Gallery 1:
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519):
Da Vinci was a painter, artists, inventor, sculptor and scientist. He was a Renaissance Man, in the
truest sense of the word. Da Vinci studied the human body, inside and out. He not only observed
people’s movements, but he went further to dissect the dead in order to truly understand how human
muscle worked inside the body. He created intricate sketches of the human body – like the Vitruvian
Man, and then used this information to create his realistic pieces of art work. He is credited with
painting artwork such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, depicting Jesus and his apostles the night
before he was crucified.
Da Vinci was also an inventor. In his sketches, historians have found ideas for helicopters,
gliders, and some say, even a time machine!
Gallery 2:
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbina: Or Raphael (1483-1520)
Raphael was an Italian painter and architect. He learned from Da Vinci and Michelangelo. His
paintings reflected the grandness of humans. His most famous painting was The School of Athens, which
hangs in the Vatican. The work depicts the great philosophers and scientists of Ancient Greece and
Rome together in one massive meeting of the minds. Raphael placed himself, Michelangelo, and Da
Vinci in the painting as well. Raphael also painted many representation of the Madonna and Child.
Raphael is famous for using the technique of perspective, which is the practice of creating an
appearance of three dimensions in artwork. Classical artists used this technique, but medieval artists
abandoned it. This technique is achieved by drawing all lines parallel, leading to a vanishing point in the
background.
Gallery 3:
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564)
Michelangelo was another Renaissance Man. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, and poet. He
is famous for portraying the human body in both paintings and sculptors. His pieces were heavily
influenced by classical art, and typically depict heroes and forceful grandeur.
Two of Michelangelo’s most famous pieces are the images painted ne the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel in Italy, and The David.
Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo was commissioned, or hired, by the church to pain the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The ceiling is a flattened barrel vaulted ceiling, supported on 12 pillars.
Pope Julius II was the Patron of this work. Michelangelo built wooden scaffolding to take him to the
ceiling. He laid on his back, for 4 years, hand painting the entire piece. The scene depicts nine panels
illustrating the Book of Genesis. The most famous panel shows God giving life to Adam.
The David was created between 1501 and 1504. It is a 17 foot sculpture that Michelangelo
craved out of marble. The statue is meant to depict the Biblical David, from David and Goliath.
Gallery 4:
Anguissola (1532-1625) and Gentileschi (1593-1656)
Sofonisba Anguissola and Artemisia Gentileschi were female artists of the Renaissance. There
were not many women who can claim that they are Renaissance painters. Many women were expected
to inspire art, but not create it themselves.
Anguissola was a student of Michelangelo. She became an official painter to the King of Spain,
Philip II, where she became the first woman to gain an international reputation for her artwork. She was
most famous for creating portraits of royal subjects and art with religious themes.
Artemisia Gentileschi is considered to be one of the most accomplished painters of her
generation. She was the first woman be become a member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno, a
prestigious group of Artists in Florence. She is best known for painting images of strong and suffering
women from the Bible. Her best known image is Judith Beheading Holofernes
Gallery 5:
Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccocio
Literature began to take on new forms during the Renaissance. Many writers followed the
examples of Dante, and wrote in the vernacular, or the common language, rather than writing in Latin.
Renaissance writers began writing for self-expression or to portray in the importance of the individual.
Francesco Petrarch was one of the earliest humanist writers. He is sometimes called the “Father
of Humanism.” He was a poet. He is best known for writing sonnets, or 14-line poems, in Italian. Many
of the poems are about a mysterious women named Laura, who represents his ideal woman.
Giovanni Boccocio is best known for writing a work called the Decameron. These are a series of
realistic stories, told by rural young people fleeing the plague in Florence. It depicts comedy and
tragedy, truly capturing different aspects of life. The main characters are shown to have strengths,
weaknesses, and a humorous side – characteristics of real people.
Gallery 6:
Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli was a Renaissance writer. He is best known for writing The Prince. This work
examines the imperfect conduct of humans. The books is written as a “political guide book.” Machiavelli
examines how rulers gain and keep power. Through his examination, he comes to the conclusion that
human beings are selfish, fickle, and corrupt.
The work argues that, in order to be successful, a prince must be strong and shrewd. He may
have to trick his people for the greater good of the state as a whole. The work is more concerned with
what is good for the state, over what is morally right. Machiavelli argues that most people believe
integrity is more important, but for a prince to be successful in the real world, he must sometimes lie to
his people.
Gallery 7:
Vittoria Colonna (1492-1547)
Colonna was a female writer of the Renaissance. She typically wrote about personal subjects,
rather than politics. She was born to a wealthy family, and married a strong military leader, the Marquis
de Pescara. She worked with Michelangelo to get her work published.
Her most famous piece was The Courtier. These were a publication of poems and sonnets the
expressed personal emotions that would have been familiar to men and women across Europe.