Northern Renaissance (c. 1400 CE - 1600 CE)




The Italians, with visual reminders of the ancient world surrounding them, focused on human form. However, artists of the Northern Renaissance, mostly in Flanders, Germany, England, and other northern European countries, focused on detail and light. The Renaissance in the North was also famous for its literary works in addition to its visual art.

Artists of Northern Europe focused on the individual personality as a theme in producing art, which stemmed in part from the rise of the middle class through personal achievement rather than inherited wealth.

Extravagantly carved altarpieces decorated most cathedrals and were usually painted like stone to blend in with the architecture. This carving of a male saint was most likely taken from an altarpiece. Notice how the saint is not portrayed as a heavenly being.

He is not adorned with religious symbols, and he is standing on a base of green that would represent the earth and not a celestial setting. The book hanging from his belt is one of the only indications he is a learned and holy man. The humanity prevalent in religious figures is one of the primary points of Northern Renaissance art.

Male Saint, 1450/1499
Circle of Hans Multscher, German
(1400-1467)
Wood with paint and gilt
63 31/50 inches H; 17 inches W; 14 inches D
Gift of David T. Owsley
2007.004.002
World Events

1429 Joan of Arc leads the French to break English siege of Orleans in France.

1446 First printed book, the Gutenberg Bible, is published in Germany.

1503-06 Leonardo da Vinci paints Mona Lisa.

1517 Martin Luther begins the Protestant Reformation in Germany.

1534 Henry VIII of England founds the Anglican Church.

DARCY DISCUSSES: FACT

During the Northern Renaissance, the first true landscape was painted, although it was used as a backdrop.

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