Rick Steves Art of the Renaissance

hi I'm Rick Steves here with a fascinating chapter in the long and inspirational story of Europe's art in this hour it's the radical Renaissance with a star-studded cast from art loving princes and popes to Mona Lisa to Michelangelo's David this is the art of the Renaissance thanks for joining us [Music] thank you after centuries of medieval struggles Europe enjoyed a Reawakening to the enlightened ways of ancient Greece and Rome for two centuries roughly 1400 to 1600 there is an explosion of art learning and culture this rebirth was known as the Renaissance we'll start where the Renaissance did in Italy we'll trace the dramatic revolution in art in the Bold Spirit of the times and we'll meet the artistic Geniuses who made it possible from Italy the Renaissance spread to the seafaring lands of Spain and Portugal and to the merchant cities of Germany Belgium and Holland by the end the Renaissance had revolutionized the way we think about the world and our place in it though best known for its art the Renaissance would change Europe in every way from politics to economics to religion most of all it was a whole new attitude toward life a new optimism and confidence it was humanism humanism focused not on our sinfulness as dominated the Middle Ages but in our essential goodness people worked hard making money was respectable and Excellence was rewarded real life people not just Saints and kings were worthy worthy of being portrayed realistically in all their human Glory humanism [Music] in politics the Renaissance meant budding democracy it was people power not Kings this was the city hall in economics Merchants were developing modern capitalism like Banking and Loans scientists were delving into nature artists were employing new techniques to show depth and to portray things more realistically and Architects were going forward by going back to ancient Greek style columns and Roman style arches if the Renaissance was the foundation of our modern world a foundation for the Renaissance was classical art sculptors painters and Poets alike turned to ancient work for inspiration for example this Renaissance portrayal of the Three Graces was inspired by ancient versions from 1500 years earlier this Renaissance goddess clearly modeled on Works done in ancient times [Music] and this holy Virgin Mary looks suspiciously like this very Pagan ancient goddess of love the great pre-christian thinkers like Plato and Aristotle were back in Vogue and in architecture the ultimate Renaissance designed church was essentially this ancient Dome placed upon this ancient basilica [Music] the City of Florence was the epicenter of the Renaissance and in so many ways the birthplace of our modern Western World and for good reason this was where capitalism was replacing feudalism the city had money and it knew what to do with it Florence was a prosperous City a producer of wool and fancy clothes well located along a busy river trade brought Bankers who brought money and Wealthy businessmen showed their civic pride by investing in their City commissioning Splendid art from talented artists artists who were now respected and well paid with all this going for it Florence of the 15th century Unleashed a cultural explosion [Music] three works by pioneering Geniuses helped launch the Renaissance The Towering Dome of its Cathedral the groundbreaking statues that decorated it and the doors of its baptistry excitement over these bold projects by three Grapes of the early Renaissance Brunelleschi Donatello and gaberti sparked a city-wide boom in art and creativity to better understand the groundbreaking art of the early Renaissance we're joined by my friend and fellow tour guide Elena futeri some say that the Renaissance truly started here in 1401 when the city arranged a competition to select an artist for the bronze casting of a new door of the baptistry the winning panel was made by a brilliant Goldsmith named Lorenzo Tibet kuberty this is a self-portrait won the competition with this panel he then completed the north doors of the baptistry with additional panels like this so the competition doors were on the North side exactly and later on gilberti was in charge of another wonderful project he casting bronze the Eastern door of the baptistry which ended up being so revolutionary and so spectacular that it was nicknamed the Gate of paradox and as you can see here giverti was able to use also the rules of prospectiva perspective mathematical laws that helped defining the three-dimensionality and as you can see there is a foreground middle ground and Background by doing this guberty creates a vanishing point that gives the illusion of depth a believable 3D scene and a 2d surface they were considered revolutionary for the three-dimensionality that they offered it's like now the viewer is involved in the art exactly we feel part of the artwork it's three-dimensional it goes Way Beyond the shape of the panel and it's achieved by mathematical loans and the next great Renaissance achievement was that construction of the dome for the cathedral it was a huge medieval