Category: Uncategorized (Page 42 of 48)

Class today focused on a time period known as the Quattrocento, 15th century Italy. This is a time known as the true renaissance as artists truly advanced in their crafts. Florence had established itself as a center for the arts and guilds. With so many known artists in the city, there was a competition to decide who would design and make bronze doors for the baptistry. The choice came down to Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, who both sculpted the scene of the Sacrifice of Isaac. Ghiberti, who was selected as the winner, created a scene with anticipation, anguish, and turmoil through the placement of the sacrifice, impending arrival of the angel, and depiction of Isaac. Additionally, the bronze scene was cast in one piece, displaying his skill.

Brunelleschi, went on to become a famed architect. He focused on mathematical aesthetics and ratios to create buildings that resembled art. One such masterpiece he designed was the Duomo of Florence, a giant dome above an octagonal space using ribs and a lantern on top to bring in light. This grand dome came to symbolize the strength of the city of Florence and is known worldwide.

Class four-19-Feb-2024

In class we discussed the Quattrocento and the uptick of the study of  literature, art and ideas from the past in this time. With moveable type and the print press, ore books were made, but at first were still expensive die to the high cost it took to make paper. The city of Florence was having a moment, filled with guilds of differing perfusions. (Judges, wool, wool cloth, silk/metal sculptures, doctors, stone and wood sculptures.) 

These guilds would oversee the making of art pieces for public display or different buildings. One example is the the wool guild creating a competition to chose the artist to make bronze doors for the baptistry of Florence. The loser of the competition was Brunelleschi, he then focused on architecture, traveling to Rome to gain inspiration from the proportions of the ancient buildings, built with 1 to 2 ratio. Brunelleschi developed the method of depicting space called linear perspective to sketch the buildings he was observing for inspiration. Brunelleschi then incorporated the use of the proportions in the building of the dome of the cathedral in Florence and a hospital to name a few. The duoma is inspired from the dome of the pantheon, but the gothic style of the time produced a more elongated result. 

stemming from Brunelleschi’s method of linear perspective we analyzed the technique. A horizon line which sis at eye level is all the possible vanishing points lines stem from that towards the viewer in a cone shape to form lines perpendicular to the view plane while parallel lines cross those lines at 90 degrees to form a grid in which the subject can be rendered in perspective

I enjoyed the comparison of the two pieces for the bronze doors on the Baptistery of Saint John between Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti and their depictions of the scene of Isaac’s sacrifice. I think after reviewing both I side with the decision to make Lorenzo Ghiberti’s piece the winner. First of all, the order of the piece seems to make more sense to me and the more dramatic positioning of the knife paired with the contrapposto of both Abraham and Isaac lead to a more riveting depiction. Also, the positioning of the lamb at the same level as the angel sort of adds to the piece as the lamb will be the eventual sacrifice instead of Isaac. Further, Donatello’s piece the Feast of Herod was enlightening in terms of an example of a continuous narrative. This obviously led into the discussion of linear perspective and the various stages of the piece that run past the horizon line.

Throughout today’s class we discussed early renaissance in fifteenth century Italy. We learned about the term “studia humanitatis,” which means the study of human works. These human works consist of rhetoric, literature, history, moral philosophy, and art. The rhetoric is displayed through public speaking or writing, and is ultimately used to convince people of something. There is a clear emphasis on ancient Greco-Roman knowledge during this era. We also learned that the introduction of the printing press in 1464 helped spread knowledge in Italy, and that paper was ultimately made with rags rather than trees at the time.

