Heinrich Wolfflin's book, Principles of Art History - Essay Example

Analysis of Heinrich Wolfflin Principles of Art History; A Case of Rennaissance and Baroque Art of Introduction and thesis statement The work of art as put forward during the renaissance period and the baroque period tend to differ in a collection of aspects. With reference to Wölfflin (2012), there are five principles that are used to differentiate works of art from one period and the other. The comparison therefore takes to account Giovannis renaissance painting, ‘Lamentation with Saints (1490)’ and Peter Rubens Baroque painting, ‘Massacre of the Innocents (1611)’. It is therefore based on the thesis statement; presentation of two pieces of art by consideration of the five principles of art history. The two pictures are presented in the pictorial attachments below; Linear vs. Painterly The painting of Giovanni as indicated in the picture above is considered a renaissance piece of art as the linear aspect of all the characters given is very proportional to how the same person would appear in reality. This is drawn on the comparison with the others. Consider the linear presentation of the hanging walls in the background. They present a linear perspective in which the viewer will not seek to understand more meaning and interpretation of what is being observed. Moreover, light has been effectively used to create this and this can be demonstrated with reference to the woman on the bottom left corner of the picture bending over to support the legs of the dead person. Linear presentation has been used to create an unmistakable features of a female directly differentiated from the men in the picture. The paintings therefore determine an unmistakable dullness and mood to show lack of sobriety. These are typical features of a renaissance drawing in which the overall presentation presents a very clear anatomy of the features. On the other hand, the second picture is also very typical of the baroque characteristics. This is indicated by merely presenting light and shade that recedes to the background. The images are presented as very dramatic in which there is much action in the picture. This tries to draw the viewer of the picture to actively participate in the scene. For instance, if the viewer was to be part of the action, the coward viewer would be escaping through the visible exits in the backgrounds while the brave would try to attack the man in the foreground holding a sword and ready to kill his victim. All this is presented in more shade (background) than light (foreground). Plane vs. Recession There is more use of much plane in the renaissance drawing by order of presenting strata parallels to the planes of the picture. There are forward and backward relations in the renaissance picture and this are indicated with a look at the planes as presented in the background walls. There is also presentation of a foreground that is simple in both pictures. However, in the renaissance picture, it is easier to explain the foreground formation than the background plane view. The reverse is seen in the baroque picture. Actually, the presentation in the baroque picture is recessional. There are also multiple presentations of planes. The scene has a small group of multiple people. There are very few planes that discrete because each of the figure distances is occupied by an overlapping figure. This allows the viewer to travel their eyes through the painting in a similarly overlapping manner1. From the pictures, it is determined that the renaissance picture as presented by Giovanni’s in the ‘Lamentation with Saints (1490)’ presents an aspect of flat planes. Some parallelism is also presented as indicated by the background walls hanging over the group of people. The presentation in the baroque picture by Reuben indicates diagonal movements of the axes that directly create an attraction to the picture movement as opposed to the plane’s flatness. A comparison of the two pictures indicates much plane in renaissance than the recession in baroque. Closed vs. Open This refers to a comparison between an entity that is self-contained and one that is open in that it compresses the energy, emotions, overriding the normal vertical and horizontal structure2. Renaissance drawings as indicated in the Lamentation with Saints (1490) indicate much rationality and origin. The horizontal and vertical inclinations of the drawings indicate that it is easier to trace in a rational manner where everything is as well as openly identifying the meaning of the emotions. For instance, it is easier to count that there are nine people in the picture and one is dead in which the others are grieving over him. Simplicity is indicated. Consider this to the baroque picture indicated. There is a marked asymmetry in the diagram and there is still no possibility of knowing the alignment of the features including the number of people, their exact positions and other similar details. The man in the foreground with a sword does not look proportionately equal to the sizes of the other people in the diagram. The renaissance picture looks closed in that every section points to itself As opposed to baroque where there are secret limits in existence. However, the picture still has an aesthetic sense. Multiplicity vs. Unity According to Wölfflin (2012), pictures always have some sense of a unified approach. In this approach, there must be cohesion of events and issues in the picture. There is however ‘multiple unity (renaissance)’ and ‘unified unity (baroque)’. In this renaissance, there are parts that are clearly identified and subordinate to the arrangement on the overall basis. Consider the picture from the perspective of renaissance in this context. The visual perspective is very accurate. There is absolute unity in multiplicity. All features are created with close togetherness. The picture depicts all the nine people unified under one platform and cause. On the other hand, multiplicity in the baroque picture is unified in that there are many activities going on in the same picture yet unified by the fact that they are in the same picture. In the baroque picture, all the groups of people and activities are defined, yet distinct. In the work by Reuben, the foreground is a massacre of people and children which forms one group. The background is another group of people fleeing. There are therefore groups that are subsumed under the direct composition of there being war. This is characteristic of a dramatic contrast in one picture yet appearing under different positions. The renaissance is all unified under all aspects. Baroque in this picture requires a strong visual impression to effectively manage a clear understanding. Absolute vs. Relative This is something that is quite open in the two pictures. In the renaissance picture by Giovannis, the entire beauty is clearly manifested, the revelation of the form is purely exhaustive and the details are apparent. For instance, one can determine that there are clearly nine people and it is easier to indicate all the colors of the clothes they are putting on. Warm colors are clearly indicated as such and can be identified. The mod of the people is clearly somber. The aspect of clarity is therefore manifested and indicated as complete. Consider the other case of Reuben in the ‘Massacre of the Innocents (1611)’. There is an open tendency in which the form of the picture is obscured. There is therefore less clarity and this is considered relative. Another open form of difference is the direct use of the colors. It was understood by Wölfflin (2012) that the reflections in a color are as a result of reflections from objects around. Therefore, the base of color was enhanced to create an aspect of clarity and completeness. The baroque picture shows some unresolved remainder. The picture indicates that the use of color is not absolute although reflections are clear. The color also fades as the background approaches. There are pictures within the picture in which the boundaries are not defined clearly. Conclusion There is a stack difference between the renaissance and the baroque art. In essence, this work has used the principles of art as put forward by Heinrich Wolfflin to understand the prevailing similarities and differences between the two pictures. References Wölfflin, Heinrich. Principles of Art History. New York: Courier Corporation, 2012. Read More