I need do this project, It aim to introduce a painting and the style, period of it, and compare with it with other piece from the period 

VisualAnalysis PowerPoint Project

One of the more traditional assignments that students encounter in an introductory Art
History class is to analyze the stylistic qualities of an art object held in a museum
collection and compare it to a variety of pieces that share a similar subject matter.
Students will be required to select one (1) painting that can be viewed digitally (a
selection of which are provided in Blackboard) from the Lowe Art Museum on the
University of Miami campus that has a very fine collection of Renaissance to Rococo
period paintings donated by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation on permanent display in
the Kress Wing.

Once having selected the painting from the Lowe’s digital collection, pay close attention
to stylistic features (i.e., composition, color, use of light/shadow, perspective, figures,
pose, gestures, et al). Describe the object and compare/contrast it to pieces we have
studied in class, whether in the PowerPoint lectures or in the textbook. Be discerning
when selecting objects to compare. That is, try to find pieces that share more
characteristics than not. As a guide, a separate PDF that introduces students to the
fundamentals of how to think about a Visual Analysis had been uploaded into
Blackboard.

The aim of this assignment is for students to develop an eye for style and locate the
subtle differences that distinguish one art movement or period from another. As such,
organize the PowerPoint project in a logical, analytic fashion (i.e., chronologically).
Conclude the paper with a slide that includes remarks about the significance of the
object that became the centerpiece of the analysis — that is, how it fits into a larger art
historical framework.

An approximate guideline for how many slides to include in the body of the presentation
is fifteen to twenty (15-20). This includes slides that establish context and/or discuss
technique; slides with pictures of the objects and analysis that is organized by bullets;
comparison slides; and a slide that contains concluding remarks. At the end of the
PowerPoint project, include an “Image Index” (essentially, equivalent to “Works Cited”
or bibliography) that contains information (e.g., artist, title, date, materials, size, and
collection) about each object and/or comparison. Examples of an Image Index are
included at the end of each PowerPoint uploaded into the Blackboard units.

Submission of this PowerPoint project should be uploaded into Blackboard, rather than
attached to an email or message.

Due Date: Sunday, September 27, 2020

http://www.kressfoundation.org/

ART HISTORY 132

Italian High Renaissance:

Leonardo da Vinci

© Joel Hollander, Ph.D., 2020

Leonardo da Vinci
(1452-1519)
biography: illegitimate son
significance: “Renaissance” man
talented in wide range of endeavors (e.g., art, engineering)
informal education in Latin, geometry and mathematics
training: under tutelage of Verrochio
contemporary in Florence w/ Botticelli, Perugino, & Ghirlandaio
patron: Duke of Milan; Francis I (FR)
style: “
disegno
” (vs. “
colore
”) tradition
defined as both “drawing” and “design”
draftsmanship regarded as prerequisite for good painting
establish basic artistic principles of anatomy and perspective (linear/aerial)
sketches, studies, and cartoons to aid execution of finished pictures

Leonardo da Vinci

Vitruvian Man (c. 1490)
medium: ink on paper
theme: Humanism (Vitruvius  Roman architect)
significance: form est. by mathematical proportions & geometric shapes
figure: idealized proportions
man in two superimposed positions w/ arms and legs apart
inscribed in circle and square
light/shadow: dramatic passages

Leonardo

Madonna of the Rocks (1483)
motif: cave (rock formations)
biography  as youth, discovered a cave; driven by curiosity to find out what inside
Humanism  Plato’s Republic “Allegory of the Cave”
figures: idealized quality of naturalism
composition: stable
CVA
implicit triangular format
color: muted
light/shadow: chiaroscuro
perspective:
forestortening
linear  no explicit use
aerial  view into deep space
vanishiing point  shifted to left

Leonardo
Madonna, St. Ann & Christ Child
date: c. 1505-1507
style: “disegno” tradition
technical skill of line & drawing
conception & intention of finished work
“external physical manifestation of an internal intellectual idea or design” (Zuccaro)
composition: centralized
light/shadow: “chiaroscuro”
chiaro  “clear” or “light”
oscuro  “obscure” or “dark”
strong contrasts between light and shadow
extraordinary sense of sculptural dimensionality
figures: massive

(Left) Classical Greek Three Goddesses from pediment atop Parthenon (c. 450 BCE)
vs.
(right) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Madonna, St. Ann & Christ Child (c. 1500)

Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Last Supper
(1495-1498)

(Left) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Last Supper (c. 1500)
vs.
(right) Giotto’s Gothic Last Supper (c. 1300)

(Left) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Last Supper (c. 1500)
vs.
(right) Castagno’s Italian Early Renaissance Last Supper (c. 1450)

(Left) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Last Supper (c. 1500)
vs.
(right) Donatello’s Italian Early Renaissance Feast of Herod (c. 1450)