We then focused our shift toward Florence, which was a city-state within the Italian peninsula at the time. Florence was a republic, meaning there wasn’t just one ruler over the town, and by being a republic, they were affirming that they’re the heirs of Ancient Romans. Bankers and merchants controlled the economy of Florence and Florentine guilds were a common way to express groups of people in a form of “mechanical art.” We examined the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore closely, which was architected by Brunelleschi from 1420 to 1436. He created a double shell within the dome, meaning that what you see from the outside is different than what you examine from the inside. The shape is octagonal, with eight ribs. The dome has a lantern to help bring light into the building, and has an orb near the top representing the world, with a cross at the very top representing Christianity ruling the world. Brunelleschi made ratios and relationships between parts of the structure very rational, which was an important way to architect during this era. The location of the dome is very important too, as its location in the center of the city acts as a way of looking over the Cathedral of Florence and the entire city-state. The dome serves as a way of looking over its town and its people, keeping them safe.

In this class we looked at the early Italian Renaissance in the 15th Century. We discussed the role of “studia humanitatis,” which is the study of human works, had on the influence of Greco-Roman knowledge in the Renaissance. Then, we examined the role of Florence in the Renaissance period, and how it was connected to ancient Rome, in the sense that it was ruled as a republic. Additionally, Florence was run by powerful bankers and merchants, as opposed to monarchs and aristocrats. Furthermore, guilds flourished in Florence, allowing for further development in different specializations.

We then examined Brunelleschi’s Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. Brunelleschi designed the dome after he lost a contest to create a panel on the door of the Baptistry of Saint John to Ghiberti. Both artists took the same prompt, but returned with very different depictions. Brunelleschi’s design of the Dome employs a sense of rationality behind the meaning of its ratios and relationships with people.

Today’s class, we began studying 15th-century Italy, a period of the early Renaissance. A major focus of the class was spent discussing the competition for creating a panel on the door of the Baptistry of Saint John which was next to the church. The baptistery and the competition were organized and managed by the guild of wool merchants. The competition used a very small panel made out of bronze, and mounted on wood. The finalists where Brunelleschi and Ghiberti with Ghiberti eventually winning. Though the vistor, his reward of spending twenty years on the baptisty doors may not be as appealling reward to all people. motivated by this failure, Brunelleschi transitioned to a career in architecture, hughlighted by the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Our analysis of Brunelleschi and Ghiberti was very interesting. It showed how different artists can take the same prompts and then allow their own interpretations and creativity to take them in different directions. The similarities were clear, but there were also glaring differences.

Our discussion of Brunelleschi’s Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore led to Professor Plesch mentioning the Pantheon in Rome. I had heard of the Pantheon, but her declaration that it may be the best building ever made me look into it more. I really enjoyed reading more about the building, its architecture, and how well it has been preserved throughout all of history.

Today we started our discussion of the Renaissance’s beginnings. I thought we were gonna start the day off by talking a bit more about printmaking but maybe we’ll circle back to it later.

We first examined some important historical background stuff for Florence, specifically how the guilds leveraged their economic dominance of the region to fund the arts. We then talked a bit about the competition the Wool Merchants’ Guild held to determine who would get the contract for The Gates of Paradise and examined both Brunelleschi and Ghiberti’s entries. We learned how to properly compare and contrast two works of art on the same subject. I finally had my glasses today so I was actually able to see the pieces in some detail for the first time. It was nice, they’re a lot prettier when you can see them.

We then examined Brunelleschi’s dome, which he won the contract for after losing out on The Gates of Paradise. It is certainly an amazing architectural feat. I’ve been lucky enough to see it in person, and the way it shoots up into the sky when you’re looking at it from the ground is insane. When you go inside to, you can see the sheer size of the ribs and the double-rimmed construction of the dome. His drafts and models are insane, but to turn his ideas into the physical behemoth that is the dome is nothing else than genius.

Towards the end of class today we talked about the hospital loggia that Brunelleschi also worked on that displayed his deftness with mathematical proportions that the Romans pioneered and he made popular again. Continuing on this theme, we used Donatello’s The Feast of Herod to discuss the prominence of linear perspective and how Renaissance artists began to achieve accurate depictions of depth.

