MMA132: 2 Italian Renaissance

has become synonymous with the extraordinary cultural phenomenon called the Italian Renaissance.

The Medici family of Florence

The banker who had established the family fortune.

Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici

Medici's son became a great patron of art and of learning in the broadest sense.

Cosimo

The phenomenon known as \____________

The Italian Renaissance is one of the standards stops on any tour through the history of Western culture.

The Renaissance encompasses a roughly \__________ period in Europe. Where architects, poets, and philosophers reconnected with the style and ambitions of ancient Greek and Roman civilization.

300-year

Why do we need to study this lesson?

▪ We believe that the main reason to study history is to rescue certain good, provocative, and inspiring ideas that have been lost in the past.

▪ In order to put them to use in relation to the dilemmas and problems of our own times

Italy-

Florence, Italy 1469

A twenty-year-old nobleman from one of the grandest families of Florence who takes over the family business

Lorenzo de’ Medici

that's been going since 1397 and is the most respected financial institution in Europe with flourishing branches in Florence, Venice, Rome, and Geneva.

The Medici Bank

Lorenzo, like his uncles and his father before him, has

a great gift for business.

Lorenzo and his family are typical of the Florentine upper classes of his age in honoring the business of making money without any of the traditional suspicion of trade found in most Christian societies..

But not only are the Medicis interested in making money they are also extremely ambitious about how to spend money.

Lorenzo and his family believe that the express purpose of what we would now call \_________.

philanthropy is to promote beauty, truth, and wisdom in the world.

Lorenzo de Medici's grandfather had started the collection of books that became known as the \_________ and Lorenzo now expanded it decisively.

Medici library

Lorenzo was a patron of many philosophers including

* Poliziano
* Marsilio Ficino
* Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

Under Lorenzo's guidance, these philosophers (Poliziano, Marsilio Ficino, and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola) undertook pioneering research into Greek philosophy. They absorb the ideas of Epicurus, Zeno, and Aristotle and tried to harmonize Plato's theories with Christianity.

was perhaps best known as a patron of art.

Lorenzo de' Medici

Lorenzo court artists include:

* Ghirlandaio
* Botticelli
* Leonardo da Vinci
* Verrochio
* Michelangelo

The patronage was extremely intimate and involved. He lived with Lorenzo in his family for five years. Dining at his table and participating in discussions led by Marsilio Ficino.

Michelangelo

Although the Medici were quite rich, by modern standards their fortune was a relatively moderate one. Across four crucial decades from the 1430s to 1470s it's estimated that the Medici family spent the equivalent of around half a billion US dollars on intellectual, patronage, architecture, and art works.

Which is a huge sum by comparison with average incomes, but it's not very substantial by comparison with the wealth of the richest people today

Lorenzo fueled the Renaissance for how many years?

30 years

The secret to the Medici's impact was that they didn't see themselves as there simply to hand over the cash to allow artists, architects, and scholars to do whatever they wanted.

The Medicis had a __________, and were extremely direct and didactic in putting it forward; usefully so.

vision, a mission for the arts and philosophy

Guided by his philosopher friend Ficino, Lorenzo thought of art the kind of education under his patronage artists were therefore asked to illustrate \___________ about, say, the \________________.

key philosophical truths

importance of kindness and compassion

The Medicis promoted serenity and glorified the best qualities of the state of good leadership. The Renaissance would never be remembered if its leading members had simply made piles of cash.

The Early Renaissance:

1. Masaccio
2. Donatello
3. Piero della Francesca
4. Lorenzo Ghiberti
5. Andrea Mantegna
6. Filippo Brunelleschi

The High Renaissance:

1. Sandro Botticelli
2. Leonardo da Vinci
3. Raphael
4. Michelangelo
5. Titian

The primary focus of the painters of the Early Renaissance was

the imitation of nature and the creation of a believable three-dimensional reality on flat surface of a painting.