Leonardo
Mona Lisa (1503-1505)
patron: Francesco de Giocondo
wealthy Florentine merchant
narrative: commemorates birth of 2nd son
narrative tone: secular vs. religious
motif: head covering
figure: idealized
facial features (eyes, mouth)
hands/fingers
pose: seated, ¾ view (Classical)
composition: stable
central vertical axis
implicit triangular format
color: muted
light/shadow: chiaroscuro
perspective:
foreshortening  arm; shoulder
linear  balcony ledge; winding road
atmospheric (aerial)
vanishing point  shifted to right
“sfumato”  smoky, hazy effect

(Left) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Mona Lisa (c. 1500 CE)
vs.
(right) Roman Republic Portrait of a Lady (c. 50 BCE)

(Left) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Mona Lisa (c. 1500)
vs.
(right) van der Weyden’s Flemish Early Ren. Portrait of a Lady (c. 1450)

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 2: LEONARDO. Self-Portrait (c. 1515), Red chalk.
Slide 3: LEONARDO. Vitruvian Man (c. 1490), Ink, 13 1/2 x 9 5/8 in., Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice.
Slide 4: LEONARDO. Virgin of the Rocks (1483), Oil on panel, 6’3” x 3’7”, Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Slide 5: LEONARDO. Cartoon for Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John (c. 1505-07), Charcoal heightened with white on brown paper, 4’6” x 3’3”, National Gallery, London.
Slide 6: (Left) Classical Greek Three Goddesses from pediment atop Parthenon (c. 450 BCE); and (right) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Madonna, St. Ann & Christ Child (c. 1500)
Slide 7: (Left) Picasso’s Ma Jolie (c. 1910); and (right) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Madonna, St. Ann & Christ Child (c. 1500)

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 8: LEONARDO. The Last Supper (c. 1500), Fresco, 15’2” x 28’10”, Convent of Sta. Maria delle Grazie (Refectory), Milan.
Slide 9: (Left) LEONARDO’s High Renaissance The Last Supper (c. 1500); and (right) GIOTTO’s Gothic The Last Supper (c. 1300).
Slide 10: (Left) LEONARDO’s High Renaissance Last Supper (c. 1500); and (right) GIOTTO’s Donatello’s Early Renaissance Feast of Herod (c. 1450)
Slide 11: (Left) LEONARDO’s The Last Supper (c. 1500); and (right) CASTAGNO’s Early Renaissance The Last Supper (c. 1450).
Slide 12: (Left) Leonardo’s Italian High Renaissance Mona Lisa (c. 1500 CE); and (right) Roman Republic Portrait of a Lady (c. 50 BCE)
Slide 13: LEONARDO. Mona Lisa (c. 1505), Oil on panel, 30 x 21 in., Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Slide 14: (Left) LEONARDO’s Italian High Renaissance Mona Lisa (c. 1500); and (right) VAN DER WEYDEN’s Flemish Early Renaissance Portrait of a Lady (c. 1450)

ART HISTORY 132

High Renaissance: Italian Painting

Raphael

(1483-1520)

Raphael
(c. 1483-1520)
biography: father had been court painter to Duke of Urbino
training: workshop of Perugino
significance: most complete expression of High Ren ideal of harmony
techniques: synthesizes lessons of Leonardo & Michelangelo
linear & aerial perspective
strong contour lines
colorism
graceful figures
Christian and Humanist (re: mythological) themes

Raphael
Marriage of the Virgin (1504)
subject matter: NT
figures: idealized
poses: contrapposto
composition: stable
color: vibrant
light/shadow: directed
perspective: combines linear & aerial
vanishing point
unlike Perugino, opens up horizon into deep space
vantage point
lower (more intimate) than Perugino’s
increases area that figures’ occupy

RAPHAEL’s Italian High Renaissance Marriage of the Virgin (c. 1500)
vs.
PERUGINO’s Italian Early Renaissance Delivery of the Keys (c. 1475)

RAPHAEL’s Italian High Renaissance Marriage of the Virgin (c. 1500 CE)
vs.
Classical Greek Nike Adjusting Her Sandal
from the south frieze of the Temple of Athena Nike atop the Acropolis (c. 425-400 BCE)

Raphael’s Italian High Renaissance
Madonna of the Meadow
(1505-1506)

RAPHAEL’s Italian High Renaissance
The School of Athens
(c. 1500)

Raphael
Galatea (1513)
theme: mythological
composition:
dynamic  movement & gestures
stabilized 
principal narrative figure placed along CVA
implicit triangular format  angels above
color: vibrant/localized red cloak complimented by aqua green
figures: idealized
poses: dynamic
moves beyond “contrapposto” in Botticelli’s Birth of Venus
perspective:
linear  established by human figures’ movement rather than architecture
overlapping
foreshortening
aerial  view into deep space

