Marah Siyam
Art History II
Professor Cacoilo
10/16/19
The Renaissance Through Artists
The Renaissance was a cultural and
societal phenomenon that solidified the movement from the middle ages to a more
modern and contemporary lifestyle. I would argue that the artists of the time
personified this change in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. Artists
like Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian. These artists
explain through art the economic and political status of the time, as well as
showing how the patronage system aided and influenced the art of the time.
Furthermore, all of these artists did also include hints of the political and
cultural positions in which they stood. All of these factors combine and
shine through the symbols, motifs, and themes of their works and where they
were placed.
Leonardo Da Vinci was born in Vinci, a
small town outside of Florence, Italy. It was at the age of 15 that Da Vinci
began an apprenticeship at the Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. His first
successful commissioned piece was to paint an angel figure in work Verrocchio’s
"Baptism of Christ” Church (Museum of Science) in collaboration with Verrocchio
who was also under the Andrea del Verrocchio (Figure 1). This painting focuses
on the Baptism of Jesus Christ with John the Baptist the one Baptizing him with
two angels accompanying them. The top of the painting shows God's hands
overseeing and making His presence known while this took place. The theme of
God extending his hands into these paintings is motif many renaissance painters
used. The angel on the left is the one Da Vinci was in charge of and the
difference between the two angels is clear. Da Vinci's skill in painting the
human body comes from his engineering and scientific theories that he studied
throughout his career. The Halo disks are also a repeating theme in the
renaissance as a symbol of divinity. After this piece was placed in the
Church it was an Economicaic choice for Da Vinci to move to Milan for his new Patron The Duke
of Milan (Museum of Science). This reflects the economics of other artists of
the time, artists moved to where opportunity was. Politics influenced Da
Vinci's life very heavily, he moved out of Milan once Duke Ludovico Sforza’s
empire fell in 1499. After this fall of his key Patron, he had to find a new
one, his art relied heavily on patronage as art was very expensive and needed
to be funded and it was usually. Funded by these political powers, thus the
downfall of a patron means the forced moved for artists.
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Figure 1
"Baptism of Christ” Leonardo Da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio,1475 Uffizi Gallery Florence.
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Raphael was another pivotal Renaissance
artist. He was influenced by his older pier, Da Vinci through his study on
multiple figure subjects in paintings (Stokstad and Cothren, 652). Just like Da
Vinci, Raphael had his big break when he was patronized by Angelo Doni, who was
a wealthy merchant and banker (Stokstad and Cothren, 652). Families like the
Doni family used these patronized artists to commission self-portraits usually
to exhibit this wealth and high status. They do this by adding small details
into the self-portrait as symbols of loyalty, wealth, and even beauty
politicizing it. In Raphael's self-portrait of Angelo Doni, there is a sense of
serenity, with his hands placed over each other touching ever so slight (Figure
2). Raphael then moves to Rome in 1508, to work for Julius II (Stokstad and
Cothren, 652). Art was also being used by religious figures to sometimes add
traction to the patron’s church or beautify one's home or workplace to showcase
their significance. For Julius II he commissioned Raphael to paint his private
library and study an example of how art. The most important piece Raphael made
for Julius II was The School of Athens (Figure 3), an extremely context piece
involving Greek philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and many others. The goal
of the piece was to highlight the importance of the earthly world excluding
spiritual ideas. Which encompasses what the Renaissance was entirely about making this piece arguably the
most accurate depiction of the Renaissance.
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Figure 2 Portrait of Angelo Doni, Raphael, 1507. Petti Palace
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| Figure 3 Pieta, Michelangelo, 1499, St. Peter’s Basilica |
Michelangelo, Raphael’s senior, grew up
in Florence which was already an advantage since it was an easy place to have a
prestigious apprenticeship. Michelangelo was then assigned by the Medici family
who were among the wealthiest people in all of Florence. They are also
responsible for commissioning many extremely amazing works of art (Stokstad and
Cothren,658) for example, Michelangelo worked on the Medici family’s Chapel.
The Medici family heavily influenced the Renaissance since they commissioned
many works and created importance and an economy for artists and their works. Also,
politically influencing the renaissance by selecting what art pieces are to be
made. Michelangelo's Pieta was created during his early works as a tomb
monument in Old St. Peters (Stokstad and Cothren,658) (Figure 4). With such an
outstanding piece going into an equally important space showcased how valuable
his work was at the time. The Pieta is a symbol of The Virgin Mary holding her
dead son, Jesus was very prominent in
northern Europe, one can argue that Michelangelo brought it to Italy (Stokstad
and Cothren,658).
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Figure 4 School of Athens, Titan, 1511, Raphael’s Rooms
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Titan was another Renaissance painter
who was Michelangelo’s contemporary who also displayed the political role in
the artist's role very well. For example, his work on the portrait of Isabella
D’este is a prime example of how patrons chose what artists painted but giving
them enough freedom to show off their immense skill ( Figure 5). The portrait
depicts D'este in a younger version of herself but with the prestige and wealth, she had at the time of the portrait. The skill presented launched Titian into
becoming very valuable while simultaneously elevating the status of the
De’este. D'este's portrait also speaks on how art collectors were politically
and economically rich and revered. This shows how the Renaissance was
influenced by politically and economy because it was powerful and the key to the
societies that participated in it.
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Figure 5 Portrait of Isabella d'Este, Titan, 1536,
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
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Stokstad, Marilyn; Cothren, Michael W.. Art History, Volume 2. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.
