Reformation on Art in Northern Europe

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Ashley Warnet Art History Shellcroft 11-24-09 What was the impact of the Reformation on art in Northern Europe The reformation put a sudden end to the relative unity that had existed for the previous thousand years in Western Christendom under the Roman Catholic Church. The reformation, which began in Germany but spread quickly throughout Europe was initiated in response to the ongoing sense of corruption and administrative abuse in the church. It expressed an alternate vision of Christian practice which led to which led to the creation and rise of Protestantism. In many places, the reformers led to the destruction of religious art. “With no call to paint religious themes, the artists found new themes and focused on worldly subjects, especially on portraits.” (Stokstad, 2008 pg.740) Artists across Europe new about the new forces at work, there was study tours that were a very important part of education. “Traveling artists could copy ancient classical art in Rome, study mural painting in Florence, and admire the dazzling lush oil painting in Venice. The idea took hold that artists could express as much through painted, sculptural, and architectural forms as poets could with words or musicians with melody. The notion of divinely inspired creativity supplanted manual artistry.” (Stokstad, 2008 pg.740) Early in the century there was intense religious devotion of materialistic enterprise. “The crafts also emerged as splendid fine arts, as seen in pictorial tapestries, gold and silver show-piece tableware, and glazed ceramics, among other mediums. All the arts of personal display cut velvet and brocade gowns and robes, chains and jewels of state can be studied in portraits.” (Stokstad, 2008 pg. 740) The Protestants were able to put their beliefs on display in art. Artist developed a new subject or adopted traditional ones, to reflect and
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