8. Art of the Early Italian Renaissance (1200-1480)

What was it about? What were the goals?

The renaissance marks the changing point from the middle or dark ages to Europe’s early modern era. Artists and scholars took a renewed interest in the classical arts of ancient Greece and Rome. They imported ancient texts from Byzantium and Islamic countries, learning ancient history and complex mathematics. They began archaeological excavations. They began to stress the importance of individual independence. And, gradually, the job of an artist changed from that of a lowly craftsman to a genius, worthy of praise. Although they still didn’t sign their works, they didn’t have to. Artists like Vasari gathered stories about them and wrote them in his book The Lives of the Artists, beginning the subject and practice of art history.

While much of the art was still meant to decorate churches and praise God, artists began to question everything on a philosophical level, imbuing their works with hidden meanings and symbols. This intellectual focus on religion would eventually lead to protests, referendums, schisms, and even wars as people battled over the word of God and church injustices. While the Catholic church under the popes tried to control this debate, even their greatest artists harbored doubts in hidden letters and documents that scholars continue to study today.

A bit of historical context:

Several technological innovations helped to modernize and liberalize society at this time: the printing press with movable type, and a new money-credit economy. New bankers like the Medici’s provided secular patronage, as an alternative to the church. Even the plagues that ravaged Europe helped increase social mobility, as labor was always short, and workers could demand more rights and money.

The Early Renaissance is said to have ended around 1480, when Pope Sixtus IV began reconstruction of the Sistene Chapel, hiring the artists Botticelli, Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and others to paint it.

The underlying philosophy of the period:

What made it great?

This was a time of ambition, when artists sought to reinvent painting, sculpture, and every kind of art. They proved that lowly humans could produce something of such quality and beauty that it rivalled and even surpassed that of nature. Artists at this time showed that anything is possible.

Some leading figures:

Cimabue (Bencivieni di Pepo) (Italian, 1240-1302)

Giotto (Italian, 1267-1337)

Simone Martini (Italian, 1284-1344)

Filippo Brunelleschi (Italian, 1377-1446)

Donatello (1382-1466)

Fra Angelico (1387-1455)

Masaccio (Italian, 1401-1428)

Fra Filippo Lippi (Italian, 1406-1469)

Piero della Francesca (Italian, 1410-1496)

Some of the most famous artworks of the time:

Maestà di Santa Trinita, by Cimabue 1280–1285

This altarpiece shows a more Byzantine approach to painting. The figures appear flat and otherworldly. The chair that Mary sits on seems uncomfortably flat, hard stone. Compare it with that of his student Giotto, seen below:

The Ognissanti Madonna, by Giotto, 1310

The folds and wrinkles in Mary’s dress here feel much more realistic, as does her form (although you’d probably have to break a few bones to get her in that exact pose). The throne she sits on looks much more comfortable and gives a stronger illusion with light and shadow, although it still lacks linear perspective. Notice the cushion she now sits on. This was all part of the Renaissance tendency to humanize the saints – to show they weren’t just some perfect beings residing in heaven. They were once regular people like us, with all our weaknesses, fears, and desires, who managed to rise to greatness.

The Lamentation, in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy, by Giotto, c. 1305

The work of Giotto signaled a return towards naturalism, to figures with volume, life-like poses and expressions, classical costumes and compositions. The work doesn’t simply show timeless saints floating in a gold background. It shows a specific moment in time, recreating the drama of a Biblical story – a practice that would become central to Renaissance art.

Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, in Florence, Italy, completed 1461

Although this church was actually Gothic in design, first planned in 1294 by Arnolfo Di Cambio, the dome wasn’t begun until after 1400 when the genius Brunelleschi devised a plan to cap the gigantic open space in the middle of the church. He designed not one, but two domes, one inside the other, so that they could strengthen and reinforce one another, without the need for expensive timber scaffolding. He also used light-weight bricks in intricate criss-cross patterns to build up the dome, so that the result was so light, it could house a marble chapel on top, which is still accessible by stairs today. Unfortunately he didn’t live long enough to see his work completed, but he’s still credited as one of the greatest architects of all time.

The Holy Trinity, in Santa Maria Novella church, Florence, Italy, by Masaccio, 1427

This is the first painting to use linear perspective. Although credited to Masaccio, it’s been debated that Brunelleschi helped him to design the ceiling behind, which uses linear perspective to create the illusion of depth. The figures kneeling on the sides are the patrons who paid for the painting.

David & Goliath, by Donatello, 1430

This is the first free-standing nude sculpture since antiquity, and also one of the first cast bronze statues since antiquity. It uses the lost-wax technique which was newly discovered at this time.