Nicolas Poussin and Others PDF

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Poussin and other artists...

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ARTH113 NOTES 12/3 NICOLAS POUSSIN - most of career in rome - great affect to french painting - ideal painter of the seventeenth century - french academy (state machine) took him up as the ideal - academic tradition: constricted, ancient art, french rafael - came from a peasant home - self portrait 1650 - woman in the canvas, representation of perspective, embracing perspective (Poussin love for painting) - his style is restrained - looks out towards us, depth and intensity - tight brushstrokes - stopped in Venice, admired Tischian - large papal commission one of the altar pieces in st peter’s - St Erasmus Vatican Museum - oil on canvas, very large - he didn't do large scale after the martyrdom of St Erasmus - post counter reformatory vein - classic angled and dynamic work: baroque painting, Tischian influenced them - quality of the light - 1630: circle of Antiquarians led by Casino, secretary to cardinal Benerini - commissioned a collection of drawings - intellectual interest - illustrated life in ancient rome - archeological accuracy - interested in stoic philosophy and ethics - revival of stoicism - ancient philosophy, stressed moral, post interest - rape of the Sabines - buildings, extreme idealism - simplest fundamental detail - clear moral outlook on the situation: horrified subjects - end product of rape - the setting: simple vs lush - unique decorum

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Reuben dress is contemporary: modified 17th century different modes, treat in a harsh way Judgment of Solomon 1649 Louvre Poussin was devoutly religious choice of subject, unusual old testament set up figures in a panorama Solomon was a prototype for a new testament figure Judge for new Jesus dimensional models a lot of ideas from Rafael positioning 2 versions of one composition Et in Arcadia Ego 1629-30 Tischianesque

- two shepherds accompanied by a nymph and river gods, draw back at the sign of death (presence of death)

- having the skull be painting, Guerccino - 1638 - Poussin, symmetry, even light, idealism, interest in archeological accuracy PANOVSKY - earlier version - divided into several parts - previous parts: introduce to different translation of title - talks about the arcadia and how its depicted in original works - Arcadia is considered an ideal place, it is actually a melancholy - affects are a barren area - translations: I too was born and lived in Arcadia - Guerccino the personified death being the skull, speaking out the echo - the first version of Poussin is a version of Guerccino style - sarcophagus and river God - this painting emphasizes the immoral implications - added shepherds, also derivative of Guerccino style - personified death in the title - enjoyment of pleasures - meaning shifts - Poussin: no more skull and foreshortened, less dramatic elements - more harmony, increases the number of Arcadians from three to four they emphasize the ideal passing - process in living in Arcadia - not afraid of death - Utopian place, melancholy sentiment - moral conviction - defining word, Ego - 1970s-80s: modern french philosophical thought and influenced scholars looking at painting as well MARIN - took Ego with semiotics and semantics - not necessarily from art perspective, pictorial perspective - actual language - temporal qualities vs us viewing the painting - essentially disagrees with Panovsky (sees it as a complete sentence) with what this is of - interpretation of latin - this painting is a story of enunciation and creation of enunciation - no proper verb or noun, intentionally vague - Poussin didn’t know what it meant and he doesn’t know what it means - making trouble, more ambitious than that - inter meaning of the work - grammatically not fixed or a proper sentence - Panovsky mistranslates - cannot determine the meaning - the woman is huge, maybe she’s a personification of memory - attribute of Cleo, muse of history - sign of her remembrance of past events - specific letter, R (Arcadia) - reference to a specific Cardinal (Rospiliosi) - well educated and new latin to create the phrase - commissioned the painting, acknowledging who commissioned the painting

RUBENS - Peter Paul Rubens Self Portrait 1633 - Southern Netherlands: Flanders, Belgium - economically ruined Catholic country under the dominion of declining Spanish empire - influenced by Italian art, rich tradition of oil painting - artistic life in Flanders was overshadowed by Rubens, greatest painter of all time - Rubens is the ultimate Baroque painter - born in Germany in 1577, high Baroque style - older - 1577 to Flemish parents - he wasn't from a poor family - educated and learned - Renaissance paintings - Rubens’ voluptuous proportions - corpulent, meant you could afford enough to eat - 1600-1608, so influenced by art that he saw an Italian artist - worked in the academic tradition - also was a collector, antiquarian, gentlemanly painter, wealthy - distinguished career as a diplomat, languages - Italian international language, another art form, music - been knighted and enabled by the king of Spain - most prolific artist, produced more than everyone else - goes to Italy, and draws - Leacolon, not just imitation - composition that he does after his trip - makes this altar piece 1610 - cathedral, Jesus being crucified, raising of the cross - using the drawing of Leacolon - opposite of Poussin, dynamic, materiality - drew from nature and the nude - center and side wings - brings in the Italian experience and makes it as if an Italian painter did - Sistine ceiling adds a shit ton of muscles - hyper-muscular - artistic personality - Caravaggio, struck by everyone else - the entombment - oil sketch, to sketch in oil (to draw in oil/color) - tones the whole thing emotional and symmetrical - idealized, naturalistic - Flemish and Italian influence, composition is more idealized than Caravaggio’s at the same time more naturalistic - rotated the body - he loved the female body, Tischian influence - Andrea: alcoholic river sumptuous composition - oil sketch of the scene, changes Tischian - brightens up the whole scene with light - more energetic in Rubens - darker weather, landscape of the north vs Italian weather, naturalism - nudity and flesh, Rubens’ has more interaction - venus figure, voluptuous, ideal glow (pinkish) post coital glow - open mouth - travels down to Italy, gets to Rome - Rubens Sts. Gregoy and Domitilla 1606 gets a commission

