Italian Renaissance Notes
Renaissance means Rebirth
Going back to the Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman eras
moving beyond surviving to thriving
Firenze/Florence is where Renaissance began
3200 BC - 200 BC 3000 years of Egyptians, 3 kingdoms 28 dynasties
313-476 was Romans, 700 years of Roman Empire
500-1400- Middle Ages
1401- late1500s- Renaissance end
Middle Ages believed suffering would bring enjoyment in Heaven
Renaissance period believed we enjoy now on Earth thanks to God
lots of money was prevalent to get whatever you want, even buying to Heaven
Baptistry Pisa- biggest Baptistry on Earth, located in Florence
Renaioli Pescaia- river connecting Florence and Pisa
trade + money + time = ENLIGHTMENT
Baptistry Florence, built in year 1000
Pisa and Florence didn’t
Baptistry is the MOST IMPORTANT building, if not baptized, hell
3 doors, 3 floors, 3 squares, three windows, 3 statues all represent holy trinity
Lorenzo Ghiverti
Andrea Pisano North Doors
scenes included peter walking on water, last supper
Church wanted architect to redo doors bigger and better
Romans got the concept of PERSPECTIVE
Competition to make Florence's doors, final scene was to make same scene, made Isaac's sacrifice
Committee decided Ghiverti’s on the left, anticipation of about to stop Abraham
incorporated things Romans did, became better at perspective
Humanism- focusing on humans opposed to the divine, can only be provided with CASH
Made to portray humanity as “perfect” we could fit into a square or circle perfectly(absolutely not)
Duomo- formerly biggest Church in the world
Florentines wanted everything bigger and better
Double shelled
Architect Brunelleschi went to Rome to study Pantheon to build biggest dome in the world after losing
Ribs- ladder things to alleviate stress
Drum- octangular wall around the dome
Inside dome- dome on dome
left to right: sharkskin, herringbone, houndstooth
Herringbone specifically interested him, built brick in that pattern
built around in a circle
His team had no idea what he was scheming
Small dome^^
Space in between 2 domes
3 major artists: sculptors, painters, architect
Donatello:
Botticelli: did birth of Venus
Brunelleschi: made
Michelangelo: never thought he was good painter, not a good architect either self proclaimed
only said he was a sculptor
everyone’s hiring bro, prices increase drastically
Christians adopted triangular pediments from Romans,
San Lorenzo
Triumphant Arch from Rome, Greek triangular pediment above it
thousands of years after dead, we copy them.
CUZ THERE AWESOME!!!
LBAlberti built St. Andrew Church
Florentines had good stone
Pietra Serena- neutral color rock
gray sandstone
Church of St. Lawrence interior
Across from Medici house
Medicis- family that sponsored art, architecure, scultpture to look rich by building stuff no one else did. Similar to Kennedys, Vanderbilts, Rockefeller’s involvement in country’s development also comissioned art. Jay Z has done this too
Lorenzo Magnifico- Lorence the Magnificent, father of a pope
Sandstone and Pietra Serena
Uffizi ^ office building for politicians
Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael(not from Florence, rest are)
Orsanmichele-grainery
Every statue represents a GUILD
Guild- old name for Union, writer’s and actor’s guild
all started in Florence
Woodworkers, Ironworkers, Builders, Masons, etc.
Only guild that was not a manual guild was money exchangers
Church does NOT fw them
work in the bible was considered manual labor
Florence was so rich they made their OWN coin
Jews were only allowed to exchange money, Christians refused too
Jews didn’t put their statue, they needed a saint which jews didn’t believe in
St. Matthew used to be Levi, a Jew
Ghiverti made Matthew, who was Christian while the Jews represented him as Levi, same person
triangular pediment above
Medici Equestrian statue, 2 fountains
Roman arches everywhere
Brunelleschi made Brunelleschi’s Piazza, and largest DOME in the world to this DAY
hired by Church to make this square
width from capitol to another is same as height of column
buildings made to be perfect because we're "perfect"