church that after 120 years was left incomplete with a huge Hall so the city really needed the proper technology and the right genius and this genius was his Innovative eight-sided design Brunelleschi was able to finish the largest dome in a thousand of years and this is the essence of the Renaissance you can see how Art and Science can create great Beauty the cathedral and its soaring Bell Tower were Landmark accomplishments in architecture and they were to be decorated inside and out with wonderful statues for this Florence turned to brunelleschi's good friend in kuberty's assistant the sculptor Donatello an eccentric Innovative workaholic Master Donatello lit up his statues with an inner soul giving his subjects unprecedented realism and emotion this balcony from where the choir saying captures the exuberance of the Renaissance dancing and swirling in a real space unconstrained by columns Donatello's happy Angels celebrate the freedom and spirit of this new age his Mary Magdalene carved out of wood is provocative shockingly realistic rather than a saint in glory Donatello portrays a real person whose entire being is about the spiritual rather than the physical hands folded in prayer and emaciated from fasting she's repentant while her neglected physical body seems fragile she exudes strength and spirit with a faith that salvation will be hers before the Renaissance Church architecture because it was the house of God was the most noble art form other Arts like statues paintings and stained glass were especially worthwhile if they ornamented the church back then statues were set deep in alcoves but with the humanist idea of Man Standing on his own the statues literally begin stepping out of their protective niches and Donatello's Saint George looks out boldly ready it seems both physically and symbolically to break free from the church as well as the medieval past foreign with his bronze David Donatello helped revolutionize sculpture renaissance man now stands on his own [Music] this is one of the first freestanding nudes sculpted in Europe in a thousand years [Music] while the formal subject is still biblical David slaying the giant truth be told it's a classical nude a celebration of the human body driven in part by artists Society was changing a generation before this would have been shocking but with the Renaissance it's Art For Art's Sake adorning not a church but a noble family's Courtyard oh the Renaissance lasted roughly two centuries the high Renaissance early 1500s is famous for Leonardo Michelangelo and Raphael who we'll get to later but the first half of the Renaissance the 1400s is often overlooked during this period there was a steady evolution in art from medieval two-dimensional to more lifelike 3D back in the Middle Ages altarpieces were far from realistic panels like painted Pages told Bible stories but with little sense of depth to show Jesus head leading out it actually does here angels are stacked on top of each other with no concern for realistic depth the throne is crudely drawn it's as if Mary and baby Jesus exist somewhere in a Golden Neverland Mary like a flat cardboard cutout seems to float weightlessly a decade later this work takes a few baby steps forward the throne while still clunky shows an attempt to create the illusion of depth Mary's foot actually sticks out over the edge but the Angels while Mal portrayed one behind the other are still stacked like Heavenly bookends the Great Leap Forward was made by the pioneering late medieval artist Jato still a century before the Renaissance Jato creates a spacious three-dimensional stage and then fills it there's a realistic canopied Throne surrounded by real bodies angels in front prophets behind clearly defining its depth Mary herself is Monumental you know there's a body under her robe building on jato's work the groundbreaking artist masaccio gave his figures believability they had Mass Shadows indicated a light source they came with a range of emotions and masaccio portrayed the illusion of depth like never before he masterfully captured the three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional surface masaccio painted this believable scene on a flat Church wall he used math to create linear perspective parallel lines would converge at What's called the vanishing point with this revolutionary technique it's as if masaccio blew a hole in that wall creating a chapel and letting worshipers feel like they're standing in the presence of the Holy Trinity portrayed here before our very eyes God the Father the Son and the dove representing the Holy Spirit massagio influenced the early Renaissance artist fra Angelico a humble monk as well as a great painter using the Fresco technique where the plasterers put on the wall then painted while still wet he decorated the walls of his own Monastery giving each cell a meditation enhancing scene for fra Angelico painting was a form of prayer and it said he couldn't paint a crucifix without shedding tears he fused medieval spirituality with groundbreaking Renaissance techniques to achieve a new level of realism drama and emotional