Download Renaissance humanism refers to several different, but

Lauren Bayne
Interim 2006—Italian Renaissance Cities
Final Essay I. 1.
Renaissance Humanism
Renaissance humanism refers to several different, but related things. Generally, it
was a return to the classics and an increased emphasis on humanity. This intellectual
movement manifested itself in many different ways in art. For one, it led to an increased
influence of ancient artistic works on Renaissance sculptors and along with this, an
increased emphasis on the human form and the accurate depiction of it. Renaissance
artists strove towards perfection, which is manifested not only in their depiction of
people, but also in the way they approached architecture.
The intense study of the human body and the detailed, realistic depiction of it is
one manifestation of Renaissance humanism. Excellent exampled of this can be found in
the works of Michelangelo and others who studied cadavers as well as ancient Roman
sculptures such as Spinario, housed in the Capitoline Museum, to master musculature and
form. The ignudis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, especially, display his command
of the human body and ability to twist it. His sculptures, most notably Moses in St. Peter
of the Chains and David, are also good examples of the emphasis on the human form.
Works like Paolo Uccello’s Battle of San Romano, which is criticized for not being
realistic, were not typical for this time. Such works stand in stark contrast to earlier
works, in which figures were depicted in flat and unrealistic ways. In most altarpieces,
such as those depicting the Virgin and Christ with angels in the Uffizi by Cimabue and
Duccio di Buoninsegna, little attention is paid to the form of the human body and the
images appear very unrealistic and flat. The gradual development of Renaissance
humanism in paintings can be seen by comparing the Cimabue and Duccio di
Buoninsegna altarpieces to Giotto’s altarpiece housed in the same room in the Uffizi.
The differences are subtle, but in the Giotto altarpiece, you can see the development of
some form in the knee of the Virgin Mary in addition to the angels being depicted as
existing in real space. It can also be contrasted to later Mannerist works, such as
Parmigianino's Madonna of the Long Neck in the Uffizi, in which the form is “perfected”
to the point that it is no longer realistic, but overly elegant.
Not only were humans’ bodies portrayed more realistically, but so, too, were their
faces and emotions. Figures were portrayed showing real emotion and interacting with
each other in realistic ways. Many good examples of this can be found in looking at
portrayals of the Madonna and child. In earlier works, such as Simone Martini’s
Madonna with Angels and Saints in the Palazzo Publico in Siena, Jesus is depicted as a
miniature adult, and Mary, accordingly, holds him very stiffly. However in
Michelangelo’s Holy Family and Da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi in the Uffizi, Jesus
looks and behaves as a real child. This can also be seen in Giotto’s chapel in Santa Croce
in Florence, where the friars mourn the death of St. Francis. Other good examples can be
seen in depositions, such as Caravaggio’s in the Vatican Museums.
Perfection was not just sought after in painting and sculpture, but architecture as
well. Palladio, in his Villa Rotunda in Vicenza based the interior on perfect proportions
that work to create harmony in music, but proved to be impractical in architecture. In the
basilica’s of Santo Spirito and San Lorenzo Brunelleschi based his design on the
mathetical proportions provided by a module.
The revival of Classical themes and architectural forms was also part of
Renaissance humanism. This included works of art, such as Rafael’s School of Athens,
which is an example of the use of Classical realism, the depiction of a Classical subject,
and the revival of interest in Classical education based on the liberal arts of which
philosophy is one. The influence of Classical architecture is perhaps the easiest to spot.
Many Renaissance themes use columns and pilasters typical of Classical architecture and
well as other temple features such as triangular pediments. The windows on the Palazzo
Farnese in Rome, for example, are framed by pilasters and topped (for the most part),
with triangular pediments.
Lauren Bayne
Interim 2006—Italian Renaissance Cities
Final Essay II. 3.
Influence of Ancient Greek and Roman Culture
There are many ways and works in which one can see the influence of ancient
Greece and Rome on Renaissance sculpture, art, and architecture. One of the most
obvious ways in which the Renaissance borrowed from the Classics is in architecture,
particularly in the use of architectural forms typical of pagan structures. Renaissance
architects came to Rome to study the ancient buildings, even excavating to better
understand them. Columns became an important part of Renaissance buildings. Many
structures made use of spolia columns. In Santa Maria in Trastevere, the spolia columns
are not even of the same order. Many buildings were given fronts reminiscent of
temples, such as Santa Maria Novella, designed by Alberti, in Florence. Bramante’s
Tempietto, marking the traditional sight of St Peter’s crucifixion is, just as its name
implies, a small temple built in 1508.
The most obvious example of Renaissance architecture borrowing from the
Pantheon in the Villa Rotunda in Vicenza designed by Palladio, which uses the design of
the Pantheon with the façade repeated four times. Another building frequently used as a
model is the Colosseum. Again, Palladio provides an example with his Basilica in
Vicenza. The ancient Roman triumphal arch was also an architectural form borrowed by
Renaissance architects, an example of which is the stage openings of the Theatro
Olympico in Vicenza. These ancient forms were used in new ways to create a
Renaissance style that was different. For instance, different elements were used in
combination with each other, such as the façade of Santa Andrea in Mantova, which
combines elements from a triumphal arch with the triangular pediment of a temple. They
were also used as adornments to the Renaissance palazzo, which used the ancient
elements along with new elements such as regularly spaced windows and rustication.
