While both the Northern Renaissance style painting by Jan van Eyck, titled The Arnolfini Portrait, and the Baroque style painting, by Johannes Vermeer, titled Woman Holding a Balance, indeed share some similarities, like painting for wealthy merchants and not just the church or royalty, there are some noted variations in the type of form used, between the different paintings. Eyck uses lines that are solid, bold, clearly defining each element and miniscule detail of the painting. The Northern Renaissance was well known for its attention to fine details, and Eyck does a great job of displaying this with The Arnolfini Portrait. In addition, the colors used for this portrait are bold and intense. The Renaissance period is also known for being
"In 1418 the town fathers of Florence finally addressed a monumental problem they’d been ignoring for decades: the enormous hole in the roof of their cathedral. " This sets the stage for Brunelleschi to become a hero and master artisan. Brunelleschi had spent his life learning, as an apprentice goldsmith, he had learned and perfected techniques that were well ahead of the training he was given. He studied other areas of art as well, "Brunelleschi’s life seemed to have been one long apprenticeship for building the dome of unequaled beauty, usefulness, honor, and power that Florence yearned for." He, along with other actual architects applied to be the one to put a dome on the cathedral, and eventually one out.
Brunelleschi’s Dome is one of the most beautiful and significant masterpieces of the renaissance. it started with a competition of sorts to find an architect to build a dome over the existing cathedral. The reward for the winner was 200 gold florins. He comes up with a completely revolutionary new method of building a dome. He uses a two dome approach.
I chose to research Brunelleschi’s design of the dome for Florence’s cathedral. From what I read, it seemed that Brunelleschi was motivated to create the dome, because of a competition. Whoever was successful was going to win money. Brunelleschi was a smart man and knew what needed to be done to create what he had in mind. He had to even create some of his own inventions to help him create the dome, because there wasn’t anything out there to help him.
Michelangelo famously carved many sculptures throughout his lifetime. One of his most famous pieces is the Rome Pietà. The French cardinal Jean de Bilhères Lagraulas commissioned Michelangelo to carve a memorial piece for his own burial in 1497 (Wallace, 243). The Pietà is currently on display in St. Peter’s Basilica on a pedestal as an altarpiece. William Wallace’s article “Michelangelo’s Rome Pietà: Altarpiece or Grave Memorial?” discusses whether the Pietà should be viewed as an elevated altarpiece or at eye level as a memorial through historical context and the intention of how the work was made to be viewed by an audience.
Approaching the time of the European Renaissance, in 1377, Florence, Italy had welcomed its future architect, sculptor, and artist, Filippo Brunnelschi. He was raised in a wealthy Florentine family, taken care of by (University of St Andrews- Article) Brunellesco di Lippo and Giuliana Spini. (The Collector- Article) After building the dome and creating linear perspective, he was known as The Father of Renaissance Architecture.
Throughout history, it has been evident that the setting of events will always shape how they occur. Be it from past events, the present, or even everyday life. Geography always plays a part in these occurrences. It will be demonstrated how geography affects how things happen by taking a look at The Crucible, “Geography Matters,” and my own life. Firstly, geography affects how certain circumstances are shaped as demonstrated in The Crucible.
Giovanni Bellini, an Italian renaissance painter. He came from a family of artists but not much is known about this part of his life, his career on the other hand is a major focus of Renaissance advances. His skills brought realism to paintings that weren’t there before. Without him, realism painting may never have taken off, plus historical understanding of his time may never had advanced in the ways it did. Giovanni Bellini was an Italian hand to sway the tide of artistic history.
Donatello is a world renowned sculptor and artist that was born in Florence Italy in 1386 to a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild named Niccolo di Betto Bardi. With Donatello stacher as a son of a tradesman, he was able to be schooled at the home of a wealthy and influential Florentine family of bankers and art that are closely tied to the Medici family. Some of Donatello most famous works of statues are the bronze and marble David, Penitent Mary Magdalene, Saint George, and Equestrian Monument of Gattamelata. Donatello had a deep understanding of ornamentation and classic forms, that important knowledge would eventually change 15-century Italian art. Donatello is died on December 13, 1466 of natural causes.
chose Brunelleshi’s Dome to investigate. Brunelleshi’s motivation came from a problem decades old – a hole in the roof of the Florence Cathedral. Concern for the structure of the dome worried the cathedral overseers. The following questions were asked: Could an extremely heavy dome (tens of thousands) be supported without the traditional pointed arches? Was there enough timber in Tuscany for this kind of structure?
Depicting a very real emotion on his statue, rather than the stoic deadpan of the classical Rome, Donatello reflects the movement of humanism that swept through Florence in the 15th-century (Lecture 4). However, the most significant part of this piece in regards to Madonna of the Clouds is the relief underneath the statue, Saint George and the Dragon. While George, the dragon, and the picture protrude defiantly from their background, there is subtle, painterly carving providing context to the battle scene. Donatello applies atmospheric perspective, using incised lines, to not only complete the story, but emphasize his characters (Gardner). By having Mary’s head protrude out more so than other features of the relief, the accentuating effect is the same.
So the Florentine fathers set forth a challenge to anyone to come up with a design of a dome to cover the hold and not have any pillars. They wanted this to represent their town’s culture, and power. Many architects all over Europe flocked to take this challenge. Filippo Brunellischi was one of these who was up for the challenge. He was known for tinkering with many things and coming up with amazing ideas, including the first alarm clock.
His patron was Cosimo de Medici. Nationality Italian. Lifespan 1386-1466 . Donatello died on December 13 1466.
During the Renaissance Italian artist's developed the linear perspective, which was a system that allowed artist to represent three dimensions on two dimensional surfaces. This technique was constructed through finding a horizon and extending all lines from the vanishing point. Before the Renaissance paintings and pieces were heavily influenced through religious systems and practices, and there truly wasn’t much to offer as far as extension went, so the most we saw in a background were a gold plate. However, as we enter the Renaissance perspectives begin to grow in nearly every aspect of life including how we make and see art. It only made sense for this practice to become a common usage in art.
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
