Artist Profile… Hieronymus Bosch

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, art, Artists, Dutch, Netherlands, Painters, Paintings, Religious, Renaissance

And so a month on I have started my new job (at the National Centre for Circus Arts no less!) and finished Oklahoma! and now find myself with no excuse to put off posting 😛

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Name: Hieronymus Bosch
Work: Artist
Born: 1450
Died: 1516
Hometown: Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
Period: North European Renaissance

What I have learnt about his work:
Bosch painted serveral triptych panels, which portrayed his strong religious and moral ideas using extreme and disturbing imagery and details.  The images were often gruesome and macabre and would occasionally be literal depictions of metaphors from the Bible.  His most famous work is the Garden of Earthly Delights, showing creation, life on earth and hell across three panels, intricately and unpleasantly detailing all manner of human sin.  In contrast with the smooth, glazed surfaces of most Dutch painting of the time, Bosch left his brushwork visible with an unfinished, imperfect appearance, which I feel supports Bosch’s recurring theme of the imperfection of humanity.

Garden of Earthly Delights
Oil on oak
~1490-1510
Museo Del Prado, Madrid

Artist Profile… Sandro Botticelli

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, art, Artists, Florence, Italy, Painters, Paintings, Renaissance, Sandro Botticelli

Name: Sandro Botticelli
Work: Painter
Born: 1445
Died: 1510
Worked In: Florence, Italy
Period: Italian Renaissance

What I have learnt about his work:
Botticelli worked in a graceful, ornamental style, painting both religious and secular, mythical works.  He was greatly renowned during his lifetime.  His figures are often seen from below, meaning the viewer feels they are looking up into the scene, and they have clear contours and outlines, creating depth and tangibility.  The compositions are carefully balanced, and the colours are delicate and harmonious, creating the sense of grace and beauty.  His later works, painted during times of war and plague, are more simplistic, containing foreboding moral and religious overtones.

Primavera, Sandro Botticelli
Tempera on panel
1482
Uffizi Gallery, Florence

The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli
Tempera on canvas
1486
Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Architect Profile… Donato Bramante

Tags

1400s, 1500s, 15th Century, 16th Century, Architects, architecture, Donato Bramante, High Renaissance, Italy, Milan, Renaissance, Rome

Many apologies for my lengthy absence, I have been busy getting a new job (wooo!), rehearsing for Oklahoma (which I’m performing in May) and travelling around India with my family for 3 weeks (which was incredible).  Time to try and get back into blogging, but with new job starting next week I may disappear again…

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Name: Donato Bramante
Work: Architect
Born: 1444
Died: 1514
Hometown: Milan and Rome, Italy
Period: Renaissance
Influences: Piero della Francesca (assumed tutor), Vitruvius, Alberti, Brunelleschi, Mantegna, Ercole de’Roberti

What I have learnt about his work:
Bramante began as a painter, predominantly of frescoes, but very few of his paintings have survied.  He is now best known for his architecture, and designed several churches in Milan in the Antique style, incorporating Ancient Roman details with the new ideas of perspective (his frescoes contained tromp-l’oeil – tricks of the eye, making spaces appear larger or longer).  Possibly his best known work is the Tempietto (‘small temple’) in Rome, marking the beginning of the High Renaissance.  It focuses on the Ancient ideals of beauty in proportion, ratio and symmetry – a perfectly balanced circular building with a dome above, surrounded by slender Doric columns.  It is an elegant revival and reimagining of the classical style.

Tempietto, Donato Bramante
1502
San Pietro in Montorio, Rome

Artist Profile… Andrea Mantegna

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, Andrea Mantegna, art, Artists, Italy, Mantua, Painters, Paintings, Religious, Renaissance

Name: Andrea Mantegna
Work: Painter
Born: 1431
Died: 1506
Worked In: Padua/Verona/Venice/Mantua, Italy
Period: Italian Renaissance

What I have learnt about his work in general:
Andrea Mantegna had great interest in the human figure which he often explored and painted under extreme perspectives, demonstrating his mastery of depth and foreshortening.  He was also fascinated with Ancient Rome and Antiquity, and developed a style of painting in which his figures looked like classical sculptures.  He was court artist for three generations of the Gonzaga family in Mantua completing numerous paintings, frescoes and engravings.

The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, Andrea Mantegna
Tempera on canvas
~1480
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

This painting portrays the dead Christ on a marble slab, with the mourning Virgin Mary and St. John.  I believe Mantegna wanted this to be a shocking image, which he achieves through the extreme foreshortening of the body, making it appear imposing and swollen, and through the intense realism with the grey, wrinkled flesh and draped, discoloured cloth.  This emphasises the stark reality of Christ’s death, and the means of his death is also stressed through the nail wounds in his feet and hands, which almost appear to reach out towards the viewer.

