Gothic/Renaissance Artifacts The Gothic and Renaissance were tumultuous periods in terms of art and architecture. These were times of wild creativity and rapid development when it came to style and subject matter. Artists and architects used not only their own minds and current cultural milieu to create their works, but gained significant depth of expression by acknowledging the traditions of the past. These were used to mold new ideas and new ways of art in a way that was unprecedented at the time. Two examples of this kind of development are Nicola Pisano's marble pulpit of the Pisa Cathedral and Hieronymus Bosch's "The Last Judgment."

Description of Artifacts

Nicola Pisano's marble pulpit in the Pisa Cathedral is a remarkable work indeed. Supported by nine columns, the pulpit is shaped like an octagon and placed on semi-circular arches. Three of the columns are supported by marble lions. The main octagon contains five stories that depict the life of Christ in relief, including the...

Many consider this his finest work for its perfect balance between detail, simplicity, humanity and dignity.
Equally impressive is Bosch's triptych, "The Last Judgment." Being a painting, it is a colorful depiction of the negative side of Christianity. In three parts, it depicts the fall of humanity and its consequences. The first part depicts the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The second depicts the Second Coming of Christ, and the third depicts the suffering imposed by Satan in Hell. An interesting aspect of this work is the visual and thematic similarities between the Second Coming and Hell, both depicted with violent, fiery colors and chaos.

Makers of Artifacts

Both artists are surrounded by some mystery. Pisano's birth place and origins remain unclear, for example, while Bosch's life is shrouded in the unknown. Pisano claimed to…