On our first lecture, we went through some of the key features of the 12 – 13th century Italian Art movements. With the unique geographical and political condition of being a ‘mosaic’ of fragmented states, the constant state of unsettlement within the 12th century leading to the eventual economic progress of the 13th century, we’ve seen constantly portrayed the concept of highly localized, birth-place pride, or campanilismo. This could be identified in the importance placed upon the campanile, and how, for example, the one built with the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena is intentionally made to be higher than that at the Palazzo della Signoria in Florence. I found this competitive air fascinating, especially taking into consideration one of the reasons why the town hall in Florence was constructed with battlements and fortified architecture: political struggle. The fact that of all mediums, architecture was chosen to convey this don’t-mess-with-us message to the losing party, the fact that it’s shown in the subtlest of manner, down to the choice of material – pietra forte, strong stone. 

What I also think is interesting in regards to how Italian people of these periods perceived architectural sites is human’s relationship with the spiritual world. When the economy is prosperous and people have money to spare, they invest in the Art, more specifically arts that serve, and of, religious purposes. Despite some works of arts originally being created merely due to the fact that there’s a space that needs decoration (eg. the altarpiece). The physical development of a human being at this time was also highly intertwined with their religious development, which was shown clearly in the process of individual baptism, signifying the utmost connection between one becoming part of the economy and part of the church.  This, along with the rise in interest with ancient culture, philosophy and art, otherwise known as humanism, created a wave of highly distinctive artworks that was influenced by elements from arts from a variety of different regions and ideologies, from Byzantine arts to French Gothic architectures. 

The deep connection between the production of art and the social, political, and economic circumstances of a place at a given time is something that has really been at the center of the courses which I have taken in the art history department. This was emphasized again at the beginning of our class on 2/7, with an explanation of the climate in Italy in the 13th and 14th centuries. Italy (though not officially Italy) was divided into a mosaic of separate states with no unifying government or leader. In terms of the economy, we discussed the ways in which the economy was beginning to pick up following the middle ages. Understanding the context surrounding a work of art or an artist allows us to consider works of art for more than just what we are seeing. Courses in art history have really led me to further question what I see and how it may be a reflection of the circumstances it was made under. So far, based on our class lecture and the first set of readings, religion seems to be a key factor influencing the art and architecture which was being created in Italy.

Today was the first day of class, and I have not taken an art history class before, so I am very interested to see what we will learn and cover this semester. In today’s class, we started to cover Art in Thirteenth and Fourteenth Century Italy. We began by looking at Siena and Florence and discussing what a campanile served as. We discussed how citizens would look to the campanile or bell tower and take pride in their identity and city. We then discussed the Piazza della Signoria and Piazza del Campo. The Piazza della Signoria looks almost like a castle and has a strong structure that takes up much of the city. It is meant to resemble the power of the government. I was particularly interested in our examination of the Pisa Baptistery. We discussed how the tubs used had to be larger than what a majority use today because back then, they were baptizing adults. The architecture of the lectern was also very interesting, as there was an eagle resembling St. John the Evangelist. I also enjoyed examining the Mosaics in Monreale, Sicily as they are referred to as maniera greca or the Greek style. This reminded me of my Church back home, as we also have a very similar mosaic of Jesus on the ceiling. I enjoyed this first class and look forward to learning more.

I really enjoyed today’s class and was excited that we got to jump into some of the course material. I had taken an art history course in high school so I thought I knew a fair amount about the Renaissance, but I was shocked by how much of the information we discussed today was entirely new to me. In class today we began with the role of the “campanile”, or bell tower, and how that was a symbol of identity for inhabitants of a city-state, and citizens would be reminded of their pride for their city by looking at these towers. We proceeded to talk about the Palazzo dei Priori and how it was a structure built to be a reminder of the power of the government. The building is the town hall of Florance and its out-of-place military architecture style in the middle of the town center is meant to emphasize the strength of the city’s government. I was particularly interested in our discussion of the St. Francais Alterpeice since I had never fully internalized and understood the role of the altarpiece, beyond decoration. Talking about how it interacted with the mass, and how the evolution of churches brought about the need for such an item was fascinating. I really enjoy learning about this period of art and can’t wait to discuss it further in later classes!

Today in class we had an introduction to Renaissance art and started by looking at the 13th and 14th century in the Italian region. We discussed that it is important to note when reviewing history oftentimes those in power, the victors, depict how the history is told. During the renaissance, Italy had a large boom in trade routes bringing in money, art, and ideas. We also discussed how cities in Italy like Siena and Florence have a strong sense of individuality, which was interesting to me as it linked to geography and culture I had learned in an Italian class. We discussed examples of the linkage between church and state, like the Palazzo di Priori. This was a very interesting piece to me as the militaristic architecture didn’t fit the true purpose of the building.

