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Florence: The Renaissance: Patriotism And Renaissance Art

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Much like the Olympians from ancient mythology, Renaissance artists are regarded as gods. They revolutionized the art world, reviving themes and styles derived from the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The style they created completely contrasted with that of its predecessor, International Gothic. But how did this “Rebirth” come about? There are many answers to this question, but much of it lies in patriotism and civic values, especially in sculpture. One of the best examples of this is in 15th century Florence, which was virtually the birthplace of the Renaissance. It is there that sculpture reached its culmination, as a result of pride in the city, its history, and its values.
Long before Florence was even a thought, there was Rome. The center …show more content…

After devastating both the population and the economy in 1348, the Black Death finally passed over, allowing Florence to finally recover. Textile, trade, and international banking once again flourished, and boosted Florence's prestige as one of the strongest city in Italy. All of a sudden, Florence had become the powerhouse for European commerce and business. At the same time, “...the city was under siege from the Milanese”. Because of this and Florence’s growing strength, the 15th century became a period of intense patriotism and civic pride. Florence felt that it had superiority over other Italian cities, and had the strong desire to express this through the use of arts. Florentine patrons wanted the best artists and sculptures to beautify their city so that it would appear to be the most prominent of the principalities in Italy. However, there was not just a rivalry between Florence and the various city states of Italy. There was also a rivalry amongst the different guilds that dominated Florence. In the 1400s, Florence was controlled by seven main guilds, “each of which has a particular social standing and political outlook”. The more distinguished of these guilds were the Wool Merchant Guild and the Cloth Importers Guild. The guild members’ strong sense of patriotism and pride towards the organization that they belonged to, combined with their desire to outdo their competitors, led to them funding sculptures …show more content…

Viewing themselves as heirs to Ancient Rome, the Florentines spearheaded the Humanist movement, believing that they were the ideal city state to inherit Rome’s prestige. They not only wanted to be like Rome, they wanted to become Rome, a centre for the arts as well as politics. This interest in the Greco-Roman style of art is what led to the advancement in sculptural technique. Additionally, there was a surge in patriotism due to the end of the plague and a break in the war against Milan. In celebration, the Florentines decided to beautify the city, to display their growing power. Another reason for decorating Florence however, was so that the citizens could show their solidarity towards their community and give back to city which they so dearly loved. Such civic values not only inspired the citizens, but also the sculptors, especially Donatello, with his creation of David. He stood for Florence and her liberty. For triumph over tyranny. However, the fight was not over yet, as Florence would have to face off against tyranny once again in the next

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there were numerous differences between art in the Italian renaissance and the Northern Europe renaissance. While Italian artists were known for their cultural achievements, Northern artists were known more for their rapid development in the arts. Italian artists created detailed human figures that were symmetrical, balanced, and maintain a linear perspective, whereas Northern artists created landscapes and paid more attention to surface detail. Italian artists focused their work mainly around classic mythology and scenes from the bible. Northern artists also worked on religious scenes, but they also incorporated detailed domestic interiors and portraits.

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At that time Florence was at the center of art and learning, in fact artists from Florence were being called to the Vatican in order to decorate the walls in Sistine

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Renaissance: This term refers to a period in Italian history, initially considered to have begun in the late 13th Century, where the styles of art and architecture began a transformation from the earlier Gothic or Middle Ages style of architecture, dominated by France, to a more classical representation of the early style or Greco-Roman influences. One of the most prominent examples of the transformations taking place during the Renaissance can be seen in the Nicola Pisano, pulpit of the baptistry, Pisa, Italy. The use of columns topped with Corinthian style capitals, supporting trefoil arches, which in turn create the base for deeply carved relief sculpture, reminiscent of early Etruscan and Roman sarcophagi reliefs, shows a respect for

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What role did the patronage of the Medici family play in creating the conditions for the Florentine Renaissance? What kind of a leadership role did they play? The Medici family of Florence, Italy played a very important role in shaping and creating the conditions for the Florentine Renaissance to take place. The family had a great gift for business, and obtained their wealth through their successful and respected bank, which had been passed down from generation to generation since its creation in 1397.