The Early Renaissance in visual art encompasses the first half of the 15th century, and in Italy, Florentine artists took leadership in the development of a new style of painting focusing on illusion

art created on damp plaster

Frescoes

a technique from the north

Oil paints

of human nature

Realistic portrayal

use of shadows to show balance of light and dark

Chiaroscuro

the treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting

Chiaroscuro

particularly in anatomy

Science

It allowed artist to represent objects in relative sizes

Linear perspective

Enumerate the Innovations

Frescoes
Oil paints
Realistic portrayal of human nature
Chiaroscuro
Science
Linear perspective

the most influential artist on Renaissance painting.

Giotto

Father of the Renaissance

Giotto

He dignified figures seemed to displace space, to stand upon the ground with real substance and weight.

Giotto

Created the figures seem to extend both backward, into the picture, and forward, toward the spectator's space.

Giotto

Florentine architect and engineer

Filippo Brunelleschi

Filippo Brunelleschi is the first to carry out a series of optical experiments that led to a \___________.

mathematical theory of perspective.

His method of perspective had a dramatic impact on the depiction of 3-dimensional space in the arts

Filippo Brunelleschi

Filippo Brunelleschi's famous masterpiece

Dome of the Cathedral

abiding interest in mathematics led him, along with Masaccio and Brunelleschi, to create illusionistic spaces in which ideally proportioned and sized human beings enacted religious and secular events. This rationalized space reflected a humanistic worldview in which human beings were the measure of all things.

Piero della Francesca

The renaissance of classical antiquity in the 15th century meant an abandonment of many medieval conventions and an emphasis on solid human forms grounded in an illusionistic space Despite this new substantiality, Piero's paintings still possess an atmosphere of otherworldliness due to his color palette and stillness of his figures.

One of first artists to apply the new method of linear perspective in his fresco of the Holy Trinity

Masaccio

Used a barrel-vaulted ceiling to imitate with precision the true appearance of architectural space

Masaccio

He figures depict accurate human anatomy

Masaccio

He has new sense of naturalism in sculpture

Donatello

Use of classical contrapposto stance (relaxed not rigid)

Donatello

Statue of David considered first full-scale nude since ancient times

Donatello

is an Italian term that means counterpoise. It is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs. This gives the figure a more dynamic, or alternatively relaxed appearance. It can also be used to refer to multiple figures which are in counter-pose (or opposite pose) to one another.

Contrapposto

Created unusual vantage points

Andrea Mantegna

Looking at figures from below

Andrea Mantegna

Lamentation of the Dead Christ the viewer is looking from the feet of the subject.

Andrea Mantegna

Deep foreshortening

Andrea Mantegna

Effectively placed the viewer at the scene, adding to the sense of empathy

Andrea Mantegna

Famous artwork: The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, 1490

Andrea Mantegna

First artist to paint a full-length female nude

Sandro Botticelli

In Birth of Venus the figure occupies the center of the work which was traditionally reserved for the Virgin. This work is possibly the most pagan image of the entire Renaissance.

Sandro Botticelli

He was the most celebrated bronze-caster and goldsmith in early 15th-century Florence, and his many-sided activity makes him the first great representative of the universal artist of the Renaissance.

Lorenzo Ghiberti

He designed bronze doors for the Baptistery, Florence (1403-24 and 1424-32), and from 1420 was appointed supervisor (with Brunelleschi and Battista d'Antonio) for the building of the great dome at Florence Cathedral, a position he held until 1436.

Lorenzo Ghiberti

"Renaissance Man"

Leonardo da Vinci

A polymath

Leonardo da Vinci

"There are three classes of people. Those who see;

those who see when they are shown; those who do not see."

