III. The Renaissance and Art
Introduction
Following the barbarism of the Middle Ages, men
of the 15th and 16th centuries have the
impression of living an extraordinary period of
renewal. Their era is called an age of individual
genius.
Key Questions
In what ways is the Renaissance in the Arts a
Humanist Movement?
How does the Renaissance movement in the
arts reflect the larger Humanist’s philosophy?
The Renaissance in Art: a return to
ancient sources
Just as the Humanists return to ancient texts
in Greek and Latin, the artists of the 15th
and 16th century find inspiration in the
Ancient world as a reaction against the
Middle Ages.
The classic influence can be seen through
architecture and painting by the decoration
of represented scenes (columns, cupolas,
arches, etc.)
An example of Greek
temple architecture.
Note the triangular
pediment on top and the
Greek columns below
Video: The Classical
Influence on
Renaissance Architecture
4’15
New Subject matter for Renaissance
Artists
Mythological and ancient scenes are once
again represented
Renaissance artists also paint scenes of the
Old Testament which is also a focus of the
Humanists
Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”, Uffizi Museum, Florence, Italy, 1486
Michelangelo’s Detail of the Sistine Chapel,
Creation of Adam 1508-1512
IV. Italian Renaissance Art
A. Patronage
1. Florence was the leader in Renaissance art
especially in the quattrocento (1400s)
a. Giorgio Vasari (1511-74): The Lives of the Artists
Contemporary Renaissance art historian who left much
valuable information about Renaissance artists and
their works.
c. Patronage also came from local churches who
Ghiberti’s
increasingly saw Renaissance art as a means
“Gates
of
of glorifying God. Some notable examples
Paradise”
include
1401
Brunelleschi’s Il Duomo built for the Santa
Maria del Fiore cathedral
Ghiberti’s two sets of doors were created for
the baptistery opposite Il Duomo
View of Il Duomo in Florence from the inside
Video: How an Amateur built the world’s biggest dome 3’49
Michelangelo’s
“David”,
1501-1504
originally
commissioned for the
cathedral (but was
too heavy and thus
placed elsewhere).
2. Rome became the center of Renaissance art
in the 1500s (cinquecento)
a. With the decline of Florence in the late15th century, Renaissance dominance shifted
to Rome.
b. Pope Alexander VI (r. 1492-1503): most
notorious of the Renaissance popes; spent
huge sums on art patronage
St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
c. A few of the notable works commissioned by the
Church in this period include :
• Michelangelo’s dome atop St. Peter’s Cathedral,
• his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,
• and the sculpture Pieta that is located within the
cathedral
• Raphael’s The School of Athens (a fresco painting
inside the papal apartments)
• Bramante’s Tempietto, a small church that is a
masterpiece in classical architecture;
• and his floor plan for a newly rebuilt St. Peter’s
cathedral. (Much of his plans were altered after
his death)
B. New artistic techniques
1. Painting
a. perspective: 3-D effects on a 2-dimensional surface
- Vanishing point
Medieval works, in contrast, looked flat and twodimensional
Video: Brunelleschi’s experiment – linear perspective 4’06
Vanishing Point of Raphael’s “School of
Athens”
Donatello’s
b. Massive
patronage for the arts came from
wealthy merchant-families (such as the Medicis)
“David” countless works from the
who commissioned
great
Noteartists.
that the subject is
In
essence,inthe
wealth of Florence was mirrored
standing
Contrapposto
by the superb artistic output of the Renaissance
A good example is Donatello’s David which
stood in the Medici courtyard during the wedding
of Lorenzo de Medici.
In Milan, the
Sforza’s
commissioned
such
Leonardo
da
Vinci’s
“Last
Supper”
works as Leonardo’s The Last Supper
c. 1493-1498
b. chiaroscuro: use of dark and light colors to
create
the
illusion
of
depth
Leonardo da
c. Faces of subjects expressed unique individual
Vinci’s
characteristics (embodying the Renaissance
portrait
ideal of “individualism”)
more emotion was shown on human
“LadyAlso,
with
faces
Ermine”
In contrast, medieval paintings tended to
c.be1485
more stylized in their portrayal of human
faces (i.e. more generic)
d. sfumato developed by Leonardo; a technique
of blurring or softening sharp outlines
“Mona Lisa”
by Leonardo
da Vinci, 15031506, Louvre
Museum
2. Sculpture
a. Medieval sculpture often appeared on buildings
and tombs, were highly detailed, and did not
glorify the human body.
They were relief sculptures protruding from a
surface.
b. Renaissance sculpture was often free-standing,
designed to be seen in the round
Heavily influenced by ancient Greek and Roman
sculpture
This was in stark contrast to medieval sculpture
that largely was done in relief
Michelangelo’s
“Pieta”
c. 1498-1500
c. Many sculptures glorified
the human body and many
portrayed nude figures (like
works in ancient Greece and
Rome)
d. Like Renaissance painting,
many Renaissance
sculptures glorified the
individual
3. Architecture
a. The Gothic style of architecture during the
Middle Ages was highly-ornamented with pointed
arches, spires, flying buttresses, and a grand scale
b. In contrast, Renaissance architecture utilized
ancient Greek and Roman forms such as Greek
temple architecture (with triangular pediments),
Greek columns, Roman arches and domes (e.g.
the Pantheon in Rome)
c. Renaissance emphasized simplicity, symmetry
and balance.
Homework
• Reading:
Art of the Western World
Chapter 6 – Early Renaissance Italy (on blog)
Chapter 8 – Italian High Renaissance (on blog)
• Videos: (links on blog)
– Khan Academy’s Brunelleschi, Ghiberti – Sacrifice of Isaac,
Competition Panels 1401-1402,
– Khan Academy’s Brunelleschi, Dome of Cathedral in
Florence 5’51
– Khan Academy’s Donatello’s David in Bronze
– Khan Academy’s Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper
– Khan Academy’s Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa
– Khan Academy’s Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel’s ceiling
– Khan Academy’s Raphael’s The School of Athens