Renaissance Art Roaming

In what setting was the triptych to be viewed? For whom was it for? Patrons?

Who is Hieronymus Bosch? …

What type of relationship takes place between the human figures, the animals and the things? Is it one of peaceful coexistence?

Is the central panel a depiction of paradisiacal ideals? Or, is it a depiction of the world should one give into temptation & sin?

Using psychoanalytical devices as the surrealists did… what can one learn upon employing this form of symbolic interpretation?

Is there a relationship between the fragments of which the monstruous figures are composed? For example: the strange, crouching, hairy footed knight’s mask with an arrow in it’s thigh, what appears to be part reptile tail/sabre handle/monkey tail, a taunting long beak and a hanging severed human foot dangles overhead. Is there any relationship between these composite objects?

How did society at the time react to Bosch’s controversial subject matter?

What is the relationship between the whimsical mountainous landscapes, the exterior panels barren landscapes of similar form and alchemy?

Discuss Bosch’s stylistic discrepancies, his work appears wildly different to anything created at the time… does this have anything to do with his differing beliefs? His upbringing?

So... this is one of the side note posts I hinted at in the inaugural blog post... this website is all kinds of rad and here is why:

1)     It was originally written in Russian. The translations are better than anything anyone’s come up with in English. Ever. 2)     As a result of learning that it’s been translated from Russian it’s okay to read what “Zarathustra the Cat” has to say about “Arrt” in broken English slash a Russian accent with the occasional “meow” “mew” “mreowr” for good measure and added meowthenticity. 3)    The website appears to be run collectively, and Zarathrusta speaks in terms of “us” and “we” … thus, you can now read the posts in as many cat voices as you desire. All at the same time! (preferably in varying tones of cat… maybe alternate between grumpy old kitty and playful kitty?) 4)    The website title is “Great Artists Mews” … come on. 5)     Cats and Art History … 6)    CATS AND ART HISTORY

...

“I accustomed myself to simple hallucination; I saw quite deliberately a mosque instead of a factory, a drummer’s school conducted by angels, carriages on the highway of the sky, a salon at the bottom of a lake; monsters, mysteries, a vaudeville poster raising horrors before my eyes” – Arthur Rimbaud, ‘Poete Maudit’ teenage Symboliste

 As previously mentioned in Phase I pt. I, similarities in form exist between Bosch’s work and those of the Surrealist movement of the early 20th century. Also strikingly similar is the fascination with the fantastical realm of dreams. Surrealists sought to explore the inner world of the troubled human psyche, fantasy, and the nature of dreams… It was a movement in which logic and reason were challenged with new ideas of psychoanalysis and an interest in depicting dream imagery and archetypal symbols.

Notable figures associated with Surrealism: Andre Breton, Freud, de Sade, Philipe Soupalt, Max Ernst… 

Here are images which I feel share striking similarities with Bosch's work:

Salvador Dali, Leda Atomica, 1949

Salvador Dali, The Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1945

The left hand panel introduces the viewer to a paradisiacal landscape, that of the Garden of Eden. Taking focus of the panel is the figural composition of god presenting eve to Adam. The initial temptation prevails as god suggestively takes the wrist of Eve, with her palm facing open towards Adam in a suggestive fashion. Her porcelain body takes a similar form to Botticelli’s Venus, with luscious long hair curling behind her, falling all the way down her back. She isn’t even standing on the ground; she leans on her toes, as if she is about to fall straight to Adams feet, suggesting inevitability. Also notable is the depiction of God as a younger figure, he appears to be more Jesus-like than anything. Everything about this panel exudes tranquility, from the whimsical mountainous terrain in the background, to the lush vegetation, to the quiet blues of the reflective, notably calm body of water. Everything surrounding the tranquility of the water exudes vitality: the animals are drinking from it, ducks swim, and yet this large fountain like object arises from the depths beneath, even still the birds do not fear it and treat it as they would a tree, an owl even sits within the imposing structure. The whole panel exudes tranquility as peace appears to be the common theme of this panel- except for the predatorily animals that appear to be crawling out from a large oil-like puddle in the bottom right corner of the panel. There appears to be a large cat with a rodent hanging from its jaws, alongside symbols of fertility and earthly love such as rabbits and unicorns. However, the symbolism alone in the piece (despite its abundance,) cannot be attributed to Bosch’s success in its entirety in this piece, as there is so much more. Through Bosch’s realism and clarity, the panel does not prepare the viewer for the two remaining panels. I was thinking about how the panels would be received if they weren’t in a triptych formation and I think that if one saw this left panel without the other two panels, one would simply infer the tranquility of life without ever questioning what might happen should this glorification of the garden of Eden veer off into the darkness of temptation. 

