The Baroncelli Family Commissions a Master- Giotto

As an early Renaissance artist, Giotto (1266-1337) gained prestige as a fresco painter, adhering to a naturalistic style of painting and depicting realistic human expression (Zophy 88). Although Giotto is known for his portrayals of Saint Francis of Assisi, I will focus on the piece of art at the center of the Baroncelli Polyptych, which is the Coronation of the Virgin. This particular piece was intended as an altarpiece for a church in Florence, commissioned by the Baroncelli family and completed in 1334, late in Giotto's life (wga.hu). This contextual aspect of the work demonstrates the interconnectedness of church and state (or at the least, the ruling class) in terms of power during the period. The family reinforced their own position in Florence through the chapel and their provision of adornments for it- hence the altarpiece. However, the painting itself does not seem to reflect anything remarkably secular, other than the general regality of appearance. Overall, the painting depicts a spiritual scene, one framed by artistic aims of naturalism, order, and unity.

In particular, one can observe the unique sense of naturalism that Giotto infused in the Coronation of the Virgin. For one, the artist utilizes a relatively soft palette of colors, even if the hints of red and the predominant scheme of gold sets up the importance of the scene. The angels, far from otherworldly, appear rather ordinary, brown hair modestly arranged, and clothes merely consisting of simple robes of one color. In fact, their wings attract little attention, folded neatly back and only a soft gold.  Jesus and Mary both appear in white. Interestingly, Mary is perhaps depicted more modestly than typical, with both neck and hair covered, which may be a reflection of matronly status. The most ornate items in the painting are the crown being placed on Mary’s head and the pink/gold patterned fabric wrapped around the two. In general, all the figures in this centerpiece of the Polyptych give a sense of earthly solidness, perhaps indicative of both Giotto’s style and the connection between earth and heaven. In addition, the viewer does have some sense of depth, which Giotto was pioneering in for the period, especially given the perception of distance between the angels and the seated Mary and Jesus (Zophy 88). In terms of gender, it is interesting that Jesus and Mary are both seated and on an equal level, if Mary’s head is still lowered in order to receive the crown. Overall, this painting and its context indicate the importance of religion, the prominence of frescoes, and the secular influence on art in a way that illuminates the culture of the time period.

 

 

Sources:

Image & Info- http://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/giotto/z_panel/5baronce/index.html

Zophy, Jonathan W. A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe. Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.

 

 

Giotto's "Madonna and Child": A True Depiction of a Love Between Mother and Son

Florentine painter and architect Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337) painted many Christian images of the "Madonna and Child". However, this blog will focus on the central panel of a polyptych in which the "Madonna and Child" is depicted. Painted between 13010 and 1315 (some argue that it was made between 1320 and 1330), Giotto used tempera on a poplar panel. Tempera, or egg-tempera, is a painting medium that consists of mixing color pigment with egg yolk, creating a fast-drying and permanent paint-like substance. The whole panel mesures 128.3 x 72.1 x 5.1 cm (50 1/2 x 28 3/8 x 2 in).
   As previously mentioned, the depiction of the "Madonna and Child" is the central part of a five- section polyptych. The whole image is influenced by the Byzantine style of painting, where the images were usually very flat, stiff, and inhuman. The background is made of gold leaf, representing the realm of heaven. Furthermore, two gold and very detailed halos surround the heads of Mary and Jesus, revealing their sanctity and holiness. In the Madonna's right hand is a white flower, which symbolizes both Mary's purity and the innocence lost through the Original Sin.
   Even though Giotto was inspired by the Byzantine style, there is nothing Byzantine about the way the two characters are depicted. Giotto used a new naturalistic approach with painting and was able to capture a humanistic representation of the Madonna and Child. Firstly, Mary is not in a complete frontal pose. Her body is slightly turned to the side, towards Jesus. Her face is contoured by shadows and color, bringing about her a certain liveliness. Her blue tunic, which represents the heavens and divinity, moves with her due to the many folds and the great use of shadows. Even though her head and body are slightly turned to the side, her eyes are looking straight ahead, pulling in the viewer. It is as if to say,
 "I have my eye on you. I will protect you".
     As for Jesus, Giotto did not depict him in his usual frontal pose with his hand up in blessing. Instead, the painter gave him a child-like quality by painting him grasping his mother's left index while reaching for the flower that Mary holds, as would any child do. Furthermore, Jesus has the hint of a smile on his face, showing expression and liveliness. His tunic is also painted with minute detail.
     Overall, this Byzantine influenced panel of the Madonna and Child shows great detail and a human interaction between a mother and her child, showing Giotto's talent and innovative new trends in painting.