(Left) Leonardo’s Leda and the Swan (1510)
vs.
(right) Raphael’s High Renaissance Galatea (1513)

Raphael

Pope Leo X (1517)
figures: realistic
unflattering physical features
does not falsify sitters’ personality
composition: synthetic
principal figure placed along CVA
dynamic diagonals & lines of sight/gazes
color: vibrant, rich textures
light/shadow: variation of “chiaroscuro”

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 2: RAPHAEL. Self-Portrait (c. 1500)
Slide 3: RAPHAEL. Marriage of the Virgin (1504), Oil on panel, 67 x 46 ½ in., Milan, Italy.
Slide 4: (Left) RAPHAEL’s Marriage of the Virgin (1504); and (right) PERUGINO’s Delivery of the Keys (c. 1480), Fresco, Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome.
Slide 5: (Left) RAPHAEL’s Italian High Renaissance Marriage of the Virgin (c. 1500 CE); and (right) Classical Greek Nike Adjusting Her Sandal from the south frieze of the Temple of Athena Nike atop the Acropolis (c. 425-400 BCE)
Slide 6: RAPHAEL. Madonna of the Meadow (1505), Wood, 44 ½ x 34 ¼ in., Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Slide 7: RAPHAEL. The School of Athens (c. 1510), fresco, Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican, Rome.
Slide 8: RAPHAEL. Galatea (1513), Fresco, 9’8 ½ ” x 7’4”, Villa Farnesina, Rome.

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 9: (Left) Leonardo’s Leda and the Swan (1510); and (right) Raphael’s High Renaissance Galatea (1513)
Slide 10: RAPHAEL. Pope Leo X with Giulio de’ Medici and Luigi de’ Rossi (c. 1518), Oil on panel, 60 5/8 x 46 7/8 in., Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

ART HISTORY 132

High Renaissance: Painting

Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti
(1475-1564)
biography:
distinguished Florentine family
lived as child in Palazzo Medici
home of Florentine ruler; ripe w/ Humanist ideas
also an art school w/ celebrated collection of classical works of art
style: characteristics (painting)
strong contour (line) defines boundary of forms
color: vibrant, & complimentary
brushwork: vigorous
musculature: hyper-exaggerated
extensive use of “foreshortening”
proportionately contracting in depth
creates illusion of projection or extension in space

Michelangelo
Sistine Chapel (1508-1512)
site: large Papal Chapel built w/in Vatican between 1477-1480 by Pope Sixtus IV
patron: Pope Julius II
“warrior pope”
Undertook aggressive campaign for political control to unite Italy under leadership of the Church
decorative program: architectural framework painted (“faux”)
spandrels  curved triangles
ribbed vaulting
program:
nine (9) OT  ceiling
Last Judgment (NT)  east wall

View of Michelangelo’s decorative program of frescos
on the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel
(1508-1512)

Detail from Michelangelo’s
Creation of Adam in Sistine Chapel

Detail from Michelangelo’s
Creation of Adam in Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam in Sistine Chapel (c. 1500 CE)
vs.
Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina,
pedestal of Column of Antoninus Pius, Rome
(c. 161 CE)

(Left) Detail of Adam from Creation of Adam in Sistine Chapel (c. 1500 CE)
vs.
(right) Dionysos from east pediment of the Parthenon, Acropolis (c. 450 BCE)

Michelangelo’s Expulsion (c. 1500)
in Sistine Chapel

(Left) detail from MICHELANGELO’s High Ren. Expulsion (c. 1500)
vs.
(right) MASACCIO’s Italian Early Ren. Expulsion (c. 1425)

Michelangelo
Sistine Chapel
Last Judgment (1536-1541)
context: political
Protestant Reformation
Sack of Rome
mood: somber & turbulent
narrative: NT combined w/ Humanist references (e.g., Charon/Hades)
composition: dynamic commotion
loosely arranged into registers
anchored along CVA by placement of divinity
color: vibrant
perspective: aerial

Michelangelo’s High Renaissance Last Judgment (1500)
vs.
Giotto’s Gothic Last Judgment (c. 1300)

Detail from Michelangelo’s Last Judgment
in Sistine Chapel

Details of Hades
from Michelangelo’s Last Judgment
in Sistine Chapel

(Left) Details of Hades from Michelangelo’s High Renaissance Last Judgment
in Sistine Chapel (c. 1525-50 CE)
vs.
(right) detail from Giotto’s Gothic Last Judgment (c. 1300 CE) in Arena Chapel

