Art History 5

Key themes- self fashioning and portraiture/ altarpieces in mass

Ghirlandaio-noblewoman in rival family vs medici, she is dead but it looks like a marriage
portraiture, she died from childbirth, commissioned by her husband, rosary bead-pray with it
behind her and a prayer book. Roman coat-a marshall. Praising her virtue and her pioty. She
looks cold and serious. She has proper Decorum-proper lady, not being bold, hands being folded,
all female sitters are portrayed as strict, cold, in this period. Interested with surface, the dress
emphasizes the wealth and beauty. Broach is on the left. This lady was painted before so he
copied it. Usually the sitter doesnt sit in front of the painter, they take sketches. It is very
idealized, to remember her, promote her and legacy. Roman writing-to associate with the
classics, humanism, her knowledge of the classics.
NetherlandsThere is no countries, Duchy ruled by a duke, similar to city states. Flemish-not dutch yet. There
is a courtly culture, art was produced for them, great amount of wealth=art , on the coast/cloth
producers-trading/economics was thriving. Burgundy/Flanders main ones.
Illuminated Manuscript-illustrated manuscript with a lot of handwritten drawings no printing
press. Parchment-skins of animals(sheep/goats/calves) used to made books. Skins were soaked in
lime water and then soaked in water and they scraped the fur off, they stretched skins
continually, they rubbed the parchment was rubbed with liquid to make it responsive to ink and it
was then cut. Writing was as important as the drawings. Drawings overshadowed writing. Used a
quill and made ink to writing. Illuminator used paint to decorate after the writing, parchment
could be erased using a knife. First sketched drawing. Gold leaf-actual gold that is pressed down
on the page first. Books were extremely labor intensive and expensive
The Limbourg Brothers, Tres Riches Heures de Duc de Berry, 1412-1416
Book of Hours-prayer schedule, tells you saints days, feast days, very detailed, private and small,
personal, commissioned by a very rich duke, the title means the very rich hours, brothers killed
by the plague. February-peasants doing daily activities, snowing, naturalistic details, beehives,
crows, livestock, wheat, chopping firewood, shows medieval economy, peasant is lugging goods
to the village to sell them, warming their genitals in the fire, represented in a stacked
composition, zero perspective, shows quantity. August-aristocrats horseback riding-very
scandalous on a hunt, guy is sweeping the ground before the horse, recreational setting, having
fun, peasants picking wheat behind them, stacked activities, the dukes castle is in the
background-very large, comforting scene for the duke because it shows everything is in order,
river divides the aristocrats and the peasants, all about social class/class distinctions,
condescending to workers, doesnt show the dire conditions for the peasants, just what he wants

to see, shows decorum-poking fun at racy activities, emphasizes decorum, castle is overlooking
everyone, showing power and dominance, motif for time passing-wagon carrying sun
Brugge-commerical area, cloth area, in Belgium,
Jan Van Eyck, Arnolfini Double Portrait, 1434
Oil painting-totally different, not faded in like fresca, rich oily, create rich colors, on wood panel,
works on salary, top painter, first person to do stuff with oil painting. Tempura-in Italy hot and
dry, dutch-wet and moist makes oil easier, allows for fine details, long time to dry, portrait,
double portrait is unusual. Some believe that it is the wedding, documents-portraitures
occasionally. No contemporary images of wedding. In the bedroom, not pregnant, huge drapery
and she is holding her dress-sign of wealth and luxury. More fabric-more wealth-you dont have
to go anywhere- had to hold it to move. Dressed very well. Italian merchants, doing business in
Brugge, there is dog-symbol of loyalty, shoes-he is taking them off to suggest that the place is
sacred, open window-with light coming in-symbol of the virgin-pure-clear glass. Oranges-fruit
from the garden of eden or fertility, bedpost there is saint margeret-patron of childbirth, chandler
with one candle- presence of god, candle-gods presence, mirror-rosary beads-piety, mirror has a
lot of detail, scenes of the passion in the mirror. Reflection of the scene-convex mirror, fish lens
look. Two figures in front of the couple-thought to be the painter, van eyck-very symbolic, hides
the symbolic imagery, micro and macro detail, almost see too much, vast detail, signature by
mirror-record an event, hand raising-pronouncing something. Commemorate their marriage.
Emphasizes the partnership, something significant being pronounced. Interested with collapsing
the painting with the viewer, puts us in van eycks shoes, making you feel right there. Italian artwindow to another world. Dutch-you are right there. Not interested in spatial math. Interested in
naturalism but a different way.
Van Eyck, Ghent altarpiece, exterior, 1432, central role in the mass-transubstation-priest raises
the bread turns to body of Christ, ghent is a city in Belgium, Grisaille, Triptych-three paneled,
interior and two outside wings, Register-horizontal panels of different scenes. Bottom-two
patrons on the edges shown in prayer-only thing in full color, middle-john the Baptist and john
the evangelists, painted in grisaille-painted to look like sculpture, grey scale, tones of gray and
white, middle-scene of the enounication- angel Gabriel comes down and says that you will have
the child-incarnation-she is impregnated with Christ, mary is reading, hail mary on the very top,
looking out at the city state-macro and micro, top-sibels-female prophets and prophets in OTsays prophecy that predict the coming of christ