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Italian and High
Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
1400 - 1520
Influences that shaped the
Renaissance
The 15th century was a time of great growth and discovery. At this time
we saw the spread of:
•Commerce
•Wealth
•Knowledge
•The arts
We also saw an interest develop in the arts and literature of ancient
Greece and Rome called humanism. These scholars believed that each
individual has dignity and worth.
Influences that shaped the
Renaissance
Artists focused on the:
•Lifelike appearance
•Realism
•Study of nature
•Study of surviving classical sculptures
We also saw the development of the printing press! Which allowed massproduction to occur for the first time in books.
Masaccio (1401 - 1428)
The first important artist of the Italian Renaissance
Massacio brought about a revolution as a young painter in Florence, Italy.
He developed a technique that inspired the fresco style. It quickly
became popular throughout all of Italy at this time.
The Holy Trinity (1428)
Masaccio
Medium: Fresco
Location: Santa Maria Novella Church
In this piece
•A small chapel
•Holy Trinity, St. John the Baptist, Virgin Mary
•Addition of two figures from the wealthy
family that commissioned this piece
Techniques
•Ignored unnecessary detail
•Focus on mass and depth
•Solid figures that look real
•Strong use of light and shadow
•Linear perspective (overlapping)
•Holy figures are small
•Two other figures are life-size and
outside of the chapel (enhancing perspective)
Linear Perspective
Prior to the Holy Trinity, a man named Filippo Brunelleschi discovered linear
perspective.
Linear Perspective: A graphic system that shows artists how to create the
illusion of depth and volume on a flat surface.
This is accomplished by:
•Slanting lines to a vanishing point
•Making the size of objects get smaller as they recede further into the
background
•overlapping
The Tribute Money (1427)
Masaccio
Medium: Fresco
Location: Brancacci Chapel, Florence, Italy
Illusion of endless space
In this piece
•Tells the story of St. Peter
•3 scenes of people
•Christ, telling Peter how to pay the
tax collector
•Tax collector on left of Christ
Aerial Perspective
Definition: Uses hue, value and intensity to show distance in a painting.
•Overlapping
•Slanting lines of buildings (leads eyes deep into the image)
•Distance objects are bluer, lighter and duller
Gothic in the Renaissance
Not all artists excepted the innovations made by Masaccio. Many chose to
use some of his ideas and ignore others. Italian art at this time was a
blend of the progressive ideas of the Early Renaissance and the
conservative ideas of the Gothic period. This included sculptor Lorenzo
Ghiberti.
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Best known for the Baptistery of the Florence Cathedral.
In 1401 the Florence City Council sponsored a contest to find an artist to
decorate the north doors of the Baptistery of the cathedral. This
Baptistery, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was one of the most
important buildings in the city. Children were officially brought into the
church through Baptism here. In 1330 artist Andrea Pisano decorated the
south doors with scenes from St. John’s life using bronze relief's.
Lorenzo Ghiberti
To decorate the north doors, the city offered a challenge to its leading
artists. Sculptors were asked to design a sample relief panel in bronze.
The subject was the sacrifice of Isaac because it was a religious scene
with great dramatic interest. Entries were submitted and carefully
examined and Ghiberti was declared the winner. It took him 21 years to
complete the panels used on the doors.
The Gates of Paradise
(1425 - 1452) Bronze, Baptistery of
Florence, Italy
•For this project Ghiberti abandoned the
Gothic frame he used in his winning
panel.
•He introduced the feeling of space by
using linear perspective.
•Buildings extend back into the work.
•Figures were modelled so they stand out
from the surface and are almost fully
rounded.
High
Renaissance
1495 - 1527
High Renaissance
One of the most remarkable things about the Renaissance was its great
wealth of artistic talent. During this time, Master artists like Leonardo,
Michelangelo and Raphael created their timeless masterpieces. All three
lived in Italy and were commissioned by the popes of Rome to create
ambitious artworks that glorified religious themes. Never before had such
a concentrated surge of creative energy occurred simultaneously on three
fronts. Like all artists before them, these masters dreamed of achieving
new levels of excellence.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Even when he was a child people saw that Leonardo
was blessed with remarkable powers. He had
gracious manners, a fine sense of humour, and great
physical strength. His curiosity drove him to
explore everything studying architecture,
mathematics, sculpture, painting, anatomy, poetry,
literature, music, geology, botany and hydraulics. It
is estimated he created over 120 notebooks full of
drawings.
He also dissected cadavers at a time when the
practice was outlawed. This enabled him to learn
how arms and legs bend and how muscles shift.
