¶ … Brown, Beverly Louise. "The Genius of Rome." London: Royal Academy of the Arts, 2001. Brown's "The Genius of Rome" offers a comprehensive analysis of both the convergence and dichotomy of sacred and profane elements in Renaissance Italian art. Caravaggio stands at the midpoint, the pivotal space, between sacred and profane. As Brown points out, many of Caravaggio's altarpieces were initially rejected on the grounds that they were not sacred enough, and the author claims that his work has been described by contemporaries as "mezzo tra il devote, et profano," or "halfway between sacred and profane," (p. 276). Interestingly, seventeenth century sources reveal scant evidence as to why Caravaggio's work would have been viewed in this way, and why his altarpieces were sometimes summarily rejected. Later in the chapter, Brown focuses on Rubens, who encapsulated the dichotomies between sacred and profane. This resources provides instrumental evidence related to the evolution of...
The author is careful to situate the art in its social and political context, revealing much about the nature of Church commissions, of Church involvement in the arts, and the politics of art. Art was frequently if not consistently used as a means of spreading political propaganda as well as religious indoctrination, notes the author. Citing information from primary sources, the author substantiates her claims and leads the reader to external and further research. There were, moreover, formal religious bodies sponsored by the Church that outlined why some art would be considered profane. Brown points out that these decrees were weak and "vague," (p. 277). Fear of nudity is, however, one of the elements that defined what was profane. This led to the wanton destruction of Classical Roman statues…Renaissance Art Within the broad gamut of Renaissance art throughout Europe, two sculptures remain outstanding and worthy of mutual comparison. Those two works of art are Michelangelo's statue of David and Donatello's same. The latter is the predecessor; Donatello's David predates Michelangelo's by about fifty years. Donatello's sculpture of David is considered to be of the Early Renaissance period, and was completed by about 1430 (Hudelson, n.d.). Michelangelo's David, on the
Renaissance Art Ghirlandaio's "Old Man with his Grandson" Ghirlandiao's Old Man with his Grandson The Renaissance marked a dramatic shift in artistic values and ideals as represented by Domenico Ghirlandaio's painting "Old Man with his Grandson." While the subject of Medieval art was strictly religious and lacked true perspective, Renaissance artists sought to recapture the artistic Humanism of the Classical World by incorporating reality through perspective. The Renaissance also saw a transition from
Renaissance Art Renaissance literally means 'rebirth' and the movement was specifically about rebirth of cultural ideas, spiritual views and artistic expression. The term, first coined by Vasari in 1550, is now used for the period from mid 14th to mid 16th centuries that was marked by a revolution in art, painting, sculpture and even literature. Renaissance gained prominence almost immediately with Bellini, Botticelli, Bruegel, da Vinci, Durer, Michelangelo, Raphael associating themselves
Art As Baxandall points out, "a fifteenth century painting is a product of a social relationship," (p. 1). That social relationship was carefully forged and affected by a confluence of interests including those that are commercial, cultural, religious, and perceptual or aesthetic in nature. The relationship between client and artist was one constrained by social convention, legal tradition, and also the expedience of broader interests. Money has played a long-underestimated role
Art Cimabue's late Byzantine painting Madonna and Child Enthroned is on the surface and in many respects similar to Giotto's early Renaissance painting Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints. In fact, only a generation or two separated these two painters. Cimabue painted his Maesta from 1280 and finished in 1285, whereas Giotto worked between 1305 and 1310 on the Ognissanti Madonna. Within this 40-year time span, great changes were taking place
Renaissance Art The objective of this study is to trace the compositional, stylistic and symbolic development of the story of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci and what makes Leonardo's work unique. Earlier examples will be cited including those of Andrea del Castagno or Domenico Ghirlandaio. The three sources will be annotated with a 10-sentence paragraph reviewing the source. Each annotation will include full sentences in essay format that detail
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