Final Reflection

Upon nearing the end of this class, I thought I'd write one last blog reflecting on the semester.

     I've found this class has really helped me appreciate and understand my favorite artists from other classes I've taken previously. Although I knew my favorite Baroque and Romantic artists took strong influence and often quoted the Renaissance masters, this class has really helped me to understand the meaning and significance of these imitations.
     It's been incredible to consider the sheer intelligence and creativity of Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo. For me, they were the most interesting. Studying their masterpieces makes me want to go back to Italy as soon as possible so I can observe their work with deepened appreciation.
     As a few of you might already know, I'm a film major and my area of interest is set design. Taking art history courses really broadens my visual vocabulary and helps me to assimilate ideas for different productions. This class is no exception I did a set for a play this semester and I was really struggling with the arrangement of the furniture. I needed the space to be able to retain a sense of chaos within a structure of stability. I remembered Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi and decided a circle inscribed within a triangle was the way to go.  I can't wait to incorporate a weird mannerist color scheme into a design someday. I just need the right opportunity to come along.
     Reading everyones blogs and having discussions in class has truly been enjoyable for me and given me plenty of inspiration and ideas so thank you! Good luck on the test and Happy Holidays everybody!

The Choice between Virtue and Vice-Veronese

     This piece by Veronese was part of the same aforementioned series by Veronese commissioned by Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor.
     The painting shows a man struggling between allegorical personifications of Virtue and Vice. Virtue, on the left, is seated atop a worldly bust amongst statue. The art she is surrounded by represents a sense of civilization and order. The entablature engraved on the structure says, " Honor and Virtue flourish after death. Vice, is marked by a treacherous landscape at her command. She aggressively pulls at the man's garments and rips his tights at the bottom.
     I think this is a relatable subject for us as we get through finals week. As the temptations of winter break approach, academics, order, and moderation must be kept in check.

Wisdom and Strength- Veronese

     This painting was made under the same commission as Venus and Mars for the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II of Prague. It has switched owners many times since its creation. Since its' creation in Venice in 1576, it went to Prague where it remained until 1612. The piece was then looted by Queen Christina's army and taken to Sweden where it remained from 1649-1654. The painting traveled through Brussels on its way to Rome where it was owned by 3 different owners ending with a Cardinal. In 1721 the painting made its way to Paris until 1780,  only to make it back to Brussels in 1791 and return to Paris in 1792. The piece remained in (or just outside of) London until 1911when it was transported to New York City. In 1912 Wisdom and Strength by Paolo Veronese was obtained by Henry Clay Frick. It resides today in New York City as part of this collection. Pretty "Frickin" awesome.

     I find it incredible that a piece that has endured so much political turmoil has persevered in the condition it has and that its ownership is so well accounted for. It is somewhat inspiring to think that through all the worldly conflict since 1576, an appreciation of beauty and the arts has always been upheld by someone, somewhere and because of that, we are able to enjoy and account for masterpieces like this.

     The painting is of a woman, the personification of wisdom,  adorned in delicate pink and light blue drapery looking upwards towards the heavens as Hercules, the epitome of strength admires her. He is humbled in her presence and even slumps to draw attention away from his physical perfection, so as to emphasize the superiority of wisdom.

     The contract Veronese obeyed has been lost, but one can assume these pieces represented virtues the Holy Roman Emperor would strive to uphold.

     This piece is a reminder to not be seduced by vanity or excess in any form, for wisdom is always of more value.

     Veronese rendered this masterpiece with the same painterly opulence he is known for. While the extravagance and attention to material detail would not be considered appropriate for Christian subject matter, it was acceptable in the depiction of pagan subjects.

     Unlike previous pieces I've highlighted on this blog, this painting doesn't feature a multitude of figures. The three figures we are given, however, are extraordinary. The light cascades down wisdom, highlighting every luminous detail of her complexion and dress. The chiaroscuro Hercules emerges from is rich and beastly as he also seems to emerge from a crude taxidermy fur. The sky is typical of Veronese. It is impossibly colorful as it plays into a lush and beautiful landscape. This piece is truly a wonder. I can only imagine the effect it must have in person.

Peter Watson, Wisdom and Strength, (New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1989).

