Chapter 21 art101
How does Donatello convey the humanist virtues of courage and heroism?
He shows a slightly scrawny youth (how could such a one defeat a giant?), posed in an almost sassy or cocky version of the classical contrapposto.
What was the significance of Donatello's innovation?
It expressed the new humanist view of the human body, by giving the figure a sense of timeless balance, in the moment of shifting weight.
What is art historically important about the nudity of Donatello's David?
It is the first statue of a nude since classical times.
What was the Or San Michele Project?
It was a civic project, sponsored by the city government of Florence to decorate an important building - the Or San Michele - with sculptures.
Were these actual portraits of the four saints?
No, they are idealized images based on images of surviving Roman sculpture.
What was the inspiration for such equestrian portraits?
Roman equestrian portraits of emperors, such as Marcus Aurelius.
What sort of classical models might Nanni di Banco have been using as sources for his inspiration?
Roman portrait sculpture
How was guild sponsorship of the competition to decorate the east doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni an expression of Renaissance Humanist ideals?
Such sponsorship would have been seen as an example of civic duty and patriotism.
How was Nanni di Banco's sculpture an expression of the humanist ideals of civic pride and courage?
The Four Saints were exemplars of courage and steadfastness in the face of death.
What factors brought about the emergence of the Renaissance in Italy as opposed to other regions of Europe? (multiple answers)
The Italian economy was less dependent upon agricultural wealth than the rest of Europe. AND Italy differed from the rest of Medieval Europe in its urban development. AND The Italian city-states had long established international commercial trade connections.
What was it about ancient Roman and Greek writings that interested Renaissance thinkers?
These writings offered insights to questions of society, citizenship, and governance relevant to the needs of the city-states.
How were such men considered examples of Renaissance ideals?
They were considered examples of courage, discipline, self-sacrifice, and civic leadership.
Our modern notion of a "liberal arts education" for the training of a wise and well-informed citizenry capable of participating in governance traces its origins to Renaissance Humanism.
True
Renaissance Humanism was focused more on the role played by a person within larger society than with individuality itself.
True
What was the baptistery competition in which Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi competed?
a competition for the decoration of the east doors of the baptistery of Florence Cathedral
What was the Renaissance?
a rebirth of interest in the cultures of classical Rome and Greece
Renaissance Humanism entailed a renewed interest in __________________.
ancient Roman and Greek writings
Why might the Guild of Armorers and Sword Makers have chosen St. George to represent them in their niche on the Or San Michele?
because they saw parallels between St.George as a warrior saint and the Renaissance ideal of the citizen soldier who courageously defends the republic.
Who were Gattamelata and Bartolommeo Colleoni?
condottiere, commanders of mercenary armies
Donatello revolutionized relief sculpture in his image of Saint George and the Dragon by doing what?
creating atmospheric perspective with incised lines
What was a condottiere?
in Italy, the commander of a mercenary army
In Four Crowned Saints, Nanni di Banco achieved a unified spatial composition by arranging the figures in what way?
in a semi-circle
Where did the Renaissance first emerge?
in what is now Italy
Italian Renaissance artists in the 15th century were concerned with the depiction of physical space. What technique does Donatello use to render space in this image?
linear perspective
Who sponsored the competition for the decoration of the doors of the baptistery of San Giovanni?
medici?
What factors were the basis for the victory? (multiple answers)
more naturalistic handling of space, an the elements of classical traditions AND clearer narrative focus AND classical references
What values does the classical contrapposto pose come to signify during the Quattrocento?
noble, civic and religious virtue; individual action in the service of the city-state
The scale and sense of immediate presence of the sculpture suits the setting for the statue, which was intended for _____________________.
private display and appreciation
What does the word "renaissance" mean?
rebirth
In his Comentarii, Ghiberti expresses a great deal of self-confidence, and a sense of his place in art history. What new humanist ideas are expressed in Ghiberti's sense of himself and his work?
self confidence of the individual resulting from hard work and reason, AND celebration of individual work, talent, skill
Who commissioned this statue of David?
the Medici family
Who sponsored the Or San Michele Project?
the city officials of Florence
What is the basic pose of the figures?
the classical contrapposto pose
What is the basic pose of this figure?
the contrapposto pose
The contrapposto pose expressed ____________________.
the ideal of perfect balance between tension and relaxation, between stasis and movement
What moment in the story does Donatello depict?
the moment of triumph
What dramatic event spurred the completion of the Or San Michele Project?
the threat of attack by King Ladislaus (r. 1399-1414) of Naples
What groups were called upon to decorate the Or San Michele with sculptures?
the various guilds of Florence
Why did the Medici commission this statue of David for their private residence?
to display their identification with Florence - David was the symbol of Florence and its protector - and its humanist ideals of civic duty and courage
Whose entry shows a more all-over, equal distribution of elements over the space/composition, thus giving a "flatter" sense of space, but a greater sense of movement and flow?
Brunelleschi's
Who won the competition?
Ghiberti
Whose entry shows a more "innovative" treatment of the space?
Ghiberti's
An important consideration for the sponsors was cost. Which artist's bronze panels would have been cheaper?
Ghiberti's, because it required fewer pieces to cast
What is the contrapposto pose?
A pose standardized in classical antiquity that balanced the tension and relaxation in the human body to create an ideal. The weight is on one leg, the other lifted slightly; one arm is raised, the other hangs at the side. The torso twists slightly toward the leg carrying the body's weight.
Why were these saints suitable subjects for the decoration of Or San Michele at the time?
As early Christian martyrs, they represented courage and duty, and served as role models for Florence under the threat of King Vladislav's attack.
The Renaissance emerged in the wake of what European disaster?
Black Plague
What differentiates Donatello's and Verrocchio's approaches to the image of David?
Donatello is more interested in achieving a classical sense of beauty and timelessness; whereas Verrocchio is more interested in visual story-telling
What was Donatello's "innovation" in his St. Mark, sculpted for the Or San Michele?
Donatello returned to the earlier classical contrapposto pose.
How do Donatello's and Verrocchio's images of condottiere differ?
Donatello's conveys a greater sense of nobility; Verrocchio's is much more theatrical and dramatic.
What is one of the major differences between the early Renaissance contrapposto pose, as seen in Donatello's sculptures, and the classical one (the Doryphoros)?
Donatello's is more "story-telling" in character.
David was the symbol of what city?
Florence
Why was the competition for the decoration of the baptistery doors seen as a matter of civic duty and pride? What was happening in Florence at the time?
Florence was besieged by the forces of the Duke of Milan.
