Lesson 1: Chapter 18: FourteenthCentury Art in Europe
• Map of Europe in
the Fourteenth
Century
• This lesson will
provide additional
information for
Chapter 18.
• On the map find
Florence, Padua
Siena, and Paris
The Fourteenth Century in Italy marks a period of
momentous shifts in the economic, social and religious
realms. This century marks the end of the Gothic period and
the beginning of the Renaissance. Renaissance means
“rebirth,” in particular, a rebirth in Classical learning. These
changes can be attributed to several factors.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Growing independence of city states: Pisa, Florence,
and Siena were trade centers and were becoming very
wealthy.
Development of a middle-class: Because of trade, a new
class develops, a merchant class, which leads to the
establishment of guilds: an association of craftspeople.
Writing in the vernacular: the spoken language (Read
“Art and Its Contexts: A New Spirit in FourteenthCentury Literature in your textbook)
Trend toward Humanism: concern with the interests and
needs of human beings
Humanism has two meanings
• Humanism: A philosophy or attitude that
addresses itself exclusively to human as
opposed to divine or supernatural concerns,
often coupled with the belief that human beings
are capable of reaching self-fulfillment without
divine aid.
• Humanism: a cultural and intellectual
movement of a secular character that occurred
during the Renaissance following the discovery
of the literature, art, and civilization of ancient
Greece and Rome.
During the Fourteenth Century, humanism also meant:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Education: In particular, the literature and culture of
Classical Antiquity.
Exploration of Individual Potential: Artists and authors
will begin to sign their names to their work. In contrast,
during the Middle Ages, most artists worked solely for the
glory of God.
Civic and Moral Responsibility: Cities commission
beautiful cathedrals and public buildings to show how
proud they are of their city.
Concern with the Affairs of the World: Secular
Humanism
Emphasis on the Humanity of Christ: For our
purposes, the illustration of Christ’s humanity will be the
central concern.
The subject matter of Renaissance art includes:
• New Testament: Life of Christ, Mary,
and the Disciples
• Old Testament (Typological-Old
Testament events foreshadow the
New Testament)
• Classical Mythology
Christ’s life is divided into three cycles:
1. Incarnation Cycle and the Childhood of
Jesus (Annunciation, Visitation and
Nativity)
2. Public Ministry (Baptism, Teachings,
Parables, Transfiguration)
3. Passion (Last Supper (Eucharist),
Crucifixion, Ascension)
Cimabue, Virgin and Child Enthroned, c. 1280
•
•
•
Cathedrals commissioned
altarpieces to display at different
times of the year.
An altarpiece is a painted or carved
panel placed at the back of or
behind and above an altar (Read
“Art and Its Contexts: Altars and
Altarpieces” in your textbook)
Cimabue’s altarpiece illustrates a
typical Byzantine subject and style.
The icon is of the Madonna seated
on a throne with Christ on her lap.
She gestures toward Christ; thus
showing the way to salvation. The
Madonna and Child are surrounded
by angels, saints and Old
Testament Prophets. In typical
Byzantine fashion, the figures are
flat, frontal, with gold halos and
large eyes. The angels are stacked
to suggest one behind the other.
The Madonna has an almond
shaped face. The Christ child looks
like a miniature adult.
Giotto di Bondone, Virgin
and Child Enthroned,
1305-1310
• Giotto was a student of Cimabue’s.
In this image, he illustrates the same
subject, but renders the Madonna in
a more humanistic way. The throne
on which Mary sits is a much more
believable space than that of
Cimabue’s. The angels stand one
behind another. They are rendered
as overlapping instead of stacked,
as in Cimabue’s painting. More
importantly, the form of the
Madonna is modeled from light to
dark (chiaroscuro) to give the
illusion that there is a real body
underneath the drapery. The use of
chiaroscuro makes the figures more
realistic.
Giotto di Bondone, Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel, View
toward East Wall, Padua, 1305-1306
• Giotto’s masterpiece is
the Arena Chapel in
Padua. It was
commissioned by
Enrico Scrovegni. The
chapel is painted in
fresco: painting in wet
plaster. The subject of
the paintings on the
walls is of the life of
Mary and Christ.
Giotto di Bondone, Marriage at Cana, Raising of Lazarus,
Lamentation, and Resurrection/Noli Me Tangere, details from the
Scrovegni Chapel
• The images are depicted
in chronological order
and run somewhat like a
movie frame. Giotto may
have been influenced by
the performance of
mystery plays on church
steps. The scenes take
place on a shallow
stage-like setting. They
are separated by
decorative frames.
Detail: Lamentation
• The subject of the Lamentation
is Mary crying over the dead
body of Christ. Although Giotto
still employs the Byzantine
gold halos, the scene is
brought down to earth and
purely human. The figures are
modeled from light to dark
suggesting weight and bulk.
Mary holds the dead body of
Christ in her arms. A figure
with its back to the viewer
helps her hold up his head.