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 2: Portrait of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni.
Slide 3: Interior view of Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, Rome.
Slide 4: View of Michelangelo’s decorative program of frescos on the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512)
Slide 5: MICHELANGELO. Creation of Adam (c. 1510), Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome.
Slide 6: Detail, God the Father, MICHELANGELO’s Creation of Adam (c. 1510).
Slide 7: (Left) Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam in Sistine Chapel (c. 1500 CE); and (right) Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina, pedestal of Column of Antoninus Pius, Rome
(c. 161 CE)
Slide 8: (Left) Detail of Adam from Creation of Adam in Sistine Chapel (c. 1500 CE); and (right) Dionysos from east pediment of the Parthenon, Acropolis (c. 450 BCE)

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 9: MICHELANGELO. Fall of Man (c. 1510), Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome, Italy.
Slide 10: (Left) detail from MICHELANGELO’s Fall of Man (c. 1510); versus (right) MASACCIO’s The Expulsion from Paradise, (c. 1425)
Slide 11: MICHELANGELO. The Last Judgment (c. 1535-40), Sistine Chapel, Vatican, Rome.
Slide 12: Comparison of (left) MICHELANGELO’s Last Judgment; and (right) GIOTTO’s Gothic Last Judgment (c. 1300).
Slide 13: Detail from MICHELANGELO’s The Last Judgment of detail of Christ and upper register.
Slide 14: Detail (left) from MICHELANGELO’s The Last Judgment of demon from Hell and (right) detail of the Damned.

ART HISTORY 132

Early Renaissance:

Italian Painting

© Joel Hollander, Ph.D., 2020

1

Republic of Florence
Florence est. in 59 BCE by Julius Caesar
fifteen old aristocratic families moved to Florence between 1000 and 1100 CE
12th century: prospered through extensive trade w/ foreign countries
13th century; barely able to maintain peace between competing socio-economic factions
intro of new gold coin (florin) c. 1250
became dominant trade coin of W. Europe for large scale transactions
Bubonic Plague (1347-48)
economic downturn took its toll on Florentine city-state
ensuing collapse of feudal system
Ciompi Revolt (1378-1382)
discontented wool workers
established revolutionary commune
wealthier classes crushed rebellion

The Medicis
bank est. by Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici in 1397
Cosimo de’ Medici 
“first among equals” rather than autocrat
de facto ruler until exiled to Venice in 1433
next year, people of F overturned CM’s exile in democratic vote
patronage transformed Florence into epitome of Renaissance city
ancient manuscripts bequeathed to Cosimo by leading humanist scholar
political crisis of 1458
M’s opponents ruined by cost of wars w/ Milan
acquired properties at bargain prices
opposition demand political reforms
M response w/ threats of force
exiled opponents of regime
introduced open vote in councils

The Medicis (cont.)
Lorenzo de’ Medici (1449-1492)
grandson of Cosimo; greatest artistic patron of Renaissance
Verrocchio, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Ghirlandaio, & Michelangelo (who lived w/ Medicis for 3 years)
Pazzi conspiracy (1478)
unsuccessful coup; conspirators violently executed
scheme supported by Archbishop of Pisa; also executed
Pope Sixtus excommunicated everyone in Florence & sent delegation to arrest LM
populace refused to resign LM
war followed, lasting two years
LM diplomatically secured peace
succeeded by son

The Medicis (cont.)
Lorenzo de’ Medici (cont.)
started collection of books that became Medici Library
large numbers of Classical works
large workshop to copy books and disseminate content across Europe
supported Humanism 
circle of scholarly friends who studied Greek philosophers
attempted to merge ideas of Plato w/ Christianity (“Neo-Platonism”)
diplomatic efforts
commission of Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, & Perugino to paint murals in Sistine Chapel
sealed alliance between Lorenzo and Pope Sixtus IV

Humanism
definition: cultural/educational reform during Renaissance
revived interest in ancient Greek/Roman thought
rejects medieval mysticism
aims: civic & spiritual
virtuous & prudent actions
common good & individual nobility
conjunction of faith & reason
curricula: revival of classical liberal arts
grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry and moral philosophy
study of ancient republican models of gov’t
themes: Christianity infused w/ Classical (pagan) culture  Neo-Platonism
scope: spread through W. and North Europe
many upper classes received Humanist educations
many high Church officials were Humanists

6

Masaccio
(1401-1428?)
biography:
father  notary
mother  daughter of an innkeeper
grew up near Florence
training: no evidence of M’s artistic education
Renaissance painters traditionally began apprenticeship at age of 12
moved to Florence to receive training
joined painters guild in 1422
significance: 1st great painter of Quattrocento
according to Vasari, M best of his generation at recreating
lifelike figures (nudes) & movement
three-dimensional volumes
foreshortening
linear perspective
aerial perspective & vanishing point

