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The early Renaissance era was born in Florence
(Italian city-state) at the beginning of the fifteenth century |
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The word
Renaissance is a French word which means “rebirth” |
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The
Renaissance era describes the period of intellectual, economic and artistic
creativity that began in Italy and later spread northward to France and
England |
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It was
an independent city-state with its own self-government |
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It had
artistic guilds that regulated trades |
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It was
the most culturally aware of all the city-states – had many artists,
architects, painters, sculptors, philosophers living there |
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Wealthy
families like the Medici family controlled the banking industry and were
lavish patron of the arts |
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Florentines patronized the arts to express civic pride in
their city |
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They
were more humanistic in nature in terms of their focus on life on earth and
less emphasis placed on the eternal life |
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The
human body was seen as a work of art and beauty, rather than being shameful
and hideous as inn the medieval era |
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The competition was won by Ghiberti and
depicts the scene “The Sacrifice of
Isaac.” It shows Abraham attempting to slaughter his son Isaac with a
knife, and the angel darting from above to stop him |
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Lorenzo Ghiberti |
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Filipo
Brunelleschi |
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Donatello |
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Masaccio |
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He was
the former teacher of Donatello |
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Considered his only serious rival |
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He was
commissioned to do a second door of the Florence Baptistry on the
easternside called the “Gates of Paradise” |
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Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti – The
story of Jacob and |
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Essau, panel of the Gates of Paradise, at the Baptistry of Florence |
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It depicts the scene of the story of Jacob and
Essau in the Old Testament |
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It shows
the use of spatial dept or otherwise called linear perspective, assuming an
ideal vantage point |
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The scene shows a continuous narrative as if all seven episodes were taking
place simultaneously |
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Considered the greatest sculptor of his time |
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Student
of Ghiberti, worked under him on
1st Baptistry door of Florence |
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1420
rivaled his former teacher in the medium of sculpting |
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His
earliest sculpture was the statue of David |
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Donatello’s David 1425-1430. Bronze, Museo
Nazionale del Bargello Florence |
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Statue carved from bronze |
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Was the first free-standing life-sized nude
statue since antiquity |
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Statue is a patriotic public monument
identifying David – weak but favored of the Lord – with Florence, and
Goliath with the Dukes of Milan who were against Florence in the 1420’s |
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Notes