ART 210 Notes

3/11/2013 7:57:00 AM

Mantegna, Camera Picta To show power, influence of the Gonzagas But also the artistry and the wit of Mantegna Allusions to Rome, depictions of Roman emperors on the ceiling Mantegna Interested in antiquity and perspective San Zeno altarpiece (1456-59) o Verona, tempera on panel o An extension of Venice o Located in a classical temple No Christian iconography Interest in illusion o Frame is not Gothic Classically inspired Like architecture of Brunelleschi Contributes to illusion o Illusionistic space United by swags of fruit Putti reliefs in the back Incredible naturalism Depicts space really accurately o Predella Scenes from the last moments of Christs life Crucifixion Interest in historical documentation Appropriate costumes for the period To the left, roman soldiers To the right, mary swooning Incredible knowledge of antiquity Cinematic depiction of space Soldiers are cropped at the bottom After this work, goes to Mantua to work for the Gonzagas Republican government, La Serenisima Doge, the head of the republic; elected and ruled into death So yeah its still quite corrupt

Venice

 Commercially successful, trade with the East Greatly influenced by Byznatium, Islam San Marco basilica (1064-1094) Stole the body of St. Mark and brought it here Gold mosaics from 1270s in Byzantine style Recalls the style of Constantinople, like Hagia Sophia Built in pieces over time Piazza San Marco made early on, 1270s o Inspiration for other towns o Close connection with governmental building, Doges palace o Important meeting ground for citizens Doges Palace, 1340-1438 Gothic style 2 story arcade lightweight stone, pointed arches, tracery on bottom recalls Islamnic patterning top-heavy Jacopo Bellini Student of Gentile da Fabriano Father in law of Mantegna; sons are artists Dormition of the Virgin 1450 o Leadpoint on parchment o From notebook o A space that looks like the Doges palace; complex, Gothic architecture Death of virgin takes place here Uses his imagination, plays with the architedcture o Might have learned architecture for Florence Feast o o o o o Vanishing point at the heads of apostles of Herod, 1450 Recreating a space, but not completely to reality Different spatial complexity Experimenting with foreshortening, space Probably this notebook was were he was experimenting and stuff Also sort of a modelbook

o But so inventive Religious subjects hidden in his imaginary scenes drawn paintings o recalls the courtyard of the Doges palace o shows the importance of drawings for architecture Madonna and Child, 1450s His specialty Byznatine style; Veneto Byzantine style o Still lots of gold Includes a parapet o Seen in portraiture o Creates an illusionistic space o Probably from the North Elements of domestic interior o Book, possibly reference to new testament o Pillow Different color palette o Softer, muted colors Gentile Bellini Son of Jacopo Great portraitist Sent to Ottoman court in Constantinople as an ambassador o The changing role of the artist o Signed a peace treaty Sultan Mahomet II (1480) o In profile, like a bronze medal o To have a Western style portrait, shows interest in possessing Venice o Parapet; a windhow into another space o 3 crowns rule over Asia, Trebewhat, Greece o Classically inspired arch o Inscription: declares him as the ruler of these territories o Painting in oil on canvas Disputed attribution Because in bad condition

Showers shimmering effect of jewels on the cloth, fur, hair Procession of St. Marks 1496 Huge, 12x24, oil on canvas o Oil allowed for efficient completion of this large work Commissioned by school dedicated by St. John (confraternity); a charitable group of noblemen o Would organize festivals and stuff o Sponsor buildings, housing, medical care, etc o Corporate sponsors o Bellini was a member Procession that took place on day of St Mark o Carrying reliquary o Members in white robes; identifiable individuals o Sense of rank; order established by class, rank o Doge on the right o Shows the ordered stability of Venice; serene because its so well organized Events balanced along axis of church

o Eye witness style No emphasis on anything on particularly o Lots of activity o Reliquary could be missed Creating a sense of group identity o Civic pride Oil painting Starting coming in around 1470s Invented accidentally by jan van eyck? Antonello da Messina, Enthroned Madonna with Child and Saints Enfuses Mediterranean clarity with Northern detail Uses oil paints, probably inspired many; though Venice already was using it at the time Cut down significantly, probs to fit a frame Interest in translucency o Saint holding cup of water o Changing light on frabic

Communication with Moadonna o Reaching out to us Annunciate Madonna, 1460s Unusual painting, oil on panel Purpose? A portrait of the virgin, but no angel? o Naturalism o Foreshortened hand o Virgin identified by her reading a devotional book The viewer is the angel A more reflective work Effects of oil allow for delicate light o Probably lots of translucent glazes o Probably started from dark background and built up lighter colors o Opposite of tempera A focus on the hand of the artist in creating this effect Themes Patronage Media (tempera, fresco, oil) Perspective (Brunelleschi, Alberti, Masaccio) Role of the artist (contracts, salaries, signing works)