The panel now resides at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Sources:

"Madonna and Child". National Gallery of Art, 2016. http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.397.html# 

"Madonna and Child by Giotto di Bondone". Web Gallery of Art, 2015. http://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/giotto/z_panel/3polypty/10polypt.html

The Four Witches

We learn in class that 80,000 people were accused of being witches, but about 40,000 of them were actually executed. These executions normally were punished by burning at the stake. Such as the image above, in the image it is four witches who were burned at the stake at Wittenberg in 1540 (CP). The four were accused of commerce with the devil and of directing magic against their neighbors (CP). Whether or not “magic” really happens, there were many super situations that easily led someone of being accused of witch craft. Or if you had series of bad luck such as the example Dr.Wolbrink had in class, when the woman’s husband died 3 months after their marriage in a fire, or even after the fact when she remarried, her second husband ended up abandoning her with his first wife. Let’s say you were just weird, you could’ve have been a witch who associated with the devil. Once you were accused, for an example at the age of 20, you wouldn’t actually go to trial until your 40s or 50s. Therefore clearing your name actually took a long time. That probably explains the numbers of people who were accused compared to the lower numbers of people who were actually executed.

 

Source: Course Packet

The Interior Castle

          The Interior Castle also known as The Mansions is a book by St. Teresa of Avila. It was written in 1577. The book came about because of an revelation St. Teresa has from God of a crystal globe in the shape of a castle. The castle consisted of seven mansions, which in her riding she interprets as the journey of faith through seven stages, ultimately ending with a union with God. The Interior Castle is often described as a guide for those who want to really understand and seek prayer as a mystical union with God.
          The seven mansions consisted of many different things. The first three mansions are considered to be ordinary prayer or active prayer. The first mansion is a souls state of grace. The second mansion is called the "Mansions of the Practice of Prayer" because the soul seeks to advance through the castle by daily thoughts of God.  The third mansion were the "Mansions of Exemplary Life" characterized through the divine grace of love for God is so great  the soul has an aversion to both mortal and venial sin and desire to do works of charitable service to man for the ultimate glory of God.
           The fourth through the seventh mansion are considered to be mystical or contemplative prayer. The fourth mansions are a departure from the soul to what it gains as God increases him role. The fifth mansion incipient Union where the soul prepares itself to receive gifts from God. The sixth mansion can be compared to loves. And the seventh mansion achieves clarity in prayer and a spiritual marriage or union with God. The picture to the left is of the book The Interior castle. The picture to the bottom of this text is of St. Teresa of Avila.

Flagellant Master Leads His Band of Followers Through a City

     This image was in our book on page 277. I have had trouble finding information about this image, I can only seem to find sites trying to sell copies of it. However I chose this image, to give the readers of this blog (I know there are many) an image of flagellants during the 16th century. The definition of flagellant is, one who scourges himself by way of religious discipline or penance; esp. one of a sect of fanatics (Latin flagellantes) that arose in the 13th century (OED). A sect arose in the thirteenth century calling themselves Flagellants, because the would whip themselves bloody for penance. The black death was a contributing factor to their organization. They believed that by showing their penance through self mutilation would help remove the plague. Other sources say they believed this ritual helped them become closer to God by suffering pain for sin as Christ had.
     After the middle of the 14th century the sect dwindled in France, until the rise in religious civil wars in France in the mid-16th Century. The rise in the reformation contributed to the rise of the tradition. Even today the Flagellants practice and publicly show there penance. There are many reports of flagellants in the Philippines. If you are interested in seeing modern flagellant practices click here . Although, I am warning you that this is graphic, and if you have a weak stomach or have eaten recently I strongly advise you not to view this video. Consider yourselves warned.


