1. The Italian Renaissance: Art

2. Medieval Art Fusion of different styles
Roman ideas (techniques of sculpture lost)
Christian ideas
Church richest, most powerful institution in Medieval world
Had the money to support artists throughout Medieval period
Northern European “Barbarian” artistic tradition (Celtic, Germanic)
Byzantine (iconography)
Much of the non-religious medieval art is lost to us
No concept of preserving art outside of church

3. Medieval Painting: Major Styles
Byzantine (iconography)
Portrayed people as expressionless / blank eyes
Flat, two dimensional figures (unrealistic)
Human body was considered sinful; it had to be covered at all times
Focus wasn’t on the individual but rather the celebration of God
Illuminated Manuscripts
Book where text is supplemented by addition of decoration (initial letters, borders, etc)
Style was based on animal imagery, combined with an intricate interlacing of geometric lines
Created and drawn by monks, priests
Illuminated Bible page (closeup)

4. Medieval Art: Religious Themes
St. Francis’ Rule Approved
Giotto ( ?)
Tempera (egg yolk mixed with pigment) on wood and ground gold
Questions
Glowing head?
Realistic?
Depth perception?

5. Medieval Art: Religious Themes
The Epiphany
Giotto
1320
Tempera on wood and ground gold.
Questions
Glowing head?
Depth?

6. Medieval Art: Religious Themes
The Crucifixion
Giotto (1305)
Tempera on wood and ground gold.
Questions
Realism?
Glowing heads?
Depth?

7. Characteristics of Italian Renaissance Art
1. Bright colors & oil paints (change in material used)
2. Focus on realism
Natural poses were life-like, realistic (like the GREEKS!)
Showed personality & emotion in the art
Expulsion from the Garden
Masaccio
1427
First nudes since classical times

8. Use of perspective Perspective (Della Pittura – Alberti)
(horizon line,
vanishing point)
Shadowing created
illusion of depth
Made items in
background smaller

9. Lamentation Over the Dead Christ, Andre Mantegna (1481)
Notes
…Realistic?
…Perspective?

10. Betrothal of the Virgin
Perspective!
Betrothal of the Virgin
Raphael
1504

11. Compare & Contrast Perspective

12. 4. Classicism Obvious Greco-Roman influence
Individualism (free standing figures)
Symmetry/Balance
Statue of Habacuc
Donatello ( )

13. School of Athens - Raphael

14. 5. Emphasis on Individualism
Batista Sforza & Federico de Montefeltre: The Duke & Duchess of Urbino (Piero della Francesca, )

15. 6. Geometrical Arrangement of Figures
The Dreyfus Madonna with the Pomegranate
Leonardo da Vinci (1469)
The figure as architecture!

16. Raphael’s Canagiani Madonna, 1507

17. Where was the Renaissance taking place?

18. Renaissance Florence

19. Lorenzo the Magnificent
Cosimo de Medici
Grandson of Cosimo
Ruled Florence, 1469 to death
Patron to Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli
Medici bank = base of power
Took over Florence, 1433
Patron to Brunelleschi, others

20. Adoration of the Magi Entire Medici family shown Who are the “magi”?
Who is in far
right, looking
at viewers?

21. Brunelleschi’s Dome

22. Filippo Brunelleschi 1377 - 1436
Architect, sponsored by Cosimo Medici
Won contest to design the dome of St. Maria del Fiore (cathedral)

23. Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1436)
Won competition to design dome for new Cathedral in Florence
Before starting, he travelled around Italy for inspiration
Used the ancient Romans’ architectural concepts
Parthenon, in Rome
Used ribs to support dome

24. Brunelleschi – Architect
Built lightweight inner
dome, then exterior dome
of wind resistant material
Dimensions: 137 feet across
Weight: 40,785 tons containing
over four million bricks
Time to construct: 16 years

25. Dome Comparisons
Il Duomo St. Peter’s St. Paul’s US Capitol (Florence) (Rome) (London) (Washington)

26. Renaissance Religious Themes
Madonna and Child

27. Madonna and Child, Fra Filippo Lippi Emotion of face -she looks like a real mother - tired, worn down

28. School of Athens-Raphael
Painting of Plato’s Academy, w/ many ancient scholars shown
Plato and Aristotle on either side of center axis
Plato points skyward to indicate his idealistic worldview
Aristotle gestures to ground to show his concern with the real world
Raphael on extreme right
Figures grouped and placed on purpose

29. The School of Athens – Raphael, details
Plato: pointing to the heavens [or the IDEAL realm].
Aristotle: pointing to the earth [the here and now].

30. \
Euclid
Socrates
Details, School of Athens

31. Details, School of Athens
Michelangelo
Raphael

32. “Study of the Gradations
Leonardo da Vinci
“Self portrait”
“Study of Hands”
“Study of the Gradations
of shadows”

33. Parachute
“Vitruvian Man”
Notebook page
(written backwards!)
Helicopter

34. Leonardo, the Inventor: Pages from his Notebook
Machine gun
Tank
Helicopter

35. Leonardo, the Scientist (Biology): Pages from his
Notebook
An example of the humanist desire to unlock the secrets of nature.

36. Leonardo, the Scientist (Anatomy): from his Notebook

37. Mona Lisa
Lisa di Antonio Maria Gherandini “Mona” - Italian version of ‘Madonna’ or ‘my lady’

38. A Macaroni Mona

39. Mona Lisa – da Vinci, ?

40. A Picasso Mona

41. An Andy Warhol Mona

42. Mona Lisa OR da Vinci??

43. The Last Supper
 Original, now
What original might have looked like 

44. The Last Supper - da Vinci, 1498
vertical
horizontal
Perspective!

45. A Da Vinci “Code”: St. John or Mary Magdalene?

46. Michelangelo

47. The Pieta

48. David

49. What a difference a century makes!

50. The Sistine Chapel

51. The Sistine Chapel Details The Creation of the Heavens

52. The Sistine Chapel Details
Creation of Man

53. The Sistine Chapel Details
The Last Judgment

54. The End