15th Century

Recovery from 1348 plague: labor shortage, wages increased; great new wealth Capitalism; new class wealthy families based on capitalism, not hereditary Patronage of arts Florence is one of wealthiest cities ART: both secular & religious; greater realism & symbolism

Renaissance = rebirth of classical Greece & Rome Classical past viewed as source for new & innovative ideas for the 15th and 16th centuries Represents a synthesis

Florence

Center of European banking system Florence coins used in European trade for centuries Medici family controlled Florence (1434-1492) Platonic Academy – principal means of exporting Greek learning to Europe Florence “republican” government by wealthy in guilds

Renaissance Humanism Political developments (republicanism) Artists worked as individuals seeking personal fame (not just for glory of God) Desire for Classical learning Advancement of self & society through intellectual efforts

Emphasis on good life & not just medieval religion and strict ethical code Convinced humanist learning would both perfect the individual & also promote effective social and religious reform. Humans are the crucial link between God and the world God created

Humanist learning spread rapidly with invention of movable metal type printing by Gutenberg Replaced copying by hand or by engraved wooden bloc – not practical for much text Price of printed material plummeted UT Austin has copy of Gutenberg Bible

Why Italy? Little medieval feudalism Long tradition of lay learning City life never declined significantly

1401 - Renaissance began with competition to decorate bronze doors of Florence Baptistery Subject was Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac Lorenzo Ghiberti won competition His east doors used linear perspective (invented by Brunelleschi using mathematical formulae) to create illusion of 3D on a two dimension surface –most important development in history of Western art

Linear Perspective in Painting (Patrons kneeling) Masaccio – The Holy Trinity

Vanishing Point

Strong Emotions (Masaccio, Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden)

Architecture – Filippo Brunelleschi Emphasized precise measurements & study of classical examples Gothic architecture (flying buttresses, etc) never entered Italy Cathedral of Florence was unfinished Designed the massive dome, drawing upon Pantheon but revising for his needs

Combined buttressing of Gothic architecture & Classical vaulting techniques Later, Michelangelo drew heavily from Brunelleschi with Saint Peter’s dome in Vatican: “I will create your sister; bigger but no more beautiful.”