Sources:http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/70904?redirectedFrom=flagellants#eid
             http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/flagellants.htm
             http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/flagellants.html

The founding of the Society of Jesus

The founding of the Society of Jesus

On August 15, 1534, Ignatius and six friends vowed to spend their lives helping souls (Zophy). These men traveled around in Europe, along with the approval from the Pope. Which at the time was Pope Paul III, he also provided funds (Zophy).  They spent their time in such charitable activities such as nursing the sick, cleaning, removing garbage, digging graves, and burying the dead (Zophy). The Jesuits would later be established once they went to Rome to offer their services to Pope Paul III, there the Pope appointed them teaching positions at the University of Rome (Zophy). Ignatius (The guy in the painting) was elected as the first superior general of the Society of Jesus. Without him the society probably would not have established such strong ties with the Catholic Church, or even yet would not even been the most influential religious organization in history and changed the life of the Roman Catholic Church (Zophy). According to Zophy, Ignatius had wisely advised Jesuit missionaries to learn the language of the country where they were living. The courage, faith, and hard work of Jesuit missionaries resulted in widespread conversions to Roman Catholicism in Europe and throughout the world (Zophy). 

Source: Zophy. 

King Henry the VIII Artifacts!

"King Henry VIII," artist unknown

          I know that this subject may be a bit late to post on, but recently I remembered that I happen to have a couple of interesting King Henry VIII artifacts of my own from my trip to England this past spring.  The first is an oil painting from the National Portrait Gallery in London.  Just from looking at the portrait, you can tell that Henry definitely had a rich taste for clothing and other accessories.  He believed that clothing was a symbol of social class ranking, and strongly believed that since he was royalty, that he should have the latest in Italian and French fashions.  The greedy king imported furs, velvet, and gemstones from around the world, and, since he hated to wear anything twice, gave away several pieces of his wardrobe to lucky members of his court.  

      

          My second artifact is King Henry's armor, which can be found on display in the Tower of London.  I read on Jacob's post from last week that Henry was painted with proportions much different than he actually had, but being able to see his armor in person was mind-blowing; the picture doesn't do it justice at all.  This man was huge.  The armor pictured above is from his later years in life, and studies have concluded that this guy had a 52in waist and 53in chest, which is severe obesity in today's standards.  Going from his once 32in waist and 39in chest, I'd say he became just about as round as he was tall. 

Sources: 

http://www.royalarmouries.org/visit-us/leeds/leeds-galleries/tournament-gallery/henry-viii/henry-viii-portrait

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1134222/King-size-Henry-VIIIs-armour-reveals-52in-girth--paid-terrible-price.html

anti-jesuits

The counter-reformation of the 16th century sparked a new ideology of the Catholic faith.  Ignatius Loyola realized the importance of a reformation of Catholicism and paved the way for the foundation of the Society of Jesus also known as the Jesuits.  However, the opposition to the counter-reformation from the protestant perspective remained; and in this image, the idea of anti-Jesuit propaganda is evident.   
The image is derived from an anti-Jesuit broadsheet the reveals the opposition of Jesuit views by protestants.  according to the online source, this broadsheet from 1569 portrays a devil-like Jesuit attempting to convert a protestant woman (online source).  However, the Jesuit is immediately killed by a protestant male, which signifies the strength of the protestant religion.  As reformers of this time have signified, the importance of non-Catholic ideas and rituals such as the seven sacraments and indulgences were of importance when designating religious ideology.  Ignatius Loyola's spin off of Catholicism was a reformation of Catholicism itself that kept the same views and ideals, with more focus on loyalty to the church, and an examination of inner-conscience (CP 204).  From the image above, we can see that, though the Jesuits were a reformed version of Catholicism, their views still did not line up with protestant believers, and essentially caused friction between the two; even many years after the Jesuit faith was established in the earlier 1500's.  Broadsheets such as this discuss the opposing arguments between the Jesuit and protestant ideas, and how far some were willing to go to assure that protestants would be informed not to be swayed by Jesuit views. 

Sources;

Course Packet compiled by Dr. Wolbrink
http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=3348