Notes

ambrogio lorenzetti fresco
martinis work is elegant
giotto first to use chiaroscuro for three dimensional
lorenzetti bros introduxed linear perspective
quattrocento:time of transformation
Four important re-discoveries or discoveries in art characterized the Renaissance, according to the textbook, The Annotated Mona Lisa: fresco, perspective, pyramidal composition, and chiaroscuro.The first, oil paint on stretched canvas, was especially important in the north. Pigments (often minerals), mixed with turpentine and oil, produced an almost infinite range of color possibilities. This allowed artists to create more detailed and subtly shaded paintings, adding to the naturalism of the Renaissance. With its public art and moist Mediterranean climate, Italy favored frescos (paintings done on wet plaster).Perspective was a re-discovery of ancient classical knowledge. As artists became more concerned with representing the world as they saw it, they learned to use perspective techniques, such as foreshortening (in which objects closer to the viewer appear larger), linear perspective (in which lines appear to meet at a single vanishing point), and aerial perspective (in which objects in the background appear fuzzier and more faded).Renaissance artists also appreciated the Greek love of symmetry and balance. So, they frequently used a pyramidal composition, in which the main elements of the painting form a triangle.To give their two-dimensional paintings the illusion of three dimensions, Renaissance artists used shading known as chiaroscuro, or light and dark. Giotto had experimented with chiaroscuro in the Quattrocento. During the 15th century, chiaroscuro would transform the flat, other-worldly images of the Medieval Era into the robust, earthly figures of the Renaissance.
Tomasso Guidi, known as Masaccio, produced paintings as innovative as Ghiberti’s panels. Like Giotto’s figures, Masaccio’s have great weight and presence. In “Tribute Money” (also shown in The Annotated Mona Lisa), Masaccio presents a story in three scenes. In the first, central scene, Jesus tells St. Peter to get a coin to pay a tax from the mouth of a fish. In the scene in the background, to the viewer’s left, Peter retrieves the coin. In the final scene, in the foreground, to the viewer’s right, Peter pays the tax.
Although earlier artists had begun to experiment with light modeling to create the illusion of three-dimensional bodies, Masaccio is among the first to use a single light source. The light appears to come from a specific source just outside of the frame of the picture. This illuminates some of the picture while keeping other parts in shadow. Masaccio’s chiaroscuro creates a more illusionistic sense of depth than earlier uses. His bodies have real presence.
Masaccio also uses other techniques to create depth. Christ’s followers are grouped in a semi-circle around him, rather than arranged in a stiff line-up. He employs perspective, with all lines meeting behind Christ’s head to draw further attention to the central figure. Finally, this painting brings back aerial perspective. Objects further from the viewer appear hazier and duller, while objects closer to the viewer appear sharper and more vivid.
Although Ambrogio Lorenzetti had employed linear perspective in the 14th century in his pieces, Brunelleschi is credited with the formal rediscovery of single vanishing point linear perspective. Art historians speak of the “rediscovery” of this technique for creating the illusion of three-dimensional forms on a two-dimensional surface because the ancient Romans may have known of it.

Brunelleschi pointed out that one can map out a three-dimensional image by having all orthogonals (diagonal lines beginning at the foreground) meet at a single vanishing point on the horizon. Brunelleschi proved his ideas by drawing a picture of the Florence Baptistery and then poking a hole through the vanishing point. He then stood looking at the actual building, held the picture backwards in front of his face, and looked through the vanishing point at a mirror that reflected the image back to him. When he raised and lowered the mirror, he could compare the real building and his image to see if they matched.
mantegna uses foreshorteningThe return of humanist philosophy generated a renewed interest in portraits. Portraits are representations of a particular person, usually painted from life. When the individual was unimportant during the Medieval Era, a person could be represented generically. Now that an individual’s character and accomplishments mattered, Renaissance artists and audiences sought greater specificity.
A portrait, even a photograph, is never a mere copy of reality. The artist makes choices, in the use of color, lighting, composition, and more, to reflect the inner reality of the subject. In that way, all art, even art that accurately represents reality, is still somewhat conceptual. The more naturalistic and individualistic portraits of the Renaissance are still a reflection of Renaissance values and beliefs.
Earlier European portraits were usually part of religious works. Sometimes the sponsors would be depicted on the sides of an altarpiece or painting for a chapel, such as in Masaccio’s “Holy Trinity” fresco.
Individualism
In 15th century Italy, artists made portraits of individuals that praised their accomplishments. This was a renewed interest in the Greek concept of arête, or excellence. Other scholars argue that the rise of portraiture was not due to individualism but rather a way to show status. A portrait illustrated the subject’s wealth, connections, and rank during a time of social uncertainty. During the Renaissance, everything was changing. The church, though still powerful, was no longer the sole power. Military leaders competed for control. Merchants and other artisans created a new middle class. The portrait was a way of asserting one’s place in society, of announcing “I have arrived” or “I am connected.”
The rise of powerful and wealthy patrons also contributed to the demand for portraits. One family, in particular, is known in history for its sponsorship of the arts. The Medici family had grown wealthy from banking. They used their money to support the arts and build their own reputation.
botecellis style was elegant and graceful stylized and flat
four of the most important discoveries: oil paint canvas perspective chiaroscuro pyramidical compositionAlthough artists in the north had no Roman ruins to re-discover, they had their own Renaissance. As in Italy, an increase in trade in the Netherlands and Germany created a market for art.With no Classical sculpture, the artists of the Renaissance drew from their careful observation of nature. Their style was realistic. To the northern artists, the natural world, as God’s creation, was a reflection of God’s will.This realism was aided by the use of oil paints on canvas. Fresco dried too quickly for northern climates. Slow-drying oil paints allowed for a more subtle and realistic blending.Both societies included religious subjects. Where Italy had its muscular heroes and mythological scenes, however, the northern countries had domestic scenes and realistic landscapes. Northern art was highly symbolic, drawing upon Medieval Christian iconography. Compared with the clean composition of Italian art, the composition of Northern art was cluttered with objects. Each of these objects had a purpose in the larger work, however.