impact his painting of the deposition Christ taken down from the cross was no longer just a symbol of the crucifixion but featured a real man mourned by both haloed Saints and contemporary florentines amid a very real setting one of the first great Landscapes ever painted and this holy scene is not in Far Away Jerusalem but on a lawn in Tuscany among real trees and everyday people bringing the Bible Lesson closer to home this fra Angelico scene of the Annunciation the angel telling Mary shall give birth to the Messiah greeted Monks at the top of the stairs as they headed to their cells it set in an everyday Garden beneath a shady arcade with receding columns creating a sense of depth bringing this heavenly scene down to earth increasingly Renaissance artists were enlivening their subjects here Mary and her child are portrayed with a new playfulness complete with a couple of Cheeky Angel boys even without the gold plate Halo we know she's holy she radiates Sweetness in light from her Divine face you can't have an art boom without money and the Medici family who ruled Florence for Generations from palaces like this was loaded the statues in their Gardens are another reminder that more and more art was to be enjoyed by a wealthy secular Elite [Music] the art loving Medici hosted lots of famous artists philosophers and Poets imagine a teenage Michelangelo lived with him almost as an adopted son Leonardo da Vinci played the loot at their parties and Botticelli actually studied the classical statues that dotted their Gardens in their lavishly frescoed family Chapel this biblical King is actually a magnificently dressed Medici ruler in all his Florentine finery he leads his family through a Tuscan landscape [Music] the chapel doubled as a place that Medici received important guests and by portraying their family in this religious setting the Medici made an impressive Display of Power and sophistication when potential Rivals would drop by and see this they could only think damn those Medicare good Florence's City Hall became the medici's personal palace with their offices or uffizi next door now a gallery showcasing the greatest paintings of this period Michelangelo's David this one's a replica originally stood here a suitable mascot for both the family and the city they ruled the elaborate Courtyard with its Roman inspired decoration is quintessential Renaissance in the enormous main room of the city hall 500 guests could gather surrounded by dazzling art which was actually powerful Medici propaganda Florence beating rival city-states thanks to the Medici the Medici Duke was dressed like an emperor and blessed by the pope who was also a Medici talk about having a well-connected banker the ancient hero Hercules whose labors earned him the status of a demigod reminded all of the accomplishments of their feared and admired leading family [Music] foreign even died in luxury buried in the family Chapel this is a good example of Renaissance Aesthetics with circles squares and symmetry its statues so realistic and Noble and its striking lack of Christian iconography celebrate the humanism of the age honoring great individuals comfortable in the company of God by the late 1400s the Florentine Renaissance was in full bloom and that exuberant spirit is best found in the big colorful paintings of Sandro Botticelli as a member of the Medici Circle he was even a friend of Lorenzo the Magnificent he studied their collection of ancient statues Botticelli found inspiration in the balanced compositions the naked Beauty and secular humanistic Outlook as he painted he created visions of pure beauty that captured the optimistic Springtime or Primavera of the Renaissance here in a celebration of fertility as a nymph escapes the cold West Wind she Sprouts flowers from her lips and transforms into the goddess of spring who spreads blossoms from her dress The Three Graces do a delicate dance while a blindfolded Cupid happily shoots arrows of Love without worrying who they'll hit in the center stands Venus the goddess of love framed by a Halo of leaves as she presides over a delightful scene of beauty joy and love the epitome of early Renaissance Beauty may be Botticelli's Birth of Venus the first large-scale depiction of a naked woman in a thousand years from the form of a wave Venus is just waking up the world itself seems fresh and newly born the god of the wind sets the whole scene in motion floating ashore on her scallop shell Venus takes Center Stage Botticelli creates an Ideal World perfectly lit the body's curve harmoniously the faces are idealized and their gestures exude Grace naked as a newborn Venus symbolized the optimism of the Renaissance by the year 1500 what had begun in Florence a century earlier was coming to a peak an exciting time known as the high Renaissance Italy was thriving with a huge appetite for art artists who in earlier times had toiled as Anonymous Craftsmen were now famous and well paid three towering artists all with Florence connections brought the Renaissance to its culmination and then helped spread it throughout Italy and Beyond Leonardo Michelangelo