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Impact on art and culture in the Italian Renaissance
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Florence during Lorenzo de Medici’s time was a city of contradictions: artistic brilliance sprouted from the squalor of the city’s crowed streets and autocrats ruled over republican institutions. Florence fostered both the grandeur of Botticelli’s Primavera and the harsh realism of Machiavelli’s the prince. Lorenzo de Medici, the de facto ruler of the city, best embodied such contradictions. He was both a Machiavelli, using menace, betrayal, cajoles and schemes to exert power, and a Michelangelo, a poet and artist stimulating the onset of the Renaissance.
The subtleties of Lorenzo’s power lay in the fact that Florence remained a republic on its surface. If the Medici ruled the city, they did so by manipulation behind the scenes, not as princes or kings but as leading citizens. Princes could command and expect to be obeyed by their subjects, but Lorenzo could only persuade and hope to be followed. Lorenzo’s age also complicated his authority. Only those over 45 years old could serve in the signoria. Thus, until he died at the age of 43, Lorenzo remained the unofficial ruler of Flo...
Through scholarly research of Florentine politics and daily life during the rule of the Medici, it is affirmed that Giralamo Savonarola used religion and fear to inhibit the progression of the Renaissance in Florence.
“I’ll be out of here and away from all you knaves for one time anyway, as not a month will pass before you’ll see whether I’m nobody or a somebody.” The story of Bianco Alfani reflected the nature of 14th century Florentine society where, as Alfani remarked, the election to public office could make or destroy a person. In late 14th century and early 15th century Florence, decreased population and expanding commerce provided a favorable environment for ambitious individuals. The real life examples of Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati demonstrated the positive role of ambition in Florence. Pitti, a nobleman had an extremely successful career, partaking in military campaigns, holding public office in Florence and being an ambassador to foreign courts. Gregorio Dati, the grandson of purse venders, engaged in commerce, rising in social standing which culminated with his election to public office. Holding office was a definitive sign of success and recognition in Florence. In contrast was the tale Bianco Alfani, a deemed man unworthy of office. As told by Piero Veneziano, Alfani was the chief jailor in Florence who was duped into believing he had been named captain of the town of Norcia. Alfani publicly made a fool of himself, spending all his money and creating a great fanfare over his supposed appointment. Comparing the lives of Pitti and Dati to the story of Bianco Alfani illustrates how economic and social change in 14th century Florence produced a culture centered on reputation and commerce. For men like Pitti and Dati, who flourished within the constraints of Florentine society, their reward was election to office, a public mark of acceptance and social standing. Those who were ambitious but failed to abide by the values o...
Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy on March 6th 1475. His family was politically prominent as his family had large land property. His father was a banker and was looking to his son to engage in his businesses. As a young boy, he has ambitions of becoming a sculptor, but his father was very discouraging of this. He wanted his son to live up to the family name and take up his father’s businesses. Michelangelo became friends with Francesco Granacci, who introduced him to Domenico Ghirlandio(biography.com). Michelangelo and his father got into a series of arguments until eventually they arranged for him to study under Ghirlandaio at the age of thirteen. Ghirlandaio watched Michelangelo work and recognized his talent for the art and recommended him into an apprenticeship for the Medici family palace studio after only one year of at the workshop. The Medici’s were very rich from making the finest cloths. Lorenzo, which was one of the most famous of the family had a soft side for art and is credited for helping the Italian Renaissance become a time of illustrious art and sculpting. At ...
A rediscover of their history and recognition of early Greek philosophers changed the way that the influential families and Princes, in Italy, considered themselves. Their way of thinking of the Devine and need to promote one’s own aspirations through sponsorship of the arts, as well as, civic duty became not only fashionable but important to progress in the city states. Although Donatello’s David and Botticelli’s Primavera are master pieces in their own right, their influence on future generations of artists cannot be ignored. The spark that ignited the fire which we call the Renaissance was a transformation of societies thinking and values to a Humanistic approach to one duties to society and the church. These two works are a reflection of the changing attitudes which would eventually change all of
From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century the Renaissance transformed European culture and society. Many classical texts resurfaced and new scientific techniques arose. To many, Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most important figures in Renaissance history. He was given the name “Renaissance Man” because of his large role and impact. He had a large list of interests that spanned from science, art, anatomy, architecture, and mathematics. All of which were fundamental components that shaped the Renaissance era into what we know it as today.
