Category: Uncategorized (Page 41 of 48)

Today in class we began discussing 15th-century Italian art, known as the Early Renaissance. We began with a discussion of the context of the time period, learning about the various guilds that controlled Florence and how the republic of Florence was attempting to emulate that of Ancient Rome. We then moved to the most interesting part of class, which was the competition for the bronze doors of the baptistery of St John, owned by the wool guild. We analyzed the submissions of the finalists, Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, each of whom used slightly different techniques to portray the sacrifice of Isaac. Ultimately, Ghiberti was determined to have the better submission, and won the competition. Funnily enough, as was mentioned in class, this led to Ghiberti being tied up with the doors for two decades while Brunelleschi went on to be more famous with the production of his dome.

As we learned, Brunelleschi switched from artist to architect, and created a few important works in Florence, mainly the dome of the Florence cathedral. The dome is an architectural marvel, being the largest ever created up to that point. it is quite impressive that Brunelleschi could change professions and remain at the top of his game.

Today, we began discussing Quattrocento, or the 15th century in Italy. We began by talking about Studia Humanitatis, which is the study of humanities. We learned that this involved a liberal arts environment and was anything created by humans. There was a great emphasis on trying to study in the context of literature by the ancient Greeks and Romans. We also discussed the introduction of the printing press in Italy in 1464. Paper was made from old clothing and rags. We then discussed Florence and the Baptistery and Cathedral. We learned that this was a republic with no king. The bankers and merchants controlled the government. There were also many Florentine guilds, which were bodies that legislated and organized trading. They were independent associates of the bankers. I particularly found our discussion on Brunelleschi and Ghiberti very interesting. We compared their different takes on The Sacrifice of Issac and found a few key differences. Ghiberti decided to create a more dramatic effect of the sacrifice by not showing that the angel had stopped Abraham. Instead, it appears as if Abraham is about to sacrifice Issac. Ghiberti was the winner of the competition for the bronze doors. As a result, Brunelleschi decided to take the path of an architect and worked on the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore.

We concluded our discussion on Linear Perspective, which is a very interesting take on art.

During the Early renaissance of the 15th century in Italy, there was an increase in the development of the mechanical and liberal arts. There was also a spread of knowledge due to in part by the printing press. In Florance during this time, the bankers and merchants controlled the government. Here there was a competition for the door of the Baptistry. Brunelleschi and Ghiberti both made entries. Each one depicted the sacrifice of Issac and where similar in many aspects. They both depicted an angle, knife, Abraham, Issac, and a goat. Some differences include the greater dramatization in Ghibertis work due to the different moment he depicts. Also, Ghiberti’s work is casted in one piece. This led to Ghiberti winning this competition.

Brunelleschi went on to work on the Dome of Santa Monica del Fiore. The dome was built with a double shell. On top are a lot of significant details including a sphere that represents the world. On top the sphere is a cross signifying the church’s power and presence. This building also includes other symbolic details such as the rectangles decorating the sides which have a 2 to 1 ratio of high to width. These symbolize relationships. This makes me curious about what Ghiberti would have created if he had lost and had not then dedicated a significant portion of his life to that project. For instance, how would he have created the Dome of Santa Monica del Fiore differently than Brunelleschi.

In class on Wednesday we began by discussing the studia humanitatis, the study of human works, rhetoric, literature, art, etc. with an emphasis on drawing on ancient knowledge and practices. We also discussed some background information to contextualize the period such as the introduction of the printing press in Italy in 1464 which allowed for the spread of knowledge and the Florentine guilds which were the ruling body of the republic at the time. The first work we discussed was the doors of the Baptistry of Saint John in the Florence Cathedral. The guild of wool merchants who were caring for the baptistery held a competition to elect an artist to complete the doors. We looked at the competition entries from the two finalists, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi. I thought it was especially interesting how we compared the two designs by first finding similarities and then highlighting differences. Although the panels looked similar at first, once we singled out the similar aspects and then discussed how the artists treated the same subject matter differently, it was easier to see why Ghiberti was selected, as his composition was more dynamic.