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Scientist prospered and new, and exciting inventions were beginning to emerge. Not only the scientist prospered but also artist with the help of the church because, most of the art was mainly inspired by the Church The renaissance in Italy produced extraordinary achievements in many different forms of art,

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Painters such as Albrecht Dürer & Pieter Bruegel used a more realistic approach in their artwork, as the Northern Renaissance embraced realism and placed great emphasis on emotional intensity of religious feeling. Artists painted reality precisely with atmospheric perspective and produced many works solely on landscape and daily life to present a more prudent tone. Known as the “Leonardo of the North,” Dürer was renowned extensively for his woodcuts, portraits, and engravings. He was also one of the first Renaissance artists to create a self portrait which was generally unheard of during the time period. During the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, elements in art such as nude sculpture with statues such as Praxiteles nude “Venus” piece was used as a template to formulate other works on during the Renaissance.

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Because the Medici family played a major role in Florentine Renaissance, it is difficult to fully understand the family’s relevance without having basic knowledge on Florence and the Renaissance. After the chaos in Europe that consisted of several factors including the Great Schism and the Bubonic Plague, European life was given a light and resurrection of culture and spirit in a period we now know was the Renaissance; to the Italians la Rinascita, Rebirth. Will Durant wrote in The Renaissance: The Story of Civilization V, “The sunshine of the Italian spirit would break through the northern mists; men and women would escape from the prison of medieval fear; they would worship beauty in all its forms, and fill the air with the joy of resurrection.

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Italian Renaissance happened in fifth century B.C. It first rebirth on Florence, included the Medici family. The citizens of Florence work side by side to rebuilt and expanse the city. They rebuilt the Baptistery Doors, Florence Cathedral, and The gates of Paradise. In addition, they also created new scientific perspective, and naturalistic representation, also Painting, Sculpture.

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Filled with faith and a passion for God’s name, David, unarmed, slew Goliath with a stone and a sling. Subsequently, he cut off Goliath’s head with the giant’s own sword, resulting in the triumph of Israel. This chronicle eventually led Florence to adopt David as their emblem, a bastion of Republican liberty. David’s strength, courage and vigorous confidence were the characteristics that Florence wanted to project and thus they

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Many historians consider an increase of wealth following the black death to be one the major contributing factor to the Renaissance. Since a large portion of the population was gone, there was a crop increase which lead to lower prices and henceforth more excess wealth. With new found wealth allowed citizens at patronize art. Among the largest of these art patrons were the Medici family family of Florence. The Medici’s were a powerful and politically involved family of extreme wealth.

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Donatello’s David (Fig 1) could be classified as a sculpture of Florentine early Renaissance. In that era, art followed a rejuvenation of classical subjects, forms and principles. Sculpture kept its roots in the Greek or Etruscan and Roman models, yet simultaneously, evolved with influences of German, Lombard and Frankish origins. The poised but provocative demeanor and the sensual surface sheen of the bronze emit an image of being physically delicate and effeminate, reminiscent of the sensuous beauty of gods in Greek sculpture.

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The renaissance began. Inspired by Greek and Roman values, a spur of humanism flooded urban areas. People and their capabilities became the center of attention once again. Art stopped focusing only on Religion, but rather on the capabilities of man. Along with the Roman Catholic Church’s decline a secular air developed.

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Michelangelo once said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free”. If Michelangelo actually did this with every sculptor could modern artist be doing the same thing to follow in his footsteps. Michelangelo’s artwork affects modern society by influencing many modern-day artists to become sculptors, painters and more. He also influenced types of art such as frescoes and ceiling paintings. To add to this his sculptures are discussed in today’s conversations.

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The French Revolution began to abolish privileged, high class society as people rose up against the authority and monarchy in France. As a result of this political upheaval almost all of Europe was shaken by social changes, revolutions, and wars (“French Revolution”). Artists and artwork began to reflect this new sense of change and nationalism with a movement called Neoclassicism. Neoclassicism is characterized by strong drawing, rationality, and better moral ideology. Artists began to no longer show their brush strokes and paint more about nationalism and patriotism in society.

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The Renaissance or Rebirth of the European cultural scene spanned the period between the fourteenth and the seventeenth century and it collectively refers to the collection of paintings, murals, sculptures and other works that were created as part of the revival of the classical past of Europe. During this period artists created various works and masterpieces including art, literature and learning ideas, which in turn gave Europe a new cultural foundation to begin with. The work created during this period had a very distinguished style influenced by the remnants of the Middle Ages.   Italian artists and writers wanted to bring back the values, teachings and the civilized culture and tradition left by the Greco-Roman era.  

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