To characterize Christian beliefs in the in the 16th Italian Art you must first understand the culture that influenced the characteristics and how they were conveyed in paintings and other forms of art from the time period. The Renaissance period in European history began in 14th-century Italy and spread to the rest of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The renaissance or rebirth began in Florence, Italy because Italian thinkers decided that they were living in a new era and it would be dedicated to art, culture, and learning. (History.com Staff , 2017) The main theme in the Italian Renaissance that was conveyed through many forms of art is humanistic belief that man was the center of his own universe. (History.com Staff , 2017) This was significant in development of the characteristics that can be seen in my chosen artworks from the High Renaissance 1490 1527. There was a revival of classical forms and idealism of God s creation. Many of the themes that began in the Italian Renaissance continued to be dominant through the 17th century. Characteristics of Italian Art in the 16th Century appealed to human emotion and represented an individual s unique characteristics along with their commonality with all of humanity. (Sorabella, 2017)
Throughout the 16th and into the 17th century the Roman Catholic Church was insistent their ideals prevailed throughout society. Rome was home to the Pope and had significant influence on Italian artist such as Francesco Granacci and Bernadino Luini whom are artist of the chosen artwork in this paper. Many of their works of art showcased biblical stories and the religious beliefs of the Roman Catholic. Often the artwork of this time period was commissioned by the wealthy and powerful Pope himself. Religious beliefs were not the only change seen in the artwork from the Renaissance time period. There was also a shift in the use of vivid color which was the opposite of the dark works of art often seen from the Middle Ages. The vibrant colors used on the classical style paintings of the High Renaissance conveyed emotions and feelings in a more powerful form than the periods prior. The paintings I chose are to compare are The Madonna of the Dragonfly and The Assumption of the Virgin . I will use the paintings to present the High Renaissance period characteristics and how they illustrate the unity in beliefs of the Italian culture.
The painting I chose to review first is the Madonna and Child with St. Sebastian and St. Roche by Bernadino Luini which was painted in 1520. Bernadino Luini was influenced by great Italian artists Leonardo and Raphael integrating many of their formal techniques into his own style. The painting I viewed is on displayed at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida. Upon approach to the painting you are immediately captivated by the rich use of color in the oil painting. Madonna is painted wearing a robe with bold contrasting hues of blue, red, and gold on the robe that loosely drapes over her figure. This makes the image of the infant Jesus immediately stand out at you before noticing any other details. The iconography of Madonna is prevalent in the Roman Catholic beliefs with holding the infant Jesus. The artist is guiding the onlooker s eyes to the infant Jesus with the use of the rich colors of Madonna s robe against the pale skin of the infant Jesus. Many of the paintings from the High Renaissance depict historical events and biblical stories of Madonna surrounded by Saints. This is the influence of the Roman Catholic church on the Italian culture. The Saints the painting depicts are Roche and Sebastian often associated with the plague. (Rabiipour, 2017) The story depicted in the painting is the Saints pleading with Madonna to stop the plague. (Ringling Museum /Robert Anderson) When viewing the painting you notice the somber emotion the painting is provoking with the story being told by the characters. They are clearly conversing with each other and their faces are full of emotion and confidence in the fear of overcoming the plague that was taking a toll on the society. The deep rich hues used to portray St. Roche blend more with the background showing you that he is less important to the story than the Madonna. Yet the details painted in St. Roche emphasize his significance to the story and place in history. When studying his character, you notice that one leg is bare as if he is showcasing it to Madonna. The dog adorn by his side gives the Saint a reference and a notable characteristic as many stories told depicted him as the Patron Saint to dogs or as being saved by dogs on his pilgrimage in biblical stories.
After studying the first two subjects, you notice the Saint to the left has wounds dripping with blood against his pale naked skin. When you look at his eyes he does not seem to be agonizing over his wounds in the presence of Madonna and the infant, he wants to appear that he is not weakened by his wounds. When you continue to study his detailed figure you notice that his shoulders are not squared in form which often is symbolical of hierarchy and dominance. His are rounded in his stance showing he is faithful and surrendering to the faith and the belief that Jesus could help him. This figure is a representation of Saint Sebastian a Roman soldier that was ordered to death over refusing to stop promoting Christianity. The infant is gazing down upon the wounded Saint as if he is studying him and his conditions while being held securely by Madonna.
