longevity) masterminded the deliberate drawing of attention from location to
location by using light and darkness and using straight converging lines. ??????????? The
Italian learning spread across the continent, fusing with native Gothic styles
as a result of the plundering and the occupations of the Italian Wars, but
Italy continued to drive forwards.? In
the 1520s, the plethora of talent led many to claim that perfection had been
attained, and so, Mannerism developed.?
The inability to outdo their forebears in skill led many to try to outdo
them in their invention and originality of form.? Michelangelo?s own disregard for norms, especially in
architecture, had briefed the European public for such an occurrence and taught
the European public to admire an artist?s originality.? The result was the growth of the appeal of
virtuosos such as Cellini and this led to bizarre and extravagant
semi-reactionary works.? Contravening
the most basic of the classical texts on paintings, the Mannerists tried to
drive themselves from what they saw as a rut. ??????????? The
Mannerist Jacob Robusti (Tintoretto) felt that the beauty of Titian?s work was
not compelling enough for story telling.?
Using fragmented light instead of Titianesque swathes of colour and
using imbalanced arrangements of figures, Tintoretto portrayed the legend of
St. George and the discovery of St. Mark?s remains with great power and
excitement.? A further extension of this
school was El Greco?s work.? Raised in
Crete, El Greco was used to the Byzantine style that was devoid of natural
appearance or realism.? Encouraged by
Tintoretto?s 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
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