Italian Art History

• No specific architect, built overtime**

• Baptistery, Romanesque building

• Florence, Italy

• Consecrated 1059

• Marble, serpentinite, and sandstone**

• Fact: Built on the Temple of Mars; dedicated to John the Baptist.

• Andrea Pisano

• First Baptistery Door; Stories of the Life of John

• Baptistery, Florence, Italy

• c. 1330

• Gilded bronze

• Andrea Pisano was a pupil of Giotto.

• Lorenzo Ghiberti

• Baptistery Doors; Stories of the Life of Christ

• Baptistery, Florence, Italy

• 1402–1425

• Gilded bronze

• Fact: The story begins with the Annunciation at eye level and proceeds left to right, then upward.

• Lorenzo Ghiberti

• Gates of Paradise; ten panels depicting Genesis and Old Testament scenes

• Baptistery, Florence, Italy

• 1425–1452

• Gilded bronze

• Fact: The professor's notes identify Il Paradiso as the space between the cathedral and Baptistery.

• Cimabue

• Crucifix

• Sacristy, Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence

• 1287–1288

• Distemper on wood

• Fact: An Italo-Byzantine work that attempts a more realistic depiction of Christ but retains an elongated body.

• Giotto

• Crucifix

• Santa Maria Novella, Florence

• c. 1290

• Distemper on wood

• Fact: More naturalistic than Cimabue's crucifix; uses foreshortening to create a more convincing body.

• Filippo Brunelleschi

• Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore

• Florence, Italy

• 1418–1436

• Laid bricks

• Fact: Uses a herringbone brick pattern and double-shell construction.

• Lorenzo Ghiberti

• Sacrifice of Isaac; competition panel

• Bargello, Florence, Italy

• 1401–1402

• Bronze and gold

• Fact: Ghiberti's panel was praised for its narrative, visual division of space, quicker execution, and lighter, less expensive construction.

• Filippo Brunelleschi

• Sacrifice of Isaac; competition panel

• Bargello, Florence, Italy

• 1401–1402

• Bronze and gold

• Fact: Brunelleschi’s panel was cast in multiple bronze pieces, making it heavier and more expensive to produce than Ghiberti’s. (AI)

Compare the Competition Panels

• Both depicted the Sacrifice of Isaac for the 1401–1402 Florence Baptistery competition.

• Ghiberti’s panel features a more harmonious composition, graceful figures, and refined detail, combining Gothic elegance with classical influence.

• Brunelleschi’s panel is more dramatic and forceful, emphasizing tension, expressive anatomy, and movement.

• Ghiberti won because of his effective storytelling, sophisticated casting technique, and lighter, less expensive construction,

• Brunelleschi’s panel demonstrated a bolder approach to space and human emotion.

• Masaccio

• The Holy Trinity

• Santa Maria Novella, Florence

• 1425–1428

• Fresco

• Patrons: Mr and Mrs Lenzi, their alter

• Fact: The skeleton's inscription reads, “What you are, I once was; what I am, you will become.” It serves as a memento mori. (AI)

• Donatello

• St. George

• Originally made for Or San Michele, Florence; now in the Bargello

• 1416–1418

• Marble

• Fact: Commissioned by the armorers and swordmakers guild. The statue may originally have had bronze armor fittings; traces of later dark paint were also found. (AI)

• Rilievo stiacciato below (flattened squashed relief invented by Donatello)

• Donatello

• David

• Bargello, Florence, Italy

• 1408–1409

• Marble

• Fact: The class notes mention the impression of stiffness in the fabric and the slingshot on Goliath's forehead.

Compare

• Donatello’s marble David (c. 1408–1409) was an early work commissioned for Florence Cathedral.

• David is clothed in a detailed tunic, emphasizing the texture and stiffness of the fabric, while his youthful face and subtle contrapposto show emerging Renaissance interest in naturalism and classical sculpture.

• In contrast, the bronze David (c. 1440) was made for the Medici family and depicts David nude except for his hat and boots, standing triumphantly with one foot on Goliath’s severed head.

• Its nudity, relaxed pose, and idealized anatomy revive classical Greek and Roman ideals of the human body.

• The marble sculpture retains more Gothic influences, while the bronze demonstrates a more confident Renaissance revival of Antiquity.

