renaissance florence “what a happy age we live in!” -- vasari
TRANSCRIPT
Renaissance Florence
“What a happy age we live in!”
-- Vasari
Self-awareness
In 15th c., Florentines felt as if living in new age – reborn Athens, Rome
Artists not working in isolation, but celebrated
Part of constant city-state warfare
Acquisition of port of Pisa, etc. allowed direct trade with Northern Euro, East Medit
Marriage among wealthy
Lorenzo married Clarice Orsini, a baron's daughter and cardinal's niece, brings connections, class, and military muscle to the Medici dynasty.
Political and Econ Significance of Florence
In 1400 one of few cities left wth republican gov’t (trend to one man or one family rule)
Bruni – republican gov’t is better than monarchy because more people involved ( Cicero, Aristotle, history, human nature)
center of Euro banking in the 15th c., hub of international wool and cloth trade, main manufacturer of silk
Medici back popes, become papal bank, collect money from every parish in Euro
Medici family powerful bankers
Branches all over Euro Cosimo exiled in 1433, took money and
Florence went into recession Cosimo returned, became “godfather” Family sponsored festivals, hired musicans Toppled by French in 1495, returned to
power 1512
This is good for us
Cosimo sponsored Brunelleschi, Donatello Brunelleschi inventor, architect, scientist,
general contractor, researcher, revived classical forms – reason applied to art
Donatello – first free-standing bronze statue Lorenzo sponsored Botticelli, Leonardo,
Michelangelo Galileo is teacher for Medicis
More Medicis
Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici = Pope Leo X Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici = Pope Clement
VII
But others hired artists too
Other families for mausoleums, portraits Many guilds wanted statues University welcomed refugee scholars from
east City hired humanists, granted tax exemptions For fame and immortality
Florentine breakthroughs
Giotto abandoned flatness for depth Petrarch is first humanist Nudes in painting and sculpture (medieval
no-no) Lots and lots of math (shapes, perspective) Classical topics Machiavelli – lessons w/o regard to morality
of Bible
More!
Alberti writes book on architecture Vasari writes first book on art history
Leonardo da VinciMichelangelo
Both painters, sculptors, observers of nature, engineers, poets
Pico della Mirandola
Constant conflicts within city
Urban workers were exploited (serious riot at end of the 14th c.)
Battles between families for power; Cosimo imprisoned, Lorenzo’s brother assassinated
Massachio killed in street brawl