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Competition Panels of the Florence Baptistery Ghiberti, Sacrifice of Isaac (1401 -02) Designed for the second set of Florence Cathedral Baptistery Competition used the same number of figures, same scene and quotation from the Bible Gothic, Sienese in design: curve to the body of Abraham, fluttering of Abraham’s drapery behind arm Idealized forms (vs. Brunelleschi’s expressiveness) Polished effect Decorative lines No particular focus Classical figure of Isaac inspired by Roman art Abraham’s face taken from Roman model of Jupiter Graceful poses Made in two pieces, thus less expensive

Italian Quattrocento

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Page 1: Italian Quattrocento

Competition Panelsof the Florence Baptistery

Ghiberti, Sacrifice of Isaac (1401 -02)• Designed for the second set of Florence Cathedral Baptistery• Competition used the same number of figures, same scene

and quotation from the Bible• Gothic, Sienese in design: curve to the body of Abraham,

fluttering of Abraham’s drapery behind arm• Idealized forms (vs. Brunelleschi’s expressiveness)• Polished effect• Decorative lines• No particular focus• Classical figure of Isaac inspired by Roman art• Abraham’s face taken from Roman model of Jupiter• Graceful poses• Made in two pieces, thus less expensive

Page 2: Italian Quattrocento

Competition Panelsof the Florence Baptistery

Brunelleschi, Sacrifice of Isaac• Commission given to Ghiberti after the success of the second

set of doors• Doors use a more neutral and modern rectangular shape

instead of more Gothic quatrefoil• Expansive and harmonious use of space• Elegant bodies• Creation of a precise spatial depth• One dense group of forms• Composition divided into two main tiers: upper and lower• Weighty figures• Great variety of poses• More dramatic, tense, sense of urgency• Youthful Isaac• Figures overlap boundaries of quatrefoil pattern• Figures inspired by Roman models• Made in eight pieces, much heavier than Ghiberti’s

Page 3: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Architecture

Brunelleschi, Dome of Florence Cathedral• Dome is raised on a high drum, meant to

be seen from the outside more than the inside, unlike the Pantheon or the Hagia Sophia

• Semi-pointed, eight-sided dome• Built with no centering devices• Really two domes, the interior does the

structural work, and the exterior gives it a soaring quality

• Extremely wide width of 140’ to vault• Octagonal lantern on top: 8 buttresses

with supports at the angles, each having a Corinthian pilaster; each buttress pierced by a classicizing portal-like opening

Page 4: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Architecture

Brunelleschi, Santo Spirito, Florence

• Early Christian basilica• Unfluted Corinthian columns• Flat coffered ceiling• Floor has square patterns that

divide up the space mathematically

• Added impost blocks for height• Width of nave equals height of

nave arcade• Florentines thought geometric

precision could decode the mysteries of the universe

• Light, airy, open

Page 5: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento ArchitectureMichelozzo, Palazzo Medici, Florence• Three horizontal levels• 1st story: rough cut, rusticated stone,

Roman fortress like, used for shops and businesses; later the arches were filled in; fortitude of inhabitants implied

• 2nd story: smooth cut blocks, family quarters

• 3rd story: smooth surface• Heavy cornice to limit vision and

imply sense of strength• Façade does not support building,

working towards a curtain wall• Modern bank image comes from this

building

Page 6: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento ArchitectureAlberti, Sant’Andrea, Mantua• Combination of Roman triumphal arch

with antique temple front• Pairs of giant pilasters, topped by

Corinthian capitals, support pediment• Large barrel vault that rises above the

façade• Size of façade dictated by the small

plaza in front of church: Alberti could not change width—bell tower on one side, the plaza on the other

• Alberti sought to create identical proportions of width and height

• “Ombrellone” seems awkward, but it creates a powerful barrel vault inside building, largest since antiquity

Page 7: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Sculpture

Ghiberti, Gates of Paradise• Commission given to Ghiberti

after the success of the second set of doors

• Doors use a more neutral and modern rectangular shape instead of more Gothic quatrefoil

• Expansive and harmonious use of space

• Elegant bodies• Creation of a precise spatial

depth

Page 8: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Sculpture

Donatello, Gattamelata• Cast in parts; triumph of

bronze casting• Idealized heroic portrait of a

resolute commander• Pulsating facial muscles,

heavy arches brows• Swelling of horse’s veins• Sense of classical revival: cf.

