PROF. CECILIA MARTELLI GENIUS AND INNOVATION IN RENAISSANCE FLORENCE
EXAM INSTRUCTIONS
I PART
Begin with the IDENTIFICATION OF THE WORKS: write the following
1. ARTIST’S NAME
2. TITLE OF THE WORK
3. DATE
4. TECHNIQUE
5. LOCATION (+ the original)
6. PATRON
Then write a paragraph in which you describe the work and discuss its importance and meaning in
Florentine Early Renaissance art.
II PART
KNOW EVOLUTION OF THE ARTISTS(bruneleschi, etc)
LIST OF THE WOKS:
CIMABUE
1. Maestà di Santa Trinita, Uffizi (1290),
* Tempera on wooden panel
* Early gothic styles
* Gold leaf background
* Throne slightly recedes
* Attempt at rendering perspective
* Very early styles
2. Crucifixion Santa Croce (1285), a reminder of the flood of 1966
* Tempera on wood
* Church close to river
* Gothic style
* Gold leaf background, divine Byzantine tradition, non-earthy
* Focus on Christ’s body (softness/realism)
* Shading in torso and limbs (light/shadowing)
* Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist
DUCCIO
1. Maestà di Santa Maria Novella, Uffizi (1285-1295)
* Tempera on wood
* Gothic style
* Gold leaf background, sacred nature
* The Virgin Mary is depicted as very big (central importance)
* An attempt at spatial depth, the throne is diagonal
* Tries to layer angels, but they appear stacked, a bit overlapped
* Some flowing drapery, body underneath, breasts, knees
* Bros from Siena
* Rendering of perspective
GIOTTO
1. Maestà di Ognissanti, Uffizi (Early 1300s)
* Tempera on panel
* All saints
* Chiaroscuro, light and shadow technique to create 3D figures (kee·aa·ruh·skyuor·row)
* Figures have weight
* Gold leaf background
* Drapery fall naturally
* Medieval to early Renaissance transition of style
* Ogni Santi Church
* Evolution of rendering of perspective from Cimubue’s similar work
2. Crucifixion Santa Maria Novella (1290)
* Chiaroscuro (light/shadow)
* Fresco technique
* Rip cage and the human body fall with gravity - better technique than the other cross(Cimabue’s) cuz way more realistic rendering of human body
* Thumbs overlapping hands
* Linear perspective/foreshortening
* Bridging the gap between Medieval and early Renaissance art
* Be able to compare both crucifixions
SIMONE MARTINI
1. Annunciation, Uffizi (1333)
* Gothic style
* Tempera on panel, gold leaf, white lilies (represents virginity and purity)
* One altar
* Gilded patterns (angel’s wings), pointed arches, elegant, olive leaf held by the angel
* The Virgin Mary visibly startled (human reaction/realistic)
* Gold background, emotion, pattern, realism
* From Siena, follower of Duccio
* Gothic AF
* Patron: painted for Cathedral itself
BRUNELLESCHI
1. Ospedale degli Innocenti, orphanage, hospital, Hospital of the Innocents) in Florence (1417)
* Early Renaissance Architecture, 1st Reniassance building in the world
* Round arches, very symmetrical (balanced proportions), mathematical rules
* Harmonic mathematical ratio - hella symmetrical style for all his buildings
* Corinthian capitals on top of columns (flower-shaped)
* Simple colors (white walls) space between columns is equal to the height
* He only uses gray and white for his buildings
* Used pietra serena
* Domed spaces
* Came back from Rome to complete, used classical roman architecture influences
* Windows triangular top, Greek windows
* Patron: guilds in charge of funding, SILK GUILD
2. San Lorenzo church + Old Sacristy in Florence (1421)
* First church brunellesci built for the Medici
* MEDICI OWN THIS SHIII COSMO THE ELDER IS BURIED HERE
3. Pazzi Chapel (1443-1446 when Brunelesci died, finished in 1478)
* Before pazzi conspiracy
* DONATELLO
1. Orsanmichele: Saint Marc, Saint George
(saint george) (saint marc)
* The right: 1409, Donatello
* Patron Saint of linen guild
* New rendering of human figure
* Competition of artists
* Contrapostal… leg comes forward, intense face, classical portraits
* Hand was unproportional
* Point of view matters in sculptures
* Saint mark’s hand--everyone said the hand was unproportional or someshit but it was a lil big bc of the perspective of looking up from the ground to the statue…so it made sense, overnight he(whoever the artist was) put it up
* The left: Saint george
* Missing original pieces, helmet and sword (metal)
* Patron: GUILD, Sword and armor makers guild
* Christian knight, killed dragon that horrified a town
* Saved princess
* Asked population of the town to convert to Christianity
* Legs angled, one leg comes forward
* Saint george - hella important christian knight, was chosen as patron saint of swords and armor guild. His statue is important cuz:
* Shoulders move at a forward angle (not stiff, realistic movement in space)
* Face: tense/concentrated, wrinkles on forehead, pre-fight
* Panel below saint george
* Thin, squashed (schiacciato technique), donatello invented, thin relief, round arches represent the hospital, trees in background (landscape)
* Tail of horse and action of St. George are moving
2. Bronze David, Bargello Museum (1440)
