Monday, March 17, 2008

The essence of the Renaissance for many people is in its art. The artists of the medieval world had different objectives from those of the Renaissance: they wished to create a particular effect that did not necessarily require the direct imitation of nature. The great cathedrals of northern Europe in the Gothic style were treasure-houses of artworks in stone and stained glass, which sought to instruct their viewers in the great stories connected with the Christian faith, and to create in them a frame of mind prepared to focus on divine things.

Italian Renaissance artists, on the other hand, began to experiment with techniques that would allow them to represent the natural world more accurately. The chief challenge for painters lay in representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface. Thus for a number of painters, developing and mastering the techniques of perspective became an obsession. Friday's reading in Barlett of a selection from Alberti's treatise on painting is an example of this concern. In spite of the drive to be more representaional, however, artists were not aiming merely to replicate nature; they wanted to present the natural world in a manner that would bring out the hidden convergences that constitute Pico's vision of a harmonious universe. It is this simultaneous gesture both to observe the natural world and idealize it that gives Renaissance artwork its enduring appeal.

In preparation for class, I want you to look at the selections indicated on the page for Lorenzo Ghiberti taken from the Web Gallery of Art (scroll down, click on "Artist Index," find the "Gs" and then to Ghiberti). Pay attention in particular to the entry that won him the commission to do the east Door to the Baptistry (Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac), the North Doors, the panel of Pilate Washing his Hands, and the statue of St. John the Baptist from Orsanmichele. Next, check out the Doors of Paradise, (the name Michelangelo gave to the East Door to the Baptistry). This page gives you an opportunity to see close-ups of the doors as a whole, and of some of the panels.

Next, look at the work of Donatello, particularly his 1530 statue of David (the bronze David from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, in Florence). The page provides several close-ups of the face, as well as of the entire statue. There is also a full page of statues that Donatello did for the Cathedral. Finally, look at the St. Mary Magdalen on a page with some of his late works.

For Brunelleschi, I've found a nice website that gives us a view of the Cathedral and its dome. And since you're reading about Perugino and Pinturicchio, I thought I'd link to pages about them as well. I'm also treating you to a portrait (above) of patroness Isabella d'Este.

Homework Questions:

• Describe in some detail the relationship between patrons and artists. What role do they play in the examples here in the determining the creative vision for the artworks in question?
• Looking at the different accounts of Ghiberti's commission to do the doors of the Baptistry, what do you see as the discrepancies in the accounts? What seem to you to be the possible reasons for the differences? After putting it all together, what impression do you have of the artists concept of themselves and of their competitors?
• To conclude, I'll give you one more general question to think about: what is it that inspires great creativity? Must a creative person necessarily have an enormous ego, for example? And do other people's expectations and/or demands limit, or advance creativity?

Laurel Carrington carringt@stolaf.edu
Most recent update: March 17, 2008

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