7

Masaccio
Brancacci Chapel (c. 1425)
function: private chapel
narratives: OT (Adam & Eve) + obscure NT stories (St. Peter)
composition: registered
two (2) horizontal cycles of narrative extend around chapel
stylistic source: Giotto’s Arena Chapel
figures  large, heavy, and solid
emotions  faces and gestures
differences from Giotto:
M uses linear and atmospheric perspective, directional light, and chiaroscuro
effect: even more convincingly lifelike than 14th predecessor

8

Masaccio’s Italian Early Renaissance Tribute Money
(c. 1425)

9

(Left) Polykleitos’ Classical Greek Spearbearer (c. 450 BCE)
vs.
(right) detail from Masaccio’s Italian Early Renaissance
Tribute Money (c. 1425 CE)

Masaccio
Brancacci Chapel (cont.)
Expulsion from Paradise
subject: OT (Adam & Eve)
narrative: assisted by gestures & facial expressions
composition: dynamic
diagonal arrangement of forms & gestures
foreshortening (torso, forearm)
sweeping movement of angel’s drapery
compliments strict verticality
color: vibrant
light/shadow: chiaroscuro
figures: solidly modeled; nude
perspective: linear (e.g., gate) & aerial

11

(Left) detail of Adam & Eve from van Eyck’s
Flemish Early Renaissance Ghent Altarpiece (c. 1425)
vs.
(right) Masaccio’s Italian Early Renaissance Expulsion (c. 1425)

12

Masaccio
Holy Trinity (1425)
figures:
God the Father
dove of Holy Spirit
Jesus (the Son)
Madonna/St. John Baptist
donors (kneeling)
narrative: directed by gestures
M  instructing about C’s death
see skeleton below
composition: stable  CVA & tri- format
color: primary red & blue; muted tones
light/shadow: est. volume on figures
issue: Humanism  classical architecture
linear perspective:
square stone vaulting
steps leading to niche
vanishing point: implied horizon of J’s outstretched arms

13

Piero della Francesca
(1420-1492)
Resurrection (1463)
narrative tone: stoic (Classical)
figures: idealized
mathematical proportions
lean musculature
composition: stable
CVA
implicit triangular format
frieze-like arrangement (Classical)
color: pastel & compliments
light/shadow: even distribution
perspective:
foreshortening
linear  implied (trees)
atmospheric  sky/clouds

14

Sandro Botticelli
(1445-1510)
patron: Lorenzo de’ Medici
career: covered in Vasari’s Lives, but reputation suffered posthumously until late 19th century
apprenticed to Fra Filippo Lippi  one of top Florentine painters
influenced by Masaccio’s monumental figures
commissions: included side panel in Sistine Chapel (1481-82)
three (3) of original fourteen (14) large scenes
Humanist copy of classical Arch of Constantine (Rome)
mythological subjects: c. 1480s
very large scale
classical mythology (see Humanism)
divine love as important place as Christianity (see Neo-Platonism)

Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus
(c. 1485)

16

(Left) Botticelli’s Italian Early Ren. Birth of Venus (c. 1475 CE)
vs.
Praxitele’s Greek Late Classical Aphrodite (c. 350 BCE)

17

Botticelli’s Venus and Mars
(c. 1485)

18

(Left) detail of Venus from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485)
vs.
Greek Classical “Dionysius” from pediment of Parthenon
(c. 450 BCE)

(Left) detail of Venus from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485)
vs.
(right) Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina,
pedestal of Column of Antoninus Pius, Rome (c. 161 CE)

(Top) detail of Mars from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485)
vs.
(bottom) Greek Archaic “Dying Warrior”
pediment sculpture from Temple of Aphaia (c. 500 BCE)

Domenico Ghirlandaio
(1449-1494)
Giovanna Tornabuoni (c. 1490)
subject: noblewoman (aristocrat)
theme: wealth, status, and piety
meaning: memorial; died in childbirth
pose: profile
facial features: idealized
color: vibrant
decorativeness: patterns of clothing
light/shadow: near absence of shadow flattens volume
iconography: Humanist & religious
epitaph quotes ancient Roman poet
coral necklace (rosary) & brooch
partly closed prayer book
handkerchief
perspective: limited to linear (windowsill)

22

(Left) Ghirlandaio’s Italian Early Ren. Giovanna Tornabuoni (c. 1475)
vs.
(right) Leonardo’s High Renaissance La Bella Principessa (c. 1500)

23

Ghirlandaio
Old Man and Grandson (1490)
narrative: emotional qualities beyond traditional portraiture
theme: virtue vs. external appearances
figures: range of qualities of naturalism
old man  realistic & grotesque
child  idealized
composition: dynamic
color: vibrant & muted
light/shadow: even distribution on figures
perspective: combines
linear  architecture (windowsill), winding road & stream emptying into lake
aerial  distant, faint landscape