3/11/2013 7:57:00 AM April 10th. 2013 More on Raphael and print culture Marco Dentes Laocoon o sculpture is placed in narrative o reflects the antique texts that talk about this scene o also looks at Medieval manuscript o takes liberties with the form Raphael wanted to preserve antiquity for later generations o documented and studied them o political authority through a new technology (print making) Raphaels portraiture Julius II o Rome, oil on panel o pensive, older man an offering to the pope for a specific church in rome a political statement power of papacy outside of the vatican o introspective downwards gaze feels pretty personal o Attributes rings family coat of arms (acorns on chair) papal gear power of status Castiglione o oil on panel o a good friend of Raphael incredibly realistic portrayal glistening fur light on face wrote the Courtier about court life in Urbino o sprezzatura nonchalant you should show no effort in what you do

everything should seem really easy how to be an ideal courtier (aka Raphael) o shows his refinement and elegance knowing gaze Fornarina 1518 o oil on panel o little baker woman Vasari said that Raphael was engaged with a woman whose father was a baker for real? no one knows Raphaels lover? name on arm band sexualized love? hand on pubic area actually not by Raphael? yeah the face is kind of awkward Jewelry pearl in hair gifts from lover? commodity of marriage? first half nude portrait of a normal woman

o o o

surely was controversial but apparently this becomes a thing in coming decades Transfiguration, 1518-20 o oil on panel o huge o commissionsed by Julio de Medici Raphael had designed his villa in Rome set up competition with another artist for best painting to be sent to France but final painting and decides to keep it in Rome o when Christ and three apostles to Mt. whatever crazy shit goes down and theres Moses and whatever and God says things and whoa o Drama Christ floating into the air apostles are having seizures or something

figure eight composition connecting the high ground to low ground o lower gorund father pleads Jesus to heal his son o Michelangelo influence? figures recalling figures in the Sistine chapel apparently this is also a night scene brighter colors like Sistine ceiling some abstraction; probably not totally finished; some faces dont look very Raphael competing with Raising of Lazarus, Seb. del Piombo o Michelangelos influence palette, dramatic gesture The Birth of Adam Whats going in Rome art capital of the world Clement VII is pope Holy Roman Emperor sacks Rome o artists go into hiding o some flee into Northern courts Michelangelo returns to Florence Michelangelo, New Sacristy (Medici Chapel) 1519-34 Whats up in Florence o new republican govt established after kicking out Medici o 1512, Medici Pope, Leo X o asks Michel to design faade for San Lorenzo o but never happens o 1519, next male issue dies, end of Medici dynasty? o stops commission for faade, commissions chapel to create family image To commemorate the great Medici o but Leo dies, blah blah o Michel gets frustrated with the project and leaves o Vasari finishes it up Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, and Guiliano, Duke of Nemours o dies in 1519ish

their death was what made Leo decide that a chapel was necessary in armor; commanders o other Lorenzo and Guiliano are buried off to the side The space, architecture o two wals with sarcophagi o and some Madonna and child thing o three stories and dome o in upper right hand corner of San Lorenzo old sacristy commissioned by the old Medici o tries new sacristy was built by the new generation to emulate the style of the old sacristy designed by Brunellschi pietra serena Corinthian similar elements used by Michelangelo, same materials but is taller and airy hemi-spherical dome symmetry; 8 doors but most are not really doors

o differences four tombs lots of marble infill incorporates architecture and sculpture redefining a burial site was originally going to have a tomb in the middle but the Pope didnt want that space too tight so wraps the tomb around on the walls like architecture o Heavy frames, shallow rectangular niches (1st floor) pediments on the flanking niches; weird playing with architecture classical vocabulary but giving no fucks about how theyve been used before strange decorative details; cornices made of weird faces nd o 2 floor

 more empty space bigger windows o 3rd floor weird tapering windows as though pointing to a center light and airy dome coffered o overall, lots of tension in space elements just crammed together in this small space architecture vs. sculpture reflection on Michelangelos relationship with the Medici unconventional Sculptures were probably just left in a pile possible theme: active vs. contemplative? o really generic figures o contrived look of dignity and grace o probably no one would remember what they looked like anyhow Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino o contemplative o figures of dawn and dusk Guiliano o active o fancy parade armor and baton o figures of night and day Leaner figures o less monumental than Sistine figures o less conviction? Maybe Michelangelo didnt even try o nudes are slipping off in awkward poses o male and female based on gender of words o only Night has attributes owl under her leg, poppies mask; a portrait? self-portrait? the only portrait here, interesting a grim location; underneath the arm of Night; death

cancerous boobs? or maybe Michelangelo just didnt care about boobs o what exactly the nudes stand for is disputed Artists came to this space to study Michelangelos works Medici celebrated mass here idea was to create new sacristy to renew power of the Medici but Michelangelo has his way with things o making sense of artchitecure through human qualities o breaks the rules, but its okay because Michelangelo knows what hes doing