Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets

Cimabue

1280-1290

Early Renaissance (Italy)

• Italo-Byzantine style: gold leaf
• Shift towards naturalism: overlapping, some attention to drapery w. shading and highlighting

Madonna Enthroned

Giotto

1310

Early Renaissance (Italy)

• Byzantine characteristic: gold
• Makes strides toward 3-dimensionality
• More realistic throne, looks as if it occupies space
• Shift towards naturalism: overlapping halos, people cropped off 

Lamentation

Giotto

1305

Early Renaissance (Italy)

• Marks shift towards naturalism and beginning of Renaissance
• Emotion: people grieving
• Foreshortening of the angels
• Realistic view of people- parts cropped out of picture frame, facing different directions
• Humanism: religious figures in human world - relatable

Peaceful City and Peaceful Country

Ambrogio Lorenzetti

1338-1339

Early Renaissance (Italy)

• Fresco painting
• Propagandistic for Siena: Not landscape as it was, but how people wished it was 
• Tells about the effects of good govt. in the city and the country (peace, hard working people, abundance); to remind people how to behave/ remind govt. of goal of their work
• Attempt to create actual city

Well of Moses

Claus Sluter 

1396-1406

Northern Renaissance

• Meant to hold water for Baptisms, fountain in monastery
• Moses- symmetrical 
• Sculpture begins to break free from architecture

Mérode Altarpiece

Robert Campin

ca. 1425-1428

Northern Renaissance

• Symbolism, detail
• Garden = Mary’s virginity
• Cross flying in
• Atmospheric perspective
• Northern- Use of Oil paint starts 
• Sequential religious story, relatable scene from everyday life
• Humanism- religious figures placed in the natural world

Ghent Altarpiece 

Hubert and Jan van Eyck

1432

Northern Renaissance

• commissioned by patron
• unidealised human representation
• detail

Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife

Jan van Eyck

1434

Northern Renaissance

• Oil paint, made by one of earliest oil painters
• Commissioned by patron, portrait painting
• Symbolism

Deposition

Rogier van der Weyden

1435

Northern Renaissance

• altarpiece, commissioned/patron
• Mary in blue
• Oil paint, detail

Heures du Duc de Berry, Les Trés Riches 

Limbourg Brothers

1413-1416

Northern Renaissance

• Foreground: everyday life
• Contrast between world of everyday people and the royals
• Moralizing tale, man spreading seeds = slacking
• Oil paint

Saint Anthony Tormented by Demons

Martin Schongauer

ca. 1480-1490

Northern Renaissance

• Naturalistic detail
• painted by Michelangelo as a young boy
• movement and energy

Isaac and His Sons

Lorenzo Ghiberti

1425-1452

Italian Renaissance

• Illusion of figures that could pop off canvas
• 1 point perspective

David

Donatello

ca. 1440-1460

Italian Renaissance

• First free standing nude statue since antiquity (Ancient Rome)
• Return to contrapposto (weight shift to one leg)
• Nudity used to portray a biblical hero rather than as an allegory for sinfulness (Medieval mentality)
• Feminine - Homosexual undertones

David

Andrea del Verrocchio

1465-1470

Italian Renaissance

• Feminine - Less overtly sexual
• Return to Contrapposto

Tribute Money

Masaccio

1424-1427

Italian Renaissance

• 3 part narrative of a miracle
• Everyday life - tax collector
• Hint of perspective

Holy Trinity

Masaccio

1424-1427

Italian Renaissance

• Symmetry created by pyramidal composition - triangular plan characteristic of the Renaissance
• Significance of the donors (Ren. interest in the individual)
• Classical architecture
• Memento mori at the base (reminder of death)

Birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli

ca. 1484-1486

Italian Renaissance

• Venus entering world of us
• Adam and Eve reference - self conscious of nakedness

Florence Cathedral Dome

Filippo Brunelleschi

1420-1436

Italian Renaissance

• rejection of traditional gothic buttresses

Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to Saint Peter, Sistine Chapel

Perugino 

1481-1483

Italian Renaissance

• 1 point perspective
• Humanism: religious figures mingling in everyday world
• Realistic landscape

Foreshortened Christ (Lamentation over the Dead Christ)

Andrea Mantegna

1500

Italian Renaissance

• Foreshortening - odd perspective
• Made to show ability to solve a technical challenge but didn't quite succeed

Madonna of the Rocks

Leonardo da Vinci

1483

High Renaissance

• Smoky manor - other worldly in a surreal way
• Lunar, rocky landscape - aura of mystery
• Baby Jesus and Peter
• Geometry important

Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci

1495-1498

High Renaissance

• In terrible shape because he experimented with oil - doesn’t mix with water
• Sense of balance: Jesus in center - all of apostles are grouped in 3
• Apostles reaction to Jesus saying “one of you with betray me”

Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci

1503-1505

• volumetric, 3-dimensionality 
• Lunar, strange landscape.. aura of mystery 
• Smoky manor unique to Leonardo, leaves interpretation open to viewer
• Portrait of people of status typical of Renaissance

Madonna in the Meadow

Raphael

1505-1506

High Renaissance

• Pyramid structure - perfect triangle
• Naturalism - Jesus looks more like a baby than before

Philosophy (School of Athens)

Raphael

1509-1511

High Renaissance

• Office where pope’s signed decrees (created laws)
• Classicism - people in togas, classical architecture
• Naturalism
• 1 point perspective

David

Michelangelo Buonarroti 

1501-1504

High Renaissance

Hired by patron to create (Medici family)

Renaissance- power of concentration/visualization over action, power of individual

Naturalism - torso influenced by classical proportions

Moses

Michelangelo Buonarroti

ca. 1513-1515

High Renaissance

• Commissioned by Pope for his tomb
• Naturalism - drapery folds, muscles

Bound Slave (Rebellious Slave)

Michelangelo Buonarroti

1513-1516

High Renaissance 

• Figure trying to emerge from marble, leaves some natural marble
• Commissioned by Pope for his tomb
• Known for his marble work

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo Buonarroti

1508-1512

High Renaissance

• Humanistic approach, volumetric
• Commissioned by Popes - where Popes could meet with God before making decisions, etc
• Embodiment of Neoplatonism - acceptance of outsiders - Scenes from Bible and pagan figures
• Painted architecture

Creation of Adam, detail of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo Buonarroti

1511-1512

High Renaissance

• Humanistic approach - God shown in human form
• Attention to volume, figures look like the exist in 3-dimensional space

Last Judgment, altar wall of the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo Buonarroti

1536-1541

High Renaissance

• Asked to paint scene with Jesus casting damned into hell
• Christian figures, no outsiders this time