Venus and Mars- Veronese

     This piece is part of a series of seven paintings commissioned by Emperor Rudolf II of Prague. The pieces were executed between 1576 and 1584. All of the pieces are allegorical and mythological in nature. It is suspected that Rudolf II was mentally ill and possibly schizophrenic. This may be the cause of the series' seemingly obsessive interest in sexuality, but I'm not personally convinced that mental illness is necessarily the reason for a man's interest in female nudity and sensuality.

     I found this piece initially interesting due to the strange pose of Venus and the gentle rendering of Mars. Mars is the God of war and due to his universal cruelty, is hated by all. The exception to his cruelty can be found in Venus, who he falls in love with. He isn't a popular subject in art with the exception of sometimes being depicted as a war enthusiast who is tamed by love.

     Homer was the fist to write about the adultery between Mars and Venus. Mars was promptly punished by a jealous husband. In the renaissance this became a popular subject for allegorists. The simple anecdote was used to express the moral of love conquering even the most brutal man.

     Cupid joins the two in a knot of love. Mars is made docile by this bond. 

     I find the color scheme of this piece to be memorizing. It seems to achieve coolness and warmth simultaneously. I can't decide which one is dominate. 

Peter Watson, Wisdom and Strength, (New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1989).

Apotheosis of Venice 1585

     This piece is located in on the ceiling of the Hall of The Great Council in the Doge's Palace. It was a public commission featuring the allegorical female figure of Venice being crowned by two victories. Around her, sit other allegories. This piece is noteworthy because it's use of light and space is an indicator of the baroque period to come.
     The allegory of Vencie is also the Virgin Mary. She is portrayed in the clouds as a means to show her victory over the pope and city states and her residence in Heaven. The Rape of Europa is depicted on the lower level. To elaborate, the story is as follows: Zues was in love with Europa. He disguised himself as a bull in Europa's father's field and as Europa went to ride the bull, he swam to the island of Crete and she became the first queen of the island. In Veronese's painting, this is a metaphor for the preservation of the arts.
     Upon studying this painting, I find it mesmerizing. Every time I glance at it, I notice a new figure or interesting detail.  The vivacious animals, colorful skies, and variation of figures are all typical of Veronese as I have explained in previous entries. This may be my favorite piece thus far by Veronese due to the likeness it has to Baroque painting. It is obvious that Veronese has a specific command of dramatic colors to cause his figures to simultaneously complement and diverge from one another. It's essential separation in to three registers eludes to organization, without being too obvious in a classical manor.
     As many others have noted before myself, it is hard to identify the focal point  in many Veronese pieces. Without reading up, I would never have taken allegory or even the mythological story from this. Admittedly, I still struggle to make sense of the bottom scene. When I look at the piece, I see above all else, a multitude of complementary color palettes and plentiful  intriguing figures.

Discussion 7

     I always enjoy discussions on what is widely held as high and low art. It is truly an interesting topic of discussion. It seems to me that ideas of high and low art are obviously subject to variation in individual taste, yet art history seems to try, desperately, to define what is worthy of high praise and what is not worthy of scholarly approval.
     It seems to me, that in the world of art history, everything that is a departure from classicism before the 19th century is considered a digression from what is true, beautiful, and worth high praise. Antiquity always seems to be what artists and scholars alike come back to over and over again. Although I can recognize and appreciate what the ancients did as incredible, beautiful and true in their own rite, I believe that variations from antiquity such as Mannerism are an evolution.
     Mannerism departs from classicism by glorifying color, putting figures in various positions, and departing from anatomical accuracy. This all contributes to the idea of art for arts' sake. This is an important issue to my research project because Veronese was often accused of digressing from the spirituality of his subjects.
     Mannerism offers us a unique approach at anatomy. While artist's incorporated all the knowledge of antiquity, they also invented their own mode of artistic and spiritual expression that should be valued as an artistic evolution subsequent to antiquity rather than a problematic digression from accuracy.

