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History
4. THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
Artists could dedicate themselves exclusively to creation because they were maintained by
patrons
, who paid them for their work. These patrons included the
Medici
in Florence,
the
Sforza
in Milan, or the
Popes
of Rome (Alexander VI, Julius II or Leo X).
This artistic style was called Renaissance because there was a revival of Classical Greek and
Roman culture. This occurred for two main reasons:
❚
The arrival in Italy of
Greek scholars
, who had fled
Constantinople
after its conquest
by the Turks, and brought classical works with them.
❚
The abundance of
Roman remains
on the Italian peninsula and the discovery of new
archaeological remains.
4.1. The phases of the Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began at the end of the Middle Ages. There were various phases:
❚
Trecento
(14th century, the end of Gothic art): the early features of the Renaissance
appear. The first artist was
Giotto
.
❚
Quattrocento
(15th century): In Florence, new Renaissance innovations appeared
(harmony and proportion). The most important architects are
Brunelleschi
and
Alberti
;
the most important sculptors are
Ghiberti
and
Donatello
; and the most
important painters are
Masaccio
,
Fra Angelico
and
Botticelli
.
❚
Cinquecento
(16th century): Rome became the artistic centre.
Leonardo da Vinci
,
Michelangelo
and
Raphael Sanzio
belong to this phase. In Venice, a new style
was developed by painters such as
Giorgione
and
Titian
, which spread throughout
Europe.
❚
Mannerism
(beginning in 1530, in Italy): harmony and proportion were abandoned.
The most important painters are the Florentines
Bronzino
and
Pontormo
and the
Venetians
Tintoretto
and
Veronese
, and the sculptors
Cellini
and
Giambologna
.
4.2. Architecture
During the Renaissance, the following features of Greek and Roman art were adopted:
❚
Domes
: the most notable examples are Florence Cathedral (by Brunelleschi) and Saint
Peter’s Basilica in Rome (by Michelangelo).
❚
Columns
:
columns with classical capitals and entablatures (the horizontal parts above
the columns).
❚
Semi-circular arches
and
coffered
5
ceilings
(such as those in the church of San
Lorenzo in Florence, by Brunelleschi).
❚
Triangular pediments
6
,
friezes
,
geometric designs and scrolls
(an example is the
façade of the Basilica Santa Maria Novella)
❚
Longitudinal and central-plan
(circular, square, Greek cross): the Tempietto di
San Pietro, by Bramante, is a notable example of a circular plan; Villa La Rotonda,
by Andrea Palladio, is an example of a square plan; and Saint Peter’s Basilica, by
Bramante, is in the shape of a Greek cross.
The Humanist spirit created a new artistic style, the
Renaissance
.
This style originated
in the small Italian states.
Dome of Florence, Brunelleschi. This is the first
Renaissance dome. In the upper part, there is a
lantern which allows light inside the building.
Façade of the Basilica Santa Maria Novella by
Alberti, with a triangular pediment, friezes and
geometric designs
5
coffered:
an ornamental sunken panel
6
pediment:
triangular element of
architecture