Buildings were not the only architectural elements made to look like ancient
pagan temples. The Sansovino tombs in Santa Maria del Popola in Rome have a similar
structure. The Pantheon in particular was used as a basis for Renaissance architecture.
The dome was studied in the design of other domes. Additionally, Classical architectural
styles were also used in paintings, which in turn, often mirrored the architecture of the
space it occupies. An example of this is Bellini’s Sacra Conversazione in San Zachariah
in Venice. Another way in which the classics influenced the Renaissance is in the use of
equestrian statues. Though the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, now in the
Capitoline Museum, is the only surviving ancient equestrian statue, they were rather
common. Renaissance sculptors also used the equestrian statue to portray someone as
being powerful and dominant, an example of which is Donatello’s Gattamelata in
Padova.
Renaissance sculptors also echoed ancient Greece and Rome’s emphasis on the
human body. Through games these cultures celebrated powerful forms, and their art also
showed an appreciation for the human body, frequently portraying people naked and in
poses that showed off movement and musculature. Renaissance artists, both sculptors
and painters, studied these sculptures and used them to create their own works in which
their goal was the perfect depiction of the perfect human form. Michelangelo’s
sculptures and paintings are an example of this. Caravaggio’s works, such as his
Crucifixion of St. Peter and Conversion of Saint Paul in Santa Maria del Popola in Rome
also show a tremendous command of the human body and the ways it moves.
Renaissance artists used these basic principles and applied them to subjects appropriate to
their particular social situation, creating, among other things, a huge body of Christian
art.
Lauren Bayne
Interim 2006—Italian Renaissance Cities
Final Essay III. 2.
What This Has to Do with Me
In Rome, I was as happy and excited to be alive as I have ever been. Everything
was stimulating to me, everything was interesting. My concerns about being able to
enjoy history all but slipped away that first day as we drove and walked through Rome. I
already knew about myself that while I, in general, find history classes painful, I have a
real appreciation for what it tells us about where we are today. That was only cemented
by this experience. Though I now know for sure that I am not meant to be an art
historian, I enjoyed seeing how the art of the Renaissance was different from and similar
that of the Medieval period and how it used elements from Classical culture. One of my
main goals for this trip, as far as growing as a person, was to use this experience to help
me decide the big question people are so fond of asking: “What do you want to do with
the rest of your life?” I do not know yet what I want to do, but I do have some further
knowledge of myself that will help me make that decision.
Though this interim trip was amazing, I still felt something was missing. In South
Africa and Swaziland last year, we had a lot of interaction with the people of the
countries we visited—we met high school students in Soweto, heard about what life was
like as a minority in under apartheid from Timothy, out tour guide, and Gustav, our bus
driver for part of the trip, we played with AIDS orphans outside of Capetown and learned
about what their lives are like and that of the woman who takes care of them. I have
always thought, being such a reserved person and so insistent on doing things my own
way and oftentimes resistant to the assistance (or sometimes even presence) of others,
that I would be perfectly content in some laboratory or library somewhere. Not until
now, reflecting on interim, did I realize how much I enjoy interacting with people and
learning about their lives, even though it is usually difficult and uncomfortable for me—
especially since in real life, I tend to avoid such situations. I never would have imagined
I would feel an experience was incomplete without that interaction.
While I was in Italy, the country I have always dreamed of being able to visit
and the one I fully expected to be my most beloved interim trip, I thought several times
about the people who elected to go to Mississippi and wished I was having their interim
experience, because it really meant something. Every experience is a chance to grow in
many different ways. In Italy, we mainly grew intellectually, and I am grateful for that
experience and the knowledge I gained, but I discovered it means more to me to grow in
awareness of the world from a more sociological perspective, and to grow as a human
being and as a Christian.
One of the issues that I have dealt with this trip came to the forefront of my mind
with Erica’s questioning of the real value of art. Her question is legitimate, and one that I
have been asking recently about my future plans. Though I do not at all question the
importance of being a professor, of adding to and passing along humankind’s storehouse
of knowledge, I question if it will fulfill me in a way that goes beyond just happiness. I
have always dreamed of easing suffering and making people’s lives better as a physician,
researcher, psychologist, policy maker. In comparison to the saving and bettering of life,
everything else seems less important. I keep thinking about the documentary we watched
on Mother Teresa in Religions of the World, where she told the interviewer that she did
not work as she did because it was pleasurable for her—it actually was not—but because
it was what she was called to do. I also, though, want to be sure I am not dismissing
something because it is not “grand” enough. People are called to a variety of professions,
and not all of them can involve saving lives. It makes me think of best friend, Beth,
wanting to go to Africa last summer, but ending up in North Dakota because that is where
she felt she was called. It ended up being the best experience of her life, and now she
wants to go back. I do not want to miss my North Dakota because I will not take my eyes
off Africa. Before I can decide on any option, I have to reconcile it with these concerns,
because even the right choice when doubted becomes wrong, a disservice to myself and
those with whom and for whom I will work.