Venus of Urbino

     Titian's Venus of Urbino depicts a nude woman reclined on a bed in an unspecified space. Although, nude women posing as "Venus's" is nothing new at this time, her gaze towards the audience is groundbreaking. Venus, being a sensual and amorous being, had been depicted since antiquity as passive or shy in her nudity. In countless representations she is sleeping in a state of luxurious abandon or attempting to cover herself, but to no avail.
     Titian's Venus' directness can be interpreted in several ways. One being that the woman depicted is a prostitute or involved in some scandal. This can be supported by the messy sheets, or her directness in being observed in the nude as if this was a routine moment for her. However, I think it is more likely that the woman being portrayed here is being sympathized with, if not admired by Titian himself.
     The way she is rendered in soft colors that echo her surroundings make her appear harmonious and beautiful rather than profane or guilty of some scandal. The trunks in the background have been identified as marriage trunks. The dog snoozing on the edge of her bed does not look alarmed in any way, but seems comfortable and at peace, signifying that nothing is inherently wrong with this situation. The dog is also known to be a signifier of fidelity.
     It is difficult for us today to understand, even with historical texts, female sexuality of this time in it's entirety. Today equivalent images of nude woman pervade our daily lives in advertisements, film trailers, television shows ect. Today the female figure is often utilized to attach the promise of sex to a product. The difference is the female subjects today, aren't even given the pleasantry of being elevated to a "Venus" status today. If Titain was a misogynist,  he didn't even come close to present day ad designers.

The below Skyy advertisement depicts a devolution, in my opinion, in depicting women since Venus of Urbino. Although these women have more clothes on, they retain no active role in being observed. While Titian's Venus gets to behold her beholder directly and be identified, in part, by her surrounding and expression, these women don't even have a face. While Titian's Venus takes ownership in her space and seems very much a part of it, these women are just bodies as inanimate as the yellow background and the product.

Feast in the house of Levi Video

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/veroneses-feast-in-the-house-of-levi.html

This video does a great job of contextualizing "Feast in the House of Levi" by Veronese.

I particularly enjoyed their discussion of the architecture as "imposing". I didn't think of this before, but now I can see that the architecture is just as distracting from the biblical scene as the numerous figures surrounding Christ. Although Christ is indeed centered within the architecture, there is little to no effort to differentiate this spiritual moment from the rest of the earthy revelry.

I also enjoyed the comparison of this piece to Leonardo's "Last Supper".  Leonardo uses hierarchy of scale and a minimalistic approach to assert Christ as the most important person at the table as well as eliminating anything that isn't necessary to depicting spirituality. While Leonardo depicts a timeless spirituality, Veronese painted the figures in contemporary Venetian clothing. Veronese attempted to bring the this scene into contemporary reality, making it more palatable for real people.

While the church this piece was commissioned for was thoroughly satisfied with the piece, the greater Catholic church was not impressed. Veronese was brought before an Inquisition where officials asked him questions regarding the content of the piece.The apostles are shown serving up their plates and looking around in mortal preoccupation.  Everyone in the piece is distracted, even the animals, who shouldn't be there as per Reformation standards.

During this time it was thought that religious art needed to have a certain piety and spirituality. If anything distracted form that spirituality, it wasn't of service to the church. The officials asked him to remove some figures, namely the dog. Veronese refused and simply changed the name of the piece to "Feast in the House of Levi" This served to appease the Catholic church and preserve Veronese's reputation.

Veronese Research Part 3, Marriage at Cana

     Veronese's Marriage in Cana was completed in 1563 for the refectory (communal dining room in a religious setting) of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. The piece depicts a story from the New Testament about the 7th miracle performed by Christ. In the story Mary and Christ are invited to a wedding in Cana and as the wine ran out, Jesus ordered his servants to fetch jugs of water which he transformed into wine. I've had the privilege of seeing this piece in person and remember being awestruck by the size and detail of this canvas. At 21'10''x32'6'' it is the largest canvas in the Louvre! It has been hanging there since Napoleon acquired it from Venice in 1797.The pictures don't do the piece justice, but here's a picture anyways.

Marriage at Cana                                                                    San Giorgio Maggiore

  
     The scene is broken down into 3 horizontal areas. The forground contains the feast itself, with Christ and Mary in the center, barely noticeable in the center surrounded by tantalizing dishes of food, animals, and countless vignettes of earthly revelry. The higher terrace, as separated by a balustrade, features more figures engaging in acts of revelry. In the background sits a campanile (bell-tower with or without multiple bells inside) against a vibrant blue sky, as is expected in a Veronese piece.
     For a piece that is meant to be religious in nature, very little emphasis is placed on Christ and Mary. They easily blend into the crowd; only differentiated by slight halos. None of the figures seem to pay much attention, if any, to the miracle that is taking place. Veronese himself can be seen playing a viola, paying no attention to Christ. Perhaps this is his commentary on his position on the importance of religion.
     It seems that Veronese was more interested in painting and decoration than religious messages being elevated in his work. In fact it seems that luxurious materials and indulgent consumption of food and drink is elevated above all else by Veronese's spectacle of color and attention to detail in the ornate clothing and still life depiction of the meal itself.
  


