The Impact of the System of Patronage Upon Works of Art
During the Renaissance, the system of patronage came into being,
mainly as a reflection of the increasing capitalist emphasis being
placed on life in Renaissance Italy, most notably in Florence. In its
very nature as a commercial, capitalist place, Renaissance Italy was a
hugely competitive place. It was therefore not surprising that works
of art were very often commissioned for competitive reasons. During
the Renaissance, art was not just as we think of it today, as an
expressive, interesting creation. Art was a focal point of society,
and a very powerful tool that powerful people used to gain an
advantage. Discarding the effects it had on society for a moment, it
was the key feature of the Renaissance.
In earlier times, art had less status. However, mirroring the economic
development of the time, art became the thing to spend money on, for
various reasons. Money lay at the centre of art, and that is why
patronage is so important.
The system of patronage is a wide term and therefore there are a
number of influences to consider when answering this question. Among
them are the glory of the family; the honour of the city; the
increasing economic power of individuals and groups; and the classical
legacy that influenced art so much.
Although in the later Renaissance time, Rome became increasingly
involved (with the Pope's influence), Florence and Venice were the two
leading protagonists as centres of culture in the earlier years. Not
surprisingly, they were also the two leading cities economically. The
two cities heavily competed with the other; honour was of primal
importance. As merchants and artists were encouraged to travel as much
as possible, innovative ideas in pieces from other cities quickly
became incorporated into artists' own city. For example, after the
death of Savonarola, Florence sought to make her constitution much
more similar to Venice's. As a reflection of this, a large room in the
palace of the signoria was designed to act and look like Venetian Hall
of the Great Council and two huge frescoes were commissioned, one by
Leonardo, the other by Michelangelo.
By commissioning their own great works of art, smaller states could
quickly achieve prominence and be "put on the map". Padua and Mantua
were two lesser states at the beginning of the Renais...
... middle of paper ...
...is was the greatest period in the history of
art because of the healthy economic situation of Renaissance Italy.
The rich did not save their money. Art was the thing to spend
disposable income on. It was a way of showing wealth and gaining
prestige and influence. Without patronage and consumer demand, being
an artist could not have been a profession. In the Renaissance, wealth
was power. And wealth was shown through owning works of art.
So, as has been seen, the system of patronage was extremely important
in Renaissance Italy. It brought with it mixed blessings for artists.
On the one hand, it gave them the income to support themselves and
continue to produce works. On the other hand, though, it could be very
constrictive on what the artist could produce, and could even
sometimes decide the quality of a work. But ultimately it can be said
that the art patronage allowed the Renaissance to be remembered as a
golden age in history and a way of distinguishing the period from the
Middle Ages. Patronage did effect works of art, but there is little
evidence supporting a theory that it stopped the art of the time being
as beautiful and expressive as it could have been.
As the author of Andrew Jackson and the Search for Vindication, James C. Curtis seems to greatly admire Andrew Jackson. Curtis pointed out that Jackson was a great American general who was well liked by the people. As history shows, Andrew Jackson had his flaws; for example, he thought the National Bank of the United States was going to kill him but he was determined to kill it first. He resented the Bank because he thought it was the reason for the Panic of 1819. Andrew Jackson was elected to the presidency in 1824 after first being nominated in 1822. He was sixty-one when he was elected the seventh president of the United States.
Andrew Jackson was a good president. He helped shaped the United States to the way it is today. Andrew Jackson had his up and downs as any president would. Jackson did what he thought was good for the common man. He was a common man who brought himself up all the way from he bottom.
...s a great president in his time. He spoke out for the American people and changed U.S. History forever. Not all of his actions were what would be considered moral today, and some were questionable even during his time. Yet, he acted as no other president had done so and wanted to have a government without corruption for the people. Andrew Jackson was born out of hardship and war, but he went on to achieve greatness.
Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767 between the borders of North and South Carolina. He was a regular common-man who grew up in many hardships when his mother and brothers died when they were killed by the British, which left him with a lasting hatred towards them. As a teenager, he studied law and soon became an attorney. He was soon married. Jackson was elected to the Senate, and as a judge. And when the war of 1812 rolled around, he commanded a group of soldiers and was a very successful general. He became popular with his victory at The Battle of New Orleans, and soon was persuaded to run for president. He lost the first time, but came back to win it later. But he has been the cause for a large controversy. He was seen as a supporter of the people as well as a cruel tyrant who only did what he wanted. Well, Andrew Jackson was a tyrant because of his Indian removal methods, unjust tariffs on other states, and his vetoing of laws.
To some people Andrew Jackson is remembered as the, metaphorically speaking, “People’s King” and is accused of dictator-like political moves. However, Andrew Jackson was quite the contrary, he was exalted amongst the people for being the new era of democracy: instilling a political revolution, the protection of the American people, and social equality among the masses. Therefore, Andrew Jackson was a precedent of democratic rule in the United States.
