Art 101

He was seen as a pioneer in pursuing a naturalistic approach to representation based on observation.   He was known as the Father of Western Pictorial art. Regardless of other influences on hi style, his true teacher was nature, “the world of visible things.”   He introduced the Byzantine style along with restoring the naturalistic approach the ancient’s developed and medieval artists largely abandoned. He also inaugurated an age that method of pictorial expression based on observation and initiated an age that might be called “early scientific.” With his art he and his successors contributed to the foundation of empirical science, revealed nature while observing it and divining its visible order, and turning western artists resolutely towards the visible world as their source of knowledge of nature.

A lot of the art did around the 13th and 14th century was commissioned by patrons. An artist would not do any type of large art work unless commission to do so. Mostly the patrons were civic groups, religious entity, private individual, or even the artists' guild itself. Monastic orders, confraternities, and the popes were major patrons along with the wealthy families that could afford a custom art. Art know a days are free for everyone to see and no one really commissions artist to do a specific piece. Artist are allowed to do as they want and are able to show case their art to a great many in hopes that their piece is found interesting and that someone will buy it for a good amount. While in the 13th and 14th the artist were asked to enter into a contract that went over many details as to what was use in the painting, what it would look like, how long before deadline and etc. Though as always the artist was compensated for their work only if the work met the standards of those who ordered it.