Although Brunelleschi was not selected to complete the doors for the baptistery, we discussed how he became a very successful architect. Brunelleschi designed the dome of the Florence Cathedral which became so famous the entire building became known as Il Duomo. I thought it was interesting how Brunelleschi exemplified his use of ratios and relationships. For example, the marble sheathing below the dome is a visual representation of some of the relationships he used to design the dome. We next looked at Brunelleschi’s Osepedale degli Innocenti which also includes decorative evidence of structural ratios.

Finally, we looked at Donatello’s The Feast of Herod which exemplifies artists; interest in creating convincing depictions of space with the use of linear perspective.

On Monday, our class began our studies on the fifteenth-century, also known as “quattrocento, “Early Renaissance period. Perhaps the greatest advancement during this time was the invention of the printing press. As mentioned in class, studio humanitatis (the study of conveying ideas and knowledge through literature, history, moral philosophy, and art) grew as the invention of the printing press in 1464 allowed knowledge to be disseminated across Italy.

Continuing class, we looked at Lorenzo Ghiberti’s The Sacrifice of Isaac. I found it quite interesting that artists began to become competitive to produce the best representation of this work. One artist would be chosen to display their rendition in the cathedral. By learning this, I have gained more knowledge of the importance and pride artists gain for their art to be in a religious center. The scene depicts Abraham on his way to sacrifice his son Isaac. An angel saves Abraham, though, and he goes on to sacrifice a donkey instead. The last two artists standing are Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti. It was critical and fun to speak about the differences and what each work conveyed, even if they are depicting the same biblical scene.

Moving forward, we looked at another Brunelleschi work, Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. There are two specific points I believe are necessary to discuss. the first is his “double shell,” meaning the shape and look of what the viewer sees from the outside is, in fact, quite different if one were looking from the inside. Second, the meaning and metaphorical ideas behind the orb. Representing a world, the dome reigns over the city of Florence, perhaps noting that the world is on Italy’s side.

Today in class, we discussed The Early Renaissance in the Fifth-Century Century. We started by defining what Studia Humanitatis is, which is the study of the work of humans or anything created by humans, like literature, history, art, and or philosophy. An example of studia humanitatis is the printing press in Italy in 1464. Paper was made from old clothing, such as rags, to spread knowledge in the 15th century.

We then moved on to comparing the Sacrifice of Issac. The competition was between 6 artists who each created a gilt bronze and wood panel. They were voted, and the finalists were Ghilberti and Brunelleschi. The panel was the sacrifice of Issac committed by Abraham, while the angel spared Issac’s life. The two panels had some similarities and differences; some of the main ones were the positions of Issac and Abraham. In Ghilberti’s, the sacrifice was to the left, while in Brunelleschi’s, the sacrifice is in the center, and the angel is grabbing Abraham’s arm, symbolizing Issa is “safe”. In Ghilberti’s, the angel hasn’t yet gotten to Abraham, so there is a sense of uncertainty as to whether Issac will die or not.

Looking more into Brunelleschi’s history, we looked into the Dome of Santa Maria Del Fiore, built-in 1420-36 by Brunelleschi. He referred to it as “the dome,” a beautiful architectural building located in the center of Florence. he had many sketches and models before deciding on a doubled-shelled dome with many structural details.

As we move towards the 15th century, we continue to witness a surge in Humanism, characterized by a general trend of revisiting the study of works from ancient Greco-Roman times. This, paired with the newly introduced printing technology, have helped popularize this wave of acquiring knowledge and thus, affect the way in which Art as a discipline is then being perceived. At this point in time, Florence is still operating under a Republic system, with a group of bourgeoisie (bankers & merchants) in charge. This goes hand in hand as well with the development of guilds/ trade unions, dividing political power into even smaller sections and away from the central family.

Directly connected by a competition held by the guild of wool merchants, the two most prominent figures of the time, Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti create two distinct work of arts that showcase clearly each of their own stylistic viewpoint and unique execution: While Brunelleschi focuses more on a single narrative frame and portrays it in the most compositionally satisfying way, Ghiberti places emphasis on the story being told and the movement infused into an inanimate structure. Despite losing to Ghiberti in this instance, Brunelleschi had then chosen to go into a medium that eventually proves to be much better at showcasing his prowess with proportion and perspective – architecture. Further than that, he had become somewhat of a leader in a new, rational approach to architecture, in which mathematical ratios are utilized to create balance and harmony within the structure.

