Art of the Italian Renaissance

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Recommended: Similarities between Greek and Roman art work

One of the greatest stories from the Italian Renaissance is the one of Fillipo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti. In 1401, the directors of the art of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral held a contest for artists; to create panels for a the doors on the east entrance (Kleiner, 560-2). Because the east doors faced the cathedral, the people thought it extremely prestigious to be able to participate in such a massive creation. After the first competition round, two finalists remained; Brunelleschi, an accomplished and experienced artist, and Ghiberti, a younger artist, but one with just as much talent. The two competitors were required to create a panel (or square) of Abraham readying to sacrifice Issac. Before reading which was which, I noticed one looked very chaotic while the other was easy and pleasing to observe though the subject was tumultuous. After reading, I found Ghiberti to be the artist of the one I was more attracted to. Brunelleschi's panel pictured a very young and seemingly writhing, struggling Isaac, which is not what the Bible testifies. Isaac never resisted his father. Ghiberti depicts a young man, who, though bound, does not resist his father at all. I believe this is one of the reasons Ghiberti won; he recreated a turbulent biblical scene with grace. When Lorenzo Ghiberti had won the contest and finished the east doors, Michelangelo stated his doors were “so beautiful that they would do well for the gates of Paradise.” (Kleiner, 566) Ever since then, these magnificent doors have been titled The Gates of Paradise (21-9).

Another famous artist from this period is Donatello, one who specialized in sculpture and sculpture relief. Some of his works shown in this chapter include Saint Mark (21-5), Sa...

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...ul and faithful marriages. Camera Picta means painted chamber, and the room it can be found in is, interestingly enough, the duke's bedchamber. Thus the peacock.

The Renaissance era in Italy attests to many beautiful creators who were full of imagination, detail, perspective and ideas for their art. When observing their art, it is important to remember the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, as analogies are almost always made; when these and other background information is known, it is much easier to connect to a piece of art and appreciate it.

Works Cited

Kleiner, Fred S., and Helen Gardner. Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Global History. Boston, MA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2009. Print.

"The Boxer Rebellion, 1900." Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. History Of War. Web. 21 Jan. 2012. .

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