The Protestant Reformation and the key events in the High Renaissance brought many changes to Europe Europe was divided between the Protestant states and Catholic states Although France and Spain remained catholic other regions such as Germany England and the Netherlands were under the Protestant Reformation influence Under these conditions artists competed with out another while specializing in specific themes or subjects in the Italian style France Italian Importations Tapestries France was one country that prized Italian ideas concerning visual art Even though King Francis I would commission Italian style art some members of the court would look towards the art of the Middle Ages One such art form were the tapestry weavings of the Netherlands and France A famous revival of the tapestry is the set of Unicorn Tapestries The Unicorn in Captivity represents the hunt death and resurrection of a unicorn Introducing Spain A Global and Religious Power Charles V descended from rich and powerful figures In the 1500s he was born to the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand and the son of Maximilian of Habsburg The accomplishments of Columbus brought massive wealth towards Spain In 1556 Charles V divided his territory between his son Philip and his brother Ferdinand During the Spanish Inquisition one of the most famous painters of 16th century Spain rose to fame Domenikos Theotokopoulos also known as El Greco paintings demonstrated emotionalism formed by his influence by the artists of the High and Late Renaissance One of Greco s most famous commissions is The Burial of Count Orgaz is often compared to Rosso s The Descent from the Cross Germany Albrecht D rer Albrecht D rer served as crucial figure during the Renaissance in Germany A painter and a printmaker D rer created many watercolor paintings and drawings that were influenced by Flemish artist Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden Often compared to the dog in Jan s Arnolfini Portrait D rer s Hare demonstrates his use of watercolors clarity and naturalism D rer s ability as a draftsman and printermaker led him to create one of his most famous graphic woodcut series representing the Apocalypse In the series was the woodcut graphic called The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse D rer use of Italian and European style art can be seen in his engraving Adam and Eve D rer uses the stipple technique to give the engraving a tonal and textural detail The piece holds balance and clarity which are qualities of the Italian High Renaissance D rer signature that rests on the plaque besides Adams head made the piece extremely influential Self Portrait Besides his expertise as a draftsman and printermaker D rer was a gifted painter as well D rer s skill as a painter is demonstrated in his Self Portrait which he made at 13 that revealed his fascination with his appearance Although it is often compared to the traditional Flemish portraits Jan s A Man With a Red Turban the portrait is idealised and is in a frontal view instead of a 3 4 pose Even though it appears as a secular piece it expresses D rer s piety and devotion towards art Other Works One of most famous and influential pieces is his engraved work Melencolia I The engraving depicts an angel like woman holding a geometric tool a compass while being surrounded by chaos Southern Netherlands Landscape with Patnir Joachim Patinir a painter who specialised in landscapes demonstrates standard Flemish traditions while adding his own alterations to it in his piece titled The Penitence of St Jerome This triptych depicts three saints in each panel with a continuous landscape to connect them all The landscape in The Penitence of St Jerome is called a world landscape because of the focus of the vistas in the background Patinir provides a shelf of space in the foreground for the viewers to interpret the distance between subjects and the horizon Pieter Bruegel the Elder Pieter Bruegel a painter and print designer primarily painted pictures that represented peasant life against landscapes and moral allegories This is demonstrated in his painting sets called The Return of the Hunters Like his older contemporary Pieter Aertsen Bruegel painted in inverted perspective So instead of the hunters in the foreground being the subject the sweeping landscape in the background is the subject Bruegel also creates a shell of space in the foreground for the viewers to interpret the distance between subjects and the horizon One of Bruegel s most memorable paintings depicting peasant life is the Peasant Wedding Although some art historians see Bruegel s peasant paintings as insulting caricatures Bruegel values and takes importance in the common man with his place in the world
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