I choose to watch Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master because I found what I have learned about him so far through readings in our text to be very interesting. I also feel drawn to German history as my paternal grandmother was German. I am Lutheran and the connections to Germany and Luther also interested me.
His talents were discovered at a very young age and lay in portraiture. He was a German artist whose father was a skilled goldsmith. His portraits showed feeling and emotion behind the faces and often significant objects, such as the sprig of sea holly in his self portrait. He sent this to his arranged bride to be. The sea holy was a sign of a suitor and an aphrodisiac. His travels led him to use realistic landscapes in the backgrounds of his portraits. He was the first true landscape artist in Europe. He was even able to capture emotion in his landscape pieces. He became very famous through his prints and was able to get a high payment for his work, particularly in Venice. He also visited many artist workshops as he traveled. In his alter piece, The Feast of the Rose Gardens, commissioned by the church he included himself holding a paper with his initials and date. This piece shows Venetian influence when compared with an earlier alter piece of his. He did a lot of work with perspective through wooden prints looking for perfect form. Back home in Nuremberg, he relied mostly on print work for his source of income. He often made religious prints as he was a supporter of Martin Luther and the reformation. Some of his most detailed prints were done on copper not wood. He is perhaps known as the best print maker ever.
The text Living With Art gives much of the same information as in the video. I like the video because it bring the information to life, adds more detail and shows many more of his pieces with valid descriptions. I’m also pretty sure I may have seen his initials somewhere at my church. I will be on a hunt this week.
I chose to watch Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance because I find his mind to be one of both high intelligence and creativity. He is a man I would have certainly enjoyed having a conversation with. His intelligence and interesting mind was noticed at a very young age. He was even able to write in a mirror image. He was observant to everything around him. In addition to the ideal brain, he had an equally impressive physical look ad quality to him.
His contributions to the world are almost endless. He was the first to paint a landscape as the main “subject” of a piece. He also explored the idea of depth and realism using light. His engineering type mind doubled with his spiritual side helped him to be a well rounded artist and individual. His talents opened up many opportunities such as apprenticeships and working for the Medici family, the wealthiest of Italy. However, he becomes involved in a trial of sodomy which he is let go from. This turns him to a darker side for awhile as he felt alone. There were several occasions when he is also not chosen when artists were sought out by the wealthy. Overall, he is successful in what he does, but he may not have agreed.
Even though Leonardo da Vinci was tremendously talented and intelligent, he felt as though he was uneducated and did everything he could do to learn more. As a scientist he studied machines and came up with ways to improve upon them. Also, a musician, he was sent to the Court of Milan, where he opted to present himself as a military engineer and inventor. His drawing of military equipment were detailed and impressive. This knowledge was used in Venice to help ward off threats from the Turks. He designed methods to flood the lagoon and sink enemy ships. Architecture is another talent of da Vinci as he designed many fortresses and later castles. He also designed theatrical machines and used them in plays and other entertainment that he organized. He worked with hydraulics as well designing a machine to dig canals. He also studied the human body using science and medical knowledge. He carried this information into his paintings to create more emotion. His amazing paintings got him the position of official court painter. The subjects of his works, although simply human, appeared to be heavenly through his style.
The Living with Art text book gives a brief profile of da Vinci and discusses aspects about his work. The video gives a more personal look at Leonardo da Vinci as a man wearing many hats. A perfectionist, Leonardo often felt his work incomplete and did not give it to those who commissioned him. This hurt his reputation. However, he truly was a jack of all trades, which is what the Renaissance was all about. I found this video to be very inspiring. He was able to focus for hours without ever making a mark on the paper. Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps the most well rounded knowledgeable individual of all time. His dedication and patience to absorb everything around him is unmatched in today’s world. He lived an amazingly full life to the age of 67.
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