Sculptor Profile… Andrea del Verrocchio

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, Andrea del Verrocchio, art, Artists, Florence, Italy, Renaissance, Sculptors, Sculptures

Apologies for the lack of posting but I’ve been ill this last week and haven’t felt up to doing anything.  Still in bed but starting to feel a bit better so thought I’d roll out a post while I’m not half asleep!

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Name: Andrea del Verrocchio
Work: Sculptor and Painter
Born: 1435
Died: 1488
Hometown: Florence, Italy
Period: Renaissance
Influences: Filippo Lippi

What I have learnt about his work:
Verrocchio was a very important sculptor and painter of 15th Century Italian Renaissance, and his work ranked after Donatello. He became most prominent after Donatello’s death in 1466, after which the Medici family (the most powerful family and art patrons in Florence) turned to favour Verrocchio’s work.  He had amazing technical ability to accurately depict realistic movement and emotion.  He created freestanding statues in which all views are equally significant, showing great compositional ability.

Bartolomeo Colleoni, Andrea Verrocchio – bronze
~1483-1488
Florence

This equestrian statue is considered Verroccio’s masterpiece, and shows Verrocchio’s great technical skill in his ability to capture the commanding strength and movement of the horse and rider.  It’s energy and movement contrasts with Donatello’s equestrian statue of Gattamelata which has a more serene sense of power, but both are considered the main influence of all later equestrian sculptures of the Renaissance.

Sculptor Profile… Donatello

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, art, Artists, Donatello, Florence, Italy, Religious, Renaissance, Sculptors, Sculptures

Name: Donatello
Work: Sculptor
Born: 1386
Died: 1466
Hometown: Florence, Italy
Period: Early Renaissance
Influences: Lorenzo Ghiberti (his tutor), Filippo Brunelleschi (his friend)

What I have learnt about his work:
Donatello was a master of marble and bronze, second only to Michelangelo.  He initially worked in the Gothic style but was greatly influenced by the pure forms of classical sculpture and architecture during a trip to Rome with Brunelleschi. He developed his own unique style with great emphasis on emotion and realism, creating widely acclaimed dramatic and imposing sculptures. His Equestrian statue of Gattamelata is the influence of most equestrian monuments we see today.  He also created many reliefs (sculptures against a flat background) which were the first to use central point perspective.  These reliefs were in his unique ‘schiacciato’ style – incredibly shallow, relying on perspective and light to create the full picture.

David, Donatello – bronze
1430-1432
Bargello Museum, Florence

The bronze David is one of Donatello’s most famous sculptures, and represents the boy David who defeated Goliath. It was the first large free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance period, clearly influenced by the sculptures of classical Rome. The figure has a sense of poise and elegance, and a certain femininity, portraying a somewhat tranquil emotion and perhaps encouraging a reverent feeling of contemplation from the viewer over David’s great victory.

Artist Profile… Hans Memling

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, art, Artists, Belgium, Bruges, Flemish Painting, Hans Memling, Painters, Paintings, Religious, Renaissance

Name: Hans Memling
Work: Painter
Born: 1430
Died: 1494
Worked In: Bruges, Belgium (born in Germany)
Period: Early Flemish Painting
Influences: Rogier van der Weyden, Jan van Eyck, Dieric Bouts, Hugo van der Goes

What I have learnt about his work in general:
Hans Memling was very successful in Bruges and painted many religious works and portraits.  In his paintings he used strict, defined forms but gave his work a sense of naturalism through the use of soft delicate colours and naturalistic emotions.  His compositions were well balanced and his scenes elegantly portrayed, but he was not as innovative as his predecessor Rogier van der Weyden.

Adoration of the Magi (above: whole trypich; below: central panel), Hans Memling
Oil on panel
~1430
Museo del Prado, Madrid

In this painting Memling adhered to a largely centralised and symmetrical composition which gives a sense of order and cermony of this religious scene after Christ’s birth.  The rich reds add to the feeling of pageantry.  The naturalistic faces do not display strong emotions but rather are serene and composed giving a formal air and encouraging reverence and respect in the viewer.