and Raphael Leonardo da Vinci was the ultimate well-rounded Renaissance Man inventor engineer sculptor and painter always asking why and how he filled up entire notebooks with sketches and ideas when he was an apprentice just a boy Leonardo painted this beautiful angel with curly hair rosy cheeks and innocent gays welcomed as a part of the elite and enlightened Medici Circle young Leonardo was already developing the elements of his signature style meditative Madonna's a playful baby Jesus amid a hazy mysterious backdrop his obvious Talent as an artist along with his Mastery of engineering and architecture put him in high demand Leonardo journeyed to Milan where he enjoyed the generous patronage of that City's answer to the Medici the swarza family he donned his engineer's cap and laid out Milan's system of canals complete with locks and he designed the largest equestrian statue in the world recently cast in bronze from his drawings [Music] one of Leonardo's greatest masterpieces decorates a dining hall in a Milan monastery The Last Supper it's Jesus last meal with his disciples just before he'd be crucified Leonardo packs the scene with psychological tension he captures the moment Jesus says one of you will betray me and the apostles huddling in stressed out groups of three Wonder Lord is it I in this agitated atmosphere only the traitor Judas clutching his 30 pieces of silver is not shocked Leonardo's use of linear perspective gives the scene an extra punch he makes the painted room an extension of the actual room with shadows as if lit by the real room's windows all the lines of perspective converge toward the center subconsciously drawing you to the powerful emotional focal point Jesus his calm expression makes it clear that he knows the painful sacrifice ahead and accepts it [Music] constantly evolving Leonardo perfected his signature sumato or hazy technique the soft outlines of the faces the mysterious mountains fading in the Mist using what's called atmospheric perspective he showed depth by understanding how colors become muted when more distant he managed to create scenes that looked Perfectly Natural but had an underlying geometry that reflected the order seen in nature and with his Mona Lisa all these techniques came together marvelously Lisa a woman from Florence rests easily as if sitting in a window looking out remarkably realistic and relaxed her body is a solid pyramid turned slightly at an angle so we can appreciate its mass foreign with its hazy background emphasizing the depth the overall mood is one of Serenity and harmony but with an element of Mystery especially the enigmatic smile Leonardo's hazy fumato blurs the edges that's why try as we might we can never quite see the corners of her mouth is she happy or sad everyone sees her differently for me this painting sums up the Renaissance balance confidence and humanism the age when the common individual Mona Lisa becomes artworthy in his long career Leonardo da Vinci by combining Art and Science revolutionized our notion of art he was the epitome of perhaps the highest compliment an artist can receive a true Renaissance genius Leonardo strongly influenced another talented young artist Raphael by combining the grace of Leonardo the power of florentine sculpture and the humanist Spirit of the age Raphael became the master of high Renaissance painting foreign Prodigy young Raphael quickly mastered realism in these portraits he captured the proud faces Rich clothing and Fine Jewelry of this cloth Merchant and his Noble wife [Music] he gave them Leonardo's Mona Lisa treatment turned at a three-quarter pose arms and hands resting comfortably this Madonna also pays homage to Leonardo Mary presides in a beautiful Earthly setting with a young Jesus and curly-haired little Johnny the Baptist washed in a warm spumato and a Golden Glow and posed like a pyramid while natural it's thoughtfully planned symmetrical a baby to the left baby to the right flanked by trees and framed with clouds all reinforcing the atmosphere of Serenity order and maternal love Raphael soon became the most sought after painter of his day the Pope in Rome actually hired him to decorate his Palace now the Vatican museum with his paintings the classical decor and ancient Treasures that line the halls of the Vatican Palace show how popes of this age actually embraced that Renaissance respect for pre-christian thinking Raphael's School of Athens merges the ancient and Christian worlds here in the pope study the heart of Christian Europe he painted not only Christian Saints but so radical so shocking for the age Pagan philosophers Plato Aristotle again in good Renaissance style Raphael balances everything symmetrically with all the lines of perspective leading your eye to dead center two secular Saints framed with a Renaissance Arch as their Halo this is humanism the geometrically perfect world created by a Christian God the ancient philosopher Plato is none other than Raphael's Idol Leonardo da Vinci and the guy in the black cap hits young Raphael himself finally there's this brooding figure the man who would take the high