Project 5 - Build up an annotation

St Clare - Anonymous
1283
Tempera on wooden panel

9ft x 5ft
Monastery of Santa Chiara in Assissi (Monastery of Saint Clare)

This large panel is mostly taken up by the image of St Clare with eight smaller scenes from her life around her.  St Clare's body is depicted as slender and elongated.  It takes up nearly the entire length of the panel.  She is shown wearing a brown hooded flowing robe with a blue dress.  The folds are depicted in a stylised way but are natural in that they show the shape of her body beneath them.  You can not see her feet but these are suggested by the folds and drapery at the bottom hem of her dress.  She wears a knotted belt and an ornate cross on her left breast.  Her left hand hangs down and appears to be holding the staff of the cross.  Her right arm is raised and her hand lies across her upper body towards the cross.  Her expression is solemn and pious and she looks straight ahead at the viewer.  She has a circular gold halo ringed with black.  St Clare stands between slender columns with vaulted arches.  There is an angel on each side of her halo.  There are four scenes from St Clare’s life on either side of her.  The main colours used are gold, blue and shades of brown and red. 

The halo shows that the image is of a saint. The large size and subject matter indicate that the panel was created for a religious building.  The architecture depicted, slender columns and pointed arches, place the image in the Gothic period. The use of expensive blue paint and gold indicate that the panel is of importance and value.  The knots in St Clare’s belt symbolise poverty, chastity and obedience.  This can help the viewer to know that she was a follower of a Franciscan Order.  

This image was created only 30 years after St Clare’s death so is fairly contemporary.  It was created to be used as part of a screen dividing the nave from the chancel.  St Clare was a peer and follower of St Francis and founded the Order of Poor Ladies.  She is not as well known as St Francis or depicted as often.  A World History of Art suggests this is probably due to the fact that men were patrons of the arts and unlikely to be interested in a woman’s cult.  At the time that this image was created nearly all visual arts had a religious theme and purpose.  Scenes from St Clare’s life surround her.  A World History of Art relates the stories behind some of these images – they show St Clare’s life from when she made a decision to live in poverty and was given the Bishop’s blessing, her joining the Franciscan community, her miracle of multiplying loaves to support the community, through to her deathbed.  These images would be used to tell followers of her life.



I chose this image to annotate as I find it appealing, perhaps because it is of an important woman when so much art of the time depicts men (other than the many depictions of the Virgin Mary).  The scenes from St Clare's life add meaning to the image for me and led me to become more interested and find out more about her.  I think the image works for its original purpose and I can sense how it could have influenced women in early medieval times to have followed the Order of Poor Ladies.

Unit 5 - Chapter 10 - The 15th century in Europe. DVD 5 - The Early Renaissance in Italy

I went back to reading then watching this time - mainly because I need more time when reading and I had a time slot I could do it in.  I am also reading Michael Baxandall's Painting and Experience in 15th century Italy.  I will add some of my notes from this but haven't finished it yet.

Historical Background
Renaissance - literally the 'rebirth' of learning and culture. 
Renaissance mainly took off in Florence.  Florence recovered well economically from the black death and became a major city state.  The money lenders lent all over Europe and the merchants were trading all over too.  Things were changing - previously there was the aristocracy the church and everyone else (the workers)
but now merchants were starting to make a lot of money and become more influential - able to vote etc.  These wealthy were able to pay for art - changed things. 

Humanists (still religious at this time not agnostic/atheist) had new values and ideas interest in classical Greek and Roman philosophy, arts, culture and ideas. They felt that 'individual prowess and intellectual ability' was more important than birthright.

Renaissance man - "The mortal who achieves immortality through his own efforts." (World History of Art page 435)

Visual Arts
to start - still mostly public religious works.  Materials important - had contracts stating which materials to be used and quality of them.  Artists told strictly what to paint and how. 
moved on - more private works being commissioned.  Mostly religious but some portraits, landscapes, mythological.  Contracts now show that artists more important - specifies that the named artist must paint certain bits, must be present etc.

Shift in patronage from public to private - portrayal of real people (the patrons and friends, family etc)

Becoming a lot more naturalistic and lifelike - e.g the saints now look like people and part of the scene rather than so saintly and on the edge - also all shown to same scale rather than previously when diff scales to show importance.  Linear perspective used.  Landscapes used for backgrounds rather than gold - makes whole thing seem more real. 

Oil painting was developed in this time too - more in Flemish art though rather than Floriscan

Medals - as art form not prize!  profile portrait on front and allegorical scene on back - private works of art only understood by educated elite.  " intended to stimulate philosophical thought, just as religious images inspired devotion" (world history of art page 435)

Mother and Child - so much call for artists to depict that madonnieri a specific style was developed.  (These were much more natural and realistic than Gothic works - no halos!)

Reasons for images in church - popular contemporary preacher said

1. For illiterate to learn the scriptures
2. might be bored by what they hear so more interested in seeing
3. DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES!!! Some can't remember what they hear but can what they see. 

Tapestries - private art for houses - more expensive than paintings (not the case these days!)

Astrology - previously condemned by church but by 12C so influential it was tolerated.  Courts had own astrologers.  Signs of zodiac appear a lot.

Main characteristics of Renaissance Art

• Spatial clarity and perspective
• naturalistic landscape background
• Greek/Roman architectural decoration and motifs
• Idealised human - harmoniously proportioned

Architecture
Move towards more simply buildings and classical styling.  Away from fancy pants Gothic styles.  Partly through humanist ideals and also because of lack of money so can't afford all the ornate bits anymore.

Building of Florence cathedral - amazing to get dome up - had to get loads of people on board to try and work out how. 

Artists
Now becoming known, famous, respected - mostly in Italy before rest of Europe
Brunellechi - invented linear perspective - scientifically measurable - raised art of painting to a science.
Masaccio - used perspective, put light source into pics (sometimes as if from actual light source too I think) had shadows - more real and less staged
Alberti -  Renaissance man! - "moralist, lawyer, poet, playwright, musician, mathematician, scientist, painter, sculptor and  aesthetic theorist." WOW!!!!! (World history of art - page 431)  Came up with 'laws of nature' a rational theory of beauty
Donatello -  sculptor - 'revitalised every form of sculpture from free-standing monuments to low reliefs" (WHoA page 433)  Link to Michaelangelo - his pupil was di Givanni who was Michaelangelo's master.
Boticelli - started as goldsmith - lack of money for gold - moved to painting.  His Primavera (The Spring) one of earliest important non religious paintings.

Patrons/Commissions etc Baxandall's book talks about the relationship between patron and artist
Private patrons wanting good quality/beautiful works - reasons for commissioning art...

• an outlet for the pleasure of spending money
• virtue of donating to public places/churches
• enjoyment of looking at beautiful things

Some patrons paid by square foot and some paid for materials and time
All art (except some cheaper mother and child etc works) was commissioned and then produced with often v strict guidelines about what needed to be done.  Artists didn't decide what to do themselves - worked to instructions.
Materials decided in contract - e.g 4 florin an ounce ultramarine for virgin but only 2 florin an ounce for others.
from 1450ish became more interested in the artist

 

TO DO LIST - By April 20th - Unit 5

Not sure if will get this done on time but need to if going to get Assignment 1 done by the end of the month...

• Watch DVD - The Early Renaissance in Italy
• Read Chapter 10 - the 15th C in Italy
• Blog notes from DVD and book
• Read through Baxandale book - 15th C Italy
• Annotation - reproduction of fresco or tempera painting (Giotto)
• Postcards/images - 2 paintings, 2 sculptures, 2 buildings
• Project - build up an annotation to 500 words.