Once I finished studying the subjects in the foreground I continued to look more in depth at the painting and noticed the linear perspective technique was used making the images appear closer than the background. The scene depicted in the background is of a thickly wooded landscape with Madonna sitting on a large boulder surrounded by trees. In the distance you see a large mountain set against a pale blue sky with very few clouds. When moving closer to the painting I noticed the small dragonfly sitting on the stone underneath Madonna and Child. The dragonfly could be symbolical in many ways but lifecycle is what came to my mind when I saw the small light colored insect. It is not large and went unnoticed when I first viewed the painting at a distance.
The artist utilized a hierarchy form when painting the subjects in a triangular position surrounded the infant who is centered in the portrait clinging to the cape of Madonna. This created a harmonious balance common in artwork of the 16th century.
The second piece I viewed for this paper is the The Assumption of the Virgin by Francesco Granacci c.1515. The painting was originally commissioned for the Medici Chapel in Florence. Francesco Granacci studied with Michelangelo and Florentine artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. Francesco painted The Assumption of the Virgin with oil on canvas (Uffizi Gallery, 2017`) When viewing the painting I was once again drawn in by the vibrant colors of the subjects against the pale gray background. I was captivated by the rich golden tones of the angels surrounding Virgin Mary and golden halo nestled behind her. The thick strokes of golden yellow were shiny and mesmerizing and convey a heavenly appearance. This painting has a lot of details surrounding the Virgin Mary but still the triangular form of hierarchy is utilized and the focus is on Mary. The details of her robe are muted burgundy and the cape is a muted blue to highlight the bright gold of the angels. The Virgin appears to be floating in the clouds surrounded by cherubs on initial view. When studying the Virgin in more detail you notice that her toes are peeking out from the billowing blue cape surrounding her floating body. You recognize that Mary is no longer on Earth and being carried to the heavens. She is gazing upon the people beneath her with gentle look as she drops her belt to Earth. The angels behind her are pale figures adorning golden dresses guiding her to the heavens. The rich shades of yellow to gold give them a heavenly appearance. The multiple characters depicted below her represent Saints on Earth, one of the figures is shown praying at first glance. As you continue to study and read the card you understand that this painting is telling the story of Mary s death and how she was surrounded by Saints. The tasseled belt being lowered is a reference to St Thomas was the apostle who wanted proof of the Virgin s Assumption. (Ringling Museum, 2017) Beneath Mary you notice there is a garden of flowers in a claw footed planter that is painted with darker paint colors and not as vivid in appearance as the other details of the painting. Further viewing the image one of the Saints to the right of Mary is wearing a robe and a scene is painted on the front of him. When studying the man more careful you notice the scene depicts the Virgin Mary holding infant Jesus on her lap and a man kneeling at her feet. The Saint next to him is holding a bible and cloaked in a muted gray and lavender toned robe with his bare feet exposed. To the left side of Mary stands a character holding a cross, his messy tresses and tattered robe give him the appearance of and a flowing fuchsia cape representing a Shepard. The character depicted next to him is in form of a prayer with his hands clasped. He is wearing a muted peach cape and blue robe. All of the hues of the characters below are not as vibrant as Mary suggesting she is heavenly and the main subject of the story being depicted in the painting. This background of the painting is of muted green rolling hills giving the perception that the scene painted in the foreground also took place on a hill or mountain.
In comparing the two works of art viewed at Ringling Museum, it is easy to see the prevalent characteristics featured in 16th century art. Even though both paintings were done by two different artists that trained in completely different techniques they both utilized their culture to depict subjects to paint. First, both works were painted on wood and oil which was a newer form of art in the 16th century. Additionally, both paintings feature the hierarchy style of characters depicted in religious forms when presenting them on the canvas. The paintings both depict stories of human s interaction with religious figures conveying that humans are the center of their universe. Both pieces are asymmetrical in nature and utilize rich golden hues to suggest heavenly forms. The linear perspective is also utilized in each painting to create a dimensional work of art when viewing. The vanishing point which is located on a horizon line behind the subjects is prevalent in both paintings. The subjects in both paintings show emotion in their faces which was not a common practice until the Renaissance Period and is prevalent in the subjects of both paintings. The practices of the High Renaissance Period depicted in the art works discussed can still be seen in contemporary art of today.