Northern Renaissance Art, part I

North vs. South?

The art in the Northern Renaissance was
significantly different from that of the
South although it had more in common
with the South than it did with previous
Medieval period art work. There were many
famous Northern Renaissance painters, but
three tend to stand out Jan Van Eyck,
Hans Holbein, and Rembrandt van Rijn.
Jan Van Eyck
Van Eyck was born in 1395, and lived to
the age of 46. He was an early painter in
the Dutch renaissance tradition.
Van Eyck so perfected new and remarkable
techniques with oil that he is often called
the father of oil painting. (Although he did
not invent the medium.)
One of his most well known and widely
regarded works was The Arnolfini Portrait
(see below). This painting is done in oil,
painted on an oak panel, and is notable for
two reasons its superb detail (note the
blow up of the mirror and the reflected
subjects, even the painter, in it!), and its use
of light in the room to create the illusion of
space. The painting has symbols that
indicate the
couples wealth
and social class as
well as love,
loyalty, and
religious devotion.

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Art of the North

The North of Europe was not as
commercial as the South was in
the 16th century. In Italy there
were a number of independent
republics run by wealthy
merchants. In the North, there
simply was not the free spending merchant
class to patronize the arts, like there was in
Italy. Many northern artists were court
painters employed by royals to do
portrait work.
Humanism, in the north, focused more on
religious reform, and less on imitation of
Classical antiquity (Greece & Rome).
Northern artists were more heavily
influenced by Gothic tradition, thus the
paintings have a completely different look.
The art of the South was focused on the
scientific principles behind the painting
anatomy, perspective, proper proportion
(the golden section of Ancient Greece),
while Northern artists were
more concerned about the
color and the detail of their
paintings. In some cases,
individual hairs were painted
on subjects heads or beards
as an example of the detailled
realism that was so dearly valued.
Both North & South focused on religious
themes, but as the North became embroiled
in the Reformation of the Church, the art
produced there became increasingly secular.
Additionally, as the Dutch converted to
Protestantism, and as Dutch merchants became wealthier, their patronage of artists
was more restrained than in the south. They
worked to show themselves approved of
God, and they spent modestly.

Global History
Northern Renaissance Art, part I
1. Was the art of the northern Renaissance
closer to Medieval art, or the art of the
southern Renaissance?

Name _____________________________________
7. How did the Reformation change the focus
of northern art?

2. Who were three important artists of the

northern Renaissance?

3. How did the eco-political structure of the

north differ from that of the south?

8. Who was Van Eyck? How long did he

live?

9. What is he known for?

4. How did this impact art patronage?

5. How did humanism of the north impact

the art work there? (In contrast to the south)

10. What is his most widely regarded work?

What is the medium used? (ie. Watercolor on
canvas )

11. What two things is this painting known

for?
6. Describe the focus of art in the south as
well as that of the north.

12. What do the paintings symbols indicate?

Northern Renaissance Art, part II

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Hans Holbein

Rembrandt

Holbein was born in 1497 in Germany. His

father, Hans Holbein (the elder) was also a
prominent artist, and thus this Hans Holbein
is often referred to as the younger to distinguish him from his father.
Holbein initially painted murals and created
stained glass windows. He
also did portrait work. He first
gained international attention
with his portrait of Desiderius
Erasmus. This portrait opened
up a world of opportunities.
He began to travel in Northern humanist circles, and with
Portrait of
a recommendation from ErasErasmus
mus, he traveled to England.
There he met Thomas More a longtime
friend of Erasmus, and a member of the
English royal court and he began doing
portrait work for important people.
Eventually Holbein became a court painter
for King Henry VIII of England. This was obviously a very important
position for any painter,
and Holbeins portraits of
Henry VIII are some of the
most important done of
that monarch. They are
considered iconic.
Holbein ran into some political trouble in the English court, when his most
prominent patrons
(Thomas More, for example) ran afoul of
Henry VIII and were executed.
He traveled back to Germany in his later
life, where he continued to make money
painting, but his commissions were mostly
religious in nature.

Rembrandt was born in 1606 in the Netherlands, and he is considered to be one of

the most important Dutch painters in history.
Rembrandt lived to the age of 63, and his
painting style changed a good deal over the
course of his lifetime. In general, Rembrandts paintings are known for their
muted colors, and their unusual play of
light. In many
paintings, the light
streams in a diagonal manner
across the canvas.
Many of Rembrandts paintings
were religious in
nature. He lived in
the Jewish quarter
in Amsterdam, and
often asked his
Christ in the Storm on the
neighbors to
Lake of Galilee
model for his Old
Testament paintings.
Rembrandt often had money problems. He
made plenty, but he seemed to spend as
much as he earned. He frequently painted
portraits or group paintings (commissioned
by a group of people) to make money. One
of his most famous paintings was The Night
Watch (below). It was known for its use of
shadow and light.
Rembrandt
trained many
painters, and his
influence in
Dutch painting
continued years
after his death.

Global History
Northern Renaissance Art, part II

Name _____________________________________

1. Where was Hans Holbein born? When? By 8. Who was Rembrandt, when was he born,
how long did he live and what is he known
what name is he known? Why?
for?

2. How did Holbein gain international attention?

9. What defines Rembrandts painting style?
3. How did this open up new opportunities?

4. How did this lead to a new position?

10. What topics did Rembrandt use for his

paintings?

11. Where did Rembrandt live, and how did it

help him in his painting?
5. What is notable about Holbeins portraits
of Henry VIII?

6. Why did Holbein end up leaving England?

12. Why did Rembrandt have money problems?

13. How did Rembrandts influence continue?

7. Where did he go, and how did he make
money?