Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Chapel of Pieta. St. Peter’s Basilica. 5 Nov. 2010. .
This website provides information about St. Peter’s Basilica. On one page in contains a description of the Pieta and articles, from other websites and publications from around the world, that discuss the Pieta and Michelangelo’s life and works.

Harris, Dr. Beth. “Michelangelo’s Pieta.” SmARThistory. 5 Nov. 2010. <>.
This website is a multimedia “web-book” of art history created by two art history professors who felt students were not gaining the knowledge and appreciation of art through old editions of art history books. This site provides two videos in which art professors are discussing Michelangelo’s Pieta. Their discussion is much easier to follow than websites or books because the information is heard and not read.

Hughes, Anthony. Michelangelo. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1997.
This book provides a detailed account of Michelangelo’s life as well as colored pictures of his artworks. It is a great resource because of its in-depth explanation of his life. The author also provides a biography section where there is a short description of who the people where in Michelangelo’s life and a timeline that outlines, side-by-side, the major events in his life and the major events happening in Florence and Rome. This gives me an understanding of what political or social events were going on while he was creating certain works.

Ruehring, Lauren. “Michelangelo Sculptures.” HowStuffWorks. 1998-2010. 5 Nov. 2010. .
This website provides an article that gives a short description and background information on Michelangelo’s Florence Pieta. It also has detailed photos of the work. This site is a good resource because it gives information on the Pieta statue that is less known by the public.

Ruehring, Lauren. “Rondanini Pieta by Michelangelo.” HowStuffWorks. 1998-2010. 5 Nov. 2010. <>.
This website, like the one above, provides an article about Michelangelo’s third Pieta. It gives a small description of the work and tells the story of how Michelangelo attempted to complete this work several days before his death. This website is a good resource because it gives information on an artwork that is virtually unknown to the majority of the public.

Sala, Charles. Michelangelo. Paris: Finest S.A., 2003.
This book provides a detailed timeline of Michelangelo’s life along with discussions and descriptions of his works he created through out his life. It also gives color photos of his works and sketches. Sala’s book is a good resource because the timeline allows me to see the years that he created each work and where he was located at the time.

High Renaissance & Mannerism

In Madonna of the Long Neck you can tell by observing it that the artist has created a different piece then what has been normally presented.The colors also in Parmigianino's work are more vibrant.The way the Madonna's head is positioned gives her a awkward look while the baby is completely out of proportion.The piece still uses linear perspective like artists in the renaissance used, making the audience feel as if they could step into the work. In reference to Michelangelo's later work and treatment of the body, the thighs are unnaturally large on the Madonna and with Michelangelo he gives the body a more definition and it becomes more muscular. Mannerist paintings and sculptures looks more carefree and well defined compared to Renaissance art.

Renaissance vs. Mannerism

High Renaissance art was realistic and the artists tried to create naturalistic works of art and something that you would see in real life. A shift from realistic artwork to more unrealistic artwork came with the transition from the High Renaissance to the Mannerism period. Michelangelo liked to depict people in really contorted and twisted positions in his later artwork, which is unrealistic of how people would ever really be positioned. He had an influence on Mannerism because of this unrealistic way of viewing the human body. Mannerism art is unrealistic and exaggerates certain features of the human body. The Madonna of the Long Neck shows how this style is unrealistic with the way the bodies are unproportionate. The woman's neck is longer than what would be considered realistic and proportional to the rest of her body. Her body, and the body of the baby especially, seem to be extra long. The length of the baby's torso, arms and legs do not seem to fit with his head and feet. Also, the baby looks really uncomfortable the way he is positioned and twisted in her lap. To me, this idea of creating artwork to be realistic or unrealistic seems to be the biggest difference between the High Renaissance and the Mannerism period.

High Renaissance vs. Mannerism

Art during the High Renaissance is that which was focused on human beings and portraying them naturally. Artists during this time began to use linear perspective by making their creations look 3-Dimensional on a 2-Dimensional surface. They were focused on the content and context of what they were creating because they wanted their work to appear as natural and real to what they were trying to depict. One piece of work that we can see this effort to create a realistic look is Michelangelo's, David. For this piece Michelangelo thought that this sculpture was going to be placed above everyone who observed it, so when he created the hand he made it bigger than normal, so that when those who looked up at the sculpture would see the hand as of normal proportion to the body. The reason that Michelangelo created the hand like that was so the body would be proportional to the rest of the body, and so the sculpture would seem natural. This is opposite of how Mannerism art worked.

