AP Art History Medieval, Gothic, Renaissance Western Europe (c. 1000-1500 CE) – Flashcards

1. A Gothic Catholic cathedral of the Latin Church located 50 mi. Southwest of Paris, named a world heritage site by UNESCO and considered the "high point of French Gothic art", it is the latest surviving cathedral of five to have been constructed on the same site and then destroyed by war, fire, etc. 2. Considered the center of the town upon its construction, it was originally considered a marketplace, as it was exempt of taxes from the surrounding Counts of Blois, and all taxes were payed to church officials. 3. The original construction in 1145 had Romanesque focus, and the rebuilding in 1194 had Gothic focus, triggered by a fire on June 10th, 1194, causing extensive damage to the existing cathedral.

1. Dedication at the beginning of the "Moralized Bible" (St. Louis Bible) showing Blanche of Castile and her son Louis IX in the top left and right quadrants respectively. Blanche is portrayed wearing a widow's wimple showing her respect for the dead king and her husband while instructing her son on how to be a morally strong monarch. Louis is shown with symbols of French royalty,the fleur de lis as well as a gold coin in his left hand. 2. Below the monarchs are a clergyman and a scribe. The scribe is portrayed with the sleeveless robe designed for those working with inks while the clergyman is shown with the shaved head of the begging orders admired by the king for their dedication to poverty. The city itself is show in the background within the framing of each compartment that the figures are painted in. 3. The poses of the monarchs can be compared to the idea of Mary and Christ with the mother guiding her son on his journey to lead his people to victory be it a kingdom or a religious group.

1. In Catholic tradition, Mary had a special foreknowledge of the resurrection of Christ and so to her, Christ's death is not only tragic. Mary in the Röttgen Pietà seems angry and confused. She doesn't seem to know that her son will live again. She shows strong negative emotions that emphasize her humanity, just as the representation of Christ emphasizes his. 2. The Rottgen Pieta is emphasized by German mysticism, and the style valued the emotional impact and subjective /personal connection with God over accuracy. It was believed that one could use their feelings to unite themselves personally with God. The grotesque nature of the dead Christ, in his rigor mortis state, is meant to hold the viewer's attention so that they may actually "feel" the suffering of Christ. 3. Christ died by crucifixion, but his skin is taut around his ribs, showing that he also led a life of hunger and suffering. Röttgen Pietà is made of wood and retains some of its original paint. The Röttgen Pietà is the most gruesome of these extant examples.

1. The building itself is a private chapel attached to the Scrovegni family palace, and is called an arena chapel because it is located next to an old Roman arena. All the interior walls are covered with frescoes, including the ceiling, which is a representation of a starry sky with the Christ, Virgin Mary, and various saints. This portrays their divine status. 2. The top is a short history of Mary, and Jesus's grandparents. The second register depicts the various events through Jesus's life and his teachings. The third shows events from right before his crucifixion to his death and resurrection. Lamentation shows the reaction of various people to Jesus's death, including his mother and various saints. The composition draws attention towards Jesus by having all the figures face towards him. 3. This chapel was commissioned by Enrico Scrovegni, the head of the house at the time. He had owned a bank and gave out loans. Because he charged interest on these loans, which was considered a sin, he was afraid that he would be sent to Hell. To make up for this he believed he could be redeemed by having this chapel built. Even in the fresco of the last judgement within the chapel, Enrico has himself shown giving the chapel to the Virgin Mary.

1. The Haggadah includes 56 miniatures, each with gold leaf backgrounds, making it expensive and a sign of great wealth. The Haggadah, literally translated from Hebrew as "narration", is the story of Passover read at the Jewish seder table. If one were to have the Golden Haggadah, it would show to your guests that you have a great amount of wealth. 2. In the upper right block, Miriam, Moses' sister, holds a timbrel and is joined by many other maidens dancing. The left upper block shows the master of the house, ordering the distribution of Matzoh and Haroset to the children. The lower right block depicts a house being prepared for Passover, with a man searching for unleavened bread holding a candle stick. A woman and a girl clean. The lower left: The sheep are being slaughtered for Passover as a man purifies a utensils in a cauldron. 3. There are two other pages that cannot be added to this quizlet for some reason but their descriptions are as follows: The second page is a visual description of the biblical plagues, a great wrath that descended upon the people. The top left depicts painful boils on the people, the top right depicts frogs everywhere, sprouting from any nook/cranny - being a large pestilence. The lower left shows animals dead from starvation/famine, and on the lower left, wild animals invade the city and cause great destruction. The upper right block of the third page is divided into three scenes. All scenes are depicting the process of the plague of the first-born. An angel strikes a man: a queen morns her child, and then there is he depiction of a funeral for the dead first-born. In the upper left, the Pharaoh demands his people leave, the Israelites. They hold lumps of dough. In the bottom right, the Pharaoh and his guard are depicted as more of crusader-type armored men, after the Pharaoh had changed his mind about his people leaving. On the bottom left, Moses and his followers safely cross the waters which he had parted, and takes a last look at the drowning Pharaoh and his men, which he had closed the waters on.