  The central panel, significantly larger than the other two panels, acts as a continuation of the left panel. An emphasis on unashamed nudism prevails (Bosch is speculated to have been nudist himself,) and this creates a sense of innocence in his figures. There is no sense of deprivation yet instead they appear to be living rather blissfully, living as they so please, as if the apple was never eaten in the first place. Symbols of fertility are abundant throughout the panel, taking on the forms of succulent fruits and blossoming foliage. The fertile symbolism in the piece is almost overpowering alongside the plentitude of lovemaking. However, Bosch somehow manages to emphasize the irrationality and fragility of this world through small noticeable elements that take on the form of Bosch’s monster figures, amongst other elements, such as the use of transparency. When I say transparency I am referring to the peculiar presence of strange spherical glass objects. It’s as if the figures are attempting to shield themselves from this vain representation of earthly existence, and not succeeding…as if the glass could potentially shatter, thus thrusting the figures back into the world where, to put it in blunt terms, anything goes. Notably, the presence of the glass sphere draws from alchemy, where they were viewed as marvelous containers of other worldly spiritual energies… Fascinatingly, the exterior shutter panels of the triptych also have a direct alchemic reference in the form of earth during initial creation- Genesis. There is no sun, no moon, and a monotonous usage of greys. The flat disc in the middle of the orb has been linked to the practice of alchemy, with landscapes swooning and swirling, alluding to an alchemic vessel in the midst of mixing a solution. The presence of these two shutter panels that open outwards and expose this central panel, with the Garden of Eden to the left and a hell like nightmarish world threateningly on the right, creates a powerful viewing experience as if everything inside this grey world, depicted on the outside, all of a sudden comes flying outwards into the viewers space.

Taking the central focus of this project is one of Hieronymus Bosch’s most revered triptychs, The Garden of Earthly Delights. The oil-on-wood triptych was created between 1490 and 1510 is currently housed in Madrid, specifically in the Museo del Prado. The piece exhibits Bosch’s typically grotesque demon-like figures set in either a paradisiacal landscape (as is shown on the left and central panels) with symbols of lust, sin, fetishism and temptation permeating the piece through to the hellish ambiguity of the right hand panel. Born in 1450 in a small Dutch town to a family with a known history as artists, very little to nothing is known about Bosch. This is one of the primary reasons behind choosing this piece. He left behind no writing, no principles, his views were unknown and I think this is why I find him to be so intriguing. The mystery surrounding Bosch as a man himself adds to the reciprocation of his works. Bosch’s elusiveness historically is such a stark contrast to many renaissance artists. Anyone can look up artists’ biographies, self-portraits, etc. to learn about an artist in attempts to unify the artist with their body of work. It’s as if the artist lives through their work, creating a sense of expectation, an expectation that somehow everything is supposed to be intercorrelated - this is not the case with Bosch. Instead, the societal factors of the time in which he created his work – prior to The Reformation – and the very little we know about Bosch’s family heritage adds to his mystery as a man and as an artist. With Bosch, I find that as a result of lack of information, the emphasis shifts to the art itself, leaving the mystery of the man to remain unsolved.

