The Classical Era: Scientific accomplishments and their influence on Art

18^th century Enlightenment philosophy ushered in the classical era where reason and logic began to shape the world.  People no longer took things for granted.  Science flourished and art shifted away from secular roots and toward neoclassicism.  Scientific advances accelerated the spread of enlightenment ideas.  The influence science had on classical art can be seen in the realism of neoclassical paintings, the mathematical approach composers and artist brought to music and art, and acknowledgement of scientific discoveries found in some art pieces.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart was thought to be mathematical in his approach to music.

The golden ratio, also known as phi (.618), the number 3, and other mathematical patterns are found throughout his works.

1751 – Benjamin Franklin:  American founding father Discovered Lightning is electric.

“Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky” by Benjamin West (1738-1820)

The realism of this scientific representation is indicative of neoclassical art.  Franklin’s face is defined to the point that you can see his intellectual awe and inspiration.

After Franklin many Scientist took to the sky to find the answers to their universe.

French tapestry-“Jesuits performing astronomy with Chinese”

1761 – Mikhail Lomonosov:  Russian scientist who discovered the atmosphere of venus.
Lomonosov was a master of many trades. His accomplishments included contributions to Literature, education and science; including astronomy, chemistry, mineralogy, and optometry.

A. Vasiliev. Mikhail Lomonosov in Chemical laboratory. 1986. Oil on canvas

1771 – Charles Messier: Published the catalogue of astronomical objects
Messier was bold enough to include galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae.

Charles Messier, Ansiaume (1729—1786)

1781 – William Herschel Discovered Uranus and extended the boundaries of the solar system.

This British astronomer can also be credited with the discovery of infrared light.

In his free time he managed to compose 24 symphonies.

William Herschel detecting infrared light, 1800

1787 – Jacques Charles: Charles’ law of ideal gas

This French physicist outlined the ideal gas law and launched the world’s first hydrogen filled balloon in 1783.

“Departure of Jacques Charles and Marie-Noel Robert’s ‘aerostatic globe’ balloon from the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, on Dec. 1, 1783”. -Possibly drawn by Antoine Sergent dit Sergent-Marceau (1751–1847)

References

http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/did-mozart-use-the-golden-section

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/apr/05/mozart-bach-music-numbers-codes

http://www.historywiz.com/exhibits/neoclassicism.htm

The Council of Trent and its impact on Baroque Art

“Crucifixion” by French painter Simon Vouet is Baroque style at its roots.  It conveys the pain and suffering of Christ without nudity, it is very detailed, shows emotion and realism style.  It even manages to include the virgin Mary.

“Crucifixion” – Vouet, Simon (1590-1649)

Council of Trent

The Council of Trent began the counter-reformation.  This was the Catholic Church’s attempt to combat the protestant reformation

Through a series of meetings dating from 1545-1563 many decrees were made by the Catholic Church.  Included in these were decrees on the Catholic Churches expectations of Art.

The Catholic Church saw art as a means to influence.  Therefore art should propagate the ideas of the Church.  Art should include visuals of obedience, praise, and humbleness. Any piece that might remotely arouse was unacceptable.  This prohibited nudity and also the humanistic style that focused on the beauty of human form.  The decree not only issued censorship, but provided guidelines for what the church would like to see.

The Catholic Church would combat protestant attacks on the saints and Mary by focusing explicitly on the Virgin Mary.  These painting would depict innocence, kindness, and mourning for Christ.  Jesus Christ was also a common theme.   Although he must be depicted in pain and suffering as he is crucified for humanity.

The Catholic Church, the largest patron of art at the time, wanted these pieces to be full of emotion and detail.  This pushed art into the Baroque era where realism and emotion dominated art style.

The baroque style became very popular in Europe.  Many non-Catholic artists adopted this style and the realism and detail can be shown in their work.  In a sense the Catholic Church stimulated this progression of art style and it all started with the council of Trent.

The Crucifixion by Anthony Van Dyck

Anthony van Dycks painting is a perfect example of Baroque style adaptation away from Catholic roots.  This Flemish protestant painter embraced realism.  His portrayal of emotion really brings to life the gravity and gloom of the crucifixion.

“The Crucifixion of St Andrew” by Caravaggio 1607

The incredible realism and emotion in this painting showcase the developed Baroque art style.  Note the detail, the lighting, the body positioning.  Everything is mastered in this painting to provoke the reactions of sorrow and remorse from the viewer.

 

References

http://www.neiu.edu/~wbsieger/Art316/316Read/Council%20of%20Trent.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reformation_and_art

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque

 

 

The Garden of Earthly Delights (1480-1490) – Hieronymus Bosch

(click to enlarge)

Hieronymus Bosch’s the Garden of Earthly Delights is a magnificent painting produced in 1490. This Renaissance masterpiece is a great example of humanism influencing art. The absence of strict secular details and the glorification of human desire point to humanistic influence.

The piece is a threefold painting. As a whole it is magnificent. The left section depicts a man and a woman holding hands with what appears to be a god-like being. Animal creatures are emerging from the water and grazing in the background. There is an aura of innocence throughout this section of the painting. The humans are innocent as well as the animals. This is most likely related to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Perhaps the artist is depicting humans before the first sin as innocence and peace dominates the landscape. This shows a biblical influence in the painting, but it is important to note that the mystical nature of the landscape is in accordance with humanistic renaissance art style.

The larger middle section depicts a plethora of humans engaged in all sorts of what looks to be intimate and sensual acts. This section is filled with lust and desire. The beauty of the human form is depicted in the numerous nude humans. This is the largest section, twice the size of the other two sections, and Bosch seems to be glorifying the gratification of human desire and the human form. Polygamy is depicted, with animals and half beast creatures involved. Secular ideas are absent. This combined with the glorification of desire and human form points to humanistic influences.

The last section of the three fold is intriguing as well as disturbing. It is dark, full of demonic creatures and other evils. Guilt, fear, and pain are depicted throughout the section. The consistent portrayal of fear and human suffering relates to the biblical revelations and a hellish interpretation of the section. This section cannot be explained much further and is left to be admired with unsettling awe.

References

http://www.hieronymus-bosch.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/

Painting

Frank A. Jordano