Renaissance to the greatest Heights of all Michelangelo bonarote more than any previous artist Michelangelo pioneered the idea that art was not just a job but a unique personal statement an expression of his inner passion even as he worked for the church and Wealthy patrons his vision was always his own as a multi-talented Renaissance Man Michelangelo made his Mark as a world-class Sculptor painter and architect as an architect he designed and created this Memorial Chapel for his patrons the Medici a harmonious Ensemble of innovative architecture tombs and sculpture [Music] as a sculptor Michelangelo believed his Figures were already divinely created within the stone he was simply chiseling away the excess these rough and unfinished statues seem to be struggling like prisoners to free themselves from the marble they show the Renaissance love of the body as with his chisel Michelangelo reveals these compelling figures barely 25 years old Michelangelo established his genius by sculpting this pieta adored by centuries of pilgrims with powerful realism Michelangelo made it clear to the faithful Jesus Is Dead the theological point of this work he gave his life for our salvation Mary's crumpled robe accentuates Christ's smooth body helping make hard stone look soft as skin great art that delivers an emotional punch is no accident that's its purpose and it does so by Design next Michelangelo took on the Epic scale statue of David displayed today as if the high altar in a temple to humanism the young Shepherd who threw the giant turned down the armor of the day arming himself only with stones throws his sling over his shoulder and goes out to face the Giant Michelangelo catches David at the exact moment when he's sizing up the enemy and thinks to himself I can take this guy this statue has come to symbolize that with the Renaissance humankind could slay the giant of medieval ignorance and superstition David's oversized right hand was no accident it represented how this Shepherd boy empowered by God could slay the Giant and how Florence could rise above its rival city-states when you look at David you're looking at Renaissance Man artists now made their point using realism they did this by merging Art and Science for instance Michelangelo actually dissected human corpses to better understand Anatomy this humanism was not anti-religion now people realize that the best way to glorify God was not to bow down in church all day long but to recognize their talents and to use them Michelangelo established himself as Europe's greatest sculptor and he was a pretty darn good painter as well this Holy Family Michelangelo's only surviving easel painting offers a closer look at his Mastery as a painter solid statuesque people posed in a sculptural group show why many call Michelangelo a sculptor with a paintbrush and the Greek style nudes in the background are a reminder of the artist's humanist and classical orientation he created perhaps his greatest work in the Pope's Sistine Chapel Michelangelo depicted no less than the entire history of the Christian World from the creation to the first people and much later to the final event in history the awe-inspiring last judgment Michelangelo painted God busy creating from every conceivable angle and the centerpiece the central Act of Creation God passing the Divine spark of life to his greatest masterpiece you and me [Music] as Michelangelo aged he sculpted this pie for his own tomb the broken body of the crucified Christ is tended by his grieving mother Mary and his friends [Music] Jesus is larger than life with a heavy lifeless body that zigzags down to the Grave again this accentuates that theological Point Jesus is dead Nicodemus is actually a self-portrait of Michelangelo now an old man after spending a lifetime bringing Stone to life now Michelangelo reflects tenderly upon his savior looking down thoughtfully at what he feared might be his final creation but Michelangelo saved his most majestic work for last now as a master architect he designed the Dome of the greatest Church in Christendom Saint Peter's in Rome the Dome Rises up from the church's heart the tomb of Saint Peter taller than a football field on end enjoying the commanding view from the top is a reminder of how the cultural explosion of the Italian Renaissance was destined to reverberate far and wide the Renaissance was a time of great curiosity confidence and bold new ideas Leonardo Luther Machiavelli Michelangelo consider these great names and that they were all living around the year 1500 and so was Vasco de Gama Columbus and Magellan there was a collective sense of adventure to reach out and explore the Renaissance was fueled in part by the riches generated by the growth of overseas trade it was a time of exploration and Conquest an age known both ethnocentrically and euphemistically as the age of discovery the age of discovery changed Europe forever as explorers sailed East for the luxury goods of Asia and West for the gold of the Americas they returned with new plants animals and lots of plunder in cluding enslaved people soon exotic luxuries in gold from