The body of Christ is
discolored, bloated, and
heavy.
Detail: Lamentation
• In the painting, each figure reacts in
a different way. Even the angels in
the sky are emotional. All of these
different reactions from figures that
are rendered in a realistic manner
creates a more emotional response
from the viewer. Thus, Giotto
participates in the humanistic trend
of representing the stories of Christ
as if they are taking place before
the viewer. The viewer, like the
figures rendered from the back in
the painting, is a participant and
witness to the events.
• Gone are the flat, frontal, large
eyed, unemotional figures of the
Byzantine period as depicted in
Cimabue’s Virgin and Child
Enthroned. Giotto, instead, conveys
real human suffering and emotion.
Detail: Lamentation
• In your textbook, read “Technique:
Buon Fresco”
• Giornata (giornate): adopted from the
Italian term meaning “a day’s work,”
a giornata is the section of a fresco
plastered and painted in a single
day.
• In Giotto’s painting, one can see
traces of the working method of
fresco, especially in the sky. Artists
who covered large areas could only
complete so much in a day. They
had to work while the plaster was still
wet. In the area of the sky, one angel
was painted each day. The day lines
are noticeable in the blue areas. In
the lower foreground, one figure
would be painted each day, which
makes the day lines less noticeable.
Piazza Della Signoria with
Palazzo Della Signoria
(Town Hall), Siena, 12991310
• The Sala Della Pace
(Chamber of Peace) is
located in the Palazzo
Della Signoria. It is the
seat of Siena’s
government. The bell
tower was the largest
structure in Siena at
this time. It not only
functioned for civic
purposes, but for
defensive purposes as
well. The building
contains frescos that
depict civic pride.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti, The Effects of Good Government in
the City and in the Country, Sala Della Pace, Palazzo
Pubblico, 1338-1339
In 1338, the city of Siena commissioned murals to represent the
rewards of good government and the consequences of bad
government. The murals express the city’s sense of civic pride and
warn those who come to the city to be peaceful. Lorenzetti’s continuous
landscape setting illustrates the new interest in humanism. Landscapes
had been used very little in Medieval art. Humanists, like Lorenzetti,
were more interested in the human realm than the divine.
Detail: The Effects of Good Government in the City
The left half of the painting is a portrait of the city and people of Siena.
In the upper left hand corner is the dome and bell tower of Siena
Cathedral. In the upper center is a building under construction.
Palaces, markets, and store shops illustrate the economic well-being of
Siena. All of the different classes come and go through the city.
Citizens dance, shop, work, and move goods in and out of the city.
Detail: The Effects of Good Government in the Country
Beyond the city’s gate, fields, orchards, villas and castles
are the backdrop for people moving in and out of the city in
a steady stream. The gentle rolling hills not only provide a
backdrop, but also show the people in scale with their
natural surroundings. They are not larger than life deities,
but average, everyday people who contribute to the
economy of their city-state.
[Read: A Closer Look: The Hours of Jeanne d’Évreux]
Jean Pucelle, The Kiss of Judas and the Annunciation, The
Hours of Jean D’Evreux, Paris, c. 1324-1328.
• This is a tiny prayer book
that is hand written
(manuscript) and hand
painted (illuminated).
• The art of making books is
called manuscript
illumination.
• Manuscript: a handwritten
book or document
• Illumination: a painting on
paper or parchment used
as illustration and/or
decoration for manuscripts
or albums
The Hours of
Jeanne d’Évreux
This tiny prayer book was commissioned by the French King Charles IV as
a marriage gift for his third wife, Jeanne d’Évreux. It is a personal prayer
book that includes a calendar of the church year and a section dedicated
to Louis IX, the great grandfather of both Charles and Jeanne. As queen,
Jeanne’s duty was to provide a male heir to the throne. Of pressing
importance was the continuation of the Capetian line. In this image, the
Annunciation (right) is paired with the Betrayal of Christ (left), a suggestion
to Jeanne that her inability to produce a male heir would be a betrayal not
only to Charles, but to the French monarchy, the Capetian line, France,
and God. At this time, it was believed that rulers were given their right to
rule from God.
The Hours of
Jean d’Évreux
•
•
•
As an artist, Jean Pucelle introduces several new elements to manuscript
illumination. First, the figures are executed in grisaille: a style of
monochromatic painting in shades of gray. With this technique, Pucelle is
able to model the figures from light to dark (chiaroscuro), providing weight
and solidity to achieve a more naturalistic rendering. This breaks with the
tradition of using pure colors and elaborate gold backgrounds to illustrate an
other-worldly realm.
Pucelle also places the figure of Gabriel and Mary (right page) in an
architectural setting. They appear to be inside of the space, instead of in
front of it.
Pucelle applies an S-curve in the figural form of Mary (right) and Christ
(left). The figures are also long and elegant.