VIS 20 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: West Wind, Grid Plan, Masaccio
Early Renaissance
❏Renaissance: rebirth of interest in classical antiquity
❏An interest in reality and actual appearances, revival in true portraiture and landscape
painting
❏Centers of the renaissance: Italy (florence), Duchy of Burgundy (flanders)
❏Renaissance is associated with a revived economy, trade, capitalism, middle class
❏Middle class interested in the here and now
❏Experiencing religion in a different way
❏The Merode Altarpiece
❏Made for Inghelbrecht’s private use, wool merchant
❏Triptych, wooden panels, can be folded over the close, made to be portable
❏Growing independence of the middle class as individuals
❏Merchants were literate and can write and record, can pray and worship in
their own homes, feel like they can talk to God on their own
❏Bright colors and illusion of light reflecting on the colors making the picture look
3-D -> used oil paint
❏Oil paint: linseed oil allows the paint to dry really slowly -> artists can take their
time and layer paint and make complex effects
❏Middle scene: the annunciation- an angel comes to the virgin mary and tells her
she will give birth to the son of God
❏Mary is reading (literate Mary) and there is a scroll on the table (Old
Testament?)
❏Takes place in a middle class house like the ones the inghelbrechts would
live in
❏Biblical story taking place in the ordinary life
❏Realism of the pieces in the household
❏Candle lit in the middle of the day -> many of the objects carry a hidden
symbolism?
❏Christian belief that when God became man in christ during
reincarnation -> sins got washed away -> candle is the divine light
of god washing away because he’s becoming man, window:
christ-child coming to mary
❏White lilies = purity = virgin mary
❏Water vessel: washing away of the sin?
❏Inghelbrechts owned very expensive things? 2 coats of arms, pride
of possession?
❏Left scene: inghelbrechts staring into the scene
❏Portrait of an individual, showing his real features
Document Summary
Renaissance: rebirth of interest in classical antiquity. An interest in reality and actual appearances, revival in true portraiture and landscape painting. Centers of the renaissance: italy (florence), duchy of burgundy (flanders) Renaissance is associated with a revived economy, trade, capitalism, middle class. Middle class interested in the here and now. Made for inghelbrecht"s private use, wool merchant. Triptych, wooden panels, can be folded over the close, made to be portable. Growing independence of the middle class as individuals. Merchants were literate and can write and record, can pray and worship in their own homes, feel like they can talk to god on their own. Bright colors and illusion of light reflecting on the colors making the picture look. Oil paint: linseed oil allows the paint to dry really slowly -> artists can take their time and layer paint and make complex effects.
