Fourteenth and Fifteenth Century Art

Most of the subject matter of the works covered in chapters seventeen (fourteenth-century art in Europe), eighteen (fifteenth-century art in northern Europe) and nineteen (Renaissance art in fifteenth-century Italy) in the text is based on religion; specifically the early Christian Church, often depicting the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.  Whether the artists use sculpture, tapestry or canvas, it seemed to be a favored theme in this time period.  Other works depict everyday life, such as the calendar pages of Trés Riches Heures by Paul, Herman and Jean Limbourg.

I have noticed that many of the paintings display rich, vibrant colors, as in Mary at her Devotions, Hours of Mary of Burgundy.  Interestingly, this is a painting of a painting.

The examples of tapestry and embroidery, such as Cope of the Order of the Golden Fleece, shows an incredible attention to detail.

One of the more impressive, in my opinion, is the Studiolo of Frederico Montefeltro.  Despite the apparent cupboards, benches, shelves and window, the walls are, put simply, flat.  These are thin layers of wood, dyed to create value.  Something that stands out is that the items depicted in the cabinets are not organized or orderly; they appear to have been simply placed and/or dropped/tossed in.  This makes it all the more impressive as it is probably more difficult to show items randomly put there than orderly, organized items.  Overall, this piece is, in a word, breathtaking.

First Post

I'm starting my first blog for a school assignment for Art History II.  In these posts, I will give my reactions to different pieces from different periods in history.