Art History: Renaissance
Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the greatest sculptors and architects of the Renaissance. His architectural achievements consist of some of the most well known and impressive structures not only of the Renaissance, but today. Not only were his structures amazing, but during his time he also invented new technology that would allow for his structures to be built. What would happen if Brunelleschi never designed architecture? We would have lost his inventions, his structures, and all of the work he inspired in other artists. Brunelleschi’s career path changed from sculpture to architecture after his loss to Ghiberti during the competition for the Eastern Doors of the Florentine Baptistery. If Brunelleschi had won that competition, architecture and art in the Renaissance, and even today would have been negatively affected.
To understand how Brunelleschi came to be the artist he is, you need to look back to his childhood. Brunelleschi, during his youth, was showing that he was already capable of great things. His great-great-grandfather was a master physician, so there we can see evidence of technical skills being passed down. Brunelleschi’s father tried to push him into various career paths which didn’t involve art, such as being a physician, and a notary, but Brunelleschi showed little interest and was more drawn to manual labor, art, and things of greater utility. Utility by definition is the quality or state of being useful. We will eventually see several useful things come from Brunelleschi. His father realized that his son was going to do what he wanted, so he introduced him to a goldsmith where he learned to set stones and work with metal, which he quickly mastered and moved away from. He then moved...
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...ay have never discovered the secret to linear perspective, which was later used by not only architects, but painters as well, such as Masaccio's Holy Trinity fresco in 1427. All of the art that was ever inspired by Brunelleschi wouldn’t be here today. Brunelleschi barely lost the competition for the eastern doors of the Baptistry, and that may have been the most defining moment of the Renaissance.
Annotated Bibliography
Paatz, Walter. The arts of the Italian Renaissance: painting, sculpture, architecture. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1974.
Partridge, Loren W.. The art of Renaissance Rome, 1400-1600. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996.
Turner, Richard. Renaissance Florence: the invention of a new art. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1997.
Vasari, Giorgio. Lives of the painters, sculptors & architects. London, Toronto: J.M. Dent, 1927.
Baxandall, Michael. “Conditions of Trade.” Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-century Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Hartt, Frederick, and David G. Wilkins. History of Italian Renaissance art . 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2006.
Johnson, Geraldine A. Renaissance Art, A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Bowron, Edgar Peters., Peter Björn. Kerber, and Pompeo Batoni. Pompeo Batoni: Prince of Painters in Eighteenth-century Rome. New Haven: Yale UP, 2007. 100-50. Print.
In this paper I'm focusing mainly on Renaissance art work, since that was the assignment, but I feel it's important to also mention the other important parts of the Renaissance, architecture, science, politics and religion.
2) Bailey, Gauvin A. Between Renaissance and Baroque: Jesuit art in Rome 1565-1610. University of Toronto Press. 2003.
Baxandall, Michael. “Conditions of Trade.” Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-century Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Artists in the Renaissance aided the continuation of Renaissance ideals. Renaissance art, including paintings, sculptures, and architecture,...
Baxandall, Michael. “Conditions of Trade.” Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-century Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.
The objective of this essay is to provide an explanation of Leonardo da Vinci’s life and work as an artist in context with his time spent in Milan. Following an initial introduction to Leonardo’s formative years in Florence (and his apprenticeship to the sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio, 1435-88), I will attempt to explain the significance of his presence in Milan with detailed descriptions of his work there. Giorgio Vasari (1511-74) was also an artist and architect, but is perhaps better known for his book on the lives of well known painters, sculptors and architects (published 1550; from Cimbue to his autobiography which was included in a revised edition):
“Known as the Renaissance, the period immediately following the Middle Ages in Europe saw a great revival of interest in the classical learning and values of ancient Greece and Rome” (History). The word Renaissance is French for rebirth (Sachs 7). The origins can be traced back to Italy in the 14th century (History). Florence, Venice, and Rome grew into major centers in art, due to the changes that were occurring during this time (Sachs 7.) Artists across the country were exploring their newfound creativity and for new ways to express these advanced concepts (Sachs 7). The Renaissance was a time for artistic expression, especially through the eyes of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
Lorenzo De Medici can be considered as one of the most influential men of the 13th century. His work in political affairs and administration were renowned in all Italy and his family could count on him in every aspect. Lorenzo was also a promoter of a new period called Renaissance. He was one of the first “mecenate” to explore this new way of art. In this project, I will concentrate how he developed art in Florence, giving a clear example through an Artist of that period that was working for him: Sandro Botticelli. His work “The Spring” is a well-defined example of what we can call “art in the Renaissance”, in particular for the Italian Renaissance.
The Renaissance was a time when people began to think and see things differently. It was a time for new innovations. People wanted to study the past and learn more about culture. People began to see important in human emotion, and they began to see that there was much more rather than just religion. Europe was facing many problems like the Black Death. But the problems caused a shift in the world view of people in 14th century Italy. During the early 1400’s, Europe witnessed a major rebirth of fine art painting, sculpture, drawing and architecture. Early Renaissance art had its birth of creativity and development in Florence, Italy, which eventually spread to Western Europe. Italy contained the status of being the richest trading nation with both Europe and the Orient, Italy was fortunate to be left with a huge repository of classical ruins and artifacts. In almost every town and city, examples of Roman architecture and sculpture, including copies of sculptures from Ancient Greece, had been familiar for centuries. The decline of Constantinople and the capital of the Byzantine Empire caused many Greek scholars to go to Italy, bringing knowl...
Larmann, R., & Shields, M. (2011). Art of Renaissance and Baroque Europe (1400–1750). Gateways to Art (pp. 376-97). New York: W.W. Norton.
Smith, R. “Eternal objects of desire. Art Review- Art and love in Renaissance Italy” in New York Times Art and Design, November 20, (2008)