Northern Renaissance

And what is the potential man, after all? Is he not the sum of all that is human? Divine, in other words?  -Hieronymus Bosch

Key Ideas

Causes of the Reformation
  • Important secular works of 15th century architecture are influenced by Gothic church architecture. 
  • International Gothic Style dominates
  • Flemish painting is characterized by symbolically rich layers of meaning applied to crowed compositions with high horizon lines
  • Printmaking!!!! 1st mass produced art form, radically changes art history!
  • Northern Renaissance altarpieces are cupboards rather than screens. 
  • Gold is used in abundance to show wealth
  1. Corruption of the Roman Catholic Church during the Renaissance; sale of indulgences, nepotism, sale of church offices, decline of morality among the clergy.
  2. Humanism questioned Church traditions; it contradicted  the emphasis on salvation.
  3. Resentment of secular rulers over the power of the popes and the clergy. 

Differences between Italy & Northern Europe

History
  • Oil Paint
     The artists of the North invented oil paint! They use oil paint fifty years or more before they use it in Italy (where they use tempera until then). Think about what oil paint can do that fresco and tempera can not do! Keep this in mind as you look at the Merode Altarpiece. The Renaissance in Northern Europe is very different from the Renaissance in Italy. (SmartHistory)
3 reasons why oil paints are better:
      a. Brighter colors
      b. More details
      c. Preservation is better

  • Classical Antiquity
     The fact that we are far from Italy tells us something about the character of the Northern Renaissance. Remember that in Italy we said that the Renaissance was a rebirth of the art and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome? Well, in Northern Europe we're pretty far from the important centers of Ancient Greek and Roman culture, and so the Renaissance in the North is not a rebirth of Ancient Greek and Roman culture the way it was in Florence.

Videos on the 
Garden of Earthly Delights

Part 1:     Outside Panels
Part 2:     Left Panel (Garden of Eden)
Part 3:     Center Panel (Garden of Delights)
Part 4:     Right Panel (Horrors of Hell)
  • The Reformation began in 1517 when a German monk and scholar named Martin Luther nailed a list of his complaints, the Ninety Five Theses,  to the doors of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany. 
  • One of the top discussions was the sale of indulgences (people buying their way into Heaven). Luther wanted reform clarification on spiritual issues. 
  • This led to a split in the Christian faith-
  1. Countries that were converted  into Christianity the latest became Protestant: Germany, Scandinavia, & the Netherlands. 
  2. Countries  that  had  Christian  traditions the longest stayed as Catholic: Spain, Italy, Portugal, & Poland
  • Luther facilitated the lay public's access to biblical truths by translating the Bible into the vernacular.
  • Calvinists were the main people that progressed the iconoclastic movement and destroyed paintings and sculptures of holy figures.
  • Protestants believed that one could connect with God through the act of intervening on the behalf of another (basically intercession). 
  • Protestants believed that faith was deeply personal. Protestant churches were relatively plain, while the Catholic churches were heavily decorated with artworks to facilitate prayer, the act of repentance, and becoming closer to God.
  • 1540's: The Catholic and Counter-Reformations begin. 
  • Ignatius Loyola established the Jesuits, a holy order that was organized in a military fashion. Required absolute faith and obedience. Jesuits swore to suppress Protestantism.
  • Artists during this time are turning to portraits, like Durer, and printmaking is allowing artists more recognized internationally. Artworks are commodities and gaining huge popularity.
  • Johann Gutenberg (1400-1468) popularized the printing press. Originally invented in China but Gutenberg was the first to make interchangeable moveable metal type from lead molds.

Additional Materials

  • YouTube video: Closed and open explanations of the Ghent Altarpiece
  • YouTube video: Arnolfini and His Bride. (symbols)
  • YouTube video: Deposition
  • Additional, super helpful info on the Merode Altarpiece.
  • More about van der Weyden's Deposition or the Last Judgment Altarpiece
  • Artble.com - more info on 15th c. N. European Renaissance
  • Website that allows you to look at the Ghent Altarpiece, photographed by the Getty in 100 BILLION pixels.
  • Wikipedia - Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. Click here for a very detailed description AND you should download this 7793 x 4409 pixeled photgraph of the triptych to see all the details and individual scenes. It's totally awesome and you can spend at least an hour looking at everything
  • Take a closer look at some music from Hell from Bosch. 
  • Read about the various panels of Grunewald's Isenheim Altarpiece.
  • Durer's Self-Portrait and the Protestant Reformation
  • SmartHistory - additional videos for artists working in Burgundy and especially Flanders

Artwork List

Merode Altarpiece
Arnolfini Portrait
Ghent Altarpiece
Garden of Earthly Delights
Isenheim Altarpiece
Adam and Eve
Return of the Hunters
Allegory of Law and Grace
​The Four Apostles

Vocabulary

altarpiece
engraving
etching
oil paint
polyptych
triptych
woodcut

Notecard Images
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