Hartt, Frederick, and David Wilkins. History of Italian Renaissance Art. 7th. London: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.

Veronese Research Project Entry 2

     "Paolo's former master became a limping imitator of his pupil" (Freedberg, 386) 

     This statement Freedberg refers, harshly, to Veronese's teacher in his early stages of painting. Although Badile is considered a minor painter in history, it is hard to discount his work altogether, as it is believed his naturalistic style strongly influenced Veronese's later, matured style. It is, of course, possible that his naturalism came from other sources, Badile would have been the most likely to influence him in this way. 

     More research is needed on my part to find specific and concrete examples of Badile's naturalistic influence. I plan on seeking out more information to share here, as I find this dynamic between teacher and student very interesting. It seems difficult to determine who is truly the teacher here.

     In my opinion, "Feast in the House of Levi" completed in 1573, may be evidence for naturalism pervading the artist's style. Veronese was originally commissioned for a dominican friary by the name of Basilica di anti Giovanni e Paolo as a last supper scene. The scene, possibly in an act of commitment to realism, includes many figures that aren't considered religious as well as animals. The painting was deemed inappropriate and renamed "Feast in the House of Levi", as it was not an appropriate depiction of Christ.

Veronese Research Project

     Paolo Veronese was born in 1528 in Verona. His father was a stonecutter. In his youth he apprenticed for local artist, Antonio Badile. Veronese moved to Venice in 1551 to pursue a career in painting. Upon reaching Venice, Veronese would have had to choose between the sweeping classicism of Titian, or the new mannerist style of Tintoretto. His early works reflect his favoritism for classic style.

     In 1552, Veronese completed The Temptation of St Anthony. The Rominism in this work is apparent in the attention payed to underdrawings and solidarity of the figures. The figures are muscular, accurate, and suggest strongly that they are fully occupying the space they reside in. Little attention is payed to color. The pallet is dark and earthy compared to this artists later works. Below I've attached a beautiful underdrawing for this piece which exemplifies Veronese's emphasis on disegno. Note the attention payed to the figures occupying their space with a dynamism portrayed by the writhing contrapposto  of each figure. This is ,no doubt, a product of Veronese choosing classism early on in his career. The reclining figure, however, foreshadows Veronese's later transition to a contemporary mannerist style.

Discussion 4 Michelangelo and Leonardo

      Both Leonardo and Michelangelo are considered masters of their mediums. Although they are often grouped together in academic settings as masters of the renaissance, the two artists held some very different ideas in terms of portraying beauty, abstraction, and the supremacy of painting or sculpture.
     While Michelangelo believed ideal physical beauty had the ability to elevate  subject matter to an appropriate representation of ideas, Leonardo believed beauty is built in to nature and the further the artist gets from nature, the further the artist departs form true beauty. Michelangelo would study many models and composite their best features in order to portray a single figure, such as the virgin Mary. His figures are academic in their accuracy regarding muscular form, but there is no assumption that any of his figures are singular people, depicted as nature created them. In contrast, Leonardo went so far as to  say re-creating nature in paint is to share in God's divine creation and the less realistic, the less Godly and beautiful the art was.
     This departure from nature, condemned by Leonardo, is embraced by Michelangelo as the only way to portray idea. His figures are not meant to be representations of nature, but perfected versions of the natural world. These versions serve to portray creations of the mind rather than the products of a tangible world. This portrayal of idea is a Neoplatonic idea.
     Leonardo prefers paint over sculpture because he feels it is the only way to realistically portray nature in all its atmosphere and detail. Michelangelo, on the other hand, was influenced strongly by the Neoplatonic notion of idea and preferred releasing these ideas from the stone with his chisel.