24

Andrea Mantegna
(1431-1506)
biography: born in Venice
training: Squarcione (Padua)
as many as 137 painters passed through S’s school; famous all over Italy
context: Humanism
fanatic for ancient Rome; traveled in Italy and perhaps Greece
amassed antique statues, reliefs, vases, etc. & drawings from them
aim: optical illusion & perspective
not always mathematically correct
attained astonishing effect
approach: fundamentally sculptural means to painting

(Left) Polykleitos’ Classical Greek Doryphoros (c. 450 BCE)
vs.
(right) Mantegna’s Italian Early Renaissance
Martyrdom of St. Sebastian (c. 1475 CE)

Mantegna
Lamentation (1490)
narrative: portrays body of Christ lying face upward on marble slab
watched over by VM, St. John Baptist, and Mary Magdalene
weeping for His death
usually shows more contact between mourners and body
severely cropped
quality of naturalism: realistic
enhanced by extreme perspective 
“wet” drapery: wet (Classical)
foreshortening 
dramatizes recumbent figure
emphasizes anatomical details (thorax/chest)
color: muted
light/shadow: dramatic modelling

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 2: Map of late 15th century Italy.
Slide 3: 15th century Florin gold coins from Florence, Italy.
Slide 4: Portrait of Lorenzo Medici the Great by Agnolo di Cosimo.
Slide 5: Detail of MICHELANGELO’s staircase in Medici [Laurentian] Library, Florence, Italy.
Slide 6: HOLBEIN, Hans the Younger. Portrait of Erasmus (1523), Oil on canvas, National Gallery, London.
Slide 7: Detail of MASACCIO’s self-portrait from St. Peter Raising the Son of Theophilus and St. Peter Enthroned as First Bishop of Antioch, Brancacci Chapel, S. Maria del Carmine, Florence.
Slide 8: MASACCIO. View of left wall of Brancacci Chapel (1426- 27), 255 x 598 cm., Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence.

28

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 9: MASACCIO. The Tribute Money (1426-27), left wall of Brancacci Chapel.
Slide 10: (Left) POLYKLEITOS’ Classical Greek Spearbearer (c. 450 BCE); and (right) detail from Masaccio’s Italian Early Renaissance Tribute Money (c. 1425 CE)
Slide 11: MASACCIO. The Expulsion (1426-27), left wall of Brancacci Chapel.
Slide 12: (Left) detail of Adam & Eve from van Eyck’s Flemish Early Ren. Ghent Altarpiece (c. 1425); and (right) Masaccio’s Italian Early Ren. Expulsion (c. 1425)
Slide 13: MASACCIO. Holy Trinity (c. 1425), Fresco, 22’ x 11’, Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
Slide 14: DELLA FRANCESCA, Piero. Resurrection (1463), mural in fresco and tempera, 225 x 200 cm, Museo Civico, Sansepolcro, Italy.

29

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 15: Detail of probable self-portrait from Sandro BOTTICELLI’s Adoration of the Magi (1475), Tempera on panel, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
Slide 16: BOTTICELLI, Sandro. The Birth of Venus (c. 1485), Tempera on canvas, approx. 5’8” x 9’1”, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
Slide 17: (Left) BOTTICELLI’s Italian Early Renaissance Birth of Venus (c. 1485 CE); and (right) PRAXITELE’s Greek Late Classical Aphrodite (c. 350 BCE).
Slide 18: BOTTICELLI, Sandro. Venus and Mars (1483), Tempera on wood, 69 x 173,5 cm, National Gallery, London.
Slide 19: (Left) detail of Venus from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485); and Greek Classical “Dionysius” from pediment of Parthenon (c. 450 BCE)

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 20: (Left) detail of Venus from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485); and (right) Apotheosis of Antoninus Pius and Faustina, pedestal of Column of Antoninus Pius, Rome (c. 161 CE)
Slide 21: (Top) detail of Mars from Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (c. 1485); and (bottom) Greek Archaic “Dying Warrior” pediment sculpture from Temple of Aphaia (c. 500 BCE)
Slide 22: GHIRLANDAIO. Giovanna Tornabuoni (1488), Oil and tempera on wood, 2’6” x 1’8”, Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Madrid, SP.
Slide 23: (Left) Ghirlandaio’s Italian Early Renaissance Giovanna Tornabuoni (c. 1475); and (right) Leonardo’s High Renaissance La Bella Principessa (c. 1500)
Slide 24: GHIRLANDAIO. An Old Man and His Grandson (1490), Tempera on wood, 62 x 46 cm., Musée du Louvre, Paris.