Mannerism art was not always proportional. We can identify Mannerism in the Madonna of Long Neck by Mary's long neck and extra wide hips. Jesus also looks very unrealistic and un-proportional. Jesus, painted on Mary's lap, is much larger looking than an infant. Mannerism pieces seemed to go over the top of what was typical. Artists of this time would take what was normal and expected and push the limits just a little further. For example, in the Madonna of Long Neck, there is an "angel" with much of her leg exposed, which was very revealing for that time.

Mannerism works seem to be a little more exaggerated with the human body and it's positions especially. Michelangelo's art work during the Renaissance time also began to exaggerate some of the human body (especially the muscles). It wasn't until the time of Mannerism though, that Michelangelo really exaggerated the muscles of the human body.

Mannerism and High Renaissance

By looking at mannerism and high renaissance artwork we can see many differences and some similarities between the two. The high renaissance style is more natural looking with natural positions and when looking at the artwork it is very inviting and pleasant to look at. An example of high renaissance art would be Raphael's Mary with Jesus. Mary is very motherly and kind looking while Jesus is very baby-like even though he has a few more muscles than a normal baby would. This shows that while high renaissance art is very naturalistic, it is not always realistic. The mannerism style is very odd looking, with the people in uncomfortable postitions and the body parts are not proportional. When looking at the artwork it gives one an awkward feeling. Paramigianina's Madonna of the Long Neck shows the odd proportions with Madonna's head being small on a very long, thin neck. Her hips are very wide in comparison to her upper body. The baby is very lengthened seeming not baby-like at all. They are similar because both styles are usually on the same subject matter.

Mannerism vs. High Renaissance

Just from looking at the artwork, there is a clear difference between the High Renaissance style and the Mannerism style. The High Renaissance seems to prefer portraying the human body as naturally as possible. For example, Raphael's image of Mary with Jesus portrays them as looking natural, meaning that is what a mother and her child would look like if you saw them in real life. While the Mannerism style allows the artist to portray the body as they choose. Paramigianino's Madonna of the Long Neck is a prime example of the Mannerist style. Paramigianino lengthened the bodies of both Mary and her baby, causing them to seem almost in human. Mannerism also portrayed the body in contorted poses that would be awkward for a real person to pose in. Michelangelo's sculptures of Night and Day on the Tomb of Giuliani de' Medici show how the bodies were contorted into poses that seem unnatural.

High Renaissance vs Mannerism

While looking at the Renaissance and Mannerism artwork, I can definitely notice some differences. In the High Renaissance, the artwork was highly praised for its naturalism and was very balanced and harmonious. The artists of this time period, worked very hard to make everything appear very natural, the way it would be found in the everyday world. Michelangelo even used optics for the big hands to appear a normal size in his work of David. He tried to represent every little detail and be anatomically correct, especially when the sculptures or paintings had people in odd positions. Mannerism art seems to focus more on emotions and the artistic effect rather than naturalism. The artists deliberately painted distorted positions in irrational spaces, sometimes the forms were elongated or even looked contorted. The anatomy was definitely not up to Michelangelo’s par. Whereas he was anatomically correct down to every last muscle, they used very abnormal anatomy. Mannerism also seems to use clashing colors.

Parmigianino’s Madonna of the Long Neck really represents these interpretations. She has a neck that is so elongated and unrealistic to the natural body. Mary herself is huge, she is almost twice the size of the angels to her right. The baby, Jesus, is also quite large. If you look closely, and attempted to stand him up, he would be about half the size of Mary! He also is an a very awkward position on her lap, and appears as if he could fall at any moment. The colors all appear to be very dark, with much less background.

Mannerism art seems to be exaggerating the realistic view of humans, but in my opinion, Michelangelo’s later Renaissance works seem to exaggerate real human bodies in his own way. He maintains correct anatomy, but takes it to the extreme. He makes the men’s muscles too big and bulky, and even makes the girl appear to have masculine muscles as well, which was probably not the case with the women of that age.