We ended class by discussing the life of Saint Francis and looking at some pieces depicting him and his life. One example we looked at was an altarpiece. Altarpieces are very important as they are the setting for transubstantiation. This part of class was interesting to me as I am not Catholic so I learned a little bit beyond art history as well.

Class today focused on art in 13th to 14th century Italy. We analyzed the catalysts and definition of the Renaissance (re-birth), including the booming Italian peninsular economy following the Middle Ages and Humanism. Together, we looked at pieces specifically from Florence and Siena: both city-states with large senses of individuality. In Florence specifically, we analyzed the Palazzo du Priori, and how it reflected the link between the state and the church.

I found particularly interesting the way the Palazzo put up a militaristic facade via the rustication of its materials (pietra forte– literally “strong stone”), and use of battlements and crenellations.

We defined Humanism, and looked at how it was reflected via the references to antiquity in Pisa’s Baptistry. The Annunciation, Nativity, and Annunciation to the Shepherds relief on the pulpit is thought to directly reference the Phaedra and Hippolytus Sarcophagus that would’ve been in the adjacent cathedral to the baptistry. Virgin Mary in this piece is portrayed like a Roman matron, and the Virtue of Fortitude is represented as Hercules in contrapposto.

We concluded class by digging into the lore of Saint Francis and analyzing some works dedicated and related to him. I found interesting the section of class dedicated to the rise of the altarpiece, particularly its importance during transubstantiation.

This past Wednesday we went over the factors which would influence Italian Artwork, as well as the fact that some of the history is skewed due to the bias of the victors who tell the history. Italy has a wide distribution of trade routes during this time period bringing ideas and money into Italy. Some of this is put into and helps develop the arts, especially in the cities Florence and Siena.

Bell towers are placed around the city center signifying local pride. Piazzas are city squares which include important buildings such as churches and the town hall as well as hosts events such as executions.

Within churches there are a number of significant artistic elements. Pulpits, which draw inspiration from greek and gothic art, include elements such as corinthian capitals and trefoils. The statues on these are depicted in controposto. Alter pieces are important as it is the setting for transubstantiation. One example is the alter piece of St Francis who was significant due to how late he was canonized and being one of the first to write in latin.

Class today focused on art in 13th and 14th century Italy. This was the beginning of the Renaissance, a period of rebirth of ancient Roman and Greek ideals which manifested in a new appreciation for art. Florence and Siena especially were prominent cities for the arts, including with their architecture. The campaniles and battlements were especially interesting because of their uniqueness when compared to modern buildings. The tall towers and strong, fortress appearance of the town halls, including rustication with pietra forte, were a symbol of power for the prideful cities. Today, town halls or other buildings in a city’s center square are built with fewer embellishments and make less of a statement.

Altarpieces were some of the earliest Renaissance works because churches could afford to commission the paintings and had the space to display the large panels. One analyzed in class was St. Francis by Bonaventura Berlinghieri. The large portrait of St. Francis, part of the Mendicant Order and canonized in 1228, depicts him in the center with the wounds of Christ and surrounds him with scenes from his life. The large tempura panel hung behind the altar in the Church of St. Francesco where the priest would face during the transubstantiation for the body of Christ during communion. Because of this, altarpieces contained religious scenes or figures, including St. Clare or the famous image of Enthroned Madonna and Child by Cimabue. These works of art enhanced the religious belief and were symbols of faith for early Italy.

In class today we were introduced to the survey of the Western art regions from the renaissance to today. We started off by looking at what was Italy made up of before it was called Italy. During the time in the 13th and 14th century, religion was very important in the influence of making art and designing churches. We looked into Sicily and Florence and what their town squares looked like. The town squares connect all the way back to the ancient greeks and romans and how they created forums in living spaces and public areas. Some other important sites in a town square were treasures (statues), churches, shops, and a town hall. We looked more into the details of the town hall like the crenellation structure, and the open windows. The idea was to make the town hall look strong and powerful.  

We also looked at a piece from Saint Francis and discussed his influence in Italy. He wrote “Canticle of Brother Sun” in 1224 and it was significant because it was the first ever written in Italian rather than Latin. He died in 1226 and 2 years later was canonized in 1228. 

I look forward to talking and learning more about the history of art in Italy, and Western regions and I am excited to get more of a sense of where art in the West evolved to todays time. 

Today was the introduction to our class. I am excited to take this class, as I have never taken a survey on art history before. I am interested to learn more about the art that we will focus on, as it should help to broaden my understanding of art periods from Renaissance art all the way to modern art.

An interesting part of class today was learning about each respective city-state’s individuality in Italy in this period. Each city-state strived to convey its power and grandeur, often competing with the surrounding city-states. This seems to be an important aspect of the culture at the time, and it most likely allowed for production of many more important works of art.

The importance of the church was one part of the lecture that stood out to me. Much of the architecture of the time was done in churches, and this also allowed for the invention of altarpieces and other works in that vein. I am interested to see how the influence of the church affects the creation of new works of art and architecture in the following centuries.