Ritesh Patel Professor Pavel HUM2020 1 November 2020 Florence and Renaissance Revolution Where was the Renaissance revolution started? Who made it possible? Why did it come at the time it did? If Florence is considered, then these questions are easily answered. Many argue that Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance. In the aftermath of the Black Death in 1348, Florence fell into an abyss like the rest of the world. They had half their population reduced and were struggling to recover. However, an interrelated set of five factors emerged ushering Florence as an epicenter for creativity, wealth, and status. The Church, Renaissance Humanism, Florence itself, Medici Family, and Artistic competition paved a path for Florence to begin the Renaissance Revolution in art. The Church had finally unified under one Pope. As a result, the Church had endless opportunities for artists (Gene 29). The Church continued to commission new works perpetually. The cities and towns across the country needed their churches updated. They needed their ceilings painted biblical scenes (Gene). They needed churches to be built, which also needed more art. Famous people needed increasingly elaborate places to rest upon death and therefore they needed increasingly elaborate tombs (Gene). The demand kept growing and the work kept growing. Renaissance Humanism was the pursuit of engaging in civic life (Kreis 1). This allows everyone to be learned critical thinkers. Renaissance Humanism was born as the Church had restrictions on what could and could not be painted. Easing these restrictions meant more Patel 2 depictions of everyday life or landscapes or cities. This broadening of topics stoked the flames of artistic creativity, ushering in new styles and methods of painting like frescos, oil on canvas, and experimenting with boldness of colors. Nudes and portraits were in fashion and became favorable as they could depict people outside of religion (Kreis). Suddenly, an influx of talented artists from all over started trickling into Italy. Post the Black Death era, many cities had attempted to annex Florence several times and failed (Day 94). This created a unity and pride among Florentines that fueled the ambition to outperform any neighboring state. If they were the premier place to be, then they would naturally attract more people with various backgrounds. To fuel this movement, Florence continued to update and upgrade their buildings. As they did this, the demand for artists grew exponentially. This meant more jobs, and more jobs created a natural influx of artists among other lay workers. The money that helped finance this revolution came from wool. The Medici family were wealthy from their wool business (Hibbert 10-12). After the Black Death, as money began flowing, they quickly realized the finance industry is where the money truly was. They eventually became an ultra-rich family that literally could not spend away their fortune. And they spent their money in astronomical amounts to wine, dine, attract, entertain, and pay the best and most talented artists (Hibbert). Much of their money went to keeping the artists busy with newly commissioned works, which fueled more artists to arrive and settle in Florence. Their influence quickly increased where they (unofficially) became the ruling family of Florence (Hibbert). The ever-growing population of artists became so densely populated, that one could barely swing a cat and not hit an artist. This created an environment of collaboration and even competition among the artists to create the greatest works of all the works of all time. It was thanks to the Medici family who constantly kept artists busy with sculptures, building carvings, Patel 3 portraits, frescos, and everything in between. This rise in demand for incredible talent led to a movement where artists gained celebrity statuses. As they did, other artists wanted the fame and recognition. Florence quickly became an epicenter for the Renaissance Revolution that created an incredible amount of art. There were five factors that influenced this transformation. The Church had finally unified under one Pope, which then began to commission countless works and created a demand for artists. Renaissance Humanism also accelerated this movement as the Church relaxed the restrictions on what subjects could be painted, allowing for portraits, nudism, and landscapes. Neighboring cities also attempted to annex Florence several times fueling an effort to improve itself over other cities. The money to improve came from the Medici family who financed much of the Renaissance Revolution in Florence. As the Medici paid for art and artists, it brewed competition and attracted countless artists from all over the country. Overall, the cycle began to feed itself and blossomed into a Renaissance Revolution of art, and the epicenter being Florence. Patel 4 Works Cited Day, W. R. “The population of Florence before the Black Death: survey and synthesis.” Journal of Medieval History, vol. 28, no. 2, 2012, pp. 93-129. 10.1016/S0304-4181(02)00002-7, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/S0304-4181%2802%29000027?journalCode=rmed20. Accessed 28 October 2020. Gene, Brucker. Renaissance Florence. New York, Wiley Press, 1969. Hibbert, Christopher. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall. William Morrow Paperbacks, 1999. Kreis, Steven. “Renaissance Humanism.” The History Guide, 2000, http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/humanism.html. Accessed 28 October 2020.