  The bizarre monstrous figures he depicts are wonderful, as he worked to bring such devilish figures into the central realm of Renaissance painting subject matter, thus elevating their previous status as mere supplemental figures. These satanic figures used to act as supplemental, subservient figures in the Middle Ages, employed throughout the Gothic and Romanesque periods. I particularly enjoy the architectural structures of the Gothic period, with flying buttresses and capitals heavily ornamented with leering creatures that seem to take on similar forms to those of Bosch’s imagination. However, the difference between the gargoyle figures of Gothic capitals is that they are almost humanized in comparison to Bosch’s devilish creations, which bear no resemblance to anything remotely realistic, rather, the types of figures that might appear in a nightmare. The almost recognizable quality of the strange creatures adds to the element of discomfort in the piece - almost as if the viewer might have dreamt these grotesque fantastical creatures themselves as a result of Bosch’s startling realism employed in his depiction. As mentioned, they appear to be entirely removed from anything remotely recognizably human. The figures’ formulaic makeup of accurately depicted composite parts of man, thing and fauna enables the ghastly figures to successfully merge the nightmarish realm of dreams with one’s own reality.

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, 1488

Domenico Ghirlandaio’s rigid portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, a wealthy Florentine member of the Albizzi family. Though her rigidity that can be drawn from a side profile portrait can be seen as cold as she is completely disregarding the viewer, the viewer can still convey a sense of character of the sitter to the viewer. The portrait “reveals the proud bearing of a sensitive and beautiful young woman” (Gardner’s, 559.) Even though she is seated in a rigid side profile portrait (a typical pose of the renaissance shows value of culture in Florence,) such a harsh profile can show an established role in society. The stance was often associated with roman commemorative coins (not only a convention of the renaissance.) Quote in background by roman poet Marshall “if you could portray art and spirit…no greater beauty all at once.”

  Timarete painting the Virgin and Child, from Boccaccio’s De Mulieribus Claris, Early 15th Century.

Illustration, from ancient Greece (not wearing clothing though) and she is painting to the virgin & the child (despite saying that she doesn’t paint imperfect figures) laborer making pigment, representation of a workshop.

  Marco polo’s livre des merveilles, 1410-1412

Not particularly realistic but…

  Raphael, The School of Athens, 1509-11

Changing representation of artists more towards members of inteligencia.

Utilizes a 1 point perspective

Commentary on the painting realm of the Quattrocento

Exhibits a balance of horizontals and verticals

Figures are all in perspective

Shows the gathering of great philosophers underneath classical roman arches

Shows the ideology of humanism

Socrates is featured asking question to further nourish his intelligence, in order to stimulate students to respond. Da Vinci is pointing upwards-making connections between heaven and earth.

Raphael places himself with mathematicians as a self-portrait; he is looking outwards at the viewer.

Fully encapsulates the Renaissance value of the rebirth of knowledge.

Orthogonally lead towards the single center point.

“Blends past and present” (Crenshaw, 126) and shows the personality of Raphael as it is a self portrait, his concern with the realm higher things, and the philosophical approaches necessary for understanding a true renaissance man.

Generalizes and shows the High Renaissances obsession with knowledge.

  Patrons: “Paintings are deposits of personal relationships”

Most art was produced on a bespoke basis, artists discussed what was to be made, etc. However, there was no standardized form of contracts (thus we can actually get information about individual artists and patrons. What they were willing to provide as a part of their services, etc., spending money wisely was considered a great virtue.) As a result, paintings that were meant to be donations were very particular. The materials used for pieces of donation are usually of a lesser quality as opposed to the pigments used by royal portraits.

  Domenico Ghirlandaio, adoration of the magi, 1488.

Ghirlandaio is a Florentine painter whose father was a goldsmith. Classicizing style. Usage of hard, stiff outlines around his figures.

Petrus Christus, St Eligius & St Godeberta (Portrait of Willem van Vlueten), 1449

-       Northern Renaissance artist. Known as a very specific merchant/goldsmith from 1449.

-       The image is doctored as the halo has been added much later on.

-       Potential couple shopping for wedding ring.

-       The image becomes somewhat ambiguous as the halo is now removed, the hat that lady has on is too large for her to have a halo and St. Eligius is the central figure of the piece. It is the actual portrait of a real goldsmith. On a side note for the sake of understanding the bigger picture… the King commissioned a saddle from St. Eligius; very ornate (gemstones and gold laden,) finds St. Eligius, as he is the best goldsmith in the town. The saddle and gold and gems are provided. Eligius is said to have taken the materials and made two saddles instead of one, he is quite ingenious and honest, he took what he was given and made something greater than the patron could even imagine. Rewarded with prestigious appointments.