Everyone adored him, he was America’s sweetheart. He was a military genius and he was very confident of himself. Jackson added to the size of the union before he had even taken office, and was a folk hero across the land. Yet, Jackson should be remembered as one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States. He caused the largest economic crisis our young nation had ever seen, he implemented a system that fired 10% of government employees, and replaced them with his own incompetent cronies, and he defied the Supreme Court and evicted the Native Americans off the lands of their ancestors, causing the trail of tears. This evidence proves that Andrew Jackson deserves to be remembered as
Andrew Jackson was like no other president before him. The previous presidents had one thing in common, they were all part of the founding fathers or in John Quincy Adam’s case was the son of a founding father. However Jackson was a plantation owner from the west who had no connections with the government. He also had different views from other presidents that made his presidency unique. Two things that separated Andrew Jackson’s presidency from previous presidencies were he reached out to the common people and he was disapproving of the Bank of United States.
Writing during the emergence of the “New Negro” movement, Claude McKay and Langston Hughes work to reconcile black life in white America. The trope used by the two poets within “The Harlem Dancer” and “The Weary Blues” is that of a performance and a single speaker’s recollection of it. While both depict an African-American performer presumably consumed by the isolation and oppression of their condition, the intensity of the performances prove to be vastly disparate. Hughes’ “The Weary Blues” features a much more transcendent performance than that of McKay’s “The Harlem Dancer” not only because of the relationship between the audience and the performer, but the degree of ubiquity in descriptions of the performer and the poetic form through which the performance is framed. While neither performer attempts to gain anything from their audience, the impact of their art on the speaker identifies the importance McKay placed on art as a means to build racial pride as well as Hughes interest in art as a means to communicate a common struggle.
As with many advances in industry and technology, we can thank war for increasing the interest in research for art conservation. After the Great War, the British Museum unpacked its collections after wartime storage in the Underground railway tunnels. Many items had unexpectedly deteriorated in a relatively short time; iron had rusted, bronze developed green corrosion, pottery and stone objects were covered in growth of salt crystals. The museum then decided to set up a permanent scientific research laboratory to further its understanding of the causes of deterioration of materials and learning methods of treating its effects. Conservation of art is now a full-time academic pursuit with Master’s programs at many universities in the United States with the intent to study, prevent, maintain, and restore cultural work.
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States and was, arguably, the president that caused the most controversy. History shows Andrew Jackson overused his power yet, despite this, he was still well liked by the common men that elected him. Andrew Jackson used more veto power than all of his predecessors combined. He used his law making and veto power according to how he wanted the government to be perceived. At the time, Andrew Jackson was admired by many people. His laws represented the common man and were in line with what the citizens of America wanted, regardless of the actual effect on the economy and government. Despite the voter views, Andrew Jackson only acted according to his wants and how he thought government should
Andrew Jackson was undoubtedly a man of the people. He was the first president to be chosen by the people and his background was not that of a typical president. He was not born into a rich family. Jackson's favored the general public rather than the wealthy. His election shifted the balance of power from the wealthy East Coast, to farmers and small businesspeople in the west. Jackson vetoed more bills than all previous presidents did in an attempt to help the common man.
The word renaissance means rebirth in French. Later historians would claim and label era of the renaissance by the rebirth of approach and standards based on in traditional antiquity. The renaissance was from 1420 to 1600 and it was both historical and cultural. Some of the most notable events that occurred during this period was the end of the hundred-year war between England and France, Christopher Columbus heads for the new world, Ottaviano Petrucci publishes the Odhecaton which is the first book of music printed, Henry VIII breaks with Rome, declares himself the head of the church of England, and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. However, there are other countless events that took place this time period.
Art and culture flourished throughout Europe during the Renaissance. It was the period when Michelangelo wielded his chisel, Galileo defied preconceived notions about the universe and
When reading the Berenson article, one would find a major attention to detail of critically researching documents such as paying attention to concrete scientific analysis in authenticating signatures, contracts, etc. However, something that the reader may find “missing” was the same attention to detail in artistic approaches such as form, composition, brushstrokes, and texture—the opposite of the Morelli argument. Berenson uses more scientific methodology leads to a more critical understanding and aids in validation from more than one spectrum. Berenson shows the reader that this must be found in multiple sources, and no matter how significant one document or detail maybe, it alone cannot establish authenticity. Therefore, it is important to not ignore even the smallest or seemingly pointless detail, for that may be where the proof lies.
“The Road Not Taken” examines the struggles people run into when they come to a place in their life where a life altering decisions has to be made. The man who is described in this poem is traveling when he comes upon “two roads diverged” (1). He then has to choose which path he will take to continue on his journey. After standing at the diversion for a while, he knows he has to make a final decision. One path was worn down and “bent in the undergrowth” (5), so he took the other path, which was described as “perhaps the better claim/ Because it was grassy and wanted wear” (6-7). The man of the poem begins to ponder about a time when he will be telling his story of the path he took. Although we are not sure if the man regrets his decision or is relieved, he lets us know taking the road less traveled “has made all the difference” (20).