• Donatello

• David

• Originally made for the courtyard of Palazzo Medici Riccardi; now in the Bargello

• 1440s

• Bronze

• Fact: Identified in the notes as the first freestanding nude statue after Antiquity. Strong homo themes

• Andrea del Verrocchio

• David

• Bargello, Florence, Italy

• c. 1469

• Bronze

• Fact: The face has been suggested to resemble the young Leonardo da Vinci; this identification is uncertain. (AI)

• Michelangelo

• Bacchus

• Bargello, Florence, Italy

• 1497

• Marble

• Fact: Cardinal Riario was disappointed with the statue; it was sold to Jacopo Galli.

• Michelangelo

• Tondo Pitti

• Bargello, Florence, Italy

• 1503–1505

• Marble

• Fact: Unfinished; Michelangelo left for Rome to work on the tomb monument for Pope Julius II.

• Giambologna

• Apennine Colossus

• Villa Demidoff, Pratolino, commissioned by Francis I de' Medici

• 1580

• Stone

• Fact: Approximately 36 feet tall, with three interior rooms.

• Giambologna

• Mercury

• Bargello, Florence, Italy

• 1578–1580

• Bronze

• Fact: Associated with the term figura serpentinata.

• Leon Battista Alberti

• Façade of Santa Maria Novella

• Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy

• 1458–1470

• white and green marble,

• Fact: The design uses geometric proportions, a triumphal-arch motif, and scrolls connecting the upper and lower façade.

Interior of

• Construction finished by Fra Jacopo Talenti, later renovated by Giorgio Vasari

• Interior of Santa Maria Novella

• Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy

• c. 1246–1357

• Stone masonry, plastered stone walls and vaults, and gray-brown sandstone

• Fact: The interior follows a basilica plan and is designed as a T-shaped (Tau) cross; it is a Dominican church.

• Domenico Ghirlandaio

• Tornabuoni Chapel; Stories of the Life of Mary and Stories of the Life of John

• Main chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy. (AI)

• 1485–1490

• Fresco

• Fact: Commissioned by Giovanni Tornabuoni, uncle of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

• Domenico Ghirlandaio

• Visitation; Story of the Life of St. John

• Tornabuoni Chapel, Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy

• 1486–1490

• Fresco

• Depicts the Virgin Mary meeting St. Elizabeth. The scene features perspective, classical architecture, and portraits of contemporary Florentine women.

• Domenico Ghirlandaio

• Sassetti Chapel; Life of Saint Francis

• Basilica of Santa Trinità, Florence

• 1483–1485

• Fresco

• Fact: Sassetti family seen on the left and the artist's portrait in the right corner.

• Piero della Francesca

• Helena Finding the Three Crosses

• Church of San Francesco, Arezzo

• 1452–1466

• Fresco

• Fact: The story is a fabricated legend transported into the landscape of Arezzo.

• Piero della Francesca

• Constantine's Dream; Legend of the Finding of the Cross

• Church of San Francesco, Arezzo

• 1452–1466

• Fresco

• Fact: The scene depicts Constantine dreaming

• Andrea del Bonaiuto

• Triumph of the Militant Church

• Spanish Chapel, Santa Maria Novella complex, Florence

• 1365–1367 (AI)

• Fresco

• Fact: The class notes identify Cimabue, Giotto, Lapo il Tedesco, and Arnolfo di Cambio in connection with the images.

• Gian Lorenzo Bernini

• Ecstasy of Saint Teresa

• Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome

• 1645–1652

• Marble sculpture; stucco and gilded bronze in the chapel setting

• Fact: A total work of art; commissioned by Cardinal Federico Cornaro.

• Francesco Borromini

• San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, also called San Carlino

• Rome, Italy

• 1634–1667

• Brick masonry covered with plaster and stucco, painted in pale colors. (AI)

• Fact: Commissioned for the Trinitarian Order; the building is small and fitted into a tight site.

• Hadrian

• Pantheon

• Rome, Italy

• 118–125 AD

• : Brick-faced Roman concrete, marble, and granite columns. The dome uses concrete with lightweight volcanic aggregate near the top

• Fact: The present building dates to Hadrian's reign; its inscription names Marcus Agrippa, who commissioned an earlier structure on this site. (AI)

• Nicola Salvi

• Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)

• Rome, Italy

• 1732–1762

• Travertine and marble

• Fact: The Aqua Virgo aqueduct originally supplied the Baths of Agrippa and still supplies the Trevi Fountain today. (AI)

• Donato Bramante

• Tempietto

• Site associated with St. Peter's crucifixion, Rome

• 1502

• Granite columns, concrete dome, and polychrome marble floor. (AI)

• Fact: Commissioned under the patronage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile; considered a precursor to St. Peter's Basilica. (AI)

Isocephalia

Figures' heads are positioned at the same height.

