module 9: response to renaissance

Chloe Carr
Module #9

1. I chose to watch Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master and Velazquez because I've already learned about Michaelangelo, da Vinci, El Greco, and Caravaggio in past art classes. I've only ever heard of Dürer in passing and thought I would learn about him as a painter. I've never really heard of Velazquez and would also like to know what kind of painter he was and why his art is significant in art history.

2. The video Velazquez focused a lot on the painter's life and the influence it had on his art. He was born in 1599 in Seville and by the age of 24 became court painter for Philip IV. He became friends with the king (his only friend) who gave him the Order of Santiago, or nobility. Of the many different aspects he emphasized in his paintings, he mostly captures light, energy, and air. He didn't paint movement, he painted what the video described as, "real time."
    The video Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master was about an artist named Albrecht Durer who was most famous during the Renaissance. He held great influence over the people during his time as his art was something very different than what other artists were painting. His art, like those that started to arise during this time, was very unconventional. He painted realistically. He used shadows in faces and used colors realistically. The bodies of his subjects were not all the same. During this time, new ideas about life in general became popular, and the way artists thought about the world around them showed in their art, which was also true for Durer.

3. The videos relate to the readings in the text because chapter 16's main focus was on the Renaissance. During this time, artists focused more on the beauty of their art. The text says, "Renaissance artists sought an idealized beauty, one they created by taking the most beautiful features of numerous examples and combining them." This relates to the videos because both artists painted what they found beautiful about their subjects. They focused on the beautiful features of their subjects and put an emphasis on what they liked, whether that be distinct features or distinct colors.

4. I really enjoyed watching the films. After reading the chapters in the text book I thought I had known what I needed to know about the Renaissance and its impact on artists during that time, but watching the videos really put things in perspective for me. I especially liked learning about artists that I had never really known about. It's always interesting to learn about people who made such an impact on the artistic world and people in general.