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Cultural Influences in the 15th Century During the 15th century a shift in cultural influence between the clergy and the middle class people occurred due to an increase in economic prosperity Literacy and Visual Art in the 15th Century An increase of literacy and the display of visual arts occurred during the 15th century When the Pope visited Avignon France a fraction of the papacy remained in France after his return to Rome Because of this the church became divided The division had been remedied in 1417 however the difference of beliefs still persisted throughout Rome Against the church and mendicant orders a movement called the Modern Devotion believed that common people had the right to read sacred texts for themselves rather than being read to by the church These new ideas led to a demand of books which then spurred the development of the Printing Press Visual art also changed because of the increase of manufacture and trade as well as the influence of Gothic Art Merchants and middle class citizens were able to afford the purchase of art that was previously monopolized by the clergy and aristocrats Oil painting was introduced and used by artists in the Netherlands who made extremely realistic and naturalistic art The International Gothic During the 15th century there was a fascination with the French Gothic style by aristocratic patrons Many artists from different regions were attracted by these patrons which thus formed a new style called International Gothic The Royal Family The Chartreuse de Champmol One of the most famous patrons of the International Gothic was the French Royal family In Burgundy Duke Philip the Bold commissioned a Carthusian monastery the Chartreuse de Champmol to be built outside of Dijon One artist Claus Sluter from the Netherlands was one of the chief sculptors of the monastery The Well of Moses sculpted by Sluter was the most symbolic in the International Gothic style Duke Philip also commissioned altarpieces as well as sculptural projects The Infancy of Christ altarpiece by Melchior Broederlam features the Annunciation and Visitation on the left wing and the presentation of baby Christ to the rabbi Simeon on the right wing Broederlam uses architectural and landscape forms in the altarpiece as well as the International Gothic style Illuminated Manuscripts Broederlam s influence can be seen in manuscript illuminations such as the book of hours titled Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry This piece of art was created by the Limbourg brothers who were presumed to have died of the plague leaving their work unfinished Because of their death some of the pages were completed after the Limbourg brother s death The most famous pages in the book are the calendar pages illustrating the yearly cycle of nature and social activities Bohemia The International style was appreciated by other courts and regions such as Bohemia and England Emperor Charles IV made Prague the center of learning and visual art by establishing a university and an artist s guild Charles commissioned a chapel dedicated to the Holy Cross In this chapel many projects were executed such as St Matthew and the Angel The New Art Style Many artists who were commissioned by courtly patrons came from the southern Netherlands These parts of the Netherlands were the centers of trade between many different regions of Europe Robert Campin in Tournai In Tournai an important trade center a naturalistic painter named Robert Campin rose to fame A famous piece of Campin is the Merode Triptych which depicts the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary The difference between the Merode and previous versions of the Annunciation is the setting in which the scene takes place Usually the event is held in an ecclesiastical building however the Virgin and the angel Gabriel are centered in a bourgeois house The Annunciation is now placed in a familiar setting in place of where the supernatural used to be commonplace amongst Christian art Jan van Eyck The success of Merdoe s paintings caught the attention of patrons in Flanders and Italy Jan van Eyck was a well known name in Flanders as he was credited with the invention of oil painting and the dramatic realism demonstrated in his art As a court painter Jan worked with the count of Holland and then for the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good until his death Jan was one of the few painters to sign and date his paintings One of the most famous of the early Flemish paintings is Jan s Ghent Altarpiece which was left unfinished by his older brother Hubert Ghent Altarpiece was placed in the cathedral of St John in Ghent While he was commissioned by the court and middle class citizens Jan also made secular or non religious paintings One of his secular paintings is Man in a Red Turban This dramatic painting depicts a middle aged man wearing a red turban Ghent Altarpiece Man in a Red Turban Arnolfini Portrait The Arnolfini Portrait is Jan s most famous and studied secular pieces that depicts a man and a woman holding hands Rogier van der Weyden Because of Jan s status as a court painter he did not have to comply to the rules and regulations of the art guilds that existed in Flemish towns Rogier van der Weyden a graduate of the artist s guild aspired to create expressive content within his art Rogier s most influential piece is the Descent from the Cross This piece depicts Christ s followers taking his body off the cross Late 15th Century Visual Art The art of Campin Jan and Rogier influenced and inspired many artists in the Netherlands and other regions to create similar secular paintings The wealth of merchants and commissions from the middle class and court patrons also grew during the late fifteenth century Aristocrats Objects Books and Tapestries Objects Books Tapestries As well as the increasing interest in paintings during the Late 15th century sculptures books and tapestries were also valued Among these sculptures is the Statuette of Charles the Bold which resides in the cathedral of Liege in eastern Belgium The goldsmith Gerard Loyet was commissioned by Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy to sculpt this small statue made of purely gold silver and slight enamel details The Statuette of Charles the Bold was inspired by a painting by Jan van Eyck Court patrons also commissioned many illuminated manuscripts during the late 15th century Although the Printing Press had increased the production of books manuscript books or handmade books were


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HCCC ART 125 - Cultural Influences in the 15th Century

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