Write a 3-4 page (minimum) essay in MLA style on the following question: Is artistic beauty important to the development of human culture, and if so, why?” Discuss at least three specific works covered so far in our textbook. Include the textbook in your citations (cite the textbook plus at least two other sources).
You should base your analysis on the textbook information, our class discussions to date, and also on information drawn from at least two credible outside sources. I recommend using sources from the library.
Essay Rubric: The evaluation of competency in college-level writing skills shall be based on students ability to complete a writing assignment which demonstrates a proficiency in the following:
Clearly defining a central idea or thesis
- Providing adequate support for the central idea or thesis
- Organizing clearly and logically
- Writing using the conventions of standard written English and MLA style
- Submitting an assignment using appropriate file format as required (Word or PDF)
- Citing sources correctly in MLA style
- Following directions
- Providing an insightful analysis
- The Late Gothic and the Renaissance: A visual arts comparison The contrast between the Gothic era and the Renaissance is profound and striking. The Gothic period in Europe is characterized by cathedrals, castles, feudalism, the power of the Catholic Church, and life prior to the widespread impact of the printing press. There is no better way to get a sense of life in the Gothic era than through the art of the Limbourg brothers. In this module, you will see images from The Very Rich Hours (Trs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry) created between 1405 and 1409. Here, you can see the image of June from the calendar, showing the castle in the background and the peasants working the field in the foreground. Through the whole calendar of images, one per month of the year, you will understand some of the iconic scenes of the Middle Ages, including planting, falconry, hunting, and animal husbandry. In the background, you will see the great castles of the nobles, but also the poor peasants who engaged in cultivation. Most peasants and were bound to the land under the feudal system. Very few people could read and write. Trade was conducted mainly by barter, as very little money circulated. The whole calendar of monthly images can be viewed on a separate page. Cathedrals were another integral part of Gothic imagery. The cathedral structures were testaments to group effort, sometimes across multiple generations. They were intended to glorify God. Although Chartres Cathedral (below) was build in just a few decades, the building of some cathedrals took hundreds of years. Individuals who worked on a particular cathedral might not see it completed within their lifetimes, so they were dedicating their work to future generations. These images of the exterior and interior of Chartres will give you some idea of the magnificence of these buildings. On the other hand, the Renaissance was all about the power of the individual. The iconic images of the Renaissance are entirely different, so you will be able to see the sharp break with the past. Viewing these images should help you to understand why the Renaissance is considered such an important historical watershed. Michelangelo is one of the best-known artists of the Italian Renaissance. You can literally see the determination to express creative power in the statue of David (1501-4) by Michelangelo, depicting a heroic man in a determined and resolved pose. In contrast to the widespread illiteracy of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance celebrated a resurgence of learning. During the early Middle Ages (the so-called “Dark Ages”) a great deal of classical learning had been lost. People no longer remembered the great writings or accomplishments of Greece and Rome. When this learning began to be re-discovered, it created a paradigm shift in the self-image of the society. For example, The School of Athens (1510-11) by Rafael depicts a learned, secular (pre-Christian) society where philosophy and science were vigorously debated. Contrast this with the Catholicism of the Middle Ages, its lack of scientific knowledge, and the absence of circulating books except among monastics. Of course, Leonardo da Vinci is considered the quintessential “Renaissance man,” a term referring to breadth of his individual accomplishments in a variety of fields. Leonardo was an accomplished scientist, inventor, and artist. You have probably heard of the Mona Lisa (1503). Individualism, a secular economy, and a rediscovery of classical learning were all hallmarks of the Renaissance. The Northern Renaissance The Renaissance in Northern Europe was quite different from the Renaissance in Italy. While Catholicism embraced and even patronized the visual arts, Protestantism treated artistic images as potential forms of idolatry. As you saw in the “Iconoclasm” section in Chapter Two of your textbook, Protestants in Northern Europe smashed religious images, viewing them as a form of vanity and distraction. You can see the smashed imagery below as an example. Whereas Catholic theorists had believed that the beauty of visual arts could lift the spirit into an epiphany of higher spiritual