Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Unit 7: High Renaissance


The High Renaissance is the period where all the knowledge discovered and invented during the Renaissance culminates into a unprecedented level of technical competence, harmonious and balanced composition and rich imagination. During this time, the artist was considered an intellectual and was courted by the wealthy and the royalty. The period of High Renaissance Art is about 1490 to 1527. It was dominated by 3 artists: Leonard da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo Buanarroti (1475-1564) and Raphael (1483-1520).

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
  • Figures in the painting show not only their outward action but also their inner thoughts and emotions and their non-action interaction with other figures
  • Accurate depiction of the human figure from his studies of human anatomy from dissection
  • Depiction of landscapes in paintings are from observations from real life; they are so scientifically accurate that geologists are able to identify the rock formations from the paintings
  • Introduced chiaroscuro, sfumato and aerial perspective
  • Achieve balance in composition without symmetry

While he was an apprentice in Verrocchio’s workshop, Leonardo painted an angel that was far more superior than the angel painted by Verrocchio in Baptism of Christ (1472-1475)

The Baptism of Christ (1472-1475) by Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci
The angel on the left with long curly locks is attributed to Leonardo. The angel has a more serene and intimate facial expression with softer lines and gradual change of colour compared to Verrocchio’s angel on the right.


Michelangelo Buanarotti (1475-1564)
  • Showed strength, mightiness and power in his figures (sculptures and paintings)
  • Used architectural knowledge in painting trompe l’oeil architectural elements such as lunettes and triangular spandrels above the arches of the windows and horizontal ribs of stones across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, thereby dividing the whole of the ceiling into sections
  • Famous works: Statue of David (1501-1503), ceiling of Sistine Chapel (1508-1512)
Ignudo from the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel


Raphael (1483-1520)
  • Harmonious balance of colour, power and emotion in his paintings
  • Portraits show the individuality and personality of the sitter
  • Painted many pictures of Madonna with attention to composition and emotion of the figures
  • Famous works: School of Athens (1509-1511), The Sistine Madonna (1513), Transfiguration (1517)
The Sistine Madonna (1513) by Raphael

Bibliography

Brauner, O.M. (1916) Painting: The High Renaissance in Italy. The Renaissance in Other Countries. Fine Arts Journal. [online]. 34 (8), pp.369-384, 387-401. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25603502 [Accessed 6 April 2011]

Dunlop, G. (1989) Heroic Ambitions. [DVD] United Kingdom: T.V.S. Television Ltd

Eugene a. (2011) The Baptism of Christ. [online image]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Andrea_del_Verrocchio_002.jpg [Accessed 4 April 2011]

Honour, H. and Fleming, J. (2009) A world history of art. Revised 7th ed. London: Laurence King

Mancinelli, F. (1993) The Sistine Chapel. trans by McConnachie, H. Vatican City: Edizioni Musei Vaticani

Pizzorusso, A. (1996) Leonardo’s Geology: The Authenticity of the “Virgin of the Rocks”. Leonardo [online] 29 (3), pp. 197-200. Available from: http://www.leonardosgeology.com/Leonardos_Geology/Leonardos_Geology.html [Accessed 6 April 2011]

Raphael (1513) The Sistine Madonna [oil on canvas] [online image] Place: Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. Available from: http://www.bridgemaneducation.com [Accessed: 7 April 2011]

Smarthistory.org (n. d.) Leonardo [online] Available from: http://smarthistory.org/leonardo-notebooks.html [Accessed on 8 April 2011]

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