Exercise: ‘Developing your annotations’

My intention for this task is to study the masterful Flemish painting ‘The Madonna with Canon van der Paele’, by the Van Eyck brothers in more depth. (Hughes and Faggin, 1970: Plate XLIX and p.95).

It is an exquisite Renaissance piece which is characteristic of the Flemish style in terms of its lavish attention to detail. Everything from armour, to mouldings and textiles has been successfully rendered and the entire composition has been carefully conceived to provide the maximum impact.

The use of the golden thirds as a system for carefully arranging the figures is an effective compositional device. The fact that each of the individuals bisects a third of the painting ensures that our eyes are drawn to certain areas of interest. The Madonna immediately captures our attention as she is attired in a glorious vermilion robe which emphasises her stately appearance. The combination of exotic textiles further emphasises the sumptuousness of the setting and adds to the allure.

Both the Madonna and child have been rendered beautifully with subtle flesh tones and have been lit from the left to ensure that they are the primary focus of our attention. Also, the light has been suggested to allow an ecclesiastical glow to emanate from Christ.

Complimentary colours have been introduced as a pleasant contrast and to provide a vibrancy to the entire event. In my opinion, this painting is more of a theatrical set than a series of portraits as perhaps the Van Eycks wanted to create a certain amount of drama/ or a spectacle.

The painting incorporates a variety of religious iconography such as several representations of the cross (on the Saint’s flag, the carpet and on the Canon’s staff). There are also biblical references to Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel which are situated either side of the Virgin.

The ensembles worn by St Donation and St George (the Canon) are flamboyant and match the themes expressed in this piece. The Canon wears a stunning ultramarine robe invested with a form of embroidery known as ‘Gold work’. His bejewelled head-piece is nothing short of spectacular and is a perfect counter point to St Donation’s armour. All of the pigments utilised have been composed to provide a pleasant harmony with each other and so as not to overwhelm the central figures. (The architectural information expressed in the background by contrast is fairly subdued).

The gesture of the poses of the two saints stood opposite each other is very intriguing, although I’m positive that they were painted separately. The inclusion of flags and staffs is fascinating as they have been depicted on the diagonal which presents a less formalised view of the painting.

The archivolt design in the background is of interest as it is Romanesque in style and helps to set the scene without detracting from the Virgin and child.

It seems to me that this is one of the most ambitious paintings undertaken by the Van Eyck brothers, because it covers so many themes (both religious and humanist) and demonstrates their ability to accurately draft a multitude of surfaces. Reflective surfaces I think are particularly challenging to master. If I was to compare it to the work of other artists, Ghirlandaio’s ‘Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Saints’, springs to mind as it explores similar ideas. Ghirlandaio was influenced by Flemish art and may have seen the Van Eyck version. Ghirlandaio’s version was created using tempera however. So although it was a durable medium it would have lacked the luminosity of the Van Eyck interpretation.

Bibliography

Fossi, G. (2004)  Room 10-14 Botticelli In: Pescio, C. (ed.) The Uffizi The Official Guide. Firenze Musei. 3rd edition. Prato, Giunti. p.62.

Honour, H. & Fleming, J. (2009) The Fifteenth Century in Europe. In: A World History of Art (revised 7th edition). London: Laurence King. pp 416-456.

Hughes, R. and Faggin, G. (1970) The Complete Paintings of the Van Eycks. London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

Exercise: ‘Annotate a Renaissance Image’ continued (final blog post)

For the second part of this task I have annotated a print by Albrecht Durer. Originally trained as a goldsmith, Albrecht Durer was a German Renaissance artist who travelled to Italy to further his artistic ambitions. During the Renaissance precious metals such as gold and silver became scarce; so many artisans were forced to diversify. Durer’s art is highly recognisable due to his exceptional drafting skills which are no doubt due to his background as a goldsmith.

The print that I have studied in detail is ‘The Virgin with a Multitude of animals’. (Smith, A. and Ottina della Chiesa, A, 1971: Plate XXIX). Please see below for a full list of references.

‘The Virgin with a multitude of animals’, Albrecht Durer.

My spider diagram including the annotations for this image. Created 03/01/15.

Bibliography

Honour, H. & Fleming, J. (2009) The Fifteenth Century in Europe. In: A World History of Art (revised 7th edition). London: Laurence King. pp 416-456.

Smith, A. and Ottina della Chiesa, A. (1971) The Complete paintings of Durer. London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

Exercise: ‘Annotate a Renaissance Image’ (split into two parts and two separate blog posts)

As part of this exercise I have annotated a Northern European painting (featuring several portraits) by the Van Eycks. I have selected the painting ‘The Madonna with Canon van der Paele’ in particular as I greatly admire the modelling of the flesh tones and reflections on the suit of armour.(Hughes and Faggin, 1970: Plate XLIX and p.95).