1. Completed towards the end of Muslim rule of Spain by Yusuf I (1333-1353) and Muhammed V, Sultan of Granada (1353-1391), the Alhambra is a reflection of the culture of the last centuries of the Moorish rule of Al Andalus, reduced to the Nasrid Emirate of Granada. It is a place where artists and intellectuals had taken refuge as the Reconquista by Spanish Christians won victories over Al Andalus. 2. The literal translation of Alhambra, "the red female," reflects the color of the red clay of the surroundings of which the fort is made. The buildings of the Alhambra were originally whitewashed; however, the buildings as seen today are reddish. 3. The design included plans for six palaces, five of which were grouped in the northeast quadrant forming a royal quarter, two circuit towers, and numerous bathhouses. The decoration within the palaces comes from the last great period of Andalusian art in Granada. With little of the Byzantine influence, artists endlessly reproduced the same forms and trends, creating a new style that developed over the course of the Nasrid Dynasty.

1. Having just entered the room, the angel Gabriel is about to tell the Virgin Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus, and sun rays pouring in through the left oculus carry a miniature figure with a cross. Joseph, who is betrothed to the Virgin, works in his carpenter's shop, drilling holes in a board 2. mousetraps on the bench and in the shop window opening onto the street are thought to allude to references in the writings of Saint Augustine identifying the cross as the devil's mousetrap. On the left wing, the kneeling donor appears to witness the central scene through the open door. His wife kneels behind him, and a town messenger stands at the garden gate. 3. A flemish town is visible through the windows. The lilies on the center table represent Mary's virginity and her kneeling position represents her humility.

1. This chapel was commissioned by the Pazzi Family, who like many very wealthy families of that time, set it adjacent to the east end of the church. 2. the structure was built to ensure the ancestors' and family souls' well beings. It served as a burial site for many, a gathering place for commemorate services, a chapter house for local monks, and a place for the chapel owners to spencer mass. the popularity of these types of structures was probably influenced by the changes in Christian doctrine that made eternal salvation more attainable ( the idea of purgatory became more of a place to atone for sins before judgment day). 3. Even though the chapel is a rectangle, Brunelleschi drew focus to the large dome that covers a large square space and handles the leftover room with decorative short barrel vaults on either side. Inside there are many relief sculptures depicting different saints in sculpted in terracotta and covered in colored potters glaze, witch at the time was a new method of coloring.

1. There is a lot of symbolism in this portrait. The clogs indicate this is taking place on holy ground. The dog symbolizes fidelity. The bedpost's crowning ornament is a tiny statue of Saint Margaret, (patron saint of childbirth) The wife was not actually pregnant although the dress she is wearing makes it appear that she is. The whisk broom symbolizes domestic care. The single candle in the chandelier represents either unity of the couple or the all seeing eye of god. Oranges could represent the couple's affluence as oranges were rather expensive. 2. The final painting of this portrait was recently discovered to be altered many times before it was actually finalized. for instance, the man's hand was adjusted, the woman's hand holding her dress was shifted, and the dog was added entirely separately, not sketched beforehand. 3. The identity of the couple has always been disputed, known most popularly as the Lucca financier(who had established himself in Bruges as an agent of the Medici family) in his home, holding the hand of his second wife. The traditional interpretation of the painting is that van Eyck recorded the couple taking their marriage vows. But it was recently considered that the woman in the painting had died before its completion, or perhaps it had even begun.

