Analysis Of Conditions Of Trade By Michael Baxandall

The Renaissance was an incredible period for artistic patronage. It seemed as though it was nearly impossible for any well-to-do private individual to avoid some level of interaction with the art world, whether they required art to furnish their lavish houses, or to create religious iconography, or even to provide gifts for family and friends. For a royal family, or a member of the nobility, the need for artistic patronage was considerably larger, given the office they held. ‘Since an aura of personal splendour was a requirement of state, the line between public and private artistic consumption was often unclear. This was especially the case with the Medici, a family which long demonstrated

In this essay, the difference between Northern Baroque and Italian Baroque styles of painting, the differences between a male and a female interpretation, the narrative differences, and the psychological dilemmas they present to the viewer will be discussed.

Italy can be looked at as the home of the renaissance and consequently the immergence of great art. Artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Raphael are some of the greats and are looked at for standards. But what about the artists whose lives are mysteries, and their works that were influenced by the greats? These artists hold just as much importance in the history of art as do the artist’s whose names can be recalled off the top of an average person’s head. During the sixteenth century things began to change in the art world, and that change was the Baroque. This new style of art brought a revolution to how subject matter was painted, it brought upon “… a radical reconsideration of art and its purposes…” (249) and how artists of all ranks could learn to paint the up and coming style of Baroque.

Art by its nature is a subject of the philosophical, social, economic, political or religious context surrounding its creator. More often than not, a work of art addresses a specific topic or somewhat revolves around a particular person. Therefore, it is impossible to separate the context of a piece of painting, either historical or cultural, to its intrinsic value or the artwork's meaning. On the other hand, different cultures and time utilized specific conventions that govern the representation of objects of creativity. This essay highlights various pieces of art and their relationship to particular cultural, political, economic, or social settings. Moreover, it pinpoints how different times influence art presentation.

While Italy was experiencing an influx of creativity and a rebirth of forgotten culture, Northern Europe was suffering from the effects of the Hundred Years War and the Black Plaque. The poverty caused from these devastating events is captured by Pieter Bruegel’s “Haymaking,” where he paints a clear picture of the day to day peasant life concerning rigorous work and simplicity. This specific scene exhibits the typical daily life of a lower classman while working in the fields and carrying barrels on the tops of their heads. However, Italy’s attention was directed toward the wealthy and privileged, demonstrated in works such as Raphael’s “Baldassare Castiglione Portrait,” which represented the humanist gentleman, a man of refinement and self-control. Baldassare Castiglione is painted as an individual wearing tasteful, sophisticated clothing, even appearing to have a fur coat draped about his lower half. The lower and middle class in this age would most likely not have been able to afford such clothing. The reason for the rich having more attention brought to them was because of the significantly wealthy merchants and bankers who ended up taking over most of Italy, such as the Medici family. In their eyes, money could buy anything, including happiness. There was a strong use of prominent

The artists that served strenuously that role were the draughtsmen. The draughtsmen’s paintings had the “role as ‘mere’ records of property” and the architectural style of the houses conveyed an image of the materialistic development and social progress that both free settlers and ex-convicts had achieved. These paintings allowed ‘men of humble stations are permitted to share in gratifications, once reserved to a privileged few’ and Costantini’s artistic work ensured a major contribution. Costantini fostered a contemporary art, an art of the ‘ordinary’ people. It is art that crosses several boundaries since even though, it can be considered political art, and it mostly makes a way into popular tradition. Equally, portrait paintings were commissioned for the same purpose

and they would commission the best artistic minds of the time to build, design and paint

The selection from Leon Battista Alberti’s On painting is mainly divided into 5 paragraphs numbered 25 through 29. Just as the title suggests, the text deals with the art of painting and its virtues. It talks about the benefits painting offers to the artist and why they are valuable, as well as showing the importance a work of art gives to the object being painted. While referring to many examples in history, Alberti also compares painting to the other “crafts” and explains why it is more noble, as well as more enjoyable and self-satisfactory.

Continuing the discussion in my last paragraph, I now focus specifically on another one of the three criteria developed earlier using Hill’s ideas– the rarity of a work. Based on the fundamental laws of supply and demand, the rarity of certain works can drive their prices up, which in turn allows them to function as “trophies” boosting the prestige of their collectors (Hill 7). If one accepts this reasoning as true, collectors viewing fine art as an investment, of which there are several, have a significant stake in making their collections seem like mystic objects (if only to increase the market value of their own works), and one can understand why such collectors would covet rare Renaissance art instead of more easily duplicable advertisements. Stated slightly differently, we categorize certain works as fine art and see advertisements as relatively undistinguished not because one has elements of commercialism and the other does not, but rather because the commercialism present in each panders to different audiences. Advertising, which needs mass distribution in order to work effectively, requires its creators to refer to a product (and thus commercialism) quite blatantly. Art dealers, on the other hand, may refer more frequently to a work’s “historical significance” and rarity, using these attributes as subtle reasons explaining why certain works are valued so highly. Expanding on this idea, I speculate (albeit without proof) that if an art dealer focused solely on price and not on historical factors, people would likely realize that the artworks they were buying were not actually that special; after all, some consumers might reason that anyone with enough money could

