Florence and the Early Renaissance Humanism in Italy
Florence and the Early Renaissance
Renaissance Humanism in Italy
The term "Renaissance" comes from the Italian word , meaning rebirth; termed in the 19th century to describe the rebirth of classical precedents
Classical refers to ancient Roman and Greek civilizations.
The Renaissance was a time of intellectual exploration, where humanists aimed to understand humanity and its relationship with the natural world.
The beliefs and values of the medieval world transformed in Italy during this period.
Italian Pronunciation Guide
Unlike English, every letter in an Italian word is pronounced.
a = ah
e = ay (long "a" sound) or eh (short "e")
i = ee (long "e")
o = oh (long "o")
u = oo (long "u")
ci, ce = ch (opposite of English)
ch = k (opposite of English)
ao = ow, like owl
z = ts, like "pizza" (pee-tsah)
gi = j (Giovanni is Joh-vahn-ee)
gh = g
gn = nyah, like Spanish ñ (lasagna)
gl = lyah (million)
r is rolled (like Spanish)
Emphasis is usually on the second to last syllable.
Why the Renaissance Began in Italy
The spread of humanism and growing interest in classical antiquity significantly contributed to the growth of artistic culture in 15th-century Italy.
Political and economic changes led to a new class of wealthy patrons who fostered art and learning.
The end of feudalism in Italy led to the creation of new city-states ruled by leaders not bound by medieval customs or religious traditions.
Evidence of ancient Rome's grandeur was observed daily through ancient art and architecture.
Wealthy families like the Medici of Florence, who ruled from behind the scenes, had courts that emerged as cultural and artistic centers.
Wealthy families and princely courts sought to please the people and make their cities beautiful and cultured through patronage of the arts.
The Spread of Humanism
The independence of city-states spurred the development of the individual, the self-reliant, multi-talented freethinker known as , "universal man" or "the Renaissance man."
Emphasis was placed on education, knowledge, individual potential, a desire to excel, and civic responsibility.
Humanism encouraged individuals to participate in the social, political, and economic life of their communities.
Florence, Italy
Florence was the preeminent Italian city-state in the fifteenth century.
Home to the Medici family, whose wealth came from banking interests.
The Medici controlled Florence by manipulating citizens and elections.
They commissioned artists and architects to beautify the city and gave money to local guilds for sponsorship of projects.
The education, success, and beauty of the city was largely funded by the Medici family, increasing their power.
Sculpture, Architecture, and Civic Pride in the Early Renaissance
The republic of Florence cultivated civic pride and responsibility, leading to projects to embellish the city's buildings.
Competitive and public projects, usually sponsored by civic or lay-religious organizations, promoted innovation and signaled approval of the new, classically-inspired style.
The emulation of antique models was supplemented by an interest in human anatomy and the desire to show a naturalistic illusion of space, leading to the development of linear perspective.
Artists like Donatello acutely observed human life and experience, conveying the personality and inner psychological condition of his figures through gesture, pose, and facial expression.
Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery of St. John)
Built between 1059 and 1128 in Florence, Italy. Octagonal plan.
Legend says a Roman temple to Mars (God of War) stood at that location; recent excavations uncovered traces of Roman construction under the Baptistery, so it may be more than just legend.
Used for the baptism of all Catholic children born in the city.
Named after John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin who baptized him.
The first set of doors (South Doors) were designed by Andrea Pisano and completed in 1336, showing scenes from the life of John the Baptist.
The Florence Baptistery Doors Competition
By 1401, Pisano’s doors had fallen into disrepair.
Arte della Luna (Cloth Merchants Guild) sought to create a new set of doors to bring God’s favor after plague and war.
Seven artists each created a bronze relief panel depicting the Sacrifice of Isaac from the Hebrew Bible (Gen. 22) in a 21 x 17 ½ - inch quatrefoil.
The two finalists were Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Ghiberti won because his design was judged as appearing more graceful and smooth.
“Gates of Paradise” by Ghiberti
Ghiberti worked on the north doors for 22 years, creating 28 panels illustrating the New Testament.
Upon completion in 1424, the Cloth Merchants Guild commissioned a second set of doors for the east side, consisting of ten square panels depicting scenes from the Hebrew Bible.
It took Ghiberti another 27 years to complete the east doors.
Michelangelo declared the east doors fit for the Gates of Paradise, and they have been called the “Gates of Paradise” for over 500 years.
Ghiberti strove to observe scale and proportion and to imitate nature, with figures appearing larger when near and smaller when far off, as reality shows.
Brunelleschi’s Dome – Il Duomo
In August 1418, a council controlled by the Wool Guild announced a competition to design and construct a dome for the Florence Cathedral.
After losing to Ghiberti, Brunelleschi studied ancient Roman structures in Rome.
Using his studies, Brunelleschi produced the winning design for Florence’s dome.
He became the first acknowledged Renaissance architect.
The dome spans 140 feet (42.7 m), which was impossible to construct using known methods in 1418.
Brunelleschi's design contained two shells for the dome, an inner shell made of a lightweight material, and an outer shell of wind-resistant materials.
Brunelleschi's double-shelled dome was original, designed around a skeleton of twenty-four ribs, of which eight are visible on the exterior.
It was completed without supporting scaffolding, columns, arches, or pilasters.
Brunelleschi invented new types of pulleys, hoists, and other equipment to construct the dome.
The structure is anchored at the top with a heavy lantern, which keeps the ribs from “springing” open.
Eight large ribs, visible on the outside, alternate with eight pairs of thinner ribs beneath the roof creating what is essentially two domes.