abroad were decorating Europe's palaces and churches this age made the seafaring nations of Spain and Portugal rather than Italy the richest countries in Europe funding another cultural and artistic boom the age of Discovery began in Portugal as the ornate architecture of the day recalls this Tower protecting Lisbon's Harbor was the last site Sailors saw as they headed out into the unknown and the first they saw when they returned bearing plunder gold and spices these early explorers were certainly heroic eyes on the horizon but with hands on their swords they were also cruel conquistadors they ushered in a time of trade and advancement but also a dark time of exploitation and slavery Portugal's Prince Henry the Navigator holds the ship that made it all possible a caravel tiny Portugal on the Atlantic Seaboard eventually emerged as an economic and cultural power with its own distinctive art this ornate Monastery was built by King Manuel as a thanks to God for the wealth that poured in Manuel financed the construction by taxing spices brought back from Asia he built all of this on the site of a humble Chapel where seafarers prayed before leaving under frightening voyages the style of Manuel's Church manueline this uniquely Portuguese style of art reflects the wealth and diverse culture of the age it features motifs from the sea Interiors are open and Airy with Slender columns reminiscent of exotic palm trees monsters evoke the mystery of Uncharted lands there's a column of indigenous people [Music] artichokes eaten by Sailors to fight scurvy end of the ceiling a Scout Handbook of knots it all trumpets Portugal's nautical know-how these Lacy manueline Cloisters are a testament to the Bold entrepreneurial and conquering spirit that launched the age of Discovery and the affluence in art that resulted in Portugal and Beyond the age of Discovery reached its peak in Spain King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella the monarchs who commissioned Columbus ushered in Spain's so-called golden age the massive wealth pondered from the Americas was transformed into great art towering altarpieces of silver and gold cavernous churches Grand palaces elaborate carvings and paintings that told the story as Spain wanted it told [Music] Europe's mightiest power ruled an Empire that stretched across the globe from the Spanish Netherlands all the way to the Philippines with their immense wealth Cosmopolitan Spanish monarchs appreciated and collected art from far and wide Spanish especially loved art from far away Venice a once great power that while in elegant decline was still producing great art Rich conservative Spaniards ate up the big canvases and bright colors of the Venetian Renaissance Lush golden women bathed in a soft focus Haze like the city of Venice itself they reveled in the venetians buoyant Renaissance spirit foreign [Music] the greatest Venetian painter captured on canvas the Bold confidence of the Spanish King the most powerful man in the world Charles V the emperor's son though very religious collected a bevy of sensual teachings we see the moral conflicts these people must have struggled with as this nobleman with his hands on his organ is torn between High cultural Pleasures like music and more worldly pleasures during this age it must have seemed as if Europe's Elites were being showered with blessings from Heaven at least that's the implied message they hung on their walls thank you the artistic influences from Spain's vast Empire came together in Toledo with its greatest and last Renaissance painter his name was dominicos theotocopolis though his tongue-tied friends just called him the Greek or El Greco artistically he's hard to classify El Greco's work reflects his strong faith and his much traveled life it's a synthesis of three cultures the icon-like faces of his Greek Orthodox Homeland the Bold color and twisting poses from his schooling in Venice and the mystical Catholicism of Spain where he eventually settled in the city of Toledo then Spain's capital it's there that El Greco forged his Unique Style El Greco painted Supernatural visions elongated Saints stretched between Earth and Heaven he painted Souls not bodies faces flicker like candles Thoroughly Modern in its disregard for realism El Greco's art feels contemporary even today this Altarpiece depicting the Virgin Mary ascending to Heaven combines El Greco's signature elements to capture an otherworldly event while on Earth the city of Toledo sleeps an angel in a billowing robe spreads its wings and flies up supporting the Virgin Mary on her trip to heaven in this Divine Vision she floats through warped space to be serenaded by angels and wrapped in the radiant light of the Holy Spirit Mary is charged from within by the Ecstasy of her faith no painter captured the mystery of the spiritual World quite like El Greco he fused Innovative techniques with Spanish religiosity to cap the Renaissance of golden age Spain the Renaissance eventually spread throughout Europe in each country the art and architecture evolves differently shaped by that country's unique cultural and economic