Today we started by talking about Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. I think it is a nice painting, displaying Botticelli’s humanistic education with its mythological content and use of antiquated motifs (the modest Venus) and his interactions with Neoplatonist thinkers. I like it when we talk about more abstract and technical artistic concepts like arrangement and framing, and how it brings meaning and significance to a painting.
We then moved on to a broad discussion of the many works of Leonardo da Vinci. He is a compelling figure, someone who must’ve really let his curiosity run wild. I liked his anatomical sketches, and how he accurately detailed the shape and functions of many muscles and ligaments. He was also in many ways a philosopher; writing dictums for the functions and purpose of painting. All in all a very interesting guy, somebody that I’d like to learn more about.
We finished off the day by starting our discussion of some of the big pieces of art commissioned in the Papal States. We looked at Bramante’s Tempietto and how it built on both Early Christian and Roman architectural traditions to make an equally innovative and antiquated structure. Then, we started our discussion of Raphael’s The School of Rome, but we ran out of time so we’ll probably pick up there on Wednesday.