In today’s lecture, we started with the geography of the Italian Peninsula during the 13th and 14th centuries, a period marked by remarkable cultural and economic developments. Despite the lack of political unification, there existed a certain geographical unity among the regions of Italy. Contrary to the popular notion of the Renaissance as a complete “rebirth,” we explored how it was more of a resurgence of ancient Greek knowledge and ideas. It was intriguing to think about who shapes history and how biases can seep in through the lens of the victors and the powerful.
We also discussed important geographical locations like Florence and Siena at that time. It was interesting to see how art and architecture were impacted by their value for individuality. When we were observing how this cultural importance flowed into the architecture, we discussed the role of Campanile (bell towers) in displaying the city state’s Campanilismo (sense of pride for town). I feel that whenever I have visited Mughal sites back in my country, I have seen multiple structures and paintings built with a similar intent i.e. to display power and influence. We delved into the distinctive features of Piazze (town squares) and how they comprise government buildings, churches, religious processions, and public executions and pondered over the relation of such elements with their location. For example for public executions were a civic and religious event at that time and being held in the square communicated a strong moral message to the local community there. When discussing Piazze we focused on Piazza della Signoria and Piazza del Campo. Additionally, we studied the Town Hall of Florence, Palazzo dei Priori, and how it was rapidly built within 11 years. The story of this town hall felt crucial to discuss as it revealed the role of politics and the power of the victorious political party in that period.
Amidst our discussion of this particular town hall we learned how works of art are sometimes “attributed” to artists when it isn’t a hundred percent clear as to who made them. Following the theme of how architecture can be used to display power we talked about rustication and how Pietra Forte (strong stone) was used to get a message across even though there are stronger stones that exist. Along the same note, we observed how crenellations and battlements were also constructed into this town hall. This all reiterated how despite not having practical purposes, these features were still included to assert their political standing.
We also explored independent Baptisteries and the Italian ethos of combining the civic and the religious. We also examined the architecture of the Baptistry. We discussed how the Nicola Pisano Pulpit and its capital and eagle lectern are positioned and structured, taking note of how the eagle’s wing and body was a thoughtful and clever choice for holding a book. We also delved into humanism and how a renewed interest in antiquity was becoming evident upon examination of the art pieces. An example we discussed for this was of how the figures on the sides of the arches represented Christian virtues through ancient heroes.
Furthermore, we discussed the relationship of the mendicant orders with the development of arts in 13th and 14th-century Italy by focusing on Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Claire and their role in the creation of the orders. We studied “Receiving the Stigmata” and “Preaching to the Birds” and noted the medium – tempera – that was used. We learned about how the reason why this figure and the artwork are so important is tied to where the panel was positioned over an altar. We also noted how the figures vastly improved over seventy years given how the shadows, highlights, landscapes, and proportions were more natural. We further discussed how altar pieces became relevant in religious practice as interior architectural changes happened. To understand this, we discussed how the “Enthroned Madonna and Child” and its positioning right above the priest’s hands (from the audience’s perspective) during the process of Transubstantiation is an instance of how art helped people understand Christian dogma. We ended the lecture by discussing Maniera Greca – Italo-Byzantine style. I liked how the altar piece of “Enthroned Madonna and Child” expressed the idea of how Virgin Mary is the church by making her throne look like a building.