1. Donatello was one of the first sculptors during the Renaissance to portray the nude male figure in statuary. The David had the proportions and sensuality of gods, even though it only portrayed a small boy in the bible who had slain a giant. This symbolized Flourentine Republic based on how impenetrable and strong they were. 2. Initially clergy regarded nudes in art indecent and idolatrous unless the nude depiction was of the biblical characters Adam and Eve. 3. The Medici were a large influence and benefactor to the creation of this sculpture because of the fascination of humanism, a large aspect of Renaissance thinking.

1. This building was commissioned by another wealthy patron family in Florence and looks very similar to the Palazzo Medici, but the façade is more severe. It is actually unfinished, and would ideally have a third entrance added. 2. Alberti used classical elements like the rounded arches or pilasters and the entablature with friezes. There are three different types of capitals used: Tuscan (bottom), Ionic, and Corinthian (top). The Corinthian capital is the same configuration used on the Colosseum, as Alberti was heavily inspired by ancient Roman architecture and the work of Vitruvius. 3. The capital change helps to avoid the design seeming too top-heavy, although it is very horizontal and grounded. This and other buildings of the 15th century contributed to the beautification of Florence and civic pride of the city, coming from humanism.

1. In this piece, the figures look more human than those in pieces made before this point. The halos on the figures are almost completely invisible. What distinguishes the figures as holy are the wings on the angels and the clasped praying hands of Mary. 2. The figures in the painting are not the only focus, as the detail in the background adds to the overall visual appeal of the work itself. 3. This piece was made in a time in which the condition of the artist was changing from being forced to work into a basis where the patron was lucky to work with the artist. While this piece was made, Fra Filippo Lippi was locked away by Cosimo di Medici so that he could focus on his work, as Lippi was frequently distracted by lust. This drove Lippi insane, so he cut his bedsheets and tied them into a rope so he could escape through the window and chase after girls.

1. The image behind this painting comes from the Ovid's Latin Literature entitled 'Metamorphoses'. Venus is shown naked on a shell in the center of the painting. Towards her right the hand maid, Ora, is waiting for the goddess to come over and dress her, while on her left Wind blows on to Venus with a shower of roses. 2. This piece also draws reference to "Stanzas", a poem by Anglo Poliziane, as neoplatonism tried to connect the Greek and Roman cultural heritage to Christianity. The meaning of this piece was the birth of love and spiritual beauty as a force of life. 3. The painting also shows reference to work such as the Knidos of Aphrodite as she is covering her private parts. This work was comissioned by the Medici and belonged to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici.

1. In this piece there is a balanced composition. This is anchored by the equilateral triangle formed by Christ's body. The meaning of threes in the bible is very prevalent but this geometric form goes along during the Renaissance as well. This interest is regarding Humanism throughout the Renaissance era. 2. The Landscape in the background is usually associated with paradise, bringing the idea of heaven through Christ. A team of researchers actually looked into this landscape and discovered it resembled a similar geography wit that of Lake Como in Italy. 3. Judas is identified in this piece because he holds a bag of money in his hand for turning in Jesus to the police. Peter holds a knife in his hand which foreshadows his tale about how he will sever the ear of a soldier to protect Christ from arrest. The apostles are arranged in four groups of three, showing the biblical importance of three.

1. This engraving tells the story of Adam and Eve written in the book of Genesis, but Durer focuses on representing Renaissance thought rather than the text of Genesis. He demonstrates this through his knowledge of human body proportion seen in Greek and Roman art. The figures of Adam and Eve stand in the classical contrapposto but have distinctive twist among the head and body making the gestures feel somewhat unrealistic. 2. Behind the human figures is a dark dense forest, an unusual motif for German wood work. To the left of the composition is a parrot on a branch which was believed to sound like "Eva-Ave", a word play for the interpretation of the Fall of Humanity characterizing Virgin Mary (Ave) as the antidote towards the sins of Eve (Eva). 3. Throughout the piece are six additional animals; an elk, an ox, a cat, a rabbit, a mouse, and a goat. The elk, ox, rabbit, and cat represent four human personality types correlating with specific body fluids.

