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When, by whom and why was the term Renaissance coined? Who was the first to use it for an Italian context?
Michele's in 1855 to talk about an art period in France. Burckhardt borrows the term and applies it to Italy
Definition of the Renaissance
"The revival of the arts and high culture under the influence of classical models which started in the 14th century"
What did the renaissance start as? Who was the first to create the Renaissance narrative?
A literary movement in Florence, initiated by Petrarch in his humanist writing which discussed "longing for the Latin of the romans"
Which notable Renaissance writers/artists carried Petrarch's ideas forward? How so?
Boccaccio (Petrarch's pupil) talked about Petrarch reinstating interest in ancient tradition, and Giotto states that Petrarch "restored to light the art of painting"
What was the shift in how art is defined from 1400 to 1500?
Art shifts from being seen as a mechanical, practical trade to noble, intellectual, theoretical liberal art
Which comparison allows the visual arts to make the shift from a trade to a liberal art? Where can this comparison be found?
Painting is like poetry (quote from Horace)
-> on the cover of Petrarch's Virgil made by Martini
-> Petrarch compares Martini to Virgil, thus placing them in the same pedestal
What is the Renaissance myth?
The idea that the Renaissance is purely about the rediscovery of the classics after the the dark ages
What role did Petrarch play in creating the Renaissance myth?
Created a vision of the Middle Ages and distinguished it from the glorious classics
-> Middle Ages depicted as dark and ignorant
Why is Petrarch's construction of the Renaissance seen as a myth?
It is untrue that the Middle Ages completely neglected antiquity
Which prominent art historians helped perpetuate this myth?
Ghiberti and Vasari
What was the cultural context for artists during the 1300's?
Artists were responding to the influence of the Franciscan order which aimed to make the church more accessible to everyday people -> eyewitness principle
Why are there debates in locating the Renaissance?
- tensions between associating Florence or Rome to the birth of the Ren
-> Ghiberti states that narrative begins with Giotto (Florentine)
-> other evidence points towards Cavallini (Roman)
-> other evidence also points towards Duccio (Siena)
How does Vasari influence the debate about locating the Ren?
Attributes a Duccio painting to Cimabue in order to keep the narrative about the ren having started in Florence
How does Ghiberti influence the Florentine tradition of the beginnings of the Ren?
Reduces Duccio (Sienese) to the old, Byzantine Greek style
In what way is the Renaissance as much about innovation as looking back at antiquity?
- artists move away from Byzantine 'Greek' style and move towards a more naturalistic style
In what way is the transition from Byzantine to naturalistic blurry?
Artists seemed to use these two approaches during the same period for different contexts, for example retaining more traditional styles for religious works, showier that the function of the artwork played a role in how it was approached
Romanesque style
- architectural style of medieval Europe, characterized by semi-circular arches, massive quality, thick walls, round arches, sturdy piers, groin vaults, large towers, decorative arcading.
- resembles classical structures but is slightly alternative
In what way did the Ren begin with a competition?
Competition for artists to create a set of doors for the Florence baptistery
-> contestants included Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Lamberti, d'Arezzo, etc
What was the theme of these baptistery doors?
- theme: sacrifice of Isaac
-> Old Testament, Abraham needs to sacrifice his son Isaac to God to prove his devotion
What were the main differences between Ghiberti's and Brunelleschi's approach?
Ghiberti:
- more unified
- Abraham as a unifying element
- heroic depriving of Isaac
- required less bronze
- incorporation of the environment
- angels approaching
Brunelleschi:
- more cluttered
- all characters are the same size
- angel already intervening
Why is the outcome of this competition disputed?
Ghiberti claims to have secured his victory, while Manetti states that it was a tie and that the artists worked on it together
In what way what Ghiberti an innovative artist for the time period?
- use of depth (e.g in grouping figures)
- elegance (curves and movement)
- use of natural elements to create more realism
- clearer relationship between figure and background
How did competition fuel artistic innovation?
set up rivalry amongst artists
How can we see that Donatello shows artistic innovation when comparing his 'St. Mark' niche in Orsanmichele to Ghiberti's 'Baptist'?
Ghiberti:
- exuberant, elegant drapery
- intentional drama added to the fabric
- more contrast
- more gothic
Donatello:
- drapery more true to reality
- less dramatic pose
- link between figure and space
- more inspired by classical figures
- use of naturalism in the fabric's folds
- moved away from gothic patterns
Who invented the schiacciato technique?
Donatello
How does Ghiberti's Baptism of Christ and Donatello's Herod's Banquet show artistic competition
Donatello invents schiacciato relief , which is brought further by Ghiberti, and Donatello responds to this by bringing the technique even further and combining it with central point perspective and plenarity
-> artistic competition drives artistic innovation
Schiacciato Relief
Italian for "squashed" referring to very thin reliefs often barely incised on a surface.
- thin stratas to produce a sense of space
How does 'Herold's Banquet' by Donatello show his mastery of the schiaccato technique?
- three different depths in space
- use of perspective, not merely a suggestion of space
- use of orthogonals
How does architecture complicate the Ren myth and the transition from gothic to classical art styles, especially when compared to painting?
In painting, the classical style began earlier than in architecture. Romanesque architecture, which is inspired by ancient Roman styles, started already in the 1100's. E.g San Miniato -> Romanesque (1100's), Santa Croce -> gothic (1200), San Lorenzo (1400)
How does Pienza cathedral complicate the renaissance myth?
Built in 15th century, but built in gothic style because the pope who commissioned it had gone to Germany and was inspired by the style
What is the lost wax technique? Who was it used by and for which artwork?
- technique to convert wax patterns to cast metal
- Ghiberti used it to minimise his metal use and achieve intricate details
- Ghiberti's bronze 'St. John' -> Orsanmichele
How does Nanni show innovation in his 'St. Philip' statue for Orsanmichele?
- drapery realism
-> folds that are responsive to the figure's pose (unlike the ironed flat appearance of 'St Luke's' garments)
-> thick drapery paradoxically reveals more of the body underneath it, creating a more naturalistic effect?
- decorated sandals
-> represents shoemaker's guild
Which guilds did Lamberti, Ghiberti and Nanni each devote their statue to?
Lamberti -> inclusion of a pen to represent Notaries' Guild
Ghiberti -> luxuruous drapery for Calimala Guild (wool)
Nanni -> shoemakers guild
Donatello -> linen guild
How did Donatello give the illusion of realism, particularly given shallow limitations of his marble block, in 'St. Mark'
- Rotated the figure's torso counterclockwise to create the illusion of an axis and trick the viewer to perceive the statue as fully dimensional
- deep cuts for specific areas to create shadowed tonal contrasts
- incises finer details e.g in St Mark's beard and garment fringes which resemble drawing rather than carving
Which symbols in Donatello's St. Mark allude to the linen guild which it was created for?
- stands on a pillow -> linen products associated with guild
Commensuration
"measuring together" ; the principle of carrying consistent proportions through a large architectural design or across a representation in perspective
How does the front piece to Petrarch's Virgil show the elevation of art from a craft to a liberal art?
- interplay between literature (role of imagination) and painting (skill of hand)
- Martini put on the same level as Virgil
- "this man allowed you to attain the aims of the Greek" -> link to Classical authors and roman literature reached the goals of Greek literature (the glorification of antiquity as a whole)
- the poet (Virgil) as a see-er of divine knowledge/revelation which is then cast to the general people // Simone being compared to Virgil places the painter as the portrayer of divine knowledge as well