Leonardo da Vinci

Always thought himself a sculptor, not a painter

Michelangelo Buonarroti

A contender for Renaissance Man

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Conducted a battle of wills with Pope Julius II

Michelangelo Buonarroti

"The young painter from Urbino thus adopted the artistic innovations of his elder colleagues, in particular those of Leonardo and Michelangelo, and synthesized them with his own aims." - Toman

Raphael Sanzio

Greatest of the Venetian School

Titian

Most versatile: portrait, landscape, mythological, & religious paintings

Titian

Manner & styles changed drastically throughout long life, but consistent interest in use of color

Titian

introduced realism and real-life things into their art works.

Renaissance artists introduced realism and real-life things into their art works. Most of the art works prior to this period used to primarily focus on religion and Christianity. While many Renaissance artists also painted scenes of religion, they moved more towards humanistic themes, power and the identity of a person as an individual.

Realism

paintings started representing humanism of individual figures. realistic, and more attention was given to details.

Instead of being stereotypes, symbolic figures, paintings started representing humanism of individual figures. The paintings became realistic, and more attention was given to details. Human bodies and faces became more real, and kids looked more like kids rather than miniature forms of human adults.

Humanism

Shadows, perspectives and light elements were efficiently used to bring attention to certain figures in the paintings.

Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance artist from Italy who set higher standards for painting and drawing bodies that were anatomically correct. To have correct understanding of the human body, including its functioning and placement, he performed around 20 autopsies to learn musculature, organ placement and bone structure. Shadows, perspectives and light elements were efficiently used to bring attention to certain figures in the paintings. Some of the art works that show anatomically approved bodies are Mona Lisa, David, Birth of Venus and others.

Anatomically Approved Bodies

painters rediscovered the ideas of horizon line, vanishing point, linear perspective and others. The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci is a perfect example

With an aim to add 3D space and depth to their art work, another of the characteristics of Renaissance art is that their painters rediscovered the ideas of horizon line, vanishing point, linear perspective and others. The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci is a perfect example of how Renaissance artists drew their viewers into their painting by showcasing a scene filled with emotion and psychology. Different reactions of the apostles are shown and the head of Jesus is situated at a vanishing point.

Perspective

used light and shadows to draw a person's attention to a specific point. It aimed at achieving perfect realism in still life.

Renaissance art works played with how light creates shadows and hits the objects in their path. Renaissance artists used light and shadows to draw a person's attention to a specific point in the drawing. Renaissance art was significantly characterized by representation of light via space, and its shadows and reflection on various surfaces. It aimed at achieving perfect realism in still life. This was made possible with the use of oil paints by Renaissance artists. Richer colors could be laid out using oil painting. As they took longer time to dry, the artists had more time to keep reworking on the painting, and achieving finer details with greater realism.

Light and Shadows

It aimed at making their drawings more realistic and natural, especially people. Human figures in these art works displayed emotions and looked solid, allowing the viewers to connect with their thoughts and feelings.

Renaissance artists aimed at making their drawings more realistic and natural, especially people. After studying human anatomy and measuring proportions, they sought ideal form of human bodies in their paintings and sculptures. Human figures in these art works displayed emotions and looked solid, allowing the viewers to connect with their thoughts and feelings. While earlier paintings focused mainly on religious scenes and classical mythology, or they depicted the lifestyles and richness of the wealthy only, Renaissance art works featured domestic interiors of common people, and portrayed lives of the peasants carrying out their everyday tasks.

Nature and Reality

Popes started spending extravagantly on paintings, sculpture and architecture to recapture the influence they lost during that period.

Churches and Christianity was going through a period of decline and weakness during the Renaissance period, and this clearly showed in the paintings of those times. As the Churches became weaker, more significance started being given to humanism and human actions.

Weakness of Church

parallels the beginning of an age of discovery.

In terms of art history, many of the characteristics of Renaissance art and its period parallels the beginning of an age of discovery. During this period, people developed a great craving to explore each and every aspect of the world and their nature. European explorers were discovering new continents and sea routes, and establishing new colonies at that time.

Exploration

Italy had a massive repository of artifacts and classical ruins as well. All these factors joined together to begin Renaissance in Italy influenced by the ancient Roman art.