* Young, realistic, weak, true to the bible, instead of the buff ahhh depictions that other artists did
* Bronze, naked
* Medici palace courtyard
* Commissioned by Cosmo the elder
* Standing on Goliath severed head(hella tuff)
* contrapposto
3. San Lorenzo church, Old Sacristy
4. Mary Magdalene, Opera del Duomo (1450s)
* Wooden sculpture, from a single tree
* Comes from the baptistry
* Depicted poor, ugly, old and selfless, instead of as a young baddie like other artists did, donatello loves making his figures true to bible and realistic
*
NANNI DI BANCO
1. Orsanmichele: Four crowned (christian) martyrs (1417)
* Friend of Donatello
* Died in his 20s
* Wearing togas, noble, strong, dialogue
* Classical faces, Christian models, the back is unfinished
* 4 Christian Men
* The christians were helllla persecuted after jesus crucifixion and for years after or something
* Roman empire: pagan-christian
* St.’s were killed
* Patron: guild, stone maker guild
* Activities of guild below
GHIBERTI
1. 1401 Competition panels (Ghiberti and Brunelleschi)
The left one: ghiberti, 1425-1450(time it took to do the doors),THIS ONE WON THE COMPETITION, one cast(one piece), cheaper bc its one cast(less heavy), more classical and not as cruel, mountain that makes images more connected and fluid, more depth in this one
The right one: 7 figures on flat surface, more expensive than ghiberti’s, more violent, thorn puller
-Format of panels changed
CONTEXT: there was already a baptistry door(pizzano’s- south door- stories of john the baptists-28 quadrifoil panels-1330’s) , so the city of florence decided to do a competition for the other doors. They were to follow pizzano’s as a reference. Know what they were required to present: quadri-fold shape, same size, in bronze and gilded, show sacrifice of isaac, knowledge of classical art. Know significance of isaac being naked
2. Baptistery: North Door, East Door
(north door 1425) Eastern Doors of the Baptistery in Florence<br>(Porta del Paradiso) (east door/ fully gilded 1450)
* Right door: old testament
* Gates of Heaven (paradise)
* GATES OF PARADISE
* Stories of old testament
* Entirely gilded
* Hella good perspective
* Vanishing point — 3d perspective typeshi
* 3. Orsanmichele: Saint John the Baptist(always has the fur)
* Patron: guild, merchants wool guild, caremela (in charge of baptistry doors)
* Bronze figures, richest guild
* Animal skin (fur)
* *
MASACCIO
1. Brancacci chapel frescoes (with Masolino)
* Massacio (more important) (sigma male)and Massolino(beta male)
* The tax collector painting(the one above)(Massachio) 1425- 3 events: st peter 3 times, tax collector twice. —Continous narrative (story), very real men, not idolized figures, landscape (water flowing), relief of saint george was the model for this (donatello’s work)
* Adam and eve, original sin (similar to skull of Adam in the crucifixions)
* Massacio’s adam and eve is hella realistic(more emotional, realistic, chiarosculo, eve covering her titties for modesty) and massolino’s is lowkey ass(not much emotion)
* St peters life story - know this
* St. Peter first apostle, founder of first Church, first pope
* Light comes from right, location of window in Chapel, first time the artist considered location of art in chapel (very realistic, shadows on ground)
*
2. Holy Trinity, Santa Maria Novella (1427)
* Linear perspective —---Vanishing point
* God is behind jesus i think idk
* God the father, jesus, dove (holy spirit)
* Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist
* Tomb below: memento mori= reminder of death
* What you are, I once was, what i am you will be
3. Sant’Anna metterza (with Masolino), Uffizi (1425)
* Baby jesus is naked - NOT NORMAL AT TIME to show jesus naked and as a baby(Talladega nights reference)
* Massacio and Massolino
* 3D effect is improved, triangular shape
* Angel top right
GENTILE DA FABRIANO
1. Adoration of the Magi, Uffizi
* Gothic style/renaissance
* Gold and high arches
* Rich decoration of draperies
* Landscape in back and flowers in the frame (early renaissance)
* Transition from late gothic to renaissance
*
PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA
1. Portrait of Federico da Montefeltro e Battista Sforza, Uffizi (1
* Massacio was the influence for this.
Man:
* Bros chopped af
* broken nose or someshi
* Lost an eye (only depicted from side profile)
* Realistic rendering, militaristic man
Women:
* Pale af to represent nobility
* Wedding - these two ugly mfs got married
*
VERROCCHIO
1. Medici tombs, San Lorenzo church
FILIPPO LIPPI
1. Madonna and Child with Angels, Uffizi
ORSANMICHELE (1410) building(the one dakota did his presentation at): Grainery/ Church
-square shape
-arches closed
- too large to be a grainery so they made it a church
- church is rectangular which was unusual af for a church cuz most were cross shaped
-Patron: guild, each guild put a statue of patron saint,
-Artists involved, Donatello, Guiburti, Nani Di Barco
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