PART I
“What Makes a Vermeer a Vermeer?”
First: Watch the one-hour documentary about Vermeer below. Take notes and record the various answers to the question — “What makes a Vermeer a Vermeer?”
Vermeer: Master of Light (COMPLETE Documentary) [No Ads]
Next: Write a summary list of those qualities and techniques and then identify where you can observe these features in at least TWO of the four paintings listed below. There are short videos linked to each of them to aid in your analysis. 500 words minimum.
The Glass of Wine
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/baroque-art1/holland/v/jan-vermeer-the-glass-of-wine-c-1661
Woman Holding a Balance
Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance (video) | Khan Academy
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring (video) | Khan Academy
Young Woman with a Water Pitcher
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/baroque-art1/holland/v/vermeer-young-woman-with-a-water-pitcher-c-1662
PART II
Peter Paul Rubens: Analyzing his Genius for Producing Propaganda as Observed in his Cycle of Paintings Depicting the Life of Queen Marie de Medici of France.
500 words minimum
Rubens was the quintessential baroque political propagandist because he used his prodigious imaginative skills to make the monarchs of Europe look super-human, on the same level as the Olympian Gods. The cycle of 24 canvases that were installed in the Luxembourg Palace in Paris was meant to re-habilitate Marie de Medici’s tarnished image as a woman who struggled to hold onto political control of France. But ultimately, she was a widow who alienated her son.
Rubens employed a huge workshop of assistants, who painted the backgrounds, etc. based on his sketches. But he was contractually obligated to paint the main figures himself. It is your task to look for the qualities of his style in those figures and to observe his methods for creating dynamic and epic compositions.
Study the website and videos below and describe both the STYLE and CONTENT of all THREE of the highlighted scenes in the following terms:
In Terms of style– Look for his method of painting bodies, gestures and expressions, use of color, light, free brush stokes, quotations from antiquity, and the adoption of the Venetian approach to painting (he worshipped Titian).
In terms of content– Observe the ways he created drama by including a cast of supporting characters, both real and mythical, and his clever use of allegory to make political points,
Also consider the following:
What motivated the queen to commission this enormous project? What troubles did Marie have with her son, who at one time banished her from Paris? Why was it important to show her reconciled with her son Louis XIII in the end? Consider the political intrigue that she was subjected to at court and how she may have used the commission to get her revenge against her enemies.
Marie de’ Medici cycle – Wikipedia
1 . The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de’ Medici
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/reformation-counter-reformation/a/rubens-the-presentation-of-the-portrait-of-marie-de-medici
Rubens, The Presentation of the Portrait of Marie de’ Medici (video) | Khan Academy
Arrival of Marie de Medici at Marseilles
Rubens, Arrival (or Disembarkation) of Marie de Medici at Marseilles, Medici Cycle – Bing video
The Triumph of Truth It is fully described and depicted in the Wikipedia article above.
As usual, I will be checking for plagiarism, so quote properly and paraphrase but use your own words for the majority of your answer.
PART III
Short Assignment: Judging Vasari’s Literary Creation of the Life of Michelangelo ( 500 words minimum )
Often called “the first art historian”, Giorgio Vasari invented the genre of the encyclopedia of artistic biographies with his Le Vite de’ più eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori (Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects), first published in 1550 and dedicated to Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici.
The purpose of his book was to proclaim the superiority of the Florentine school of art over other regions, such as the Venetians. He also wanted the world to know that artists were intellectuals, not mere craftsmen.. Since Michelangelo is the hero of the biographies, Vasari is not at all objective. Your job is to point out the gossipy embellishments that Vasari makes to his description of Michelangelo’s life and work in order to understand how he has constructed a heroic or “divine” character who was a role model for aspiring artists.
First watch the video below:
Andrew Graham-Dixon, Travels with Vasari – Part two (final); 58 minutes
Answer the following question;
According to Grham-Dixon, what were the motivations behind Vasari’s compulsion to lionize the accomplishments of some artists while spreading slanderous gossip about others? What examples does the narrator mention to make his argument?
Next, open the PDF I have attached
http://eclass.uth.gr/eclass/modules/document/file.php/MHXD102/Vasari%20Giorgio_The_Lives_of_the_Artists_Oxford.pdf
Read Vasari’s LIFE OF MICHELANGELO PP , 394-413 and write about the following:
Analyze at least one anecdote about Michelangelo’s childhood and/or early training that is meant to demonstrates his ingenuity, his competitive attitude, or his special connection with the Medici family.
3. Summarize at least one story that Vasari tells about the production and reception of a famous work that seems to be invented . What personality traits about Michelangelo does Vasari want to emphasize in this story ?
According to Vasari, what happened to Michelangelo’s body after he died in Rome? How does this story demonstrate that the Florentine propaganda machine is at work?
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