 
|
Art History 112
Monday, February 1, 1999
Announcements:
-
the new reading assignment list was handed out
Lecture notes: The
green text refers to slides displayed during recitation.
da Vinci
"Madonna of the Rocks" c.1485
-
unified composition
-
all hands move toward the center
-
subtle in detail
-
each plant represents a traditional Christian symbol
(symbolic imagery)
da Vinci "The Last
Supper," Sta. Maria della Grazie, Milan, c.1495-98
-
total unification in perspective
-
Christ figure unifies
-
pyramidal composition
-
table is almost too small
-
image is to be enjoyed as a whole
-
experimentation with materials/media
-
used a mixture of tempera and oil (enamel like)
-
oil was just beginning to be used in Italy, already
used in North
COMPARE: Castagno
"The Last Supper," Sant Apollonia, Florence, 1447
-
figures are static
-
almost an inventory of figures
-
does not flow; eye stops at each figure
Michelangelo
"David" c. 1501-04
-
moment represented: waiting for adversary; ready
to attack; face not serene; anxiety
-
intended to be placed on a dome but instead placed
in piazza
-
represented virtues of Florence
-
large hand; strong hand
-
responding to the antique
-
similarities: Spear-Bearer, 5th Century, BC (ancient
Greek)
-
ideal male figure
-
depicts internal (psychological) and external challenge
-
sense of him looking off beyond our space
-
contraposto, as with Donatello's
COMPARE: Donatello
"David" c. 1428-32
-
arms similar to Michelangelo's
-
also in this case, an effort to inventory human anatomy
Raphael "Galatea,"
Sala di Galatea, Villa Farnesina, Rome, 1513
-
direct High Italian Renaissance response to previous
precedent (approach)
-
subtle, not precisely placed
-
draws on ancient sculpture styles ("Standing Aphrodite,"
5th C. BC--ancient Greek)
-
one-point perspective
-
one figure flowing into another
-
celebrating antiquity
-
related to sculptures/reliefs of same subjects from
antiquity
COMPARE: Botticelli,
"The Birth of Venus," c.1480
-
distinct foreground and background
-
not one-point perspective
Michelangelo "Sistine
Ceiling," Sistine Chapel, The Vatican, Rome, 1508-12
-
great accomplishment of the High Italian Renaissance
-
Chapel has unified nave and aisle
-
illusionism
-
much of the perceived architecture is actually painted
-
128 feet by 45 feet
-
treats painted human figures as sculptural
-
witness to passages of Genesis through borders
-
original color was harsh, striking
-
Michelangelo learned from Masaccio
-
"Creation of Man"
-
minimalist setting
-
grandeur of figures is maximizing
-
God and Adam are equal in size and musculature
-
God supported by cherubim
-
magical moment
|
