Italy:Birthplace of the Renaissance

Renaissance

• Renaissance’ means rebirth new period of learning and creativity

• 1300-1600

Northern Italy

• Largely considered where the Renaissance began

• Lots of good ol $$$$• Trade helped fuel “R”• Increased trade more get wealthy• Increased trade more want luxury goods

It was primarily the northern Italian city-states that dominated the Italian Renaissance. The central and southern cities remained backwards.

• Note that each city-state, was independent of the others. Also, they controlled the surrounding region.

• They would sometimes go to war with each other.

Florence is the city-state in which the Renaissance was most prominent.

Florence and Medici’s• The Medici’s were the most

powerful of all Italian families

• Primarily b/c of the skill of Cosimo Medici.

• Cosimo was brilliant political and businessman

• Used huge fortune for political power and finance art projects

Florence and Medici’s• After Cosimo dies, his grandson

Lorenzo takes power

• Lorenzo is known as Lorenzo the Magnificent

• And why was Lorenzo magnificent?

• Sponsored lots of art and literature with the Medici fortune.

• Some artists who enjoyed his patronage - Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello.

• Started schools that studied ancient works

The renaissance man• To be a universal man (or

Renaissance man), like Lorenzo here, you were going to become expert in song, dance, and poetry.

Swoon, ladies.

Swoon.

Classic Fever

• Once the “R” started – people looked for the ancient classics

• Many were gathering dust in monasteries• Muslim culture also had some “saved”• Some came from sacking of Constantinople

Beginning of Humanism

• All of these classics lead to “humanisim”• Humanism focused on what humans could do• Liked the finer things: entertainment, art, good food,

good company, etc• People were tired of the Black Death• Life was too short not to enjoy

The new art• The “R” sees all types of new art

• Medieval art tended to be very flat and nearly always had religious overtones.

The new art• “R” art is different• Perspective is the biggest advancement• When you look at a scene, parallel lines seem to get closer to each

other the farther in the distance they go until they meet at a vanishing point. Think of standing on a railroad track and looking down them

The new art• Renaissance artists started exploiting this optical illusion in their art.

The advantage of it is that you created the illusion of a three dimensional image on a flat, two dimensional surface

• Interestingly, perspective can also be used as to create false perspective, such as here.

• Or in M.C. Escher’s works (though he wasn’t Renaissance).

You also start to see the use of light and shade (chiaroscuro) and blurring outlines so it seems that tones imperceptibly meld in to each other (thereby creating volume: this is sfumato).

Carvaggio’s Crucifixion of St. Peter. An example of Chiaroscuro.

Close-up of Mona Lisa’s face. Notice the sfumato blurring, especially around the eyes, and how it creates a 3D illusion.

• You also see a renewed interest in some classical forms in sculpture that are at the same time using realism.

• Examples are Donatello’s bronze David and Michelangelo’s marble David.

• Even Lorenzo got into it:

• There’s also a greater plasticity and animation to the characters in the paintings. They feel like they’re in mid-movement and not just in some stone-like pose.

• Architecture changed during the Renaissance too.

• It was more symmetrical and centrally planned than Gothic architecture was.

• The dome of the basilica reaches 448 ft. The Statue of Liberty, from the ground to the tip of the torch, is 305 ft.

• There’s also the Sistine Chapel. Not much to look at from the outside:

• But inside…