High Renaissance vs Mannerism

Art during the high renaissance era was the rebirth of classical tradition which moved into Michelangelo’s mannerism where the artist was more focused on the form of the human body. Noticeably there was an increase in detail from making the muscles clearly defined on the body. Michelangelo had a fascination with the male body. This fascination was clearly shown through his works of art where the form of the male body was shown. Michelangelo's style even when displaying a woman’s figure, was a noticeably male form influence, like in the Sistine Chapel. In additions many of the positions of the figures were awkward and in the sense would be uncomfortable. Which seems to draw the attention of spectators more into the piece.

In the Madonna of the Long Neck, the title describes the work of art. Although there is still this naturalistic perspective about the piece, the body proportions are obviously exaggerated, from the long neck, hands, torso, and even the baby. The piece still uses linear perspective like artists in the renaissance used, making the audience feel as if they could step into the work. High renaissance was a foundation for a more expressive style of art like mannerism.

Mannerism vs. Renaissance Art

Kayleigh.. well said!!

Renaissance art valued much of what we talked about in class, including naturalistic and illusionistic characteristics. Artists aimed to create what they observed, without exaggeration. Working to decieve the eye, artists played with the idea of optics in order to create illusions that would convey realistic works. An example of these illusions is the large hands that Michelangelo sculpted on David so that when viewed from the ground, the hands would appear in proportion with the rest of the body.

Mannerism appears to be less realistic. The people are more slender and their body parts are not in proportion. The artist is creating works based on the way that they want them portrayed, which seems to be more dramatic. The drama can be seen in the painting Modonna of the Long Neck. As the name implys, the woman has a long neck. The "baby" is also completely out of proportion. Michelangelo has influenced many of these works as well. He valued human anatomy and often sculpted/painted humans in contorted, uncomfortable positions, as we see in the sculptures on the Medici tomb. Body parts are elongated and exaggerated. Mannerist artists also bring more light and brightness into their works.

As Renaissance art progresses into Mannerism it seems as though the artist is beginning to gain more control over their own works. As exemplified through Michelangelo's works on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, artists did not always want to create works that were realistic.

High Renaissance/Mannerism

In Madonna of the Long Neck one can tell simply by looking at it that the artist has created his own reality and did not paint what he saw exactly. The colors also in Parmigianino's work are more vibrant. The way the Madonna's head is positioned gives her a regal pose but the child on her lap just plain looks freaky! On both the child and the Madonna the torso is elongated causing the child to look older than a child that would still not have hair. In reference to Michelangelo's later work and treatment of the body, the thighs are unnaturally large on the Madonna. Mannerist works also look more carefree and whimsical compared to Renaissance art.

High Renaissance & Mannerism

High Renaissance art was very realistic, the goal of artist during this time was to create a naturalistic view of the human body. I also feel that during the time of the high renaissance brighter colors were used, in comparison to the Mannerism period where i feel the colors were much duller. Mannerism was NOT reality, although paintings, etc. were still "realistic" they were known for portraying bigger bodies and bodies that were disproporationate, for example longer necks and legs. I also noticed that the period of Mannerism paid attention to decoration more so then the High Renaissance,  jerwely and gems, etc. were portrayed more in the works of art.

Mannerism & High Renaissance

The art that was created during the High Renaissance focused on reviving and improving the Classical principals, creating a naturalistic view of the human body and the importance of an educated artist. Works such as David were meant to show the Classical image of the body and told a Classical story in a new way. Several art works, including School of Athens by Raphael and Venus of Urbino by Titian, presented the topic of depicting the nude human body in a naturalistic light. During this time, it was also important for artist to know what had come before them, so they could produce it better.

As the times changed so did the art work and after the High Renaissance came the movement known as Mannerism. This movement focused on elongated and disproportionate bodies, contortion the body into twisted positions and the value of technical expertise. The painting of Madonna of the Long Neck by Parmigianino is a perfect example of Mannerism art. Madonna and child are both depicted with suck disproportion that the audience wonders how the baby stays on her lap. The ladies that surround her as well have such elongated legs that they become a distraction.

