Art Portrays A Changing World (1963)

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] in the late Middle Ages from about 1200 to 1500 City life was renewed with Vigor in the European countries people moved from the small villages into the growing towns where Freedom Independence and prosperity were now possible for the newly forming middle [Music] class architecture blossomed its crowning glory to this day is the gothic Cathedral a most remarkable accomplishment of the late Middle Ages the entire Community artists citizens Nobles all helped to create these structural Wonders by providing the funds labor and materials Gothic Towers reached High into the heavens this was symbolic for it was here in the golden t Skies where God and the angels dwelt and medieval man focused his thoughts in fact we refer to this period as the gothic age because its art style was a visible expression of the entire mode of life these Cathedrals often required decades even centuries for their completion the solution of complex structural problems resulted in this new style which endowed churches with a quality of infinite growth and upward [Music] movement Gothic Cathedrals were flooded with light in the preceding Romanesque style there were heavy stone walls and dark Interiors but now window space was greatly enlarged as a result the art of staining glass was further developed and perfected these stained glass windows in Germany and France have survived for centuries in their original form they seem to Glow mysteriously in in the light that filers through the thousands of tiny pieces of colored glass and so we realizes that medieval art was a visible Declaration of Faith experienced by all the people individual accomplishment was unimportant and this explains why artists did not sign their works we don't even know to this day who created these windows by being no more than a member of of the team artists gained neither fame or Fortune as we understand it we must conclude that their main compensation was the satisfaction that comes from good [Music] work many sculptures adorned the cathedral walls and Interiors like the stained glass windows they serve not only as a decoration but also told a story we must remember that most people were unable to read or write they were influenced profoundly by the visual arts most sculptured art was of biblical figures but an exception are these statues of kings and queens at the nberg Cathedral in Germany created by an unknown Master around 1250 they portray a range of human emotions rarely found in any art form of that [Music] [Music] day the churches were further decorated with painted alter pieces which became a favorite form of art expression today these precious works are prized by museums throughout the world we can readily see that paintings were a means of transcending reality because it ideally expressed the faith of this age the conventional gothic style was generally adopted throughout Western Europe the meaning of life was sought in the Hereafter real istic truth therefore was unimportant to the artist he rarely paid attention to perspective or true proportions interest was focused directly on the Divine meaning of the story by depicting immobile statue likee figures against a flat background [Music] colors also were not Faithfully rendered but acted as symbols gold symbolized the Brilliance of the other world it was perhaps the Golden Glow of a Time drawing to a close our modern form of painting developed from such humble beginnings miniature painting another favorite art form had originated in the monasteries where the monks had copied both theological and classical Works to enrich these handwritten books the stories were Illustrated and the capital letters decorated gradually the paintings filled more and more of the page these book illuminations are for the most part perfectly preserved it has been said by Art historians that often one painting has given us more knowledge of the ancient and medieval worlds than volumes of text the paintings of the 15th century clearly portray a changing World Shan fuk was one of of the first great French realists who painted these historical events man's ideas as to the purpose of life were broadening and religion could no longer Remain the sole inspiration for art now that artists expressed their own ideas and reported actual happenings they began to sign their Works no longer an anonymous member of the team the individual creative genius was beginning to be recognized we detect in the paintings of the 15th century something entirely new and different religious subject matter still predominated but triangles and squares pyramids and diagonals show that realistic principles of composition were introduced artists were Now searching for ways to employ the natural laws of of vision which means to emphasize proportion and perspective we can see that lines and shapes are arranged to form a variety of designs they are based on principles of symmetry and Harmony they focus at the central point and radiate from there they're repeated or varied for different effects most significant is the the new use of correct visual perspective based on precise mathematical principles light and shadows are now employed to denote space and distance resulting in proper three-dimensional effects artists were now studying Anatomy to reproduce the human body in motion or at rest and to discover and utilize the correct principles of proportion balance and foreshortening the artist of the 15th century generally classified as early Renaissance discovered and investigated all these new principles the studies of light and color of anatomy and perspective demonstrated man's Awakening interest in science and the new awareness of reality meant that man was rediscovering nature herself a comparison with the flat unrealistic Gothic style will show us the importance of these new techniques this Gothic enunciation by an unknown German Master is reduced to Pur Simplicity in regards to composition figures and color schemes in contrast this early Renaissance anunciation by the Italian Celli is a masterpiece of central perspective on the other hand the Flemish masters of the early Renaissance were so interested in the actual world around them that they placed the biblical figures into contemporary domestic homes Robert campen was one of the first to depict such an everyday environment and also one of the first to use the new medium of oil it allowed artists to paint minute details in full tonal range heightening the new effect of realism in this adoration by an unknown checkmaster painted around 1380 the long stilted figures are rendered in the typical Gothic tradition the Kings and the Madonna appear remote and Majestic the conventional golden background detaches the event from its location on this earth 100 years later around 1480 the Dutch Master tot St yans painted the same subject the scene is now alive and appears human we are touched by the tenderness of the young mother and by the Wonder expressed in the faces of the Magi the background is no longer the Heavenly gold but the natural surroundings and and we readily see real life everyday activities this late of the Virgin was painted around 1360 by as usual an unknown Bohemian Master the morning Apostles occupy one single plane and are somewhat crowded by their Halos yet the intense facial expressions convey a Lively sense of drama the same event was painted by the Flemish artist petus Christus in 1460 100 years later the apostles appear completely natural in their actions and expressions they have been arranged to emphasize the illusion of depth rendered in true perspective the bed has been placed to give a true three-dimensional effect of space an excellent example of the new sense of realism the somber feeling extends into the distant Autumn landscape which completes the natural mood of the scene this crucifixion is from a book illumination by an unknown Italian artist it is typically early Gothic the background is composed of a few Rocky Hills symbolizing the Earth the two MERS are stilted and posed the sky is filled with angels in this late Gothic painting by a German artist The Heavenly gold contrast severely with the austere Brown of the earth which is still depicted as a mere Rock symbolizing Nature's hostility towards man but in the early Renaissance the Hostile Earth is transformed into Nature's Own settings the Italian Antonella deina has placed the same event into a sweeping landscape which stretches to the Horizon Yes Man discovered that the Earth was his home and artists were now inspired by nature which they reproduced realistically her ever changing Skies her growing plants her abundance of color and form the Awakening of man's intellectual capacities was most clearly seen in portraits for the first time in a thousand years since the Roman culture human beings once more became the subject of art now that life returned to Art it created a new image of man as an integral part of this world a vision of Human Excellence that has become the central theme of our Western tradition and so as the Middle Ages close and modern times Dawn we see how early Renaissance painting portray this historical [Music] transformation a transformation from medieval man and his Devotion to the spiritual world to Modern Man and his search for knowledge a transformation from Anonymous Community accomplishment to the recognition of of the artist creative abilities which meant the recognition of man himself as an individual [Music]