This is all tied together by nine sets of horizontal ties, which support the dome and eliminated the need for temporary scaffolding as the dome was raised.
Brunelleschi’s Linear Perspective
One-point perspective allows artists to translate three-dimensional space onto a two-dimensional surface.
It was partially understood by ancient Greeks and Romans, but their methods had been lost.
Brunelleschi “re-invented” one-point perspective in the first decade of the 15th century; it was later codified by Leon Battista Alberti in his treatise On Painting.
Brunelleschi’s formulation of linear perspective determined the proportions of figures in accordance with the convergence of parallel lines in a visual field.
All parallel lines in a visual field appear to converge at a single vanishing point on the horizon.
These parallel lines are realized on the picture plane as diagonal lines called orthogonals.
Forms diminish in scale as they approach along these orthogonals.
The vanishing point is directly opposite the eye of the beholder, who stands at the vantage point.
Masaccio
Masaccio died at age 27 but greatly influenced the development of Renaissance art.
Later artists, including Michelangelo, meticulously studied his works.
Masaccio's manipulation of light and shade gave a tangible sense of three-dimensional substance to his figures, and his application of the new linear perspective created the illusion of spatial depth.
Masaccio’s figures were the first to appear to “stand on solid ground.”
Masaccio created a “light source” for his pictures, allowing him to form highlights and shadows, which make his figures appear solid.
Masaccio, Trinity with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors, 1425
This fresco is on the left nave wall of Santa Maria Novella in Florence and painted in perfect perspective.
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (as the white dove) are contained within the rational scheme of linear perspective.
The horizon line is just above the base of the cross, at the viewers’ eye level.
The sarcophagus inscription states “I was once that which you are, and what I am you will also be.”
The skeleton reminds viewers of mortality and vulnerability without Christ and refers to Adam, who brought sin, making Christ’s death necessary.
Masaccio, The Tribute Money
Masaccio was commissioned to paint the interior of the Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence.
The chapel is dedicated to St. Peter, so twelve scenes in fresco depict scenes from St. Peter’s life.
In the Tribute Money, the vanishing point is the head of Christ, so all perspective lines lead to him.
Masaccio employs atmospheric perspective, blurring and muting elements and colors in the distance to create a more naturalistic depiction.
Donatello, David
Donatello traveled to Rome with Brunelleschi, where they studied and sketched ancient Roman structures and art.
Donatello’s David is greatly influenced by ancient Greek and ancient Roman sculpture.
It was the first life-sized freestanding male nude sculpted since antiquity.
Donatello was one of the first artists since antiquity to infuse his artworks with individual personalities.
Donatello's David stood in the courtyard of the Medici palace bearing the inscription: “The victor is whoever defends the fatherland. All-powerful God crushes the angry enemy. Behold a boy overcame the great tyrant. Conquer, o citizens.”
David, the righteous hero of the Hebrew Bible who defeated Goliath, became a symbol of Florence.
In the Medici court, Donatello’s David reminds Florentines to defend their Republic against tyrannical forces.
60 years later, when the Medici were expelled from Florence for being tyrannical rulers, Michelangelo’s David also stood as a symbol of Florence, but this time, the “Goliaths” were the Medici, themselves.
Plato and Neoplatonism of the Renaissance
The Platonism of the Renaissance era is called Neoplatonism.
Its goal was to reconcile Classical philosophy with Christianity.
Neoplatonists believed that contemplating the beauty of the physical world opened one's mind to experiencing the realm of God.
Plato stated: “the excellence of beauty of every work of art is due to the observance of measure.”
Measure (geometry primarily), mathematics, scientific truth, and artistic beauty all became conjoined in the minds of people during the Renaissance.
This was expressed through the “marriage” of math, science and art, displayed in anatomically correct figures, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective and sfumato.
The Magnificent Medici
The Medici family, who had acquired a huge fortune from banking, were lavish patrons of art and learning during the Renaissance.
Many of the artworks commissioned by members of the Medici family reveal their interest in humanist ideas and learning.
They were one of the few illustrious Florentine families who controlled the wealth – and therefore the power, of Florence.
Later, they became powerful in all of Europe as members of the Medici family married royalty and others became Popes.
For centuries, the history of Florence is the history of the Medici, who fought off rival families and were ousted from Florence only to return again and again to power there.
Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli, Primavera and Birth of Venus, were commissioned by the Medici and painted in the 1480s.
Botticelli was invited into the Medici court, discussed Humanist philosophy, science, politics, etc., and studied Plato avidly.
Botticelli’s works are known for elegance and line. The objects and figures in his paintings consist of distinctive form made by defined outline, which is then shaded with color and contours.
Turmoil in Florence at the End of the Century
Following the death of Lorenzo de Medici, the Medici lost their hold on Florence.
This was due, in part, to the continuous invasions of Italian city-states by the French, which left many of Italy’s city-states weak.
The people of Florence labeled the Medici tyrants and ran them out of town.
A friar named Girolamo Savonarola assumed control of the city in 1492.
Savanarola preached of the coming Apocalypse, a fear that was fueled by the nearing of the turn of the century to 1500 and the fact that the first widespread epidemic of syphilis had taken hold of Europe.
In the Florence town square, Savanrola ordered frequent "bonfires of the vanities,” burning “immoral materials,” including mirrors, cosmetics, fine clothes, musical instruments, chess boards and pieces, classical texts, scientific treatises, philosophical writings, paintings, sculptures and literature.
Within a few years, Savanrola, himself, was labeled a tyrant and a heretic, in part because he had spoken out against the Pope.
In 1498, he was burned at the stake in the very town square where he had performed the bonfires and then The Medici returned to power in Florence.