Final answer:
Artists in the International Gothic style focused on panel paintings and illuminated manuscripts that depicted religious subjects within romanticized settings, embodying a more naturalistic and elegant approach than previous European art.
Step-by-step explanation:
International Gothic Style in Art
Artists who painted in the International Gothic style are known for their refined elegance and the intricate attention to detail. Rather than using larger canvases, they often worked on panel paintings, illuminated manuscripts, and frescoes that incorporated religious subjects. These works featured lush landscapes and were characterized by their graceful linear quality, which presented a more naturalistic approach than the art that came before in Europe. The International Gothic style was a precursor to the Renaissance and reflected a transition in European art where cities, universities, and the emerging bourgeois class began to flourish. This newfound support of the arts marked a shift away from purely ecclesiastical commissions towards a broader patronage that included the rising merchant and middle classes.
Unlike the later protestant artworks that advocated for a clear depiction of religious subjects, Gothic art was not predominately concerned with representing scenes accurately concerning their biblical sources but focused on an elegant aesthetic that could convey spiritual narratives with ornate and symbolic richness. During this era, artists began to sign their works, establishing legacies that allowed us to attribute artworks to individual creators. Gothic painters enhanced the romantic and mystical elements of their scenes, thereby creating atmospheric compositions that might include idealized visions of nature or ruins on windswept landscapes.
In conclusion, the International Gothic style, while deeply rooted in religious subject matter, brought forth a visual language that harmonized religious iconography with real-world elements and romanticized settings, thereby setting the stage for the humanistic explorations of the Renaissance.