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 25: MANTEGNA, Andrea. St. Sebastian (1480), fresco, Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Slide 26: (Left) Polykleitos’ Classical Greek Doryphoros (c. 450 BCE); and (right) Mantegna’s Italian Early Renaissance
Martyrdom of St. Sebastian (c. 1475 CE)
Slide 27: MANTEGNA, Andrea. The Lamentation over the Dead Christ (1490), Tempera on canvas, 68×81 cm, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.

ART HISTORY 132

Mannerism

Mannerism
context: Wars
of Religion (c. 1520-1600)
Sack of Rome (1527)
German troops (Holy Roman Empire) swarmed into Rome
plundered, tortured, raped, and murdered
many eyewitness accounts
effect  brought Renaissance to sudden, catastrophic end
context: death of Raphael (1520)
painters reject, repudiate & subvert harmony & balance of High Ren
style  belief beauty could be improved upon by imagination
glaring use of color & light
exaggerated perspective
attenuated figures
illogical scale

Pontormo
(1494-1557)
Entombment (1525-28)
narrative: deliberate ambiguity
aesthetic: defies numerous High Renaissance ideals
figures:
unnatural proportions
elongated torsos
perspective: defies rational identification of planes
depth communicated only by
overlapping
foreshortening
singular cloud
spatial order: compressed
composition: no central motif along CVA
effect  disperses psychological impact
color: unnatural shades of pastels
light/shadow: even distribution

(Left) Pontormo’s Mannerist Entombment of Christ (1525-1528)
vs.
(right) Raphael’s High Renaissance Deposition (1507)

Parmigianino
(1503-40)
Self-Portrait (c. 1525)
format: tondo
process: convex mirror
Leonardo warned against false mirror effects
spatial order/perspective:
consciously inventive
distorts form & space
extreme foreshortening
composition: stable
color: muted
light/shadow: modified chiaroscuro

Parmigianino
Madonna w/ Long Neck (c. 1540)
aesthetic: consciously stylized
figures: elegant
attenuated & tapered forms
porcelain-like surfaces of skin
scale: altered (large vs. miniscule)
composition: stable arrangement of Madonna along CVA
balanced by strong vertical of column
imbalanced by grouping on left
spatial order: tension between compressed grouping of figures on left versus sliver of sky
perspective: linear & aerial
illusionistic tricks

(Left) Raphael’s High Renaissance Madonna and Child Enthroned (1519)
vs.
(right) Parmigianino’s Mannerist Madonna w/ Long Neck (c. 1540)

Correggio
(1489–1534)
biography: little known about C’s early life or training
influenced by Italian Early Ren. artist Mantegna and response to Leonardo
teacher of Parmigianino
significance: considered revolutionary and influential on subsequent artists
half-century after his death, C’s work well known to Vasari
visual strategies:
dynamic compositions
dramatic foreshortening
illusionistic perspectives
chiaroscuro lighting effects
narratives: sensuous/erotic Humanist themes

Correggio
Assumption of the Virgin (1530)
site: dome of Cathedral of Parma
narrative:
V  lofted upward by vortex of singing musical angel
Apostles  standing around tomb, ringing base of dome
Blessed  Adam and Eve, Judith 
Jesus  placed at center of dome
foreshortened
beardless 
descending to meet mother
perspective: principal means of Mannerist distortion
prototype: Mantegna’s

(Left) Correggio’s Mannerist Assumption of the Virgin (1530)
vs.
(right) Mantegna’s ceiling of the Camera Picta (Painted Chamber)
@ Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, Italy (1465-1474)

Correggio
Jupiter and Io (1531)
patron: Federico Gonzaga, 1st Duke of Mantua
intended to line room in palace w/ Loves of Jupiter  mythical ancestor of Gonzaga family
subject matter: Humanist
Book 1 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses
divine love subjected to Christian interpretation (Psalms)
lower right, stag drinking from brook  ”As deer pants after water brook, so my soul thirsts for thee” 
narrative tone: erotic
Io invited by Jupiter, at night, in dream, to lie w/ him in meadows
J  camouflaged w/in blackish cloud of constantly changing forms
face and hand can be seen within
undergoes metamorphoses to conceal their loving from indiscreet gaze

Bronzino
(1503-72)
Allegory of Lust (1546)
theme: eroticism
narrative: Father Time & Daughter Truth expose incestuous kiss of Venus & son Cupid
spatial order: compressed
style: extremely stylized
figures:
deliberately distorted poses
form subordinated to stylized beauty
exaggerated gestures
porcelain-like flesh

Tintoretto
(1518-1594)
Last Supper (1594)
aesthetic: rationality abandoned for mysteriousness
narrative: protagonist lost among multiple figures nor placed along CVA
spatial order: dramatically extended
figures: size inverted to importance
composition: dynamic
color: muted
light: supernatural
dark, windowless
sources, instead, come from candles, chandelier & halos

