Rogier van der Weyden: A Netherlandish Artist and the Ferrarese Court

Abstract

Northern European and Italian Renaissance art have tended to be treated art historically as two opposing styles. Rooted in statements by artists such as Michelangelo and Leon Battista Alberti, it has become a common misconception that Italians did not hold Northern European art in high regard during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. This thesis seeks to complicate and critique this conventional understanding by looking at the similarities and transalpine exchanges between the artistic styles and practices of Rogier van der Weyden (c. 1400-1464) of Brussels and Cosmè Tura (c. 1430-1495) of Ferrara. By looking at the writings of contemporary humanists at the Ferrarese court and technical analysis of select paintings, it is evident that Cosmè Tura strove to emulate and incorporate aspects of Rogier van der Weyden’s northern manner, especially in his handling of oil paint, use of underdrawings, and emotive effects. By reconsidering this cross-cultural relationship, this thesis demonstrates that the traditionally constructed animosity between Northern and Southern Renaissance art is a common misperception and a oversight in art history.