During both movements Michelangelo was a working artist who really flowed into this change with his works. The Sistine Chapel is a great example of the values that the High Renaissance art possessed. As as artist he would have to be educated in religion, philosophy and what other artist before him did in order to create the images and stories from the Bible onto the ceiling. He was also so interested in the male nude body that he constantly tried to rework and recreate positions that the body could be presented in. As time went on he took this passion for the body and really pushed it into a whole new level during Mannerism. In his Night and Day sculptures he "beefs up" the body so that one can see all the muscles, puts the body into these twisted and unrealistic positions and elongated certain body parts so that they become disproportionate.

These two movements truly valued very different aspects of art and art making but both valued a sense of artistic expertise and knoweldge of other artist and historical and biblical events.

High Renaissance and Mannerism

Looking at the two artworks of the Madonna of the Long Neck the main difference I picked out was that the woman was sitting up taller in the Mannerism work and in the one by Michelangelo the woman seems to be hunched over a bit.In the Parmigianino the woman is clearly pushing her neck up farther. The same situation with the pictures by Titian and Correggio. In the painting done by Titian, the woman is laying on the bed and then in the Correggio painting the woman is sitting more upright. Also, dealing with the same paintings, I noticed more people in the mannerism painting than in the high renaissance painting. Finally, the colors look to be brighter in the mannerism paintings than in the high renaissance ones. They use the same sorts of colors, but I think they are brighter.

The portraits done by Bronzino I thought looked more real and life like compared to the renaissance portraits. There is more detail and color in the mannerism portraits.

The similarities between the two paintings are again the same types of colors are used in the paintings. I can definitely see the influence by Michelangelo. In my opinion they both have the same feelings conveyed. When it comes to the treatment of the bodies I did not see as much of a muscular body type in the men in the pictures in the PowerPoint. In the mannerism paintings there was more clothing on people and the women looked to be painted the same or at least very similar to the high renaissance period.

Lisa Shoemaker

Michelangelo and the development of Mannerism

The powerpoint images we looked at during the end of class today (Wed.) are up on blackboard. Look at, in particular, the Madonna of the Long Neck and discuss its similarities and differences to Renaissance art. Do you see references to the later work of Michelangelo, especially his treatment of the body?

Art Then & Now

There are more differences when comparing Renaissance Art with Modern Art.

Renaissance Art was more concerned with secular life, and interest in humanism. Most of the artist from the Renaissance Era painted frescos or built sculptures from people from the Bible. In modern times, artist usually paint and build sculptures of what come to their mind or how they are feeling that day. During the Renaissance period artists began to explore the world and the human body while using the new perspective to reflect it realistically. In modern art, artists use shapes and blotches that too them look beautiful in an artistic way. Back in the Renaissance Era artists took their time to complete their work and the people praised them for that. In modern world, some artist may rush to complete the piece on the deadline. In class we talked about how knowledgeable students had to be about works of art in the Renaissance Era. For artists, that means they had to do even more research of the piece they were painting. For example Da Vinci, when he painted the Last Supper. He had to know his material before painting the picture. In Modern times, artist do not really have a reason to why they are painting that peice or do any research for that piece, they just want the beauty and the value.

I am definitely not an expert in the field of art, however I think the status symbol of art is still the same as during the Renaissance. Artwork from respected artists is something that is expensive and to have the ability to pay for a piece of artwork shows a higher class standing. For example, when considering architecture a building with more artwork rather than a building made simply from concrete gives a feeling of higher importance. Also, take a stroll downtown in the Short North through the galleries. The paintings and artwork are very expensive and the ability to own this artwork would prove your high social class.
As for artists, I believe they are treated very differently from Renaissance artists. As many of you have already said I could not name a single current artist, however could pull out 3 or 4 names of Renaissance artists and not simply because I am taking the course. Their names are remembered after all these years, whereas present day artists struggle to get their names heard. I also believe that artists now have more say in the piece they are making. The contract we read in class was extremely strict and required the artist to pay up front for their supplies and if the buyer did not like the finished product they had the right to reject it and pay for nothing. I think now artists have more control in the artwork they are making.

