renaissance vs baroque. heinrich wölfflin >swiss art historian, 1864 – 1945 >formalist...

Renaissance vs Baroque

• Heinrich Wölfflin >Swiss art historian, 1864 – 1945

>formalist methodology

>objective classifying principles

("painterly" vs. "linear" and the like) were influential in the development of formal analysis in the history of art during the 20th century.

>Principles of Art History, 1915

1. From linear to painterlyLinear

draughstmanlyemphasizing contour/outlinedefining formclarity

PainterlyTactileobserving patches or systems of light and of non-local color within shade, making shadow and light integraldeemphasizing outline

Ingres

Delacroix

2. From planar to recession

Planar>objects parallel to the picture plane

>spatial recession is clear

>series of successive planes parallel to picture plane

Recession>planes not separate successive parallel units

>Spatial depth created along diagonals

>frontal plane is not emphasized

3. From closed form to open form

Closed Form>composition= contents seem to stand in clear relation to the edge of the image

>generally within predominantly vertical and horizontal oppositions

>

Open Form>compresses energies and angles or lines of motion which everywhere reach out beyond the composition, and override the horizontal and vertical structure

>spatial relationships not clear

>elements not related to edge or surface

• Painterly: Difficult to detect where line of one figure or object and another coincide. Look at the drapery. Look at the darkness creeping in.Open Form: Anything could be going on beyond these women. We have a close up shot of a room. The man's body is even off the page.

4. From multiplicity to unityMultiplicity>individual parts appear as independent units

>Classic art achieves its unity by making the parts independent as free members

>details are each uniquely contemplated

Unity

>work perceived as whole

>individual elements of composition do not stand out

>multiplicity serves to diminish individual parts and enhance unified approach

High Renaissance painting

Individual parts

Baroque

perceived as whole

5. From absolute clarity to relative clarity (related to preceding pair)

Absolute>works with explicit and clearly articulated forms>revelation of the form is clearly articulated>objective clarity

Relative>less explicit and less clearly articulated forms>deliberately avoids objective clearness>pictorial appearance obtained by painterly methods -- AMBIGUITY

absolute – relative

Linear: paint by number effect? Solid lines between color planes & figures.Planar: Not exactly, but technically on 1 planeClosed: Each set of figures, Adam on the left and the other on right, are in their own closed pods. The lines of the ground and the shell frame each area.Multiplicity: If you cut each figure out, they could stand on own.Absolute Clarity: God and Adam bridge the gap-Heaven and Earth.

It doesn't get much more clear than that!

RENAISSANCE

3 & 4