awareness, Protestant theorists thought that an understanding of God was best achieved in unadorned settings. In Northern Europe, artists did paint landscapes, portraits, and depictions of ordinary life, but not typically images of divinity. Compare this Catholic image of Giotto’s Lamentation (The Mourning of Christ) in the Arena Chapel in Padua to the painting from Northern Europe below it. In the Italian painting, Christ and the angels are depicted, and the painting conveys strong emotion. The colors and lines of the painting are visually dazzling. On the other hand, paintings in Northern Europe were more like the example below, Bruegel’s Peasant Wedding. As you can see, it’s a focus on ordinary life. There are no divine images in the painting. The Protestants believed that the glory of the divine couldn’t adequately be depicted by human art, and it’s an easy idea to sympathize with. However, the lack of divine images doesn’t lead us to conclude that the Northern Renaissance was less impressive than the Italian Renaissance. It wasn’t. Overall, the accomplishments of the Renaissance in Northern Europe focused more on literature, philosophy, and music than on painting. Perhaps you have heard of a writer named Shakespeare? Just the name alone should tell you that the achievements of the Northern Renaissance are substantial. Although it may seem surprising to us now, theater was a somewhat fringe form of entertainment during Shakespeare’s day. Acting wasn’t allowed within the city limits, so theaters were typically located in “red light” areas near the bear-baiting pits, taverns, and houses of prostitution. Women weren’t allowed on the stage. Female roles were played by men. Despite these obstacles, theater thrived as a form of entertainment. Through the plays of Shakespeare and others, theater in Britain became a channel for the enormous creative energy of the time. This was partly possible because of the patronage of Queen Elizabeth I, herself a remarkable person who spoke and read at least seven languages. The theaters of the era held up to about 3,000 people. You can see an image below of the refurbished Globe Theater. The original Globe Theater burned down after a theatrical accident when a simulated naval battle sparked a fire. From this image, you can get a sense of the shape, size, and appearance of the theater that is most associated with Shakespeare’s accomplishments. One of the reasons Shakespeare’s plays were so successful is that he spent his entire professional life in the theater. In his day, he was known as a successful actor as well as a playwright, but had not acquired the fame he enjoys today. His plays were known through performances, not through textual readings. Shakespeare wrote comedies, tragedies, and historical plays. He is known for infusing psychological insights into the development of his dramatic characters. For example, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are driven by ambition and destroyed by guilt; Othello is destroyed by jealousy; and Romeo and Juliet are driven by romantic love. His insights into human nature transcend time. Although technology changes rapidly, human nature can remain remarkably constant. The motivations of the characters and their inner struggles can be understood and recognized by contemporary readers. The Baroque is one of the great eras of artistic achievement. If we were to focus just on religious art, we might almost find it difficult to distinguish the transition from the Renaissance into the Baroque. But we could see the difference, even in the greatest works, in an element of the “theatrical.” For example, the works of the greatest sculptor of the era, Bernini, usually depicted scenes rather than individual persons. A great example of this is Ecstasy of St. Teresa, seen below. By now, you’ll recognize immediately that if The Ecstasy of St. Teresa were a work of the Renaissance, it would have been an Italian work, not a Northern European work. The scene depicts an angel piercing the heart of St. Teresa of Avila, a deeply religious scene. In her autobiography, St. Teresa, a mystic Carmelite nun, describes the culminating moment of her cloistered life of prayer, a moment of profound spiritual transformation. You can view a short video about Ecstasy of St. Teresa below. If you haven’t already been impressed by Bernini’s remarkable skill in marble, the hair in the Apollo and Daphne may change your mind. In all of Bernini’s works, including Apollo and Daphne, you can see his focus on the dramatic, a defining general characteristic of Baroque art. Another great artist of the period was the Dutch artist Rembrandt. The image below, Girl at a Window, is not in your textbook but gives an immediate sense of Rembrandt’s ability to capture the faces of ordinary people. One of Rembrandt’s most famous works is below, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. In this work, you can clearly see Rembrandt’s famous use of light and shadow to achieve emphasis.
Get this or a similar paper done in as fast as 4 hours, 24/7.
NB: We do not sell prewritten papers. All essays are written from scratch according to specific needs and instructions
✔Secure Service ✔ Plagiarism Free ✔On-time Delivery
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.