paintings 1

Question 1

the Sacrifice of Isaac

Answer 1

Brunelleschi & Ghiberti
bronze
- made for a competition, winner is commissioned to do the Florence Baptistry doors.
- was commissioned by the wool guild, they were doing social good for the city.
- The baptistry was an important part of the city, because it was where any new Christians were brought into the religion.

Question 2

Saint Mark

Answer 2

Donatello
marble
The sculpture is in a niche on the building called Orsanmichele. This building was used to store grain by residents of the city. It was in a popular part of town that many people walked by, so it had art along its outside, such as this sculpture. The sculpture was commissioned by the linen guild, St mark was their patron. The linen guild paid for this because it made them look good to the residents.

Question 3

Donatello, David

Answer 3

Bronze

This piece was originally commissioned for the Medici, however it was eventually bought and put in the town hall of Florence. This piece symbolized Florence, because like David they considered themselves underdogs but came out on top with the help of God. The anatomy of the sculpture shows a young man, anatomy was an important part of renaissance art developments.

Question 4

Michelangelo, David

Answer 4

marble

old testament story who speaks to a young man named David. He goes to battle against Goliath, on behalf of the Israelites, and defeats Goliath with the help of god. This piece was originally to go on top of the Florence dome, that is why the proportions may seem off, as it was intended to be seen from below. Originally commissioned by the Opera del Duomo for the Cathedral of Florence, it was meant to be one of a series of large statues to be positioned in the niches of the cathedral’s tribunes. But it was considered too beautiful and was instead put in the Florence town square/center. Again David here symbolizes Florence as an underdog, Florence like David was not expected to be triumphant.

Question 5

Dome of the Cathedral of Florence.

Answer 5

Brunelleschi

This dome was being worked on for many years, however no one could figure out the correct architecture to avoid it collapsing. The job was taken on by Brunelleschi who finished it. The dome was intended to be a fixture of Florence, a classic part of the city’s skyline. It was to make Florence look better than its competitor cities, Pisa and Siena, and their domes. Was patronized by the wool guild, who were supporting the church and the city.

Question 6

Tribute Money

Answer 6

Masaccio
oil painting

• Brancacci was the patron of this piece, he supported the new pope and the church.
• This piece shows Jesus and St. Peter paying taxes, this was a message that the people of Florence should also pay their taxes.
• By Brancacci funding this piece he was supporting the church, which gained him favor of the church.

Question 7

Battle of ten nudes

Answer 7

Pollaiuolo

It was an engraving print, this was a new form of cheaper art as you could make more than one copy. Borrowed from the classical antiquity styles, roman relief sculptures. This shows the wider inspiration of the antiquity period. Makes good use of anatomy, the artist had done dissections of bodies, which strengthened his understanding of how to shows the human form. This shows the inspiration for antiquity again as there was a refocus on the human form and how to best show it.

Question 8

Birth of the Virgin

Answer 8

Ghirlandaio
oil painting

This piece combines religious figures with non religious figures. The patron putting his own family in the piece shows how he thought of his family. The color blue used in this piece would have been very expensive for paint, made from lapis lazuli, which would have been imported from the middle east. The use of this expensive pigment shows how important the painting was. The use of profile pose for Giovanna is reflective of the modesty and virtue that women were expected to have.

Question 9

Birth of Venus

Answer 9

Canvas painting
Botticelli

Venus is portrayed naked on a shell on the seashore; on her left the winds blow gently caressing her hair with a shower of roses, on her right a handmaid (Ora) waits for the goddess to go closer to dress her shy body. The meadow is sprinkled with violets, symbol of modesty but often used for love potions.

• The Medici commissioned the birth of venus, belonged †o the cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent
• The birth of the Venus is the first example in Tuscany of a painting on canvas. In addition with the use of alabaster powder, makes this colors brighter and timeless
• Christian love, the symbol of love a god
• the beginning of the reign of love finally comes to Florence thanks to the Medici, their diplomatic skills and their vast culture.
• Neoplatonism was a current of thought that tried to connect the Greek and Roman cultural heritage with Christianity.
• The original audience would have looked at the painting and been inspired by the goddess’ earthly beauty to seek a deeper and more spiritually-meaningful divine love. In this way, Neoplatonic interpretations connect Christian ideology with a secular goddess’ birth myth.