Artist Profile… Rogier van der Weyden

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, art, Artists, Belgium, Brussels, Flemish Painting, Painters, Paintings, Religious, Renaissance, Rogier van der Weyden

Name: Rogier van der Weyden
Work: Painter
Born: 1399/00
Died: 1464
Worked In: Brussels, Belgium
Period: Early Flemish Painting
Influences: Robert Campin (his tutor)

What I have learnt about his work in general:
Rogier van der Weyden mainly painted religious works and portraits and was famous for his naturalism, espectially his realistic (though sometimes idealised) facial features painted from life models.  He created a deep sense of emotion through the use of strong lines and rich colour, with great variation in tone.  He was also a master of perspective and composition.

Descent from the Cross, Rogier van der Weyden
Oil on oak panel
~1435
Museo del Prado, Madrid

In this painting of Christ being taken down from the cross I feel Van der Weyden was trying to create a great emotional impact on the viewer.  The vivid primary colours grab the viewer’s attention, while the realistic emotions on the mourners’ faces encourages the viewer to experience and share in the pain and sadness of the scene.  The shallow space in which the scene is conveyed makes it seem the figures are almost protruding into the world of the viewer.  Christ’s body is positioned in the T-shape of the crossbow as the commission was from the Leuven guild of archers.  Mary’s body echoes this shape, which indicates Mary’s significance alongside Christ, as well as their joint suffering. 

Artist Profile… Jan Van Eyck

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, art, Artists, Belgium, Bruges, Flemish Painting, Jan Van Eyck, Painters, Paintings, Renaissance

I just realised I never said Happy New Year!  So, Happy New Year! The holidays are already a distant memory, but it’s all good, many exciting things to come in 2014 I am sure (I think I’ve finally transitioned to pronouncing the year ‘twenty-fourteen’ and not ‘two-thousand-fourteen’.  Ooo and in six years it will be ‘twenty-twenty’ and we’ll officially be living in the twenties, which is mega-exciting – I plan to dress like everyone in the Great Gatsby for the entire decade).

Anyway, back to the art.  At the moment my arts fixes seem somewhat limited to self-study at home, but I plan to fit in some more trips to galleries and pretty historic buildings soon, so watch this space!  Today we meet our first Flemish artist, and one of the artists I had actually heard of before starting this blog…

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Name: Jan van Eyck
Work: Painter
Born: 1390
Died: 1441
Worked In: Bruges, Belgium
Period: Early Flemish Painting

What I have learnt about his work in general:
Jan Van Eyck was one of the first users of oil paint (applying layor after layer of transclucent glazes), which opened up a range of jewel like colours and sharp contrasts between light and dark.  Van Eyck used the medium to realistically represent materials and light (his personal motto being ‘As I Can), meaning his work was much less idealised than paintings of the Italian Renaissance.  He had a strong grasp of perspective, and his paintings also often contained symbolism.  He was successful during his life and painted many religious and portrait commissions.

Portrait of Arnolfini and Wife
Oil on oak
1434
National Gallery, London

My interpretation of this painting:
This recognisable painting is of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, but apparently it is not of their wedding and his wife is not pregnant, as is often thought.  The rich colours achieved through the oil paint indicate opulence and wealth, while the subtle but realistic representation of light and texture (glinting on the chandelier, rolling over the folds of the material etc.) shows Van Eyck’s mastery of the medium.  The orthoganol perspective draws the viewer into the room and encourages you to view the scene as if you were part of it, while the use of the mirror almost encloses you in the space.  There is also extensive use of symbolism in the piece, though interpretations vary – the joined hands may represent a union of marriage, the dog represents loyalty, the green symbolises hope etc.

Artist Profile… Piero della Francesca

Tags

1400s, 15th Century, art, Artists, Florence, Italy, Painters, Paintings, Piero della Francesca, Religious, Renaissance

Name: Piero della Francesca
Work: Painter
Born: 1415
Died: 1492
Worked In: Florence, Italy
Period: Early Italian Renaissance
Influences: Masaccio, Paolo Uccello

What I have learnt about his work in general:
Piero della Francesca painted religious art with a sense of serene simplicity, achieved through the use of a cool colour palette and a clarity of line and form.  He also had a great interest in geometry and mathematics which is evident in his use of perspective and geometric compositions.

Baptism of Christ, Piero della Francesca
Tempera on panel
~1450-60
National Gallery, London

My interpretation of this painting:
This painting portrays Christ’s baptism by John.  The cool colours and simple composition of the scene create a peaceful and meditative feel, and the focus on nature (the tree and the landscape in the background) also adds to the sense of serenity.  Piero’s interest in geometry is evident through the central line of symmetry on the line of the dove, bowl and Christ.  The line of the tree also creates the golden ratio (1:2) which was believed by many Renaissance artists to create aesthetic beauty.  The foreshorterned dove demonstrates Piero’s mastery of perspective.