Marcus Aurelius• On parade

Page 9: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Sculpture

Donatello, Gattamelata• Cast in parts; triumph of

bronze casting• Idealized heroic portrait of a

resolute commander• Pulsating facial muscles,

heavy arches brows• Swelling of horse’s veins• Sense of classical revival: cf.

Marcus Aurelius• On parade

Page 10: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Sculpture

Donatello, Saint Mark• Commissioned by the Guild of

Linen Weavers and Peddlers, suggested by pillow at base and ample drapery

• Although in a Gothic niche, the statue is free standing

• Contrapposto based on Roman art

• Drapery falls directly down• Easy posture• Face has piercing eyes• Calculated how the sculpture

would look from street level

Page 11: Italian Quattrocento

Donatello, David• First life size nude since antiquity• Subtle S curve of figure• In triumph after killing Goliath, whose head

is at his feet• Black bronze has a shiny feminine quality• Epicene quality of pose and features• Standing self-assured, but not triumphant,

as if in reverie• Young adolescent body• Laurel on foppish hat alludes to David’s

powers as a poet• Nudity an allusion to David dancing nude in

ecstasy at the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem

Page 12: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Sculpture

Donatello, Zuccone (Habbakuk)• Cf. Roman Republican art• Strong, rustic, not refined, nor idealized• Heavy drapery sweeps your eye

diagonally to head• Fiery intensity of expression, meant to be

seen by passersby in the cathedral square below

• Living out in the wilderness, looks haggard but divinely inspired

• Bald head carved roughly to enhance effect

Page 13: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Painting

Masaccio, Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden

• Desolate world outside of Garden of Eden• Volumes are massive and simple• Monumental, sculptural figures inspired

by Giotto• Dramatically cast shadows, also

emphasizing weight and physicality; tragic intensity

• Adam ignores his nudity, covers his face for shame

• Eve’s profound cry of despair

Page 14: Italian Quattrocento

Masaccio, Holy Trinity• Triangular form, dominated by

perspective architecture inspired by Brunelleschi

• Christ is crucified and a member of the Trinity

• Viewpoint of average person standing in front and looking up at the cross

• Ancient Roman triumphal arch, round arch, pillars, pilasters

• Flanking Trinity is Mary and John, then – on the next spatial plane – the two kneeling donors

• Below is the tomb of a member of the donor’s family, with his skeleton

• Inscription reads, “I once was what you are, and what I am, you will become”

Page 15: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento PaintingUccello, Battle of San Romano• Commemorates the victory of the

Florentines over Sienese in 1432• Dominated by a fascination for

perspective• Extremely high horizon line allows

for wealth of action and detail• Scale often appears random, however• Toy horses, more ceremonial than

terrifying• Interest in metal patterns of the fallen

men and lances, figures fall in bold foreshortening

• Vanishing points pull the eye into space

• Miraculously, the dead knights and their broken lances fall perfectly along the orthogonal lines leading to the vanishing point

Page 16: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Painting

Botticelli, Birth of Venus• Delicacy of line and surface ornament• Sharply drawn figures, focus on contours• Landscape flat and tapestry-like• Stylized V shaped waves• Little interest in perspective• Venus rises from a seashell, far away look in her eyes• Rose created at the same time as Venus, a symbol of love: it can be

painful• Bloodless, weightless, idealized nude• Cf. Praxiteles, Aphrodite of Knidos• Zephyr and his love, Chloris, rush in to scatter roses before her• Handmaiden covers her

Page 17: Italian Quattrocento
Page 18: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Painting

Castagno, Last Supper• Christ is blessing, but Judas

already has his food, not sacred to him

• Judas is diabolical, jutting beard, hooked nose, on other side of table

• Inconsistent geometric shape of room: ceiling panels 16 by 14, stringcourses 12 across back and 6 per side

