What Major Developments Were Made In Art — страница 5

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work, El Greco?s art disregarded natural form and colours producing stirring visions, notably in his ?Opening of the Fifth Seal?, a very shocking piece.? His residence in Spain where there was a religious fervour suited to his style is a happy coincidence for the art world.. ??????????? The idolatry of Spain that sustained El Greco and kept his reputation and finances afloat was lacking at this time in much of northern Europe.? Protestantism prevented the production of religious images.? Portrait painting and illustration alone sustained the northern painters.? Hals? use of ?undignified? poses, unlike Holbein?s contrived dignity, was designed to convey a characteristic mood, but like Holbein, it followed strict rules of balance. ??????????? The area of most interest to art

historians in the Netherlands is the fate of the old altarpiece painters, many of whom began to paint landscapes. By becoming genre painters, the Dutch artists were able to continue to thrive.? This era saw the birth of the landscape – a result of a financial necessity to find new subject matter.? The landscape was a pure show of artistic talent; something that could not have happened prior to the cult of the artist. ??????????? The seventeenth century saw the greatest advances since Michelangelo?s death.? The Roman Baroque style, with its abandonment of some of the simplicity of classical architecture whilst retaining its motifs, rose at this time.? A reaction to the polarisation of wealth, extravagance unseen since the Gothic era was possible.? The triumphalism of the

Counter-Reformation, the renewed power of the Papacy and the rise of absolutism as a doctrine all led firstly the church, and then royalty, to turn to the Baroque as a show of might.? Breaking new rules by sheer expense and extravagance, this was a Roman extension of Mannerist independent thinking.? Bernini?s David is not Michelangelo?s David. Carracci, under Rafaelite influences, moved to an era of classically influenced anatomy, sentimentality, simple and harmonious painting.? Meanwhile, Caravaggio moved to unravel the truth at the cost of beauty.? To him, beauty was not of any importance, and the world as it existed was all that mattered.? His irreverent ?Doubting Thomas? was criticised for its depiction of the apostles as common labourers.? The contrast between Carravaggio?s

Aristotlean brutal realism (disparagingly called ?naturalism?) and Carracci?s Platonic world of ideals we see reflected elsewhere. Rubens? idyllic landscapes contrast with Velazquez?s early works.??????????? The Renaissance changes were multifaceted.? The artist was brought onto a skewed plain in relation to his art, and this era?s love of ?Masters? gives us our modern preoccupation with the works of famous artists.? The printing press allowed dissemination of copies of Botticellis or other popular works, so popularising art and allowing widespread art appreciation.? Despite this, the era saw the ?schools? come to the fore, as each supported its champion against one another.? Stylistically, perspective was the single most important innovation, as Giotto?s understanding of

foreshortening had already allowed some realism to exist in art, paradoxiscally as a result of his study of the unnatural Byzantine school.? The movement for the real world as art grew until Raphael?s ability to conjure natural beauty showed an alternative.? The movement from the realism of Michelangelo to the blurred impressions of Velazquez and Rembrandt indicate a middle ground.? Finally surpassing the Ancients, the Renaissance was truly a rebirth for Italian art, as masters like Donatello, irritated by the staleness of the vogues of their fields, spearheaded reform, and genii such as Masaccio, Michelangelo and Leonardo applied the lessons of science to art. [1] P. 144, ?The Story of Art? ? E.H. Gombrich [2] P. 3 ? Michael Baxendall ? Painting and Experience in Fifteenth

Century Italy 389