Art was a crucial aspect of expressing Renaissance ideas. Italian sculptors, painters, and architects in particular did a fantastic job of communicating Renaissance concepts in their artwork. Three of the most central humanistic beliefs during this period of time were the appreciation of the individual, the emphasis on the real rather than the abstract, and the imitation of past civilizations. The sculpture “David”, by Italian artist Michelangelo, is an excellent example of the humanistic emphasis on appreciating the individual and dignifying the human kind. Michelangelo depicts David as a strong, godlike figure, emphasizing the size of his hands and feet.
Michelangelo wanted to finish the painting, and he would have wanted to make the painting a little more enriching and have a bigger effect on people. The pope did, however, wanted Michelangelo to add colors and gold to the painting, but Michelangelo did hold his own this time. He told Julius that the men of the days, in which he resembled through his painting, did not obsess themselves with gold. This confrontation suggests that most of the time the relationships between the patrons and the artists is a healthy relationship. The artist has respect for the patron most of the time.
His work involved altarpieces, religious works, and self-portraits. Some examples of his masterpieces are "Knight, Death, and the Devil" from 1513 and "St. Jerome in his Study" from 1514. Another art form during the Italian Renaissance was sculptures. A famous sculptor was Donatello who designed the sculpture of David. The sculpture was very realistic because it brought dramatic shapes to life.
He created two of the most respected pieces of art in human history, The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, both of which still maintain their credibility as masterpieces to this day. Da Vinci’s notebook also proved him to be a Renaissance man, he had many great ideas in various subjects including art, writing, anatomy and scientific design. Da Vinci’s notes show primitive ideas for inventions that wouldn’t be fully developed until centuries later. This flood of intelligence is what prevented a lot of his ideas from fully developing. Since da Vinci excelled in many subjects, he never had enough time in his life to completely focus on mastering one field in particular.
Some of the most important collection of Renaissance painting would be that of Federico da Montefeltro who helped Urbino flourish in art and culture and commissioned perhaps the largest library in Italy with the paintings in Monefelto's court displaying the first theoretical treatise on perspective. Ludovico Gonzago strongly promoted Mantua for its art and culture he had the church of Sant Andrea rebuilt by Alberti who displayed religion and architectural with a combination of three ancient roman forms temple front, triumphal arch and basilica. The Medici family played a huge role in discovering the great artist of the 15th century. Giovanni de'Medici
As for his painting career, there is only a few paintings he is fully credited for or recognized as his work. In his paintings, he has had help and collaborated with his pupils that passed as apprentices in his workshop. A couple of the most famous of his pupils include Leonardo Da Vinci and Lorenzo di Credi. Whenever Verrocchio didn’t finish something, he would leave it to someone else to put some finishing touches. He left amazing art behind soon died of an unknown cause in 1488.
The Golden Mean is the moderate position between two extremes. This is known as the ideal position because it is the “most appealing rectangle to the human eye.” The Golden Mean was said to be first used by the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks when building the Great Pyramids and Parthenon’s. Around 1200 AD, the Fibonacci sequence was discovered by a man named Leonardo Fibonacci, an Italian man born in 1175 AD. Although he discovered this, it is still not certain if he related it to the Golden Mean and Phi. The Golden Mean being “most appealing to the human eye” started being used in art.
He went to work under another sculptor hired by Lorenzo de Medici. When Michelangelo was 21, he went to Rome, where he was commissioned to carve a group of marble statues showing the Virgin Mary supporting the dead Christ on her knees. His sculpture was called Madonna Della Pieta, and it made Michelangelo famous. A few years later, in 1501, he accepted a commission for a statue of David. He took on the challenge of carving this beautiful work out of a “huge oblong chunk of pure white unflawed Carrara marble – some 18 feet high and weighing several tons – that had been badly block out and then abandoned by an earlier sculptor” (Coughlan 85).
When was he born – when did he die? - Born: 6th March 1475 in a small village called Caprese, Italy - Died: 18th February 1564 ( Age of 88 )in Rome2. Biography - He considered himself a “ Son of Florence” although he never lived there- Michelangelo travelled between Rome and Florence because he had a lot of work in both cities - He worked as a sculptor, architect, painter, engineer and as a poet- Michelangelo always looked for the “perfect” stone because he wanted it to have the basic form of his sculpture3. The Sistine Chapel Ceiling - April 1508 Michelangelo was summoned to Rome by Julius II - He had a new task, to draw 15 figures of Apostles and some decoration on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - Some of the themes were: Adam and Eve, The creation of the world, The Final Judgment- => It is basically the story of the Bible- He was a sculptor and at the beginning he tried to cancel his oncoming work because he had to master the art of fresco - May 1508 he started to make the preparatory designs - Assistants: Giuliano Bugiardini, Aristotele da Sangallo and his old friend Francesco Granacci along with a number of laborers - His work did not proceed as his master wished and between the end of 1508 and January 1509He fired his assistants and continued on his own- He worked till 31st October 1512 - Michelangelo has a very unique style because he is a sculptor, he concentrates on the right proportions of the bodies => The Figures on his frescos look very realistic => They look plastic4. The Tomb of Medici - Between 1519 and 1534 – Michelangelo undertook the commission of the Medici Tombs for the New Sacristy of San Lorenzo - He designed two large walls facing each other across the high domed room - The 1st wall was dedicated for Lorenzo de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino - The other wall was for Giuliano de’ Medici, Duke of Nemours
He focus on developing education and new invention so he started to support for new scientific and artistic advances and seek out best possible education or their children. b. Leonardo Da Vinci: He represents for the “Renaissance man” because he contributed his talent in many careers including painter, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer and inventor. His representative dedication: Drawing of a man, Mona Lisa, The Proportions of Man. c. Michelangelo: he is brilliant artist who sculpted: David statue and drew “The birth of Adam”, etc. d. Gutenberg: invented Printing Press; e. Petrarch: Important writer and poet who spread Humanism, the Renaissance.