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.