Chiaroscuro

Use of light and dark to create volume and depth. (AI)

Bottega

An artist's workshop.

Fresco

Painting on wet plaster.

Cartone

Full-scale preparatory drawing transferred to a surface using pricked holes and dots.

Sfumato

Leonardo's painting mode using soft, smoky transitions without sharp outlines. (AI)

Colori cangianti

Color technique associated with Michelangelo and his followers; uses changing colors across forms. (AI)

Rilievo schiacciato

Extremely shallow relief sculpture used to suggest depth.

Vanitas painting

Painting emphasizing life's transience and the certainty of death.

Tondo

A circular painting or sculptural support.

Tau-shaped cross

A cross shaped like the letter T.

Mendicant order

Religious order relying on alms and donations. (AI)

Contrapposto

Pose in which hips and shoulders tilt in opposite directions.

Figura serpentinata

Twisting, spiral-like figure creating a sense of movement. (AI)

Horror vacui

Filling nearly all available space with figures or decoration. (AI)

Pentimenti

Changes made to an artwork during its creation, sometimes visible beneath the paint. (AI)

Sinopia

Reddish preparatory drawing beneath a fresco's final plaster layer. (AI)

Secco

Painting on dry plaster. (AI)

Tempera

Paint made by mixing pigments with a binding medium, traditionally egg yolk. (AI)

Space continuum

Perspective creates fictional space that appears to extend beyond the real space.

Refectory

Communal dining hall in a monastery or convent.

Cenacle

Dining room or chamber associated with the Last Supper. (AI)

Memento mori

Reminder of human mortality and the inevitability of death.

Bozzetto

Small preliminary study or model made before a finished artwork.

Maestà

An image of the Madonna enthroned with the Christ Child, often accompanied by saints or angels. (AI)

INRI

Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

IHS

Monogram representing Jesus' name; also associated with Iesus Hominum Salvator, “Jesus, Savior of Humankind.” (AI)

Tetramorph

The four symbols of the Evangelists represented together.

Four Evangelists

Matthew: winged man/angel;

Mark: lion;

Luke: ox;

John: eagle.

Four Doctors of the Church

Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory the Great.

What kickstarted the 1st Style of ERA, and what was the timeframe?

• 1401-1460s

• Kickstarted by the competition for the Baptistery Doors

Main Patrons of the 1st Style of ERA

• Cosimo de ’Medici (Cosimo the Elder)

• Piero de’ Medici, the Gouty

• Both died in 1460s, concluding 1st Style of ERA

1st Style of ERA developments

Renaissance = rebirth of Antiquity

• Artist founded a visual language based on perspective and monuments of classsical civilazation

Name 5 artists from the 1st Style of ERA

• Architects: Brunelleschi - discover perspective

  • Manetti, Michelozzo

• Sculpture: Donatello

  • Nanni di Banco, Luca della Robbia, Ghiberti

• Painting: Masaccio

  • Flippo Lippi (monk), Domenico Veneziano, Paoolo Uccello, Andrea del Castagno, Fra Angelico, Benozzo Gozzolio

What kickstarted the 2nd Style of ERA, and what was the timeframe? What marked its conclusion?

• 1469-1480s

• Kickstarted by Lorenzo de’ Medici, the Magnificent starts his reign, continued the Accademia

• By 1480s visible change in art towards the High Renaissance Art, maybe due to the commission of fresco cycle in the Sistine Chapel.

2nd Style of ERA developments

• Renaissance man in the center, artists who move towards gold smithing, engraving, sculpting, painting, etc: all in one.

• New type of feminine portrait: PSYCHOLOGICAL PORTRAITS

• Mythological subject matter besides religious

  
  

  
  

Name 5 artists from the 2nd Style of ERA

• POLLAIUOLO,

• VERROCCHIO,

• FILIPPINO LIPPI,

• BOTTICELLI,

• GHIRLANDAIO