Roman Culture

     During the Renaissance, Roman culture became collaborative in two ways. While contemporary Christian leaders were drawing upon the ancient past to create their aesthetic and societal ideals, artists were coming together with writers, scholars, mathematicians, and sculptures to accomplish their work.
     This collaborative mentality lent itself to the innovation of Rome. The economic rise of Rome combined with Humanistic interest in the ancient past meant a colossal increase in construction in Rome at the start of the 16th century.
     Along with rebuilding the city itself, people were also able to rebuild themselves in terms of social status. Illegitimate children who were denied any inheritance could work to accumulate as much wealth as they could earn after gaining an education. Women from modest beginnings however, were limited to "high class" prostitution and some real estate investing to earn a living. High class prostitutes were differentiated from their simple colleagues by their artistic abilities such as singing and poetry reading.
     Great importance was placed on language and public speaking. Romans referred, once again, to their ancient predecessors who thought it was very important to be able to persuade and argue eloquently.
     An interest in the preservation of history and civilization arose. The first Library was established in order to collect and organize knowledge for future generations.
    By 1600 Rome didn't look like a conquered city at all, but instead a glimmering statement of innovation by way of appreciating and studying antiquity.

Humanism Discussion

     Humanism focused on studying ideas from antiquity rather than purely religious knowledge. The upper class became very intrigued by their ancient ancestors and held themselves in high esteem, feeling that they had a likeness to Plato, Aristotle, and other great thinkers from antiquity. The ruling class thought they could be better leaders if they spent years studying ideas from antiquity. Learning Latin was a crucial component of a humanistic education. Unfortunately, a humanistic education demanded years of rigorous study that middle and lower class people couldn't afford.
     I was surprised to learn that doctors and laborers were held in low esteem and were regarded as simple money making professionals. In my opinion, people who dedicate themselves to a trade are the bread and butter of a society. Academia couldn't exist if everyone was responsible for building their own homes and healing their own sick. It is atop the shoulders of laborers and tradesmen that the ruling elite stand, so I find their mentality towards the middle class quite conceded.
     However arrogant their outlook on laborers seems, I must admit I admire the value placed on eloquence, grammar, and language at this time. Our society could benefit from this mentality. We live in a time that enables us to publish our thoughts by the click of a button. It seems that the art of language is somewhat lost today. We rarely craft letters to our loved ones, because we can text or e-mail anyone in an instant. Instead of prioritizing and organizing our thoughts, we have the ability to post every mundane, insignificant detail of our life on Facebook without thinking it through. I believe we could all benefit from being trained to craft our thoughts and words with more care and precision than we often do.
     We have the ability to access the entirety of human knowledge on a device that fits in our pockets and we use it to look at cat videos, see what our friends are doing all the time, and fight with strangers. It's interesting to contemplate what Leonardo could have accomplished with a resource as powerful as the internet. But who knows, maybe his accomplishments were better facilitated in a time without such useless and tempting distractions.

Leonardo Da Vinci Discussion

     Hello! I'd like to start off by saying I found this book far more interesting than I originally expected. I must admit I jumped around quite a bit, but I kept within the theme of Leonardo's fascination with anatomy.
     Leonardo believed that understanding anatomy was just as important to an artist as to a draughtsman. He was extremely passionate about discovering how the body works and went to great lengths to acquire new knowledge about the human body. Today when we picture an autopsy, we picture a clean body that has been very well preserved. Although still eerie or discomforting, we can go into an autopsy knowing that the procedure is safe, widely accepted, and likely been done before. In Leonardo's case the cadavers were unrefrigerated, the procedure was frowned upon by many, and nobody including him knew exactly what to expect. I admire his bravery and determination in seeking out the components of life in such morbid conditions.
     Leonardo's early studies were more metaphysical in nature than what we would now consider "scientific". His intricate diagrams of a human skull attempt to locate where the soul is located. He believed it all to be in the one organ (the brain) rather than housed throughout the entire body, as some suspected.
    Later notes on dissection tended to be far more quantitative. He performed a dissection on an old man and a young boy and noted all the differences in their flesh. He concluded that the heart was the primary circulatory organ, rather than the liver, which some believed it to be. He compared the heart to the pit of a peach in the way it draws nutrients in though a series of interlinked capillaries.
    Towards the end of his life, his studies were a captivating combination of metaphysics and quantitative notes. He dissected a mother and her unborn fetus. He describes the fetus as a creature having no soul of its own and being completely dependent on the mother. He accounts for unborn babies dying at the time of their mothers because they have no soul of their own.
     These studies were very controversial within the Catholic church and his studies were later hindered.  It is unknown whether Leonardo stopped dissecting or if he simply resorted to using his own space, rather than the local hospital which had previously granted him special permission to perform his studies.