The patron and the artist often have a somewhat complicated relationship. The patron describes to the artist what they want in the painting, and it’s in the artist’s best interest to follow instructions carefully, or they might not be paid. At the same time, however, it would be best for the patron to give the artist some creative freedom, as they understand the elements of art best. The price of the art may be determined by any number of things. It could be set by characteristics of the painting, like the type of paint used, the materials, the size of the painting, or the number of people featured in the composition. For example, paintings containing ultramarine blue would be more expensive because it is made with lapis lazuli, a very expensive semi-precious stone.The prices could also be determined by the guild or another outside influence. Griet mentions in the book she suspected that Maria Thins struck up the deals for Vermeer. Depending on the severity of the discrepancy, a patron could find another artist, or an artist can simply solve the problem the patron has with the work. For example, if there was a small detail the patron was unhappy with, it could be fixed relatively quickly and easily. If the patron was unhappy with the piece in its entirety, and the artist was unwilling to comply with their requests, it would not be completely out of the question for the patron to find a different artist.

In the world of omnipresent financial exchanges there exists many forms of payment and commodities that hold economic value for which to fulfil the exchange. These are often in the form of money and can be used to purchase a wide range of materials, services and commodities. However, one such commodity that holds more than just sole economic value is that of art. Art in it of itself is worth more than the sum of its material composition, it also speaks of symbolic value or a second-order commodity status that elevates above just the material. As Isabelle Graw writes, “artwork is priceless but has a price nonetheless…, its symbolic value is not identical to its market value …. this is also what makes the artwork a special kind of commodity:

The Medici could be regarded as the very first inveterate collectors of great modern art, with their complicated emotions involved, such as their guilt, ambition of authority, and sexual lust. In the end, the Medici did not only collect paintings and sculptures; they had changed the very nature of art itself. Art had been transformed from serving Christianity to personal collecting purpose. Francesco I de’ Medici’s Studiolo could be marked as a sign of art as personal preference rather than being used on other larger perspectives. Following up his father Cosimo de’ Medici’s artistic projects, Francesco has led them to a ultimate conclusion and a glorious beginning. According to the name of Studiolo, we could infer that this is a place

When describing Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s artwork, scholars consistently use one term: bizarre. Indeed, among his most famous paintings are that which feature human faces composed out of food, animals, and household objects. Modern viewers have viewed these composite paintings amusingly. However, there is more depth and context to Arcimboldo’s art than simply to serve as forms of entertainment. Research suggests Arcimboldo masked social critiques and political messages in his paintings, which were reflective of the ongoing intellectual currents of the Renaissance. As best put by Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, “Arcimboldo’s paintings can be seen not as bizarre fancies, but as the expression of the complicated intellectual world of the late sixteenth century” (Elhard 117). Therefore, this paper will examine Arcimboldo’s background as an artist, analyses of his composite paintings, and the relationship his artwork had to Renaissance scholarship.

Lorenzo de’ Medici, born into arguably the most prestigious family in Florence, grew up familiar with the importance of the commissioning of artworks and public works projects. The commissioning of these works allowed the banking family of the Medici’s, who were not originally of noble lineage, to display their magnificence in the public sphere. The commissioning also allowed them a participation in the contribution expected by Florentines to the civil pride of the city itself. The Medici family had to straddle a fine line in their patronage. Florence was a long-standing republican society, and the Medici’s patronage had to equally reflect their civic and religious duties as well as their own personal interests. Lorenzo began his political and artistic education early, understanding the importance and fragility of his family’s dynasty.

The focus of this investigation will be “The Medici family supported the artists of the Renaissance era by providing them financial support, throughout mentorship and because of the prevailing philosophy and humanism.” This investigation will focus on the background of the Medici family and how they supported artists of the Renaissances era. This investigation will use a primary source from an artist's work and a secondary source relating to the Medici family uprising.San Lorenzo (church). Medici chapel. Tomb of Lorenzo de' Medici which held Sculptures by Michelangelo and Adrien, De Roover Raymond. The Rise and Decline of the Medici Bank, 1397-1494. Norton Library, 2012.Both sources provide background to the Renaissance time period and how the Medic family treated artists with their power. The two sources are examples of how the Medicis changed the renaissance era through their money and power to pursue artists for their own benefit and for the time periods.