Transcript Italian Renaissance Art - apeuro

Italian Renaissance Art
Patronage
 Florence was the leader in Renaissance art especially in the
quattrocento (1400s)
 Giorgio Vasari (1511-74): The Lives of the Artists
 Contemporary Renaissance art historian who left much valuable information
about Renaissance artists and their works.
 Massive patronage for the arts came from wealthy merchant-families
(such as the Medicis) who commissioned countless works
 In essence, the wealth of Florence was mirrored by the superb artistic
output of the Renaissance
 A good example is Donatello‘s David which stood in the Medici courtyard during the wedding
of Lorenzo de Medici.
 In Milan, the Sforza‘s commissioned Leonardo‘s The Last Supper
Patronage
 c. Patronage also came from local churches who increasingly saw
Renaissance art as a means of glorifying God. Some notable examples
include
 Brunelleschi‘s Il Duomo built for the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral
 Ghiberti‘s two sets of doors for the baptistery opposite Il Duomo
 Michelangelo‘s David was originally commissioned for the cathedral (but was too
heavy and thus placed elsewhere).
Rome
 Became the center of the Renaissance in 1500s (cinquecento)
 With the decline of Florence in the late-15th century, Renaissance
dominance shifted to Rome.
 Pope Alexander VI (r. 1492-1503): most notorious of the
Renaissance popes; spent huge sums on art patronage (e.g. Bramante‘s
Tempietto)
 A few of the notable works commissioned by the Church in this period
include
 Michelangelo‘s dome atop St. Peter‘s Cathedral, his paintings on the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture Pieta that is located within the cathedral
 Raphael‘s The School of Athens (a fresco painting inside the papal apartments)
 Bramante‘s Tempietto, a small church that is a masterpiece in classical architecture;
and his floor plan for a newly rebuilt St. Peter‘s cathedral. (Much of his plans were
altered after his death)
New artistic techniques
 Painting
 Perspective: 3-D effects on a 2-dimensional surface
 Medieval works, in contrast, looked flat and two-dimensional
 Chiaroscuro: use of dark and light colors to create the illusion of depth
 Faces of subjects expressed unique individual characteristics (embodied
Renaissance ideal of ―individualism)
 Also, more emotion was shown on human faces
 In contrast, medieval paintings tended to be more stylized in their
portrayal of human faces (i.e. more generic)
 Sfumato developed by Leonardo; a technique of blurring or softening
sharp outlines
1. Realism & Expression
 Expulsion from
the Garden
 Masaccio
 1427
 First nudes since
classical times.
2. Perspective
The Trinity
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Masaccio
1427
Perspective!
First use
of linear
perspective!
What you are,
I once was;
what I am,
you will
become.
Perspective
3. Classicism
Greco-Roman
influence.
Secularism.
Humanism.
Individualism  free
standing figures.
Symmetry/Balance
The “Classical Pose”
Medici “Venus” (1c)
4. Emphasis on Individualism
 Batista Sforza & Federico de Montefeltre: The
Duke & Dutchess of Urbino
 Piero della Francesca, 1465-1466.
Isabella d’Este – da Vinci, 1499
1474-1539
“First Lady of
the Italian
Renaissance.”
Great patroness
of the arts.
Known during her
time as “First
Lady of the
World!”
5. Geometrical Arrangement of
Figures
 The Dreyfus
Madonna
with the
Pomegranate
 Leonardo da
Vinci
 1469
 The figure as
architecture!
6. Light & Shadowing/Softening Edges
Sfumato
Chiaroscuro
7. Artists as Personalities/Celebrities
Lives of the Most
Excellent
Painters,
Sculptors, and
Architects
Giorgio Vasari
1550
Sculpture
 Renaissance sculpture was often free-standing, designed to be seen in the
round
 Heavily influenced by ancient Greek and Roman sculpture
 Contrast with medieval sculpture that largely was done in relief
 Many sculptures glorified the human body and many portrayed nude
figures (like works in ancient Greece and Rome)
 Like Renaissance painting, many Renaissance sculptures glorified the
individual
Lorenzo
the Magnificent
1478 - 1521
Cosimo de Medici
1517 - 1574
The Liberation of
Sculpture
 David by Donatello
 1430
 First free-form bronze
since Roman times!
David
Verrocchio
1473 - 1475
Leonardo, the Sculptor
 An
Equestrian
Statue
 1516-1518
 David
 Michelangelo
Buonarotti
 1504
 Marble
 15c
What
a
difference
a
century
makes!
16c 
The Popes as Patrons of the Arts
The Pieta
Michelangelo
Buonarroti
1499
marble
Architecture
 Utilized ancient Greek and Roman forms such as Greek temple
architecture (with triangular pediments), Greek columns, Roman
arches and domes (e.g. the Pantheon in Rome)
 Simplicity, symmetry and balance.
 Contrasted sharply with the highly-ornamented gothic style of the
middle ages of pointed arches (as evidenced in numerous medieval
cathedrals)
Florence Under the Medici
Medici Chapel
The Medici Palace
 Filippo Brunelleschi
1377 - 1436
 Architect
 Cuppolo of St. Maria
del Fiore
Filippo Brunelleschi
 Commissioned to build the
cathedral dome.
 Used unique architectural
concepts.
 He studied the ancient
Pantheon in Rome.
 Used ribs for support.
Brunelleschi’s Dome
Comparing Domes
Other Famous Domes
Il Duomo
(Florence)
St. Peter’s
(Rome)
St. Paul’s
(London)
US capital
(Washington)
A Contest to Decorate the Cathedral: Sacrifice of
Isaac Panels
Brunelleschi
Ghiberti
Ghiberti – Gates of Paradise
Baptistry Door, Florence – 1425 - 1452
The Winner!