I like what we’re learning at the moment. We’re seeing artists apply antiquated understandings of form and proportions to various mediums to achieve the naturalistic end of realistically depicting our world. It’s a beautiful example of how the intellectual climate of an area affects its cultural output.

In class today, we began discussion of the Early Italian Renaissance. We started with talking about the “studia humanitatis”, which refers to the study of the humanities or human-made works. This study had a particular focus on works from Classical antiquity. This idea of humanism is seen extensively throughout this time period, from the art they created to how their governments were organized. Florence was a republic to reaffirm the idea that they were the heirs of the Roman Republic. Florence was a particularly interesting city because it was not controlled by a monarch or aristocracy but by powerful bankers and merchants. The guilds also played a powerful role in the political, social, and artistic life of the city.

The wool merchant’s guilds held a competition for who would create the bronze doors for the Baptistery of Saint John. Filippo Brunelleschi entered this competition but ultimately ended up losing. This led him to abandon sculpting and began studying architecture. Brunelleschi traveled to Rome to study ancient buildings. He was heavily inspired by the Pantheon, which is an extremely rational and perfectly portioned building. He took everything he learned in Rome to create the dome for the Cathedral of Florance. It has a double shell, with an inner dome for support and an outer dome as an attractive covering. The conception of this dome is entirely based on numerical relationships. Just like the Pantheon, this building is extremely rational and well-balanced.

Today we learned about the Early Renaissance period (15th century) in Italy. We began by discussing the movement towards studia humanitatis, or study of human works, such as rhetoric, literature, history, moral philosophy, and art. Much of this study brought emphasis back to the knowledge acquired by the Greco-Romans. Florence was a key player in the Renaissance period, feeling especially connected to Ancient Rome as they adopted the republic system of government. The government was controlled by bankers and merchants, not the aristocracy. Guilds played a very significant role in the development of a prominent art and architectural scene in Florence. Guilds were bodies that were responsible for legislation and training within a specific field or trade, with the goal of achieving the title of “master”. Guilds were often the patrons of artists/artisans, as they commissioned great works of art/ architecture. One example of a guild commissioning a work of art which we discussed in class was the doors for the Baptistry of Saint John, which was overseen by the guild of wool merchants. They hosted a competition between artists to see who would complete the bronze doors. The final two artists were Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, who each designed a panel depicting the sacrifice of Isaac. Ghiberti was selected to complete the project for the baptistery, which redirected Brunelleschi to the field of architecture. He studied architecture in Rome, returning to Florence to complete the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Last Wednesday we began class by studying Flemish painter Jan van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Portrait,” painted in 1434. The painting depicts a man and woman in the process of exchanging vows with one another. The painting arises multiple questions for the viewer, for example why is the room a mess?, or is the woman pregnant? What does the mirror on the wall represent?, and perhaps, what does the burning candlestick during the daytime entail? As a class, we examined these ideas and arrived at perhaps the most striking detail: van Eyck, himself, is pictured in the mirror, wearing a red turban, witnessing the marriage. Later to learn, these tricks and details are typical of van Eyck and are one of the several ways he influenced other artists at the time.

Continuing on, we studied Rogier van der Weyden’s St. Luke Drawing the Virgin. van der Weyden, one of the most prominent painter in Brussels at the time, was known for his “happy babies,” intriquite details, such as the minuscule people in the background of his work who are dressed in traditional attire, and his disguised symbolism. I was most drawn to this work, because of its light versus dark features. The foreground of the painting displays dark colors, while the matrix is bright and luminous. Lastly, we studied two artists, Hans Mewling and Conrad Witz. Memling’s Diptych of Maarten van Nieuwenhove displays two panels, yet the panels display a slight illusion, displaying the two figures in the room together. The overall theme, though, presents the notion that because of prayer one can meet the virgin, and even be in the same space as the virgin. The works from class last week presented illusions, deceptiveness, and clever details for the viewer, but I was ultimately drawn to the rich blue, green, and red colors and delicate facial expressions.