Italian Renaissance Art

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Italian Renaissance Art
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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 Donatellos David which stood
  in the Medici courtyard during the wedding of
  Lorenzo de Medici.
• In Milan, the Sforzas commissioned Leonardos
  The Last Supper

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Patronage

• c. Patronage also came from local churches who
  increasingly saw Renaissance art as a means of
  glorifying God. Some notable examples include
• Brunelleschis Il Duomo built for the Santa Maria
  del Fiore cathedral
• Ghibertis two sets of doors for the baptistery
  opposite Il Duomo
• Michelangelos David was originally commissioned
  for the cathedral (but was too heavy and thus
  placed elsewhere).

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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. Bramantes Tempietto)
• A few of the notable works commissioned by the
  Church in this period include
• Michelangelos dome atop St. Peters Cathedral,
  his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine
  Chapel, and the sculpture Pieta that is located
  within the cathedral
• Raphaels The School of Athens (a fresco painting
  inside the papal apartments)
• Bramantes Tempietto, a small church that is a
  masterpiece in classical architecture and his
  floor plan for a newly rebuilt St. Peters
  cathedral. (Much of his plans were altered after
  his death)

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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

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1. Realism Expression

• Expulsion fromthe Garden
• Masaccio
• 1427
• First nudes sinceclassical times.

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2. Perspective

• The Trinity
• Masaccio
• 1427

Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
Perspective!
First use of linear perspective!
What you are, I once was what I am, you will
become.
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Perspective
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3. Classicism

• Greco-Roman influence.
• Secularism.
• Humanism.
• Individualism ? free standing figures.
• Symmetry/Balance

The Classical PoseMedici Venus (1c)
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4. Emphasis on Individualism

• Batista Sforza Federico de Montefeltre The
  Duke Dutchess of Urbino
• Piero della Francesca, 1465-1466.

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Isabella dEste 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!

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5. Geometrical Arrangement of Figures

• The Dreyfus Madonna with the Pomegranate
• Leonardo da Vinci
• 1469
• The figure as architecture!

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6. Light Shadowing/Softening Edges
Sfumato
Chiaroscuro
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7. Artists as Personalities/Celebrities

• Lives of the Most Excellent Painters,
  Sculptors, andArchitects
• Giorgio Vasari
• 1550

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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

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Lorenzo the Magnificent
Cosimo de Medici
1478 - 1521
1517 - 1574
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The Liberation of Sculpture

• David by Donatello
• 1430
• First free-form bronze since Roman times!

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David Verrocchio1473 - 1475
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Leonardo, the Sculptor

• An Equestrian Statue
• 1516-1518

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• David
• MichelangeloBuonarotti
• 1504
• Marble

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? 15c
Whatadifferenceacenturymakes!
16c ?
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The Popes as Patrons of the Arts

• The Pieta
• MichelangeloBuonarroti
• 1499
• marble

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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)

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Florence Under the Medici
Medici Chapel
The Medici Palace
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• Filippo Brunelleschi1377 - 1436
• Architect
• Cuppolo of St. Mariadel Fiore

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Filippo Brunelleschi

• Commissioned to build the cathedral dome.
• Used unique architectural concepts.
• He studied the ancient Pantheon in Rome.
• Used ribs for support.

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Brunelleschis Dome
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Comparing Domes
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Other Famous Domes
Il Duomo St. Peters St. Pauls
US capital (Florence) (Rome)
(London) (Washington)
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A Contest to Decorate the Cathedral Sacrifice of
Isaac Panels
Brunelleschi
Ghiberti
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Ghiberti Gates of ParadiseBaptistry Door,
Florence 1425 - 1452
The Winner!