Week 9 Video Reviews

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I picked the four videos that I chose because I was familiar with the artists who the videos were about. Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Albrecht Durer, and Rembrandt were the artists in the names of the films and these artists are familiar to me. I chose these four videos to learn more about these artists who I have learned about before.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
            Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance:
The main concept of this film was the life and works of Leonardo Da Vinci, the most influential person to have lived during the renaissance. They describe his life from birth to death and list his numerous achievements and great works. Leonardo was the quintessential Renaissance man and this video proves that.
            The Drawings of Michelangelo:
The main concept of this video is how art students can learn from comparing Michelangelo’s finished works with his preparatory drawings that he made. The film compares his drawings with his sculptures, paintings, and architecture that came from them. The film explores and analyses works such as the Pieta, the colossal David, The Sistine Chapel ceiling, and The Last Judgment. The film also looks over the artist’s tools, techniques, and the evolution of his style.
            Albrecht Durer: Image of a Master:
The main concept of this video is the life and work of Albrecht Durer the most famous artist of the Northern Renaissance. He was believed to be the main reason for the spread of renaissance beliefs to a Germany dominated by Gothic tradition. The film focuses on some of his most important pieces, his woodcuts, paintings, and engravings. The film also focuses on the people who had influence on his life. These people include Anthony Koberger, Michael Wolgemut, and Willibald Pirckheimer.
            The Night Watch:
The main concepts of this film are the life and works of Rembrandt, but most importantly the work The Night Watch. The film deconstructs this piece and explains the many conventions that it broke during this time. Through its suggestions of movement, dramatic use of light and perspective, and its composition; it broke many of the conventions of art during this period. The film also focuses on the importance this piece holds with the Dutch, and the amount of damage that has been done to the piece over time.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos relate to the readings in the text because they are all about renaissance artists. This relates because the chapters discussed this week dealt heavily in renaissance art and the artists that contributed to this time period. Leonardo, Durer, Rembrandt, and Michelangelo were all large contributors to the art and styles of the Renaissance.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
All four of the films are well constructed and very informative. Each explains its subject very well and in great detail. These films add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts by going into more depth on the subjects that were presented in the text. They also achieve this by adding more visuals of the artwork of the period being discussed. The films help because not only do they develop on the information shared in the books, but they also provide more visuals to help to elaborate the points that are trying to be made.