1. The narrative of the Bible begins at the altar and is divided into three sections. In the first three paintings, Michelangelo tells the story of The Creation of the Heavens and Earth, followed by The Creation of Adam and Eve and the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and finally the story of Noah and the Great Flood. 2. The composition behind the altar is centered around the dominant figure of Jesus, captured in the moment preceding the Last Judgement. His calm gesture seems to both command attention and draw away the surrounding mayhem. 3. Michelangelo began to work on the frescoes for Pope Julius II in 1508, replacing a blue ceiling dotted with stars. Originally, the pope asked Michelangelo to paint the ceiling with a geometric ornament, and place the twelve apostles in spandrels around the decoration. Instead, Michelangelo proposed to paint Old Testament scenes, divided by the architecture used to organize the composition.

1. This mural is not set in an actual school, but instead a congregation of great philosophers and scientists of the ancient world in a massive hall covered by vaults that are reminiscent of ancient Roman architecture (barrel vaults of the Basilica Nova). Raphael depicted these figures conversing with one another about various theories and ideas. The large open hall contains giant statues of Apollo and Athena, patron gods of art and wisdom. 2. The philosophers in this piece move very easily and clearly and possess an engaging variety of figural positions, showing the knowledge that many artists had of ideal proportions originally used in Greek art. Raphael included his self portrait in this piece all the way on the right side. 3. Raphael was set in charge of painting the Stanza della Segnatura, or the Room of the Signature, (this was the papal library where Julius signed documents) and the Stanza d'Eliodoro, or the Room of Heliodorus (the pope's private audience room), by Pope Julius II. On the four walls in the Stanza della Segnatura, Raphael painted images that symbolized the four branches of human knowledge and wisdom (Theology, Law, Poetry, and Philosophy).

1. This altarpiece was created for the monastic hospital order of the Saint Anthony of Isenheim. The altarpiece takes the form of a wooden shrine (which was carved around 1505 by Nikolaus Hagenauer) and features large, gilded, polychromed statues of Saints Anthony, Abbot, Augustine, and Jerome in the main zone, as well as smaller statues of Christ and the 12 apostles in the predella (bottom platform of the altar). 2. The piece is broken up into three stages, one opening up from the middle to reveal the second, and the second opening from the middle to reveal the third gilded panel. 3. The first panel shows the crucifixion in the center, Saint Sebastion on the left, Saint Abbot on the right, and the lamentation in the predella. When these exterior wings are open, four additional scenes appear; the Annunciation, an angelic concert, the Madonna and Child, and the Resurrection. Opening this second pair of wings exposes Hagenauer's interior gilded shrine flanked by Grunewald's panels depicting meeting of Saints Anthony, Paul, and Temptation of Saint Anthony.

1. Jacopo is one of the first famous mannerist painters, mostly known for doing religious works, but he also commissioned portraits for patrons such as the Medici. This piece in particular was made for The Florence Charterhouse, but is now located in the Capon Chapel in Florence. The depiction of Christ being carried off of the cross and to his tomb shows the raw emotion his followers feel, shown in the faces of Mary and Jesus' disciples. 2. The off center composition and purposeful distorting of bodies (such as the impossibly crouching figure in the foreground) shows the beginning of the mannerist group of artist making their own personal style to dominate the piece. 3. The Virgin Mary can be seen as much larger than the other people in the piece, and swoons sideways; the "Swoon of the Virgin" was a controversial depiction in art at the time. The assembly looks completely interlocked, creating a wall from all possible backgrounds, including the image of a potential cross from which Jesus was taken moments before.

1. "The Law and the Gospel" (otherwise known as "Allegory of Law and Grace") is the single most influential image of the Lutheran Reformation. The piece explains Luther's ideas in visual form, most basically the notion that heaven is reached through faith and God's grace. Luther despised and rejected the Catholic idea that good deeds could play any role in salvation. 2. In the center of the piece, two nude male figures appear on either side of a tree that is green and living on the "Gospel" side to the viewer's right, but barren and dying on the "law" side to the viewer's left. Six columns of Bible citations appear at the bottom of the panel. 3. On the "gospel" side of the image, John the Baptist directs a naked man to both Christ on the cross in front of the tomb and to the risen Christ who appears on top of the tomb. The risen Christ stands triumphant above the empty tomb, showing His Resurrection. This nude figure stands passively submitting to God's mercy. In the left foreground a skeleton and a demon force a man into hell, as a group of prophets, including Moses, point to the tablets of the law. The motifs on the left side of the composition are meant to exemplify the idea that law alone can never get you to heaven. Christ sits in Judgment as Adam and Eve (in the background) eat the fruit and fall from grace.