The portrait of Giuliano de Medici by Raphael, a tempera and oil on canvas, can be dated back to around 1515 (Fig. 2).25 The portrait includes a background depiction of Florence, which is revealed behind a green curtain. As part of a marriage arrangement with Philiberte of Savoy, it is not surprising that Florence would be depicted as an asset of Giuliano's. However, the picture was painted shortly after the carnival of 1513, and it highlights the sort of relationship that the Medici family wanted to re-establish with the city and its people, using public rituals to achieve this. Giuliano's gaze is directed to the part of the curtain revealing the city, thus asserting his status as legitimate ruler, watching over the people of Florence. This painting and the carnival of 1513 convey similar messages. When Girolamo Macchietti executed a portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent, he used a similar device (Fig. 3). Lorenzo stands tall with Florence in the background, and he looks forward benevolently. What the Medici attempted to achieve with public rituals, they successfully managed to reflect in their portraiture. With their backs turned to the city, they would have appeared to contemporaries as larger-than-life leaders protecting Florence's interests and history. The link between the two portraits is interesting because the carnival of 1513 was a clear attempt at
Leonardo Da Vinci could be argued as one of the most famous persons in the Renaissance Era and one of the greatest painters to ever live. Leonardo is talented and has made many contribution throught his life. He did so many things such as painting, anatomy , mechanics, and architecture. And he is one of the reasons why the Renaissance era could be regarded at one of the greatest time periods in history.
Through historical and economic data this research paper will express how Florence flourished from a mercantile economy in the Renaissance.
The Medici’s were a prominent family in the Renaissance, who ruled Florence from 1434 to 1737. They are regarded as being one of the most powerful and richest families in the whole of Europe. The Medics used this great status and wealth to develop an improved Florence, one that was significantly influenced by the Renaissance. The Medici family can most certainly be regarded as the significant heroes of the Renaissance. This is due to their significant promotion and patronage in the arts, in turn bringing focus back to the antiquities, a major importance during the Renaissance period. Furthermore, the Medicis can be considered the great heroes of the Renaissance, due to their significant influence of Renaissance Humanist thinking. On top of this, although the Medici family were allegedly corrupt and supposedly paid many bribes in order to become so powerful, they still focused on benefiting the heart of the Renaissance- the city-state of Florence- and should thus not be considered the great villains of the Renaissance, but instead the heroes.
“Machiavelli wanted to return to his longtime dream and understanding of politics. One of his goals in writing The Prince was to win the favor of Lorenzo de’ Medici, then-governor of Florence and the person
The very first changes marking the Renaissance occurred in Florence, Italy, where Machiavelli was born. The city was flourishing as many talented thinkers, including writers, painters, sculptors, architects, and philosophers made Florence an effective model of new cultures, as they displayed humanism through their works. The Medici family played a role in Florence’s rebirth as patrons of the arts, participating in the development of the city. Many early writers, including Machiavelli, came from Florence. If Machiavelli were not born in this successful, humanistic city during this time, he may not have been the successful writer he turned out to
The Machiavelli family was part of the average middle class. They were not descended from one of Florence’s most important families (Gilbert 9). Although they were not a rich family, the Machiavellis were a respected Florentine family (Wagner 16). Many of his ancestors played an important role in Florence’s politics and hel...
Florence, Italy was a city just like any other during the Renaissance. It was city of 50,000 people, less than there were in Paris and Venice but more than most other European cities. The busiest parts of the city were the Ponte Vecchio, a place lined with markets and houses, the neighborhood of the Orsanmichele and Mercato Vecchio, or the Old Market. Florence was a place of beauty and leisure. A Venetian visitor once said, “There is in my opinion no region more sweeter than that wherein Florence is a placed for Florence is situated in a plain surrounded on all sides by hills and mountains…And the hills are fertile cultivated, pleasant…” (Unger, pg. 1). Florence was a very prosperous city; it made fortunes off of wool and banking trades. A certain Florentine family contributed to the vast wealth as well. The Medici family was no doubt the foundation of prosperity for Florence.
To understand the writings of Niccolò Machiavelli, it is necessary to understand the world of Niccolò Machiavelli, Renaissance Italy. The region was not one nation as it is today, rather a collection of several city-states, which contained internal fighting between powerful families, fighting with each other. This era differed from the preceding middle ages in many respects, the pope's power was weakened, money controlled power instead of noble birth, and there was a revival of ancient Greek and Roman literature, architecture and art by a new breed of people, the humanists. These changes created the environment in which Machiavelli lived. He saw how the quarrelling was weakeni...
The time of the Renaissance is one filled with growth of intellect, beauty of nature, the dignity of mankind, and the rising of artists. It is characterized from the move of scholasticism, a devotion specifically for the theological and philosophical teachings of the Church to humanism, a devotion to the humanities of rhetoric, arithmetic, and other subjects. One example of this movement can be seen in Machiavelli’s The Prince in which describes Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideal ruler and how to obtain stability, which was lacking as during the time of his writing this, there was a power shift from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. How Machiavelli describes his ideal prince and his leadership is one that in which he is