(Left) LEONARDO’s High Ren. Last Supper (c. 1500)
vs.
(right) TINTORETTO’s Mannerist Last Supper (c. 1600)

El Greco
(1541-1614)
biography:
Greek descent (Crete)
worked for three (3) years in Venice
learned to model figures in clay and wax to study elaborate poses
influence of Titian’s colorism and compositional formats
in Rome, studied works of Raphael and Michelangelo
arrived in Spain (c. 1575(, in order to find patronage that eluded him in Italy
style: self-conscious departure from natural world
figures: elongated & agitated musculature
settings: contrived to add psychological power

El Greco
Burial of Count Orgaz (1586-88)
patron: El G’s own parish church
subject: 14C legend
Toledan nobleman who acquired renown as religious donor
in 1586, parish priest initiated project to refurbish count’s burial chapel
narrative: dislocations of time & space
presented as contemporary event
composition: two zones
earthly  funeral
heavenly  top
color: Venetian
light/shadow: otherworldly
decorativeness: relate to Mannerist portraits

Detail of lower zone from El Greco’s
Burial of Count Orgaz

El Greco

Burial of Count Orgaz (cont.)
heavenly zone:
angel holding soul of dead Count
soul passes between intercessors
Mary & John the Baptist
Christ  gestures w/ right arm
receives soul into heavenly glory

El Greco
View of Toledo (1597-99)
format: recalls Giorgione’s Tempest
sky/clouds
river bisecting townscape
perspective: transforms/rearranges topographic details
spires of Gothic cathedral
slope to river steeper
palace moved from edge of city to center
light/shadow: ambiguous & imaginative

(Left) GIORGIONE’s Venetian Renaissance The Tempest (c. 1500)
vs.
EL GRECO’s Mannerist View of Toledo (c. 1600)

El Greco
Portrait of a Cardinal (c. 1600)
subject/sitter: scholar & poet who praised El Greco’s work
figure: agitated & tense
perspective: linear
spatial order: compressed by back wall
composition: dynamic
chair at oblique angle
gaze sharply averted
color: vibrant
light/shadow: even distribution
decorativeness: light reflects off satin fabric
drapery: metallic

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 3: PONTORMO. Deposition (c. 1528), Oil on wood, 10’3” x 6’4”, Capponi Chapel, Sta Felicita, Florence.
Slide 4: (Left) Pontormo’s Mannerist Entombment of Christ (1525- 1528); and (right) Raphael’s High Renaissance Deposition (1507)
Slide 5: PARMIGIANINO. Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (c. 1525), Oil on panel, diameter 9 ½ in., Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Slide 6: PARMIGIANINO. Madonna with Long Neck (c. 1535-40), Oil on panel, 216 x 132 cm., Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
Slide 7: (Left) Raphael’s High Renaissance Madonna and Child Enthroned (1519); and (right) Parmigianino’s Mannerist Madonna w/ Long Neck (c. 1540)
Slide 8: CORREGGIO. Self Portrait (c. 1530)
Slide 9: CORREGGIO. Assumption of the Virgin (1526-30), Fresco, 430 × 470 in., Cathedral of Parma, Italy.

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 10: (Left) Correggio’s Mannerist Assumption of the Virgin (1530); and (right) Mantegna’s ceiling of the Camera Picta (Painted Chamber) @ Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, Italy (1465- 1474)
Slide 11: CORREGGIO. Jupiter and Io (1532-1533), Oil on canvas, 64.4 x 27.8 in., Kunsthistorisches Museum, Berlin.
Slide 12: BRONZINO. Allegory of Lust (c. 1540-45), Oil on panel, 57 ½ x 45 ¼ in., National Gallery, London.
Slide 13: TINTORETTO. The Last Supper (c. 1595), Oil on canvas, 12’ x 18’8”, San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice.
Slide 14: Dissection of TINTORETTO’s The Last Supper (c. 1595).
Slide 15: EL GRECO. Detail from Self-Portrait
Slide 16: EL GRECO. The Burial of Count Orgaz (1585), Oil on canvas, 16’ x 11’10”, Church of Santo Tomé, Toledo, Spain.
Slide 17: Detail of lower zone from EL GRECO’s Burial of Count Orgaz.

IMAGE INDEX
Slide 18: Detail of top portion from EL GRECO’s The Burial of Count Orgaz.
Slide 19: EL GRECO. View of Toledo (c. 1600), Oil on canvas, 121.3 x 108.6 cm., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Slide 20: (Left) GIORGIONE’s Venetian Renaissance The Tempest (c. 1500); and EL GRECO’s Mannerist View of Toledo (c. 1600)
Slide 21: EL GRECO. Portrait of a Cardinal (c. 1600), Oil on canvas, 194 x 130 cm., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.