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NORTHERN EUROPE, 1400-1500. GARDNER CHAPTER 20-2 PP. 527-532. ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN. Rogier van der Weyden, Deposition, center panel from triptych, Louvain, Belgium, ca. 1435, oil on wood Dynamic compositions stressing human action and drama
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NORTHERN EUROPE,1400-1500 GARDNER CHAPTER 20-2 PP. 527-532
ROGIER VAN DER WEYDEN • Rogier van der Weyden, Deposition, center panel from triptych, Louvain, Belgium, ca. 1435, oil on wood • Dynamic compositions stressing human action and drama • Shallow stage for figures jammed into a confining space • Great attention to details • Strong emotional impact of the scene -> depiction of desolating anguish -> passionate sorrow -> depiction of the agony of loss • Patrons of the archers’ guild symbolized in crossbows in the corners • Figures in mirrored compositions -> Christ and Mary
THE ARTISTS PROFESSION IN FLANDERS • Guilds controlled the Flemish artists’ profession • Apprenticeship -> then became a journeyman -> then became eligible to become a master and apply for admission to the guild • Through the guild the artist obtained commissions • The guild enforced quality control • Women were excluded from apprenticeship as they involved living in homes of male masters • Later from the 16th century on women were excluded academic training -> figure painting involved dissection of cadavers and study of the male nude models • Most often women artists were trained by their fathers and husbands
SAINT LUKE • Rogier van der Weyden, Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin, ca. 1435-1440, oil and tempera on wood • Probably commissioned by the Guild of Saint Luke -> the artists in Brussels • Some believe that the figure of Saint Luke is a self-portrait of Rogier • Recording of every detail w/loving fidelity to optical appearance • Ox on right -> symbol of Saint Luke • Carved armrest -> Adam, Eve, Serpent -> reminds viewer that Mary is the new Eve and Christ is the new Adam who will redeem humanity from Original Sin
PORTRAIT OF A LADY • Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1460, oil on panel • Private portrait -> dress and bearing imply noble rank • Lowered eyes, tightly locked fingers, and fragile physique = pious and reserved demeanor
PETRUS CHRISTUS • Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck, and Rogier van der Weyden = first generation of the “Northern Renaissance” • Second generation -> 2nd half the 15th century • Petrus Christus, A Goldsmith in His Shop, 1449, oil on wood, 3’3” x 2’10” • Traditional interpretation -> Saint Eligius -> marriage couple selecting rings -> betrothal girdle on the table as a symbol of chastity-> crystal container for Eucharist wafer on right = scene of a religious nature
PETRUS CHRISTUS • More recent scholarship -> painting should be seen in context of the tradition of vocational paintings for installation in guild chapels • Commissioned by goldsmiths’ guild in Bruges -> Saint Eligius was the patron saint of smiths • New interpretation = depiction of an economic transaction and focuses on the goldsmiths’ profession • Objects depicted serve as advertisement for the guild -> raw materials like stones, beads, crystal, coral, pearls and finished products like rings, buckles, brooches • Convex mirror shows another couple and street outside the shop
DIRK BOUTS • Dirk Bouts, central panel of The Last Supper, 1464-1468, oil on wood, St. Peter’s, Louvain, Belgium • Influence of Italian painting -> one of the earliest Northern European paintings to use a VANISHING POINT -> all of the orthogonals lead to single vanishing point in the center of mantelpiece above Christ’s head • Less the Biblical drama of the Last Supper than the seriousness of the sacrament being created • Four contemporaries appear as servants -> perhaps they are the patrons of the painting
HUGO VAN DER GOES • Hugo van der Goes, Portinari Altarpiece, from Sant’Egidio, Florence, Italy, ca. 1476, tempera and oil on wood • Rare instance of the awarding of a major commission in Florence to a Flemish painter • Central image is the Adoration of the Shepherds • Portinari, the patron of the painting, his family and their patron saints appear on the wings • Mary is the central figure -> Christ placed on a sheaf of wheat symbolizing the Eucharist -> from the right rear enter the shepherds -> wintry northern landscape unify the three panels -> flowers symbolize the sorrows of the Virgin -> variation of in the scale of figures/scenes in the background
HANS MEMLING • Hans Memling, Virgin with Saints and Angels, center panel of the Saint John Altarpiece, Hospitaal Sint Jan, Bruges, Belgium, 1479, oil on wood, 5’8”x5’8” • Exudes opulence -> rich colors, tapestries and brocades, balanced and serene, sparkling and luminous colors, execution of highest technical quality = all characteristics of 15th century painting