environment that's clear in Europe's northern Renaissance [Music] in Germany the spirit of the age thrived in merchant towns like rotenberg which looks today much like it did in the 1500s this wooden Altarpiece rotenberg's artistic highlight is a testament to German craftsmanship Tillman Riemann Schneider the Michelangelo of woodcarvers created it to hold a tiny Crystal capsule believed to contain a drop of Jesus blood thank you carved 500 years ago the dramatic Expressions add emotion to the story in the scene of The Last Supper Jesus gives Judas as usual clutching his bag of coins a piece of bread marking him as the traitor this Exquisite Altarpiece is a German blend of medieval piety and Renaissance sophistication in painting Germany's Renaissance master was Albrecht door he traveled to Italy and brought home Italy's Embrace of realism humanism and respect for artists as cultural leaders of the day bold and dynamic and quirky Durer had no problem with his ego he painted himself almost as the Christ of his Day celebrating his genius and his great head of hair his proud monogram marks nearly all his art door was more than a painter as a master engraver he created prints made from finely crafted metal plates his trademark detail and realism is extraordinary at his Workshop you can see how it's with these tools that the artist Cuts an image into the copper plate after rubbing it with ink a print is made from the plate [Music] door was famous for his Vivid portrayals of the natural world to be able to enjoy such beautiful yet mass-produced art must have been a Marvel 500 years ago Durer was the first best-selling artist in history thanks to this impressive new technology many prints could be made from a single master plate doers Engravings were affordable and spread across Europe further accelerating the rapid spread of new art and new ideas [Music] the northern Renaissance wasn't a Renaissance in the literal or Italian sense like The Rebirth of classical culture in Florence it was a cultural boom funded by an economic boom while in the South it was art for King's nobility in the church here in the north it was more the art of merchants and businessmen Europe's North was humming with commercial hubs like Brussels its magnificent main square and towering City Hall proclaimed the wealth of the new Merchant class these ornate buildings were the headquarters for the different professional guilds Bakers Brewers Tanners and so on the nearby city of Bruges was another economic and cultural Powerhouse its soaring Bell Tower announced that it was a self-ruling city of the prosperous region of Flanders that's the Dutch or flemish-beaking northern half of Belgium this church also with a skyscraping tower of bricks the most practical local Building Material was filled with cultural Treasures from its powerful pipe organ to its elaborate tombs the appetite of the market shaped the art here in the north where patrons were mostly Merchants they didn't want to be preached at they wanted art that celebrated their values and their hard work art that was feel good and affordable it was no-nonsense portraits of themselves and their families happy scenes of everyday life Flemish painters were great storytellers rather than just Madonna's and Saints it was also peasants Landscapes and Food Northern paintings were filled with symbolism and extremely realistic with astonishing detail this Flemish power couple hired a famous painter to portray with lots of symbolism their wealth loyalty piety and fertility their Rich belongings from fancy clothing to their stylish headwear are proudly on display the dog at their feet loyalty you can practically count the hairs on its head rosary beads on the wall that meant a strong faith while the woman may look pregnant she's most likely not just Gathering Together her fine cloth to show it off or creating the impression that she's fertile or maybe she's just boasting the belly of a well-fed upper-class woman perhaps the first famous canvas to use oil-based paint the detail is groundbreaking the reflection of the couple from behind in the mirror and even the artist himself the masterful treatment of light and Shadow [Music] by the way to capture such detail Flemish artists mastered the use of oil-based paints until about 1500 an egg-based paint called tempura was what most European painters used they'd mix the mineral-based colors with egg yolk which when dried became the binder [Music] then Flemish painters began using oil-based paints with this new improved paint the same mineral-based colors are mixed into vegetable oil now when dried the oil rather than egg yolks binds the color this oil painting by the Flemish artist Jan van Ike from the early 1400s and still Vivid is exquisite in its detail the Madonna's delicate face the Saints robe The Weave of the carpet the stubble on the aging face glasses actually magnifying the print are all possible because of the qualities of oil-based paints ever since oil paints have been the standard with these paints artists enjoyed richer colors and more flexibility they could apply layer upon translucent layer