Magnificence And Requence In The Renaissance

This book described the “ideal renaissance gentleman” through advice given by the courtier. Throughout the book are conversations between the courtiers of the Duke of Urbino, discussing the vision of a perfect court. It is an example of a dialogue, which is a popular renaissance literary structure, composed of drama and conversation. Castiglione’s work had a large impact on the aristocratic idea of the perfect English gentlemen and was thought to be an interpretation of Renaissance court life. The Book of the Courtier was a representation of the ideas and values of Renaissance Humanism, as it emphasized the growth of individual thought and character. This relates to one of the concepts of the Renaissance, “exaltation of human capacities and potential”. The value of the individual is believed to be important in the humanistic way of life. Society was starting to become more concerned with human potential and achievements. Focus was turning away from spiritual matter, and turning towards more worldly matter. This book epitomized the “universal man”, or the “renaissance man”, which is a man that excels in everything. This brings us to an important renaissance term mentioned by Castiglione, known as sprezzatura. Sprezzatura means to preform well, without appearing to have put in much effort or thought about the matter and is mentioned

The Italian renaissance was a period of creative explosion. The term renaissance symbolizes rebirth, which is exactly what occurred in Italy during this time. An entire culture was remade through art. There was a resounding interest in the classics created by ancient artists. The humanist movement encouraged the study of humanity’s history in order to create a deeper understanding of how to move forward as a society. There was a seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge and creation. Many new art forms developed in this period, including opera. The Florentine Camerata, a group of scholars, created early forms of opera. Claudio Monteverdi, a renaissance composer, developed opera into the art form that is still performed today. The work of the Florentine Camerata and Claudio Monteverdi worked in harmony to create and develop this new form of music. Monteverdi’s educational background, his rebellious drive to create, his serendipitous career, and his unequaled talent allowed him to develop opera into an art form that no other composer of the time could have produced.

It is very important to emphasize how Italian women were represented in portrait painting during the Renaissance, considering how much it changed from the early 13th century, to the 15th century. In the 13th century, the women in different portraits during the

The Renaissance period is known for the revival of the classical art and intellect born in ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance is also a time that is marked by growth, exploration, and rebirth. The Italian Renaissance started in Florence and progressively made its way into Venice and then into the great city of Rome. During the Renaissance, Rome was home to some of the most renowned works of art and the finest architectural masterpieces in the world - too many that still holds true today. Along with the delicate architecture and grand artistry, Rome was also home to a mixture of people and cultures. It is in this cultural context and through the book A Street Life in Renaissance Rome: A Brief History with Documents, that understanding how men, woman, and specifically Jews and Christians lived in Rome becomes important to better understand this period of renewal.

The emphasis accorded these contingencies of physiognomy and the resolute refusal of any concession to our - or, so it would appear, antiquity’s - ideas of desirable physical appearance lead one easily to the conclusion that those portraits are uncompromising attempts to transcribe into plastic form the reality of what is seen, innocent of any “idealization” or programmatic bias. These are the portraits of the conservative nobility (and of their middle-class emulators) (luring the death-agonies of the Roman republic. There is no need to doubt that much of their character refers to quite real qualities of their subjects. These are men in later life because the carefully prescribed ladder of public office normally allowed those who followed it to attain only gradually and after many years to such eminence as would allow the signal honor of a public statue. One may well suppose that these hard-bitten and rather unimaginative faces closely reflect the prevailing temperament of the class and society to which they belong, and the twisted and

Throughout the Renaissance, many talented artists tried to express deep symbolism in their paintings, but no one came close to the ability of Jan Van Eyck. His paintings were so accurate and realistic that it was necessary for him to paint his miniaturists with a single strand of hair, on a brush. Jan's Arnolfini Wedding Portrait (1434) is so photo-realistic that it has been debated for decades of it's legality of a wedding document. This paper will help to understand Jan's extreme use of symbolisms and the multiple meanings of his Arnolfini wedding scene.

Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries masculinity in Renaissance Italy shifts from an expectation that a man is defined by his well-rounded understanding of a variety subjects to the expectancy that men should possess both and idealized mind and body. This shift is clearly demonstrated through the monumental figural sculptures that were used to convey the image of the ideal man at the time. The term “Renaissance man” refers to a man who has “multi-faceted interests and innovative ideas” as well as one who uses the “classical past as an inspirational model” to further his knowledge of “science, art, and politics.” The revival of ancient Greek and Roman culture during the Renaissance inspired self-reflection and identification of the importance individuality and, as Jacob Burckhardt argues, during the Renaissance “no conviction was more firmly rooted in the popular mind, than that antiquity was the highest title to glory.” Thus it is not surprising that Renaissance artists used sculpture to establish standards of masculinity in the same way that sculptures of “heroic citizens provide inspiration for young men and citizens walking through the Agora [city centre]” of ancient Greece. Although Renaissance artists featured biblical characters, rather ancient Greek and in their sculptures, the pieces were still granted the

“The coin types may be considered political from the start, for the ubiquitous references to family and to ancestral achievements were a normal part of political discourse at Rome.” Coins were an integral part of society in Rome. In addition to coins economic function, emperors used coins as propaganda about their achievements and their family members. These coins would have been produced and used throughout the empire as an “abstract symbolism of power.” This was the case with funerary subject matter that was struck by heirs and other family members to showcase individuals being consecrated, and their own power as a result of this association. In this essay, I am going to examine the coins of Claudius, Faustina I, and Marcus Aurelius,

The Courtier was significant not only to the lives of those in the Renaissance, but also to those in contemporary society. It is the hope of the general public for a person of success to maintain that air of natural ease, portraying a vibrant, kind personality to others. An ‘elite’ member of society should be educated, well spoken, and known for one’s endeavors. Similarly, the impression that success is earned through hard work pertained to Renaissance society as much as it does to the 21st

The paper serves as a critical analysis of Thomas F. Mathews’ “The Mistake of the Emperor Mystique” chapter in his book The Clash of Gods: A Reinterpretation of Early Christian Art. The scope of the analysis extends only to the chapter, the works included in the chapter and some supplemental sources by other art historians. It examines Mathews’ central argument and auxiliary claims, paying attention to his use of sources. Additionally it probes the validity of his assertions, drawing comparisons to other works or historians.

Bruce Cole wrote his work entitled The Renaissance Artist at Work in 1983 with the purpose to analyze art and artists of the Renaissance period. Within this work, Cole addresses topics ranging from the social lives of artists during the period to specific types of art present during the period. He covers how art, using styles such as the fresco, is created and how some of the reasoning and significance behind different works. While Cole is a respected author and figure in art history, the purpose of this essay is to further analyze and assess the accuracy of claims made within the book. Specific claims about the artists including that, “[The artist’s] creation was perceived…as an object with a function,” and, “From the moment the artist walked

Anthony van Dyck was a distinguished Flemish painter of the 17th century. He reached the peak of his career in 1632, when he became court painter to King Charles l, in London. He was renowned for his talent in capturing the aspirations of his subjects, excelling at portraying his patrons looking their best. Equestrian Portrait of Charles I provides an excellent example of van Dyck’s mastery of equestrian iconography and can be related to the theme of Authority in many ways. The sitter, the painter, the size and the genre of the painting and its symbolism are connected and together add up to the message of power intended by the ruler of the time.

The Early Renaissance was a great time during European history. It was proceeded by the High Renaissance and Mannerism periods. These two periods in time differed slightly in reference to citizen activity, art and architecture, and society as a whole.

The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy around the 1500’s to about the 1700’s. Florence, Italy was the mecca of this rebirth because at the time Florence was extremely wealthy and the people of the city had political freedom and those new ideals of the Renaissance were not being condemned in Florence as they were other cities. This was a time where the arts and the logic of one’s own mind was valued rather than criticized, the antiquated medieval ideals no longer matched the needs of those who were living during the early Renaissance. Eventually, a term for this way of thinking arose and was called Humanism, and what humanism is, is an ideology where humans can lead themselves to create a prosperous life and instead of leaning on supernatural forces for answers. Humanists believe that humans have enough logic to create conclusions themselves. This brand-new way of thinking caused a lot of controversy because it did question God’s ability and the church’s power, but the ideas behind it are still heavily used today, even in the 21st century. Humanism in the early Renaissance is important because it called for thinking with reason, it allowed an appreciation for human body and mind, inspired authors and caused a shift in power.

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.