Contemporary art vs. Renaissance art

I think that it is somewhat difficult to compare the art of today, to the art of the renaissance. In my opinion, art of the renaissance set the standard and basics for what art should mean and even how it is made. I think that European art and artists during the renaissance are like the "founding fathers" of art and architecture. The artists of the renaissance brought to life different paintings by creating/discovering things like illusionism, shadowing, and linear perspective. These artists pushed the boundaries sometimes of what was acceptable and what was not. Art and architecture during the renaissance often represented a person's status and rank in society. For one to have a pictured painted or drawn of him or her meant that he or she were of a higher status in society. This is still somewhat equivalent of how it is today, only because it can sometimes be pricey. Although, in the United States it is not as difficult as it would have been to receive this treatment during renaissance times.

Architecture during the renaissance also represented a lot of different things for the culture and individually. For an individual to create or have created a large piece of work, often meant that that person had power. Today, buildings and architecture in the United States seem to more often be created for a particular city, rather than for that individual. Or at least the creator is not as well recognized as some of the emperors of the renaissance.

I do not feel that I am all that knowledgeable of art of this time in the United States as some people, but I also do not think that I am much different from the general public. I think that in the United States, art and architecture is not as widely know to the general population as it was during the renaissance. The art during the renaissance would very often have symbolic meanings behind them, whereas, today the art of the United States seems to fall short of how much art meant to those during the renaissance. I believe that art and architecture of the United States still has meaning and value behind it, but just not as much as art during the renaissance. Sometimes I feel that art during the renaissance is more real that contemporary art because artists long ago had less to work with, but yet they set such a high standard for those to follow after them. Artists like Leonard da Vinci will forever be known to most people, whereas, it would be very difficult for me to name a contemporary artist in the United States at this time. I do not have anything against contemporary artists, or think that they do not create good quality work, I just think that they are not as widely publicized as some artists like musicians.

Role of Art

Renaissance art will always stand alone in function and purpose. Of course it was a catalyst for artistic method and style. It was a period that provided the advancement that the art world had long needed. Paintings gained depth from the discovery of linear perspective and other visual cue techniques. Sculptures returned to a Roman naturalistic style, bringing more life to all the figures. And architecture moved from Gothic styles back to Romanesque, with rounded arcades and a more horizontal orientational. Overall, architecture was more simplified and restrained.

As for the role of Renaissance art, there are several. First and foremost, the architecture seemed more practical. It served a more general purpose. Paintings were more for a specific population, that is, usually a work commissioned by a family for their home or church. Artists did not paint just to sell or hang their works in a museum. Sculptures, however, were both for the populous and for specific persons/families. Statues were erected in public forums, like those in ancient Rome. But statues and other sculptures were also made for specific churches or households.

As for art in today's society, architecture is still very practical and mostly simplified. Architecture is hard to compare because we do not view it the same as art it was in the Renaissance. Our architecture is meant mostly to serve a purpose or function, not necessarily to decorate an area. However, in recent years there has been a resurgence in designing extravagant buildings, but mostly in cities like Hong Kong, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. So the practice is not dead entirely, and perhaps its being revived.

Modern attitude towards paintings is mostly for artists to create works for others to buy. Not often are artists commissioned to do work. It's mostly a freelance trade, and each artists is hoping to be recognized for his/her talents by hanging their works in galleries. Most of the art that we use for personal collections, however, are art replicas, or prints of famous paintings. There is also a desire for what I like to call "feel good" art, which are replica paintings of artists like Thomas Kinkade. Much like van Meegeren's forgeries, there is aesthetic value(1), but the art is not worth anything. This is vastly different from the Renaissance art, which was original, and not only had aesthetic value but also value because of the artistic merit.

Sculptures are still used in similar ways, and viewed similarly as well. It's not uncommon for a city to commission a sculpture to honor a former president, other political figure, war heroes, or even local heroes. Public statues in modern era and the Renaissance served a very similar purpose. Abstract art, however, has emerged to be a another means of public art. The use of abstract art to decorate empty space in a forum was unheard of in the Renaissance, mostly because the technique wasn't around. But today we often find abstract art to be pleasing and appropriate to fill empty space. It accents our environment and serves similar purpose as the statues the modern and Renaissance era.

