Transcript Renaissance
The Renaissance Birth of Venus – Botticelli, 1485 Aim: Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy? (1)Explain how life was during the Greek and Roman civilizations. (2)Explain Humanism and Secularism. (3)Who was Leonardo DaVinci and what did he contribution to Art Before the Middle Ages, before the Plague, there was the glory of the ancient Greeks and Romans. After the damage of the Bubonic Plague, Western European society changed. In Italy, people began to look to the past, to the glories of early civilizations. The “Dark Ages” Renaissance thinkers referred to the Middle Ages as the “Dark Ages”. They believed that the “light of learning” had gone out in Europe at the fall of Rome. Renaissance thinkers wanted to rediscover the ancient Greeks and Romans. What a piece of work is man! In Italy, a new period of artistic creativity and new interest in the contributions of the Greeks and Romans developed. It was a rebirth. It was the Renaissance. The word “Renaissance” means rebirth. And why did the Renaissance begin in Italy? Italy had a great location for trade. It was king of the Mediterranean Sea. It controlled European trade with Asia. Renaissance thinkers were interested in discovering new ways of thinking and seeing. During the Renaissance, humanism became popular. It was the belief in the importance and uniqueness of man. Secularism During the Renaissance, secularism became popular. Secularism is a non-religious viewpoint. Secularists look to scientific thinking for answers as opposed to religion. Humanism During the Renaissance, humanism became popular. Humanism is the belief that human actions, ideas, and works are important. Humanists rediscovered the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Renaissance The Renaissance was a period of artistic creativity. Artists rediscovered the ancient civilizations of the Greeks and Romans. The word “Renaissance” means rebirth. Humanism • Celebrated the individual • Stimulated the study of classical Greek and Roman literature and culture • Supported by wealthy patrons Wealth from trade allowed artists to find wealthy patrons to commission and sponsor their work. The rebirth and rediscovery of learning of the Renaissance soon spread to other parts of Europe. Medici Family Medici Family They were a family of bankers that became very wealthy and powerful. Soon they were involved in politics and ran the City of Florence. They were patrons of the Arts and commissioned many works of art. LITERARY CONTRIBUTORS Gutenberg Bible Gutenburg Printing Press Movable Type Sir Thomas Moore: Utopia Erasmus: The Praise of Folly Petrarch: Sonnets, humanist scholarship Machiavelli’s The Prince • An early modern treatise on government • Supports absolute power of the ruler • Maintains that the end justifies the means • Advises that one should not only do good if possible, but do evil when necessary Secularists look to scientific thinking for answers. Ideas of Machiavelli “It is better to be feared than loved…” “The ends justifies the means…” The Prince Author: Niccolo Machiavelli Culture: Italian (another Florentine) Time: 1513 CE Genre: didactic prose handbook Name to Know: Cesare Borgia Background Son of a lawyer. Received an ordinary literary education; read Latin but no Greek. Loved Roman history; studied law. Became a political writer & theorist. Worked as a clerk, then secretary to the second chancery of the commune in Florence (14 years). Practical Experience As secretary & Second Chancellor of Florence, in charge of internal and war affairs, he had knowledge of military & diplomatic matters; went on diplomatic missions. After arguing against mercenaries and for a national militia, he was given the job of forming one and leading it to battle. Did so successfully(1509). Another Florentine Exile . . . He lost his position and was exiled from Florence when the republican regime went out of power; forbidden to leave Florentine territory, he was imprisoned and tortured, accused of conspiracy by the new Medici regime. After he was released, he retired with his wife and children, wrote The Prince, among other things. Later got into Medici good graces (1520s). Died in 1527. Reaction to Change Machiavelli’s life changed drastically when the Medici family took power in Florence. How does he react to this? Compare with how Abelard and Dante dealt with the unforeseen events in their lives (castration, exile). How would Marie de France judge their reactions to unexpected change, the test of unforeseen events ? His Importance An historian summed Machiavelli up thus: ‘Diplomat, historian, dramatist, philosopher; the most cynical thinker of his time, and yet a patriot fired with a noble ideal; a man who failed in everything he undertook, but left upon history a deeper mark than almost any other figure of the Renaissance.’ [Durant] Machiavelli was an independent and fearless thinker about ethics and politics: - interested in states, not individuals [individuals are simply members of states] - wants to know why states rise & fall - wants to know how to delay state decay The Prince A manual teaching how to get and keep political power. The author assumes a pedagogical persona, seeks to persuade readers. The work is powerful for: subject matter rhetorical & technical brilliance Among the most frequently reprinted books in any language. Dedicated first to Giuliano de’ Medici, then to Lorenzo, his nephew. The presentation of an ideal character is a Renaissance tendency. Author’s premise: human nature is evil; human nature remains constant over time. Author’s goal: to liberate Italy from both internal warring and foreign oppression. The Prince, Almost Machiavelli admired Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, makes him an embodied will to power, a model for supermen, beyond good and evil. Borgia’s Accomplishments - Destroyed his disloyal generals, having first made their supporters his own. - Put Remirro de Orco in charge of Romagna. He pacified the province and united it (the bad guy); Borgia then instituted civil courts (good guy). - Had Remirro killed and displayed in public square. “The ferocity of this spectacle left those people at the same time gratified and awestruck.” Art and Patronage Italians were willing to spend a lot of money on art. – Art communicated social, political, and spiritual values. – Italian banking & international trade interests had the money. Public art in Florence was organized and supported by guilds. Therefore, the consumption of art was used as a form of competition for social & political status! 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 Perspective! Betrothal of the Virgin Raphael 1504 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 Renaissance Florence Florentine lion: symbol of St. Mark 1252 – first gold florins minted The Wool Factory by Mirabello Cavalori, 1570 Lorenzo the Magnificent 1478 - 1521 Cosimo de Medici 1517 - 1574 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 “Secret” Brunelleschi’s Dome Comparing Domes Other Famous Domes Il Duomo (Florence) St. Peter’s (Rome) St. Paul’s (London) US capital (Washington) The Ideal City Piero della Francesca, 1470 A Contest to Decorate the Cathedral: Sacrifice of Isaac Panels Brunelleschi Ghiberti Ghiberti – Gates of Paradise Baptistry Door, Florence – 1425 - 1452 The Winner! The Liberation of Sculpture David by Donatello 1430 First free-form bronze since Roman times! David Verrocchio 1473 - 1475 Vitruvian Man Leonardo da Vinci 1492 The L’uomo universale The Renaissance “Man” Broad knowledge about many things in different fields. Deep knowledge/skill in one area. Able to link information from different areas/disciplines and create new knowledge. The Greek ideal of the “well-rounded man” was at the heart of Renaissance education. 1. Self-Portrait -- da Vinci, 1512 Artist Sculptor Architect Scientist Engineer Inventor 1452 - 1519 Leonardo, the Artist: From hisNotebooks of over 5000 pages (1508-1519) Mona Lisa – da Vinci, 1503-4 ParodyThe Best Form of Flattery? A Macaroni Mona A Picasso Mona An Andy Warhol Mona A “Mona”ca Lewinsky Mona Lisa OR da Vinci?? The Last Supper - da Vinci, 1498 & Geometry Refractory Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie Milan vertical The Last Supper - da Vinci, 1498 horizontal Perspective! Deterioration Detail of Jesus The Last Supper Leonardo da Vinci 1498 A Da Vinci “Code”: St. John or Mary Magdalene? Leonardo, the Sculptor An Equestrian Statue 1516-1518 Leonardo, the Architect: Pages from his Notebook Study of a central church. 1488 Leonardo, the Architect: Pages from his Notebook Plan of the city of Imola, 1502. Leonardo, the Scientist (Biology): Pages from his Notebook An example of the humanist desire to unlock the secrets of nature. Leonardo, the Scientist (Anatomy): Pages from his Notebook Leonardo, the Inventor: Pages from his Notebook Man Can Fly? Leonardo, the Engineer: A study of siege defenses. Pages from his Notebook Studies of water-lifting devices. Leonardo da Vinci…. O investigator, do not flatter yourself that you know the things nature performs for herself, but rejoice in knowing that purpose of those things designed by your own mind. 2. Michelangelo Buonorrati 1475 – 1564 He represented the body in three dimensions of sculpture. 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 The Sistine Chapel Michelangelo Buonarroti 1508 - 1512 The Sistine Chapel’s Ceiling Michelangelo Buonarroti 1508 - 1512 The Sistine Chapel Details The Creation of the Heavens The Sistine Chapel Details Creation of Man The Sistine Chapel Details The Fall from Grace The Sistine Chapel Details The Last Judgment The School of Athens – Raphael, 1510 -11 One point perspective. All of the important Greek philosophers and thinkers are included all of the great personalities of the Seven Liberal Arts! A great variety of poses. Located in the papal apartments library. Raphael worked on this commission simultaneously as Michelangelo was doing the Sistine Chapel. No Christian themes here. The School of Athens – Raphael, 1510 -11 Da Vinci Raphael Michelangelo The School of Athens – Raphael, details Plato: looks to the heavens [or the IDEAL realm]. Aristotle: looks to this earth [the here and now]. Averroes Hypatia Pythagoras Zoroaster Ptolemy Euclid A Portrait of Savonarola By Fra Bartolomeo, 1498. Dominican friar who decried money and power. Anti-humanist he saw humanism as too secular, hedonistic, and corrupting. The “Bonfire of the Vanities,” 1497. / Burned books, artwork, jewelry, and other luxury goods in public. / Even Botticelli put some of his paintings on the fire!! The Execution of Savonarola, 1452