The Renaissance in Italy

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