on wood panel
Rogier van der Weyden, Last Judgment Altarpiece (open)
IMPORTANCE OF OIL PAINTING – GLAZES
-brilliant colors -more realistic modeling of figures
-could be reworked -
Oil painting even spread as far as Spain & Portugal
Nuno Goncalves painted this piece
Saint Vincent with the Royal Portuguese Family
7’ x 4’, 1465
IT ALL STARTED IN THE NORTH… FLANDERS, NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM…
Islamic influence
• Oriental rugs much prized (Islamic woven carpets)
• Via China, porcelain designs were much copied
• Calligraphy & pseudo Arabic script in early Renaissance and proto-Renaissance paintings
Virgin & Child, 1450
Jean Fouquet
Example of court style painting in France
Richness of Burgundy area
Fouquet was influenced by Flemish painting
Red & blue cherubs tapestry like background
Book of Hours (Tres Riches Heures), illuminated book on parchment, flashcard
Limbourg Brothers, Early Northern Renaissance ---portrayed peasant laborers!!!
Elaborate tapestries w/real gold,silver threads were made for upper classes
Many destroyed during French revolution
Unicorn is found at the Fountain
Also “decorative” arts with expensive materials, finely worked, popular to show richness & importance
Saint Ursula Reliquiary
(Painted & gilded oak)
34” x 36” x 13”
1489, Bruges, Belgium
Richly detailed paintings
Well of Moses, Dijon, France; Claus Sluter
Large limestone sculpture, originally painted
Very individualized & detailed
Horizontal draperies
Sculpture freed from architectural setting as in Gothic times
Inset – Death of the Virgin, Gothic period, Strasbourg Cathedral
The Merode Altarpiece (open), Triptych of the Annunciation, oil on wood, Robert Campin. 1425-28. FLASHCARD – GET NOTES FROM STUDENT PRESENTATION
Hint: 3-D realism, iconography. Donors shown..tiny Christ child in window , Joseph’s carpentry shop = City of Bruges.. Lily? Symbol of??????
Detail from Merode Altarpiece
Hugo van der Goes-student of van der Weyden
Combined intellectual of van Eyck with emotions of van der Weyden
Portinari Altarpiece (detail from open panel), 1474, Tempera & oil on wood panel
PAINTED PEASANTS (like Limbourg Brothers… ) unheard of.. Reality coming into contact with divine…
Did show medieval tradition of different sized people …
Children also portrayed
Iconography
Christ threatened by evil…
Center panel of Portinary Altarpiece by Van Goes
Angels are small, peasants large
Right hand panel of Portinary Altarpiece (open)
Detail from Portinary Altarpiece
Printmaking – woodblock
Explosion of learning in Europe
Demand for books
Artists began drawing on to the blocks for the craftsmen to cut the blocks and print
Illustrated stories, medical treatises, Bibles, etc.
Demons tormenting Saint Anthony… Engraving, 1480
Engraving allows more fine details and shadings
Demons are physically torturing the impassive Saint Anthony in this piece.
Role of Women in the Arts
Some women worked as illuminators or learned from fathers/husbands
Mary of Burgundy was famous patron of the arts, shown here in a book of the hours created for her.