Early Northern Renaissance
15th century (Holland & Belgium today)
Italy shouldn’t get all the credit!!!
Netherlands in 15th century
• Most populated area of Europe
• Most prosperous economy: capitalism,
middle class merchants
• Trade in wool, farming, banking
• Art patrons: Church, merchangs
• Artists: considered craftspeople, workshops
• Artwork: manuscript illumination, panel
paintings on wood (not much sculpture)
Why was early Northern
Renaissance so important?
• Take notes on each artwork & artist in
video.. Most are flashcards…
• Early Northern Renaissance: Supreme Art
• Flashcards on internet will NOT have the
details… you will put those from your notes
rather than relying on me to type them for
you!!!
Champmoi Altarpiece, Meichior
Broererlam, 1393-99, Oil on
Wood Panel
STUDENT PRESENT ON OIL
PAINTING & PAINTING IN THE
NETHERLANDS & FLANDERS
Man in a Red Turban, Jan van
Eyck, 1433
Early N. Renaissance
Possibly self portrait
Lettered, educated artist,
diplomat.. Rose above level of
craftsman
Brother Hubert was also artist
Pioneered oil painting and
atmospheric perspective
Paintings full of iconography
(symbolism)
WHY WAS OIL PAINTING SO
IMPORTANT (STUDENT
PRESENTATION)
Flashcard
Marriage of Arnolfini (Double
Portrait), Jan van Eyck, 15th century
Northern Renaissance - Early
Flashcard
1st full length portrait ; SIGNED
Mirror was not a cliché, new feature
Signed with text indicating this was
like a marriage certificate
Full of iconography; marriage bed
window was outside/man’s world, 1
candle represented God in the
chandelier, dog respresents fidelity,
See your notes for more details.
Ghent Altarpiece, Closed,
Anunciation with Donors
1432 (flashcard)
Hubert & Jan van Eyck
GET NOTES FROM STUDENT
PRESENTATION
Donors praying in corner,
annunciation (Mary) in upper
section, statues in center are
painted.
Considered to launch Northern
Renaissance!!
Van Eyck master of perspective,
oil painting in layers, humanism in
figures portrayed
Ghent Altarpiece
open-flashcard
Notes from video in
class
What were altarpieces used for?
Rogier Van der Weyden
Portait of a Lady (Flashcard)
1455 - oil & tempera on wood panel
Popularized half lengh pose, ¾ profile
Triangular composition
GET NOTES FROM CLASS &
VIDEO
Deposition, Rogier Van de
Weyden, 1435
Oil on wood panel
Flashcard…
Moving forms, S-curve
Showed individualized grief
Rogier van der
Weyden, Last
Judgment Altarpiece
(closed), shownig
donors N. rolin &
Guigone de salins, oil
on wood panel
Rogier van der Weyden, Last Judgment Altarpiece (open)
IMPORTANCE OF OIL PAINTING – GLAZES
-brilliant colors
-more realistic modeling of figures
-could be reworked
-
Oil painting even spread as
far as Spain & Portugal
Nuno Goncalves painted
this piece
Saint Vincent with the Royal
Portuguese Family
7’ x 4’, 1465
IT ALL STARTED IN THE
NORTH… FLANDERS,
NETHERLANDS,
BELGIUM…
Islamic influence
• Oriental rugs much prized (Islamic woven
carpets)
• Via China, porcelain designs were much
copied
• Calligraphy & pseudo Arabic script in early
Renaissance and proto-Renaissance
paintings
Virgin & Child,
1450
Jean Fouquet
Example of court
style painting in
France
Richness of
Burgundy area
Fouquet was
influenced by
Flemish painting
Red & blue
cherubs tapestry
like background
Book of Hours (Tres Riches Heures), illuminated book on parchment, flashcard
Limbourg Brothers, Early Northern Renaissance ---portrayed peasant laborers!!!
Elaborate
tapestries w/real
gold,silver
threads were
made for upper
classes
Many destroyed
during French
revolution
Unicorn is found
at the Fountain
Also “decorative”
arts with
expensive
materials, finely
worked, popular
to show richness
& importance
Saint Ursula Reliquiary
(Painted & gilded oak)
34” x 36” x 13”
1489, Bruges, Belgium
Richly detailed paintings
Well of Moses, Dijon, France;
Claus Sluter
Large limestone sculpture,
originally painted
Very individualized & detailed
Horizontal draperies
Sculpture freed from architectural
setting as in Gothic times
Inset – Death of the Virgin, Gothic period, Strasbourg
Cathedral
The Merode Altarpiece (open), Triptych of the Annunciation, oil on wood, Robert
Campin. 1425-28. FLASHCARD – GET NOTES FROM STUDENT
PRESENTATION
Hint: 3-D realism, iconography. Donors shown..tiny Christ child in window ,
Joseph’s carpentry shop = City of Bruges.. Lily? Symbol of??????
Detail from Merode Altarpiece
Hugo van der Goes-student of van der
Weyden
Combined intellectual of van Eyck with
emotions of van der Weyden
Portinari Altarpiece (detail from open
panel), 1474, Tempera & oil on wood
panel
PAINTED PEASANTS (like Limbourg
Brothers… ) unheard of.. Reality
coming into contact with divine…
Did show medieval tradition of
different sized people …
Children also portrayed
Iconography
Christ threatened by evil…
Center
panel of
Portinary
Altarpiece
by Van
Goes
Angels are
small,
peasants
large
Right hand panel of
Portinary Altarpiece (open)
Detail from
Portinary
Altarpiece
Printmaking – woodblock
Explosion of learning in
Europe
Demand for books
Artists began drawing on to
the blocks for the craftsmen
to cut the blocks and print
Illustrated stories, medical
treatises, Bibles, etc.
Demons tormenting Saint
Anthony… Engraving,
1480
Engraving allows more fine
details and shadings
Demons are physically
torturing the impassive
Saint Anthony in this piece.
Role of Women in the Arts
Some women worked as illuminators or learned from fathers/husbands
Mary of Burgundy was famous patron of the arts, shown here in a book of
the hours created for her.