Grunewald\'s Isenheim Altarpiece in APA

Grunewald's Isenheim Altarpiece

In APA Format

Renaissance was a revolutionary period which saw tremendous changes take place in Europe. Renaissance is a French word which means rebirth; many a thing changed during the period of renaissance for instance the Political changes in Europe, social changes which took place during that time etc. This paper will throw light upon Grunewald's Isenheim Altarpiece. Grunewald was a very prolific artist of the Renaissance period; he was mainly involved in making religious paintings. This paper will provide an insight on his masterpiece which is known as the Altarpiece which is now located in France.

Mathis was one of the most famous painters of the Renaissance period. He was not well-known until the late 19th century which brought him to the limelight. The details about this great artist are still obscure, for the reputation that he had back then, people expect a lot of information about him but the fact is that even his real name is not known by the people. The name Mathis was given to him by a 17th century writer; this happened because the writer got confused with another artist and named him Mathis. If the facts are to be believed, his first painting is supposed to be in Munich Germany, painted in the year 1503. Mathis supposedly died in the year 1528 or 1531 in Halle. There is no concrete information about this amazing artist, very little is known about him.

The Isenheim Altarpiece is arguably his most popular work of art. The Altarpiece was completed in the year 1515 and consists of about nine images. The images include scenes like the Crucifixion of Christ, Resurrection, Mother Mary Bathing, Temptation of Saint Anthony etc. The paintings are colossal with the height of roughly about 2.65 Meters and with the width of about 5 Meters. Most of his other works are in Munich and some of them are in Basel Switzerland. The most striking aspects about his work are the dramatic forms, depiction of light and the use of vivid colors. "German author W.G. Sebald traces the life story of Grunewald in his first literary work, After Nature. This book-length prose-poem uses the preoccupations of Grunewald and especially his creation of the Isenheim Altarpiece to communicate an intensely apocalyptic vision of a world that has abandoned nature." (Curiosity and Catastrophe, 3 January 2009)

The masterpiece is mainy about the Crucifixion of Christ, the dark blood of Christ stands out in the painting, it is clearly visible in the dark green colour which constitute to the color of the Flesh of Christ. The sufferings that Christ underwent are clearly reflected in the eyes of Mother Mary who faints in the arms of ST. John.