Jan Van Eyck, is of interest as according to the Renaissance writer Giorgio Vasari, he invented oil painting as we know it today. He was the first artist to utilise oil paint and turpentine in conjunction with various glazing techniques.

Furthermore, oil painting became an enormously popular artistic medium during the Renaissance as many artists attempted to recreate the effect of medieval manuscript illuminations with oil based media for various liturgical and private commissions.

‘The Madonna with Canon van der Paele’, 1436 by the Van Eycks. Oil on canvas.

My spider diagram for this exercise. Created 03/01/2015.

Bibliography

Honour, H. & Fleming, J. (2009) The Fifteenth Century in Europe. In: A World History of Art (revised 7th edition). London: Laurence King. pp 416-456.

Hughes, R. and Faggin, G. (1970) The Complete Paintings of the Van Eycks. London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson.

Exercise: ‘Humanism’

For this task I have created a spider diagram as an alternative method of presentation. The intention was to present my ideas in a succinct manner as ‘Humanism’ is a complex intellectual movement which originated during the Renaissance.

‘Humanism’ spider diagram. Created 02.01.2015.

Bibliography

Curl, J. (2006) Pietro Solari Lombardo. In: Curl, J (ed.) Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Second Edition. Oxford. Oxford University Press.

Fossi, G., Stephan, K ed. (1989) Filippo Lippi. The Library of Great Masters. Florence, Scala/ Riverside.

Harris, J. (2006) Humanism. Art History The Key Concepts. Oxon, Routledge.

Honour, H. & Fleming, J. (2009) The Fifteenth Century in Europe. In: A World History of Art (revised 7th edition). London: Laurence King. pp 416-456.

Loretta, S (1971) Michelangelo. Fotorapida- Terni.

Palluchini, R. (1981) The Cinquecento in Venice. In: Huyghe, R (ed.), Larousse Encyclopedia of Renaissance and Baroque Art. Art and Mankind. Middlesex, Hamlyn. pp. 138-39.

Research point- ‘Linear perspective’

Linear perspective (also known as one-point perspective) was invented by Italian artists in the 15th Century. It was developed in order to accurately depict three-dimensional objects/ or a volume of space on a flat or nearly flat surface. The aim of linear perspective is to try to replicate the effects of recession in space as perceived by the eye. Previous to this, most artists dealt with the problem of perspective by creating the illusion of recession by situating larger objects/ figures in the foreground and making them progressively smaller in the middle and background of the picture plane.

In Centralised Linear Perspective our eyes are drawn towards a single vanishing point in the centre of the composition which usually occurs on the horizon line (or at eye-level). This form of linear perspective is also known as one-point perspective as the artist’s intention is to draw the eyes of the spectator inward towards a specific point in the picture plane. For instance, in the ‘Adoration of the Magi’ the Italian artist Botticelli uses one-point perspective to attract the attention of the viewer and to ensure that our eyes are drawn towards the image of the Madonna and Child. In this example, the Madonna and Child are the key figures within the composition and contribute to the narrative. Botticelli’s clever use of linear perspective is largely successful as it helps him to set the scene and establish the positioning of the other figures within the painting. Here is a link to Botticelli’s version of the ‘adoration of the Magi’:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandro_Botticelli_-_The_Adoration_of_the_Magi_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg  It is important to note that the colours of the pigments appear to be less intense in the online version than those found in my reference book. However the image itself clearly demonstrates the principles of linear/ one-point perspective.

Here are some examples that I’ve produced to demonstrate how the principles of linear perspective can be utilised:

‘Princes Mead Shopping Centre’, Farnborough, Hampshire. Pen on paper.

‘A view of the upstairs landing.’ Water-soluble pencil on paper.

Although these stylistically are completely different drawings, the principles of linear perspective are the same. In the first line drawing my main focus was the exit doors which I decided to place at eye level as this was true to nature. As you can see my figures and objects were reduced in size as they met the horizon line- which helps to generate the sense of depth and space. The second drawing isn’t as accurate but it does give a sense of light, shade and atmosphere.

The artist can use real or suggested lines which converge on a vanishing point or multiple vanishing points on the horizon line which ensures that the receding planes will link together. (As evidenced by the above works). It is important to note that the artist does not have to be constrained by the use of one-point perspective as it can be used in a variety of ways for differing outcomes.

Bibliography

Levey, M & Mandel, G. (1970) The Complete Paintings of Botticelli. Penguin Classics of World Art. Middlesex, Penguin Books Ltd.

Lucie-Smith, E. (2003) Dictionary of Art Terms. World of art. London, Thames and Hudson.

Chilvers, I (2009) Dictionary of Art & Artists. Fourth Edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Baxandall, M (1972) Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Wikipedia Commons. (2014) File:Sandro Botticelli – The Adoration of the Magi – Google Art Project.jpg. [Online]. Available from:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandro_Botticelli_-_The_Adoration_of_the_Magi_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg  [Accessed 29 December 2014]