1 / 23

The Renaissance in Italy

The Renaissance in Italy. The Italian City-states. Italy conduit for travel and commerce between Europe and East Cities independent from kings and popes Merchant princes Medici family – powerful banking family Charitable to arts Civic humanism. Renaissance Humanism.

nora
Download Presentation

The Renaissance in Italy

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. The Renaissance in Italy

  2. The Italian City-states • Italy conduit for travel and commerce between Europe and East • Cities independent from kings and popes • Merchant princes • Medici family – powerful banking family • Charitable to arts • Civic humanism

  3. Renaissance Humanism • Humans God greatest creation • Humanist: student of classical ideas • Glorified beauty and order in nature • Pico’s Oration: man had choice of goodness or evil in himself • Great reformers, artists, writers, inventors

  4. Lorenzo “The Magnificent” • 1462-92, patron of the arts • Praised Plato, civic leader, poet • Wrote songs in Italian • Gave money and support to artists in Florence • Had many libraries, museums, and palaces built for Florence

  5. Ghiberti’s Baptistery Doors • Competition for Baptistery Doors – 1401 • Ghiberti and Bunelleschi competed for the commission with the subject of “Abraham and Isaac” • Ghiberti won • They took 48 years! • Michelangelo called them the “Gates of Paradise” • The Creation of Adam and Eve (fig.13.8) –perspective

  6. Brunelleschi’s Domes • Florence’s greatest Renaissance architect • Studied Rome’s ancient buildings • Domed roof over Florence Cathedral – unique two-layer construction • Simplicity and reason • Pazzi Chapel – Roman architecture • Attempt by Pazzi on Lorenzo’s life in chapel

  7. Florentine Painting: A Refined Classicism • Life-like figures, volume and perspective • Revival of fresco technique • Masaccio – depth through modeling, linear perspective, and atmospheric effects • The Tribute Money (fig. 13.12) – chiaroscuro

  8. Sandro Botticelli • Primavera (fig. 13.17)– Neoplatonic ideas • Birth of Venus (fig. 13.18)– her birth equivalent to the birth of the human soul, as yet uncorrupted • Later threw his Classically-themed paintings on Savanorola’s “Bonfire of the Vanities” and returned to Christian subjects

  9. Italian Renaissance Music • The Mass • Sacred motets in Latin • Secular song inserted in masses • Guillaume Dufay – fuses polyphony with new form, “word painting” • Polyphonic secular songs • Frottola • Madrigal

  10. Donatello • Brought back the free-standing nude with David (fig. 13.10) • Used contrapposto • Biblical description of David is that he is adolescent • Tuscan hat • Pagan (Classical) rather than Christian • Political overtones because David was the symbol of Florence

  11. Michelangelo in Florence • By age 22 already rival to Donatello • In Rome: Pietá (fig. 13.26) • Florence’s David (fig. 13.27): Classical values with a biblical theme • Captured his spirit/hero in stone

  12. The Decline of Florence • Savonarola • Appealed to poor and working people • Condemned Church’s corruption and excesses of wealth • “Bonfire of the Vanities” • Defeated and burned at the stake • Message affected artists

  13. Machiavelli’s The Prince • Florentine diplomat – described realities of political philosophy and power • The Prince – amasterpiece of political philosophy • Describes the ideal prince or ruler: only strong, ruthless leaders keep country safe from foreign domination • Machiavellian ideal – the end justifies the means

  14. The Genius of Leonardo • Architect, engineer, mathematician, and musician as well as artist – true “Renaissance Man” • Finished very few projects • Conceived airplane, helicopter, parachute, machine gun, and other inventions hundreds of years before they were ever built • Developed artistic techniques of chiaroscuro and sfumato

  15. Leonardo as Scientist • Notebooks: mirror writing • Birds in flight, movement of water, anatomy • Inventions requiring propulsion lacked means for motion • Unpublished

  16. Leonardo as Painter • The Last Supper (fig. 13.20) • Madonna of the Rocks (fig. 13.19) • Mona Lisa (fig. 13.21) • Classical triangle composition • Felt that painting was “the highest art”

  17. “Renaissance Men”…and “Woman” • Leonardo • Baldassare Castiglione: wrote The Courtier, idea of “universal man” (well-rounded individual) • Isabella d’Este: educated, cultured, refined tastes, and a patroness of the arts • Ruled her city in husband’s absence • Multi-talented

  18. Patronage of the Renaissance • Wealthy church officials and families employed artists for beauty and entertainment: patronage directly translated as power and prestige • Popes and princes: Julius II and Leo X • Sometimes there were problems between patrons and artists

  19. Josquin des Prez: Composer of the High Renaissance • Leo X meditated in the Sistine Chapel listening to the choir of acappella music • Musicians were male, girls had to have private lessons or attend a convent • Greatest composer of High Renaissance • Match between words and music, complex polyphony: “word painting” and “imitation”

  20. Raphael • Julius II: apartments in the Vatican • Known for his Madonnas • School of Athens (fig. 13.25) • Aristotle and Plato in center • Portraits of contemporary figures • Michelangelo front, slightly left of center • Raphael buried in Pantheon and is the only artist to be buried there

  21. Sistine Chapel Ceiling • In 1508 Pope Julius II asked M. to paint ceiling • Used Old Testament as prophecy of Christ’s coming • Combines classical and Christian ideas, tension between spirit and flesh • Central panel Creation of Eve, not Creation of Adam (fig. 13.28) • Muscular energy – male models • Confident colors (which was not known until ceiling cleaned in 1990’s!)

  22. The New St. Peter’s • Last years devoted to architecture • Old basilica demolished and modernized • 150 years to complete • Three main architects: Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno • Greek Cross floorplan (M.’s design seen only from the rear) (fig. 13.32) • Conflict between architects and popes • Limited funds in Vatican

  23. An Age of Giants Why such concentration of talent in Italy? • Cultural center of beauty and learning • Triumph of the human spirit

More Related