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altar piece in the Piesa Nuova altar piece with 2 saints Domitilla flanked by saints Baroque and lush monumentality, dress and angels Virgin/Madonna and child painting by Rubens that covers an older image that was considered miracle working image in that church - 16th century, miracle working image on high altar and the roof started to collapse but it was saved - altar piece that incorporated the miracle working image - rejected the work by Rubens because the virgin and child is overshadowed by secondary saints - redoes it, miracle working image is in the center: carrying that image above - actual image, sometimes covered by Rubens but sometimes not - Bizentine 14th century image, lots of repainting - he does two wings on either side - returns to Flanders - Rubens Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus 1617 - sons of Zeus abducts two princesses - female nudity - fuses all elements together - Leda and the Swan (fucking the swan) - Tomb of Giuliano de’Medici - La Note female and El Giornio male - academic tradition decimated by different stylistic artist - Poussin, Rubens, Velazquez - Rubens embraced Baroque style with all its energy - opposite of Poussin (idealized work) Rubens was naturalistic - altar pieces in Italy - wings that close - Flanders: onlookers, the virgin, St John - unusual to show the raising of the cross (usually deposition is shown) - third generation representation - Caravaggio, Caravagiste, Bolognese, Bernini - in the forefront of the painting, interacting with the viewer - Flemish features - lost painting of Ledo and the Swan (Michelangelo) CAROL - sexual violence; treatment and connotations in the painting - ambiguity - violent yet satisfying - two perspectives (marriage vs violence) - phenomena of 17th century power - depicted power in their houses by depicting these images - subordination of women to men represents the society that is subordination - concept of rape: - during 16 and 17 century deals with unconcenting - rape internalized sexual violence in painting and reflective rulers masculinity of victory in battles and absolutist - three paintings of rape, Sala Aquile, Sea Earth and the World Gods stealing away women/goddesses (Juno, Persephone) - Sala Giove; similar accomplishments done by Jupiter (Rape of Europa) - Rape of Savign (Florence) monumental statue of the Medici family by taking over control from Florence

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subjugates women and triumph of battle Perseus; holding her head, capacity to possess and defeat enemies the artists express rulers political power and affirms rape scenes from mythological stories projected as property as they flail in their arms still ambiguous story of the Sabines women, John Bologna Rubens was looking at those two works he looks at it like fraternal sexual conquest not rivals two men can parallel with Louis the 13th and his brother, these two brothers in relation to the king Carol believe it doesn't elude to them Escorial/Sacrificial display exchange of the two princesses (French and Spanish) identifying these brides as holy mothers Rubens takes it away as a forced relationship Dichotomy going on: reactions of the women, help and gratification Contradicting emotions between solitude and aggression enjoying being taken away a worthy conquest for the men prime example of this type of phenomena different concept of rape during the times, considered brave and virtuous (glorified) Rubens and the mystification of sexual violence, he takes his act of sexual violence and makes it ambiguous which allows it to be glorified celebratory depiction of sexual violence ambiguity between violence and solitude presumed outcome is raped rhetorical figure therefore naturalized; larger natural order perhaps related to the marriage of two princesses to be exchanged unknown patron of the painting so we dont know if its related she does that to make a point: these paintings are about grand gestures and using mythological themes and ideal theme in society how did they relate to reality of the day? uses the story of the exchange to shed light on that, how did it relate to the reality? the princesses and princes were 11 and 13, they were unhappy about this forced marriage, horrifying experience these are allegorical and metaphorical but we shouldn't understand them as lived experience Rubens own life: portraiture self portrait with his first wife not a violent relationship, loving marriage 1609-10 honeysuckle bower, marital happiness suggest a hierarchical concept: he’s standing over her she’s dressed exquisitely, her hand’s on top of his her body is placed in front of his, bowering or kneeling, but it was a pose to assume in virgin press comparing her to the virgin, elevating her, giving her equal space (within its own day, much more equity and not about subjugation) less of a shadow fantastic draftsman Isabella Brandt died remarried a younger woman, Elaina Fourma extraordinary portraits, nude and intimacy in a fur cape, large painting 77x111 status and beauty comparing her to Venus, pose of modesty shows her in nakedness but suggests her modesty concealing but revealing suggests naturalism way beyond Bernini loose brushwork overtime observations from nature, brought this into mythological imagery

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real as the ideal, mythological but natural ideal Andromeda 1635 fusing all of these different ideas overtime he loosened up, broken the sculptural group apart mythological scene shows development three goddesses Juno, Venus, Athena most beautiful woman, judgment of Paris personification of Strife casts a golden apple for the fairest Juno decides that Paris decides and gives him the apple through Mercury sparked Trojan War, gives the apple to Venus because she promises him Helen traditional northern painting, allegorical painting figures from the 17th century multifigure composition with a landscape, and cupids garden of love, 1630-1632 late medieval tradition matrimony, marital bliss later after second life, painting shows his opinion on marriage architecture of grand house or passion, specific kind of house Rubens own house a woman on a dolphin, Venus (born of the sea) water comes out of her breasts various states of courting displayed, pairing them up cupid trying to move things along he gives her a dark dress instead of shimmering drapery, light colored shimmery gown level of detail...