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Lesson Plans
Art History ©1999
by Marilyn Stokstad
Focus Lesson 11
Chapter 17: "Early Renaissance Art in Europe"
AP* Course Description
- Renaissance to Present
- Fourteenth through Sixteenth Centuries
Key Components
- Instructor's Resource Manual with Tests, Vol. II: pp. 7–11, 68–69, 90–96, 172–176
- Study Guide, Vol. II: pp. 4–20
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview this site. Check the Online Companion Web site for updated information and links to other sites.
Key Words and Terms
- typology
- triptych
- picture plane
- atmospheric
- perspective
- bestiary
- ribs
- centering
- impost block
- loggia
- vanishing point
- trompe l'oeil
- pietra serena
- seraphim
- watercolor
- intaglio
- register
- wings
- oil painting
- roundels
- idealization
- pilasters
- vault
- course
- lunette
- rusticated
- terra-cotta
- coffers
- Composite capital
- crosshatched
- burins
- volumetric
- panels
- glazing
- gilded
- diptychs
- drum
- oculus
- sacristy
- bay
- cornice
- fresco
- central-plan churches
- balustrade
- stigmata
- high relief
- block books
- illumination
- majolica
- tempera
- polyptych
- reliquary
- arch
- lantern
- Corinthian capital
- architrave
- aedicula
- tholos
- putti
- intarsia
- engraving
- movable type
Suggested Pacing
Two weeks is a typical allotment for this material, although you need to plan how you wish to present the material. The text introduces fourteenth century Italian painting in the previous chapter and combines Italian and northern painting in this chapter. You may prefer to follow the thread of Italian painting from Cimabue/Giotto through the High Renaissance before going back to the Late Gothic to introduce the northern artists. Geography can serve as an organizing principle within the Italian Renaissance, with Florence, Rome, and Venice each receiving attention in turn. The year 1500 CE is used to divide this chapter from the next, but it need not be such a barrier in your presentation of the material.
Test Strategy
Students may be asked to display their mastery of Christian iconography by analyzing images from early Renaissance painting, such as the Portinari Altarpiece or Masaccio's frescoes from the Brancacci Chapel. Students may review the explanation of scenes from the life of Christ on pp. 306–307. Asking students to differentiate between similar scenes painted by two different artists will test their connoisseurship.
Key Concepts
- Humanism and the rebirth of Classicism
The factors that separate Renaissance art from that of the Middle Ages is discussed in depth on pp. 613–618. Differences not only in artistic styles but also in literature and philosophy should be stressed. The importance of the Black Death in this cultural shift is noteworthy and mentioned on p. 617. - Patronage
Patronage is an important concept in any discussion of the Renaissance. The Medicis in Quattrocento Florence are a prime example of the power of patronage. Intertwined with the issue of patronage is the notion of Florentine civic pride and identity, which can be examined when looking at the David sculptures of Donatello and Michelangelo. - Proportion and Classical ideals
The influence of Classical models brought a renewed interest in proportion and ideal dimensions in architecture. This Classical influence is important not only in the Quattrocento but also during the High Renaissance, which students will learn about in the next chapter.
Summing Up Student Understanding
Have students write an essay on the following topic:
What innovations in the depiction of space on a two-dimensional surface allowed Renaissance painters to explore new means of expression never before seen in art?
Students may make the following points in their essays.
- Students should emphasize the use of linear perspective. The breakthrough image illustrating this technique is Delivery of the Keys to Saint Peter (p. 669). The strong one-point perspective and interest in geometry make this painting a prototypical work of Renaissance art.
- Improvements in atmospheric perspective are significant as well. Venetian artists such as Bellini (pp. 670–671) used their technical mastery of oil paint to create more naturalistic surface textures and variations between light and dark than previous artists.
- The use of trompe l'oeil began to increase during the Renaissance also. The ceiling fresco in the Camera Picta (p. 668) is a good example, as is Bellini's Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints (p. 671).
- Printmaking made great advances during this period (pp. 674–677). The use of woodcuts and engravings to illustrate books gave rise to many important artists, especially in northern Europe. Students might use the technical skills of Martin Schonguaer (p. 676) to illustrate their points.
All of these trends will continue to develop through the High Renaissance, Mannerist, and Baroque periods.