• Ceiling circles are 33 ½ in the back (the age of Christ at his death) and 17 at the sides

• Six panels on the sides, but six in the back also

Animated marble over Judas’ head and skeptical Peter’s head reflects mood

Rugged features of individuals

Lit from windows on right

Nearly every figure sits independently

Page 19: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Painting

Ghirlandaio, Birth of the Virgin• Saint Anne reclines in a palace

room decorated with a classically inspired frieze

• Midwives prepare for infant’s bath• Daughter of chapel’s patron of the

work prominently shown in golden dress at center

• Living people steal the show from the saints

• Clear spatial arrangements• Large room divided by pilasters• Upper left corner: meeting of

Joachim and Anna

Page 20: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Painting

Perugino, Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to Saint Peter• Figures lined up in a row• Emphasis on clarity, bright colors• Feeling of easy grace• Contemporaries in the painting• Shapely mantles• Weight placed on one foot, hip noticeable• Vast Renaissance plaza• Arch of Constantine, dome of Florence Cathedral in background• Catholic Church centered on Saint Peter: open space to highlight the key• Middle Left: Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s• Middle Right: Stoning of Christ• Located in the Sistine Chapel, the place where Popes are elected

Page 21: Italian Quattrocento
Page 22: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Painting

Mantegna, Dead Christ• Uncharacteristic use of almost

grisaille in contrast to his usual bold coloring

• Emotionally charged• Bold foreshortening• Feet placed over the edge into our

own space• Head enlarged to see it better; feet

reduced to see body better• Wounds and dislocated shoulders

of Christ prominently displayed

Page 23: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento PaintingMantegna, Room of the Newlyweds• Oculus: eight winged putti and a

peacock• Women lean over balcony• Foreshortening and perspective• Walls: heavy curtain pulled back• Antique decorative elements around

main scenes• Patrons are the Gonzagas, their colors

red and white on their hosiery• Realism of Gonzaga bodies: hump

back, double chins, protruding foreheads and jaws, limp and spindly arms and legs

• Charming legend about the possible use by newlyweds on their first night: Cupids abound, with a peacock as a symbol of marital harmony

Page 24: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento PaintingPiero, Brera Altarpiece• Light, open, clear space• Set within an actual Renaissance church interior• Crystalline, almost bleaching light• Roman architectural forms• Classical, quiet and a still quality• Deeply reverend patron• Egg as the Renaissance symbol for a perfectly centralized

harmonious and symmetrical space• Mathematical proportion and balance• Barrel vault, cf. Alberti’s Sant’Andrea• Light comes in from left casting shadows on figures and vault• Armor-clad patron seen in profile on his knees in front

• Pose requested by patron to hide disfigurement on the other side of his face: loss of right eye

Page 25: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento Art

Verrocchio, David

• Slenderness and angularity of the adolescent body

• Jutting left elbow, slightly cocky aspect

• Precise ornament

• Leather jerkin and skirt classical inspired, reveals rather than conceals the young hero’s wiry anatomy

• Pensive and gentle in victory

• Lacks anatomical exaggeration

Page 26: Italian Quattrocento

Pollaiuolo, Battle of the Ten Nudes

•Humans as wild beasts

•Dense vegetation

•Meant to teach students about anatomy, in all its possible variety

•Many figures are in reflected/flipped poses

•Composition of intertwined figures in superimposed registers to indicate depth

•Mass-produced works of art, spreading Pollaiuolo’s fame to Northern Europe

Page 27: Italian Quattrocento

Italian Quattrocento PaintingSignorelli, Damned Cast into Hell• Supreme representation of the nude

in movement• First large scale painted treatment of

the nude in Renaissance art• Heaven guarded by armored angels• Multicolored demons carrying

female souls a suggestion of sexual threat

• Demons with bat-like wings carry off the mortals

• Demons rip off ears and sink their teeth into victims

• Bizarre and lurid color of devils, some suggesting decaying flesh

• Impenetrable tangle of demons and victims

• Consuming desperation