GREAT RENAISSANCE PAINTERS

Renaissance Painters

Do you know who Plato was? He was one of the founders of Western philosophy. Philosophy means the love (philo) of wisdom (sophy). Plato lived in Greece around 400 BC. He was a student of the great philosopher, Socrates. Socrates did not write down his ideas, but Plato did. Plato's famous work The Republic sets out his plans for a utopia, or an ideal society.

In his writings, Plato addresses the issues of justice, social order, good government, education and the arts. Thinkers today may not always agree with Plato's conclusions, but there is no doubt that his very questioning of the way things are has led others to ponder the great questions and assumptions we have about our own lives.

So what does Plato have to do with Renaissance art? He was one of the thinkers that people of the Renaissance looked up to. You'll find out more in the lesson below.

OBJECTIVES

• Explain the role of the Catholic church in the development of High Renaissance art.

• Relate Raphael's work to that of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

• Discuss the role of Venice in the High Renaissance.

• Describe the work of Titian.

VOCABULARY

RENAISSANCE PAINTERS – RAPHAEL

As you learned in your lesson on Michelangelo, much of the artwork produced in Italy during the period called the High Renaissance was commissioned by the church's leader, the pope. Interestingly, while some religions such as Islam forbade the depiction of religious figures, the Catholic Church was a great encourager of the creation of devotional imagery. This was especially true during the period of the Counter-Reformation, when the Catholic Church was worried about losing ground to the Protestants.

Regarding religious art, the church's views were expressed at the 25th session of the Council of Trent in 1563:

"... they especially instruct the faithful diligently concerning the intercession and invocation of saints; the honour (paid) to [Page 234] relics; and the legitimate use of images: teaching them, that the saints, who reign together with Christ, offer up their own prayers to God for men; that it is good and useful suppliantly to invoke them...the images of Christ, of the Virgin Mother of God, and of the other saints, are to be had and retained particularly in temples, and that due honour and veneration are to be given them; not that any divinity, or virtue, is believed to be in them, on account of which they are to be worshipped; or that anything is to be asked of them; or, that trust is to be reposed in images, as was of old done by the Gentiles who placed [Page 235] their hope in idols; but because the honour which is shown them is referred to the prototypes which those images represent..."

With this type of encouragement, you would expect that much of the art produced during this period would center on religious figures. In order to pay for the magnificent works of art depicting religious subjects, the church sold "indulgences," or pardons for sins. So if you committed a sin and wanted to get into heaven anyway, you could buy an indulgence and support the beautification of your church at the same time. Of course, some people didn't think buying your way into heaven was such a great idea, but that's another story.

While these great artists made some of the most magnificent religious art ever (remember the statue of David?) they also treated subjects of Greek mythology and culture — often with the blessing of the pope himself.

One of Pope Julius II's chosen painters was a man named Raphael, one of the greatest and most popular artists of all time.

The Works of Raphael 

Marriage of the Virgin Raphael, 1504. — Wikimedia Commons

Raphael later became a student and assistant of the painter Perugino. Raphael's work was so much like Perugino's that art historians are not always sure who painted what. Here is a reproduction of one of Raphael's painting from this period, the Marriage of the Virgin (1504). Again notice the balance in the composition; see the way the color red is balanced on each side, along with the harmonious relation of each element. Nothing seems out of the place. Do you see the lines leading to the structure in the background, providing that sense of depth?

• light and shade

• anatomy

• dramatic action

In 1508, Pope Julius II commissioned Raphael to paint frescoes in four stanze of the Pope's living quarters. One of his most famous paintings from these frescoes is the School of Athens. In the painting the great Greek philosopher Plato and his student Aristotle are involved in a discussion in a large classical building with arches, statues, panels, and steps. They are surrounded by other philosophers and thinkers. 

Take a moment to describe the painting, School of Athens . As you study the painting, take note of the following things:

• Notice the two men holding globes on the far right of the painting. These men are the astronomers Ptolemy and Zoroaster.

• The artist Raphael is the man wearing a black cap looking out toward the viewer of the painting.

Raphael did not live to be an old man. He died in Rome on his thirty-seventh birthday, April 6, 1520. He was buried in the Pantheon. When he died, he was working on what many consider his greatest work, The Transfiguration, which he started in 1516. It's believed that Raphael's pupil, Giulio Romano, completed the painting.

VENICE IN THE HIGH RENAISSANCE – GIORGIONE AND TITIAN

Titian's masterpiece is The Assumption of the Virgin (1516-1518). In this oil painting, the Virgin is surrounded by a brilliant golden light as she floats above the apostles.

Notes

Click on the link: The Assumption of the Virgin and examine the painting. Read the accompanying text and make notes.

LET'S REVIEW!

In this lesson, you have covered the following topics:

• Raphael's three-dimensionality in his paintings

• Raphael's use of chiaroscuro

• harmony within Raphael's work

• the poetic qualities of Titian's work

• the symbols used by Titian in his work, often portrayed by vibrant colors and free brushstrokes, which are considered poetic