Materials used to create the work: oil on canvas.
Crucifixion diptych
According to Vespers, Weyden and his family were staunch Christians who lived their lives dedicated to helping the poor. The photo was among others, distributed freely by Weyden. The huge size of the human figure in the painting was common to artists at the time. It was in fitting with measurement of the shutters of carved altarpieces.
The foreground is outstanding thanks to the black background. Weyden focused on the starkness that enhances the image. According to Vespers, Weyden and his family were staunch Christians who lived their lives dedicated to helping the poor. The photo was among others, distributed freely by Weyden.
The crucifixion
This piece of art was used to illustrate the influence exerted in the low income countries by the renaissance. in the 16th century, various artists journeyed to Italy where they learned new artistic ideas. Since then, their work brought a new approach to religious painting different from the pieces of the 15th Century.
Extra detail has also been clearly exposed as the main focus of the painting. The balance expands the story of the crucifixion to consist of the crowd the participated in the event.
Crucifixion of Jesus
The effect of realistic space is used creatively and effectively. With the impression of darkness, the clarity and effects of poor light have been used effectively. The main focus in the picture is right in the middle and clearly more exposed. It has helped to move the viewers' to Jesus at the cross hence the theme of Crucifixion. With better material to paint, less time and effort was invested in the creation of enforcement of painting material. They also lasted longer without repair.
Religious changes
Over the years, succeeding popes spent more of the church income on promoting art. The more they focused on art and its development, the more religion became the center of the work. However, as rulers taxed people and there was rapid growth in trade, the influence of the Catholic Church dwindled. Catholic Popes had reinforced the glory of Rome using art. The Christianity theme was most common in the pictures in the Century.
Later on, the laity's trust in the church was replaced by fear because of the continuous massacre of priests accused of heresy. These events had huge negative impacts on the Catholic Church especially with the rebellion and beginning of Protestantism.
The philosophy that people are rational beings was popularized during renaissance. It is called humanism. It included poetry, history and grammar. Architects mostly trained as humanists to help raise the status of their profession from skilled laborer to artist level. There was great demand for creative work and they were keen on creating structures that would be appealing to both emotion and reason of the public.
The culture of Renaissance focused mainly on heroic ideals from antiquity and promoted the study of the liberal and religious arts, centering largely upon the individual's intellectual potential. As a result, there have been tremendous innovations made in disciplines such as mathematics, medicine, engineering, architecture, and the visual arts. Giovanni (1430-1516) developed a school of painting based on the skills acquired in Italy. His school became famous and included students from all over the country.
References
Bennett, M., Paul, A. J., White, B. M., Cleveland Museum of Art., Tampa Museum of Art., & Exhibition Magna Graecia - Greek Art from South Italy and Sicily. <2002 - 2003, Cleveland, Ohio; Tampa, Fla.>. (2002). Magna Graecia: Greek art from South Italy and Sicily; [publ. on the occasion of the exhibition Magna Graecia: Greek Art from South Italy and Sicily; The Cleveland Museum of Art, 27 Oct. 2002-5 Jan. 2003; Tampa Museum of Art 2 Febr. - 20 April 2003]. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art.
Graham-Dixon, A. (1999). Renaissance. London: BBC.
Haskins, C. H. (1968). The Renaissance of the twelfth century. New York: Meridian Books.
Klaus, V. (1997). Renaissance: The rebirth of liberty in the heart of Europe. Washington, D.C: Cato Inst.