called glazes to create ever more subtle details while medieval paintings like this lovely Madonna by Jato are egg-based tempera on wood you can see the advantage oil-based paints on canvas gave later artists with oil Raphael could get a fuller spectrum of colors and Leonardo could paint with more nuance [Music] one thing I love about art is it can be the closest thing to a Time Tunnel experience we'll enjoy in our travels slices of everyday life like these take us back in time the Undisputed Master Of The Slice of Life scene was the Flemish artist Peter bregel the Elder he captured The Rustic Simplicity of country folk at play where the Italian Renaissance depicted strong Noble Heroes Northern artists like brigal celebrated Humanities quirks and poked fun at its foibles at this peasant wedding Farmers Scramble for their share of the free food two men bring in fresh pudding on a tray another passes the balls down the kid licks his fingers while the bagpiper pauses to check it all out amid the Feeding Frenzy almost forgotten sits the demure bride at this Farmer's dance there is not a saint in sight but there's still a moral the bagpipes symbolized hedonism so here the church is ignored well the piper gets all the attention [Music] in this bird's eye view of a snow-covered Belgian Village kids throw snowballs and play on the ice while men lug bushels across a frozen lake and a crowd gathers at the Inn [Music] actually a religious scene the village is Bethlehem and there's Joseph with his carpenter saw leading a pregnant Mary looking for a room far from the Holy Land bregel literally brings the religious message home it's Bethlehem in Flanders in addition to their Slice of Life secular scenes Northern artists of the Renaissance also gave the traditional medieval Altarpiece a new level of sophistication to those who understood it the symbolism was obvious as Jesus presides the Lily means Mercy the sword judgment he stands on a globe representing the universality of his message as Angels blow horns to Wake the Dead Michael the Archangel determines which souls are heavy with sin [Music] the apostles pray for the souls of the dead as they emerge from their graves a painting could be like a sermon for the illiterate faithful the individual faces are painted to make each a real person with a unique personality and extraordinarily intricate detail enhanced by the new technique of oil paints illustrates the full range of human emotions in the faces of the Damned you can almost hear the screams and gnashing of teeth but Jesus is expressionless at this point the cries of the wicked are useless this Altarpiece in a hospital and Bruges was also painted with an agenda to comfort tying patients gazing at this gathering in heaven they could imagine leaving this world of pain and illness and being at home with Mary Jesus and the Saints this Heaven which Echoes wealthy Bruges in the 1400s complete with familiar details brought the religious message home to the Here and Now 500 years ago one Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch took the northern Renaissance in a direction that seems radical even today his Garden of Earthly Delights a three-paneled painting or triptych shows the Delights of the world and where those Temptations lead in act one man and woman are born innocent in the Garden of Eden blessed by a kind God but then foolish people chase after Earthly Delights a Pursuit that is ultimately a vicious cycle they're lured by the world's pleasures [Music] eating drinking sex [Music] like the fleeting flavor of that fruit strawberries everywhere symbolize how the Delights of Hedonism are soon gone thank you two lovers are suspended in a bubble then in the third panel the bubble pops the moral of the story those party animals are heading straight to Hell a burning post-apocalyptic Wasteland where Sinners are LED off to eternal torment every sinner gets an appropriate punishment platins are themselves consumed over and over good time musicians are tortured by their own instruments gamblers have their party forever crashed and a lecture gets sexually harassed by a pig-faced nun amid it all a face peers out of this bizarre nightmare a self-portrait of the artist Bosch whether portraying Heaven hell or anything in between artists of the period were opening people's eyes to a new way of looking at things and the Renaissance was this and more an invigorating Spirit of humanism that had begun in Florence it spread from Italy to Spain to the north eventually infusing all of Europe with its can-do optimism foreign the Renaissance was bringing exciting new ideas yes but unsettling ones as well the old order that guided Europe since medieval times was transformed and the progress Unleashed by that would bring even more revolutionary changes and even more Dynamic art and that's another story thanks for joining us I'm Rick Steves celebrating the joy of European art [Music] thank you [Music] foreign

Channel: Rick Steves' Europe

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Length: 55min 36sec (3336 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 02 2023