One major difference in art today from the Renaissance is the use of public art in general. It may not be completely recognizable to those who do not have the proper sensitivities to art, but public art is a major part the current art culture. Artists like Banksy use public art as a way to speak out against propaganda. Other artists like Maya Lin use it as a way to make a name, and like the use of statues, use it to honor war heroes . And then artists like Richard Sierra, who are world renowned, are commissioned to create public works because of their name.

Art still serves similar roles today, and it forever will as long as it is meant to be enjoyed and viewed by mass amounts of people. Artists do not want their works kept quiet. They are mostly proud of their abilities and recognition if the best thing for their careers. They want to create works that will garner income for them, after all, hasn't that always been the goal of artists. It may be something one loves to do, but anyone who has no career besides art needs it to be a source of income. Renaissance art stands alone in its purpose because of the change it brought to the art world. But as long as the public finds value in artistic ability, arts most fundamental purpose will always remain the same.

(1) I am not comparing Kinkade's artistic ability to Vermeer's, just the similarity that to some extent Kinkade has aesthetic value.

Role of art in the Renaissance vs. today

When I think about famous artists the first names that pop into my head are artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. I honestly couldn't tell you the names of any famous artists in the United States today. But, in general, I would say that there are more differences than similarities between today's art and artists and the art and artists from the Renaissance period. I feel like when someone is very famous and renowned for a talent that they have, they will be well-known even by those who aren't familiar in that specific area. I am not familiar with the art in today's society, and in no way would I consider myself to be extremely knowledgeable in the subject of art throughout different time periods. But, I think that the fact that the artists from the Renaissance period are a lot more familiar to me than artists today says a lot about the changing roles that artists have in society.
I think that one of the biggest differences between artists from the Renaissance and artists today is the way people perceive them. A long time ago I feel like artists were praised for their work and treated like celebrities, and today that is not the case. Today I don't think there is as big of a demand for art, and the job market for artists isn't that extensive. I think that it is easier for people to be able to create artwork today and at a more efficient rate. But, even though this may be true I've taken art classes before, and drawing and painting are not as easy as some people think. It takes a very creative and talented person to be a good artist. In the time period of the Renaissance there were certain professions, like being an artist for example, and if a person was a talented enough artist, it most likely would have led to a very successful and famous career. But today people view other careers like singers, movie stars and professional athletes to be more worthy of fame. I do not necessarily agree with this outlook, but I do think that it is one of the biggest differences between the way people view art and artists in today's society and the way people viewed art and artists in the Renaissance.

art-Melissa

Although some of us may enjoy certain arts such as painting, sculpting, or photography, it is not given the respect that it once was during time periods such as during Medieval and Renaissance Italy.

During these historical periods, art was a symbol of power and status. Only the middle and upper classes held positions that enabled them to commission and/or own works of art. Most of the art created during the medieval time period was purely religious oriented, and was therefore displayed particularly in churches, where the majority of people attended regularly. During the Renaissance, art began to transform into a more secular focus, with an emphasis on the idea of “the here and now” rather than the focus on religion. However, art remained a luxury of the middle and upper classes. Works of art could be interpreted different ways based on your educational background, but the thought was that in order to fully appreciate art, the viewer must be educated. The same idea applied to the artist as well. Artists were required to be well educated in many different subject areas such as theology and mythology. Overall, artists were regarded and intelligent, well-respected individuals. The works they created told stories and often had multiple story lines intertwined in them.

Today, artists are not as prevalent in society. Because art is not in my realm of study directly, I am not knowledgeable whatsoever in the area of contemporary art. Although I enjoy art and am interested in furthering my understanding of art, I simply do not have enough time to devote to this area. Society’s focus has shifted away from it’s emphasis on art for education’s sake and more toward art as form of marketing, or entertainment. Art is seen in museums, on billboards, and in advertisements all over the place. In this light, artists are not appreciated as they once were for their talents and innovative art forms.

It will be interesting as we travel to Italy to view these works we have discussed and think about the ways in which they impacted society then as compared to how art impacts society today.