With the integration of more mechanical techniques into art came the discovery of linear perspective, in which all shapes occupying the space of a painting are determined in relation to a horizon line and a collection of points where lines converge, known as vanishing points. An artist who masterfully integrate this technique, amongst many others, to represent depth and distance, is Donatello with “The feast of Herod”, in which the thinness of the relief and the amount of details in the further background works together with linear perspective to tell a complete story, a complete narrative of what is happening within the frame, as if we’re witnessing this incident happening in real time.

In today’s lecture, we focused on the 15th-century Italian Renaissance and made a distinction between the early renaissance and high renaissance period. One of the distinctive features of this period is the emergence of studia humanitatis, the study of human works encompassing rhetoric, literature, history, moral philosophy, and art. This study was what eventually led to the spread of knowledge.

I found the discussion on velum very interesting. I had assumed animal hide would only be used for insulation purposes in clothing and was captivated by the process of preparing the hide for paintings. I look forward to the Professor showing us a piece of it. As a Muslim, I found it heartwarming to hear the role of Muslims in introducing paper into Spain. I was very surprised when I heard it was the expensive price tag of paper which prevented it from being used for paintings. It made more sense when we were told it was made from fabric at that time and not wood pulp.

We also discussed how Florence, a vibrant city-state in the heart of the Italian peninsula, emerged as a beacon of Renaissance culture. As a republic, Florence prided itself on affirming its lineage as the heirs of ancient Romans, with bankers and merchants wielding significant influence over its economy. The city’s guilds, such as the Arte di Calimala and the Arte della Lana, played a pivotal role in shaping its artistic and economic landscape.

We delved into two works that focus on the competitive nature of artists of that period: “The Sacrifice of Isaac” and the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. The former, a competition between Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti, showcased the tension between tradition and innovation in Renaissance art. Ghiberti’s winning depiction, with its masterful composition and narrative complexity, heralded a new era of artistic expression, while Brunelleschi’s architectural vision transformed Florence’s skyline with the majestic dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. I found the class discussion on why Ghiberti could have won very interesting. The idea that certain details like emotional depiction and the thought provocation as a consequence of it, was being valued makes me wonder of there were other values that were taken for granted in Brunelleschi’s work. Critique on art is very subjective and I find it strange how subjective expressions are given “ratings” or “scores.”

As I ponder today’s lecture, I find myself fascinated by how Renaissance art dances between tradition and innovation. The push and pull between classical norms and modern ambitions breathe life into these artworks is definitely something I’d like to see in person someday.

This past class we discussed Quattrocento, the 15th century. There was an uptick in the study of  literature, art and ideas during this time. Due to the development of moveable type and the print press, more books were made. However the original costs were still expensive due to the high cost it took to make paper. 

The city of Florence was filled with guilds of differing professions, unions for apprentices to hone their craft, including wool, silk, sculpture, judges, etc. The guilds were responsible for the making of public art pieces and displays for buildings. The wool guild held a competition to choose an artist to make bronze doors for the Baptistery of Florence. Brunelleschi lost, but found greater success in the area of architecture. 

We then spoke about linear perspective, which was super interesting to me as an art major as this was something I had learned in a previous class but applied in a new context.

The 15th Century brought with it a lot of innovation, and to Italy, it brought the printing press. Despite the new medium of woodcuts, we begin to see Donatello, Brunelleschi, and Ghiberti excel with bronze and gold. Brunelleschi’s dome and Ghiberti’s door are also made around this time–commissions earned from their work in bronze. Additionally, linear perspective begins to take hold–they are making art that looks more real than ever without departing from older symbolism. Within this, however, there is still a focus on the ancient, and Donatello’s David is a great example of how old myths and symbols are still extremely relevant.

Donatello’s David steps away from the idea of classical poses, and begins to take on a Gothic look. Still, his nudeness indicates his position as an ancient hero–a political legend. It is this sort of symbolism and technique, tying ancient ideas and virtues to the present that characterizes the Renaissance.