Apart from being a rich trading country among the Orient and Europe, Italy had a massive repository of artifacts and classical ruins as well. Roman architecture could be seen in almost every city and town, including replicas of lost art works from Greece. Many Greek scholars also emigrated to Italy and brought with them significant texts of Greek classics.

All these factors joined together to begin Renaissance in Italy influenced by the ancient Roman art. Being laid by a number of social, political and economic factors, Renaissance period was primarily led forward by Italian artists. Some of the most prominent sculptors, painters, designers and architects of that period include Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Titian.

Ancient Art Influence

It depicts the classical myth of Venus rising from the sea. In the painting the goddess of love, Venus, born out of a seashell, a fully mature woman, is arriving at the sea shore. It remains one of the most treasured artworks of the Renaissance.

The Birth of Venus (1486) - Botticelli

It is considered as the greatest masterpiece of Titian, one of the most versatile and popular painters in history

Assumption of the Virgin (1518) - Titian

It depicts the Madonna, holding the Christ Child and flanked by Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara. Also, there are two winged cherubs beneath Mary, who are perhaps the most famous cherubs depicted in any picture. Such is their popularity that there are many legends regarding how he painted them.

Sistine Madonna (1512) - Raphael

It means 'the season of spring' and the painting is sometimes also referred to as 'Allegory of Spring'

It is "one of the most written about and most controversial paintings in the world." The fascinating use of color and multiple interpretations of the work have made the painting hugely popular and it often cited as a prime example of the grace of Early Renaissance art.

Primavera (1482) - Sandro Botticelli

It is one of the most influential works in fresco in the history of Western art. Painted on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, it depicts the Second Coming of Christ (a future return of Jesus to earth) and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity.

The Last Judgement (1541) - Michelangelo Buonarroti

Many critics consider him as the first genius of modern painting and some claim that no artist has surpassed him with only a handful coming close. His fresco cycle on the Scrovegni Chapel is one of the most important masterpieces of Western art and '____________' is the most famous painting of the cycle.

The Kiss of Judas (1306) - Giotto di Bondone

is one of the four main frescoes on the walls of the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The four paintings epitomize Philosophy, Poetry, Theology, and Law; with '_________' representing Philosophy. Critics have suggested that every great Greek philosopher can be found among the 21 painted in the painting. It is considered "the perfect embodiment of the classical spirit of the High Renaissance."

The School of Athens (1509) - Raphael

It masterfully depicts the bewilderment and confusion that occurs among the disciples of Jesus when he announces that one of them would betray him. Leonardo's detailed knowledge of anatomy, light, botany and geology; his interest in how humans register emotion in expression and gesture; and his subtle gradation of tone; all come together to make this painting among the most revered and famous works of all time.

The Last Supper (1498) - Leonardo da Vinci

His work done on the Sistine Chapel ceiling is a cornerstone of Renaissance art and \_______________ is the most famous fresco panel of the masterpiece.

The Creation of Adam (1512) - Michelangelo Buonarroti

It has been acclaimed as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about and the most parodied work of art in the world". Its fame rests, in particular, on the elusive smile on the woman's face which is why it is also known as "la Gioconda", or the laughing one. It was forever a work in progress, as it was his attempt at perfection. \n \n The painting was never delivered to its commissioner; Da Vinci kept it with him till the end of his life. Guinness World Records lists the 'Mona Lisa' as having the highest insurance value for a painting in history. It was assessed at US$100 million on December 14, 1962, which after adjusting inflation, would be around today

Mona Lisa (1517) - Leonardo da Vinci

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The Birth of Venus (1486) – Botticelli

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Assumption of the Virgin (1518) – Titian

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Sistine Madonna (1512) – Raphael

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Primavera (1482) - Sandro Botticelli

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The Last Judgement (1541) - Michelangelo Buonarroti

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The Kiss of Judas (1306) - Giotto di Bondone

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The School of Athens (1509) – Raphael