In the centre are Plato and Aristotle, clearly identified by the titles of their books: Plato points upwards to the world of ideas, while Aristotle extends his open hand between heaven and earth. Leonardo da Vinci, wearing a long white beard, was the model for Plato, and Michelangelo, seated on a step in the foreground with his arm resting on a block of marble, represents the mathematician Heraclitus. On the far right is Raphel himself looking out of the picture. (查看原文)
In Italy the Renaissance was a rebirth, specifically a rediscovery of the learning and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. These cultures had less relevance to northern Europeans, for whom representations of classical mythology were much rarer than they were in Mediterranean countries. The Northern Renaissance was inspired by religious reform, which brought with it a new interest in portraying the human figure and the visible world realistically. (查看原文)
The term "Baroque" was initially a derogatory one, introduced by critics of a later generation wishing to discredit the art that had preceded them. The word "baroque" means "misshapen", and refers to the typically flowing, quasi-endless forms associated with the style. It is used to designate the art, architecture and music that followed the Late Renaissance and preceded the Rococo period. Seen as a reaction to the mannered style in vogue at the end of the 16th century, in which classical idealism had given way to placid beauty, the Baroque is particularly associated with art that was commissioned by the Catholic Church. It is characterized by heavy ornamentation, complex but systematized design and a luxuriant deployment of color, light and shade. (查看原文)
The light-hearted, decorative style of Rococo flourished throughout Europe for much of the 18th century. It emerged in France at the turn of the century and remained popular until the 1770s, when it gradually gave way to Neoclassicism. At its peak, Rococo achieved an irresistible blend of elegance, charm, wit and playful eroticism.
The term "Rococo" was originally meant as a mocking jibe. It is said to have been coined by a student of Jacques-Louis David in the 1790s, when the reputation of the style was at its lowest ebb. The word itself was a humorous fusion of rocaille, a fancy style of rock decoration used in fountains, and barocco, the Italian source word for Baroque. For contemporaries, these origins suggested that the style was a trivial or comical debasement of the latter, but the ... (查看原文)
Neoclassicism was a dominant style in Western art from the late 18th century until 1830. In its most basic form, the movement aimed to revive the spirit of the great civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome and developed as a reaction against the hedonism and frivolity of the Rococo movement. Its initial momentum came not from artists but from philosophers--the spokesmen for the Enlightenment in France. Led by men such as Denis Diderot and Voltaire, the philosophers railed against the moral laxity of the Rococo style and, by association, the regime that had spawned it. In its place, they demanded art that was rational, moral and high-mined. A revival of the culture of the classical world fitted this bill perfectly. (查看原文)
约阿希姆·帕迪尼尔（约1480-1524）《圣杰罗米风景》（Landscape with St. Jerome）
这些风景本身其实远非写实。帕迪尼尔采用了双重透视策略：整体景象是从一定高度看过去的，所以地平线比较高，可以看到风景很远处；与此同时，人物、树木和建筑则画得靠前，好像与观者视线齐平。 (查看原文)
