Early
Renaissance
Early Renaissance
• Florence, Italy & Flanders were the main centers
for Renaissance
• Renaissance means “Rebirth”
• Renaissance was a time of great cultural
achievement/study in sciences, philosophy, art and
literature
• Influenced by Humanism: thought to be an
approach to studying the Greek/Roman classics
and the human experience, anatomy and all
• A renewed appreciation of classical Greco-Roman
art
• Invention of moveable type (printing literature on
large scale, quicker)
• Study of Anatomy
Why Florence and the Renaissance
Flourished
• Pope settled nearby: Church had lots of $ to
spend on embellishment
• Florence proved itself a formidable area
• Banking center
• The Medici’s became the uber patrons of
the arts
Characteristics of Early
Renaissance Art
• Religious content treated with a Humanist approach
• Content broadened to include Roman history and
mythology
• Chiascuro: Patterns of light and dark values that suggest
volume
• Emphasis upon proportional studies, linear
perspective/depth perception, contraposto (twisted pose)
and realistic expression
• http://www.robinurton.com/history/Renaissance/m
adonnas.htm
Notable Artists
• Giotto di Bondone (thought to be the first
renaissance artist)
Donatello
•Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi;
c. 1386 – December 13, 1466
Donatello
Donatello:
Madonna of
the Clouds,
ca.1425-35
Prophet Jeremiah
1427 Marble
The technique of rilievo schiacciato developed by Donatello and
seen in Madonna of the Clouds featured a “fine gradation of the
surfaces which produces the impression of an almost infinite
pictorial space.”
•Became a model for
consequent
equestrian sculptures
for hundreds of years
*made of bronze
& erected
independently
Donatello's equestrian statue of Gattamelata at Padua.
Fra Angelico
The Entombment of Christ,
c. 1450
• The
Adoration of
the Magi, c.
1440/1460
Sandro Botticelli
• Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi
• Born 1445-1510 approx.
• Botticelli means “little barrel” & it is believed the
name was applied to his older brother first
• Apprenticed in Filippo Lippi’s studio
• Soon outshined his mentor and earned the
patronage of the Medici’s
• Painted frescoes in the Sistine Chapel
• Frescoe: painting created in the wet plaster of a
wall….not on the surface like a mural.
• His style included elongated figures, much
like those seen in Gothic art
• Tender and sad expressions and gestures
• Use of line and decorative detail in creating
expressive subjects
• Use of neo-platonism= Chrisitian and
mythological ideas/stories
Venus and Mars
c. 1485
Egg tempera and oil on poplar
The birth of Venus
c. 1485
Tempera on canvas
Primavera
Tempera on wood, c. 1482
Architecture
• Gothic architecture is asymmetrical
• Renaissance architecture is symmetrical
• Use of classical columns and pilasters (flat
colums with shaft, base and a capital)
• Use of a symmetrical façade
• Use of module to construct
Filippo Brunelleschi
Sculptor and Architect,
1377-1446
Church of San Spirito
The Duomo Florence, Italy
San Lorenzo
Resources
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http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/botticelli.html
http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/renaissance/earlyrenaiss.htm
http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/early_ren.htm
http://www.historylink101.com/art/Sandro_Botticelli/bio_Botticelli.ht
m
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art63843.asp
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Filippo_Brunelleschi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donatello
http://www.mimenta.com/Mimenta_Art/Images/Extra%20Graphics/VA
09/Renaissance_Giotto.jpg
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Fra_Filippo_Lip
pi_009.jpg