Furthermore he was interested in the head, how the
eyes see and how the mind reasons.
The Last Supper
(1495 - 98) - fresco, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Italy
Because he was never pleased and eager to move on, his experiments often failed
and paintings were left unfinished. The Last Supper is one of those failures. The
original painting began to flake off the wall shortly after it was applied because he
used an experimental painting technique.
The Last Supper
Techniques
•Linear perspective to create an extended dining hall
•All convergence lines lead to Christ
•Christ is the only one calm
•All others are in a flurry having just heard of the news that Judas will betray Him
•Apostles are grouped in threes
•Judas is starring at Christ (3rd figure on right)
•Judas’ expression is anger and the only one in shadow
The Last Supper
Even though there are glasses containing drinks on the table, there is no chalice that stands out as
being synonymous with the tale of the last supper (that was used to drink the blood of Christ and is
also known as the Holy Grail). St Peter is drawn as a feminine figure or more likely a woman. There
is a possibility that she represents Mary Magdalene (of which the Gnostic Gospels found earlier in
our century show her to have been Jesus’ foremost disciple and not the prostitute she was
previously thought to be).When the figure of Mary Magdalene is superimposed to Jesus’ left side,
she slots neatly as if lying on his shoulder as ones romantic partner may do. Many believe she was
married to Jesus.The large gap shaped as a 'V' on Jesus’ right hand side between himself and the
feminine figure is believed by some scholars to denote a symbol of the female and also the missing
chalice of the Holy Grail.
Mona Lisa
(1503 - 06) - Louvre, France
As a perfectionist, Da Vinci was never
entirely satisfied with his efforts. When he
died, he still had in his possession the Mona
Lisa portrait. He had been working on it for
16 years yet claimed it was still unfinished.
Ironically it is now one of the most popular
works of art ever created.
Mona Lisa
•Mona Lisa is known for the sfumato
technique. Sfumato: There are no harsh
outlines present. Areas blend into each
other using miniscule brush strokes,
creating a hazy, smoky, realistic depiction of
light and colour.
•Scientists discovered Da Vinci achieved his
trademark smoky effect by applying up to 40
layers of extremely thin glaze thought to
have been smeared on with his fingers.
•The glaze, of subtly different pigments,
creates blurring and shadows around the
mouth which creates the “Mona Lisa Smile.”
With the drying times for the glaze taking
months, such effects would have taken
years to achieve.
Michelangelo
Ranked alongside Leonardo as one of the
greatest artists of the Renaissance.
Similarly, he was gifted in many fields
including sculpture, painting and poetry.
Pieta
(1500) Marble, St. Peter’s Basilica,
Italy
•Carved while in his early twenties
•Shows Mary mourning over the
body of Christ
•Oversized: wanted the viewer to
focus on the religious meaning not
Mary struggling to support Christ’s
body
•Mary shows simple gestures and
expressionless face
•Mary’s face looks small compared
to her body
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
(1508 - 12) Fresco, Sistine Chapel, Italy
•40 ft wide, 133 ft long and rounded, 68 ft
high
•Angered Michelangelo because he
thought of himself as a sculptor not a
painter, and because ceilings were of
less importance than walls of cathedrals
•Painted laying on his back on a large
scaffold
•Divided into 9 sections
•Tells the story of humanity from the
Creation to the Flood
•Looks more like a sculpture than a
painting
•Strong values show solid forms
•Constant moving, twisting and turning
•Took over 4 years
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
(1508 - 12) - Sistine Chapel, Italy
It was very difficult for him to view while laying so close on his back and
claimed to never be able to walk in an upright position again. It includes
over 145 pictures and 300 figures.
Raphael
Successful, wealthy and admired. As a child he apprenticed with a
respected artist learning how to use soft colours, circular forms and
landscapes. As he grew he studied Leonardo’s and Michelangelo’s works
and combined their styles.
The Alba Madonna
(1510) oil, National Gallery of Art, Washington
D.C.
Typical image that was being painted at the peak
of the High Renaissance.
•Halos and cross connect to religious theme
•Unclothed child is Christ
•Second child is St. John the Baptist
•Camel hair garment worn by St. John fits the
description of one worn later in his life while
preaching
•Cross is a symbol of salvation
•Christ's twisted body suggests he wants St.
John to represent all people
•Faces show tension: all looking at the cross
•This representing its strong purpose
Review
Linear perspective: perfected during the
Renaissance, creates sense of reality
Aerial Perspective: Creates feeling of endless space
Massacio
Ghiberti
Leonardo
Michelangelo
Raphael