-       Potential analogy between patron & saint.

-       Shop setting, large open windows and mirror facing onto the street.

  Merchants: More interested in the business side of the deal.

Artisans: People who made things with their hands and skill, craftsmen who were highly trained and made physical objects. Meant to denote good & honest work. Hierarchies did exist between them and some are more respected than others.

Guilds: Made sure the trade was represented fairly and sold pieces after taxing. 

  What is better/more important: painting or sculpture?

Keep in mind where the pieces are intended to go… They would both be placed in churches; sometimes the sculptors also create the building. Debate is called the Paragone (just means competition.) Sculptors are viewed as dirtier as the medium they are working with is not as clean, etc. In the end, painters were viewed as superior mainly because of the mathematical qualities an artist was to believe to have possessed.

  Melchior Broederlam, Presentation of Christ and the Flight into Jerusalem, 1399. Important part of the artisanal practice.

  City structures are all about displaying ones own social status.

  Sculptor’s workshop, guild niche of the arte dei maestri de pietra e legname, 1416.

  Guilds made sure the trade was represented fairly and sold pieces after taxing.  

  Life in the workshop system:

Talent alone is not enough; start training around 7 or as late as 14 years. Initially just start out with doing little jobs around the studio of the great masters. Maybe progress to preparing the canvas/panel then maybe to painting parts of the image, eventually gets to paint central figures in the foreground. Most paintings from the time are collaborative pieces. Often hereditary, based on parents.

  Verrocchio, The Baptism of Christ, 1472-1475

Madonna figures were often central figures of Renaissance paintings as the Virgin Mary became the new female figurehead, instead of Eve. The shift from Eve to Mary as a some kind of head honcho for female madonna figures came around when Eve was viewed in society as a temptress, was castigated for tainting the pure Adam. Mary was (and still is) a symbol of purity whereas Eve was the archetypal figure for seduction and temptation. Mary was seen as a representation of the triumph over Eve’s sin, and her relationship with God as the mother of Christ meant that femininity could be worshipped and somewhat celebrated through Mary’s purity and everlasting virginity. I found Jean Paul Gaultier's spring/summer '07 collection an interesting revisitation to the central dichotomy of purity/sin. Through Gaultier's use of deep blues and reds, stylized halos and crowns of thorns, imagery of babies on the figures (referencing baby jesus,) it is blatantly obvious Mary was the muse for the collection. However, the overly sexualized figures that dominated photographer Miles Aldridge's advertising campaigns were a far cry from Mary's idealized purity, creating a fascinatingly controversial juxtaposition. Enjoy!

 Raphael's Madonna of the meadows, created in the Italian High Renaissance in 1505, shows the Virgin Mary and Christ and John the Baptist. 

The Renaissance period was an extremely fertile point in terms of the development of modern painting. Characterized by the revisitation of classical values, a shifting secular emphasis was placed on knowledge, philosophical theory and science, making the Renaissance a key turning point in the history of art. The Renaissance saw the full flourishing of Classical values and style; embracing Humanistic values. With the development of new technology, artist's were able to flourish. Key developing points of Renaissance painting:

The switch from tempura paints to oil paints on stretched canvas allowed for a greater range of rich colours. Oils also enabled the  artist to render three dimensional visual qualities such as depth and perspective onto a two dimensional surface- the stretched canvas. 

As previously mentioned, the development of perspective was a huge stride forward in terms of rendering subjects in a naturalistic sense. The illusion of depth on canvas was developed.

The use of light and shadow also developed in Renaissance art, also allowing for more realistic depiction. Chiaroscuro, the contrast of light and dark in painting, was a common feature found throughout Renaissance art.

The development of pyramidal configurations compositionally made centrally based figures the climax of the piece.

A few key terms and definitions with pertinence to the Renaissance used throughout this blog (will be added to over time, as posts go on...) 

Atmospheric Perspective: Creates the illusion of distance through the depletion of colour intensity. The blurring of contours.

Chiaroscuro: Contrast of light & shadow

Linear perspective: Creates the illusion of space, enabling the artist to transform a flat space into one with great distance & depth. Orthogonals  recede into a vanishing point.