Renaissance is a term used to describe the period between 14 th to 17 th centuries. This is historic periods described by beautiful artistic paintings and important philosophers that have never been experienced before. However, art was majorly used to decorate civic places and also for the pride of the early artists. During this era, the Catholic Church had a final say in almost everything. Florence is one of the major areas where early renaissance was particularly influential. The early artistic work was used to decorate the church and other places of worship. For instance a public competition was staged in Florence to determine the best artistic work that could be used to decorate the set of doors for Florentine baptistery. Art was also used to decorate the graveyards by beautifying the tombs. During this era, the church played a crucial role of looking for better artworks that could be used to improve the church structures. Also, during the early Renaissance, the sculptures were basically made to adore the heroes of the era and also for the pride of the community. The best sculpture and statues could be staged in a central place just to beautify the place. Great artists could be remembered through the creation of best artworks. During this era, there were so many merchants that could trade, to find out the best artwork. Therefore, it was honor and pride for a given civic community to produce the best artwork. In addition, many artists could parade their artworks on the streets, places of rest just to get a public appeal. Therefore, this competition resulted to the beautification of buildings and other civic spaces. The early renaissance marked the beginning of the modern-day artwork.
Commissioning of artwork is generally an act of requesting for the development of a piece of material on behalf of the other. However, during the early Renaissance, statues, portraits, tombs, and sculptures are examples of artworks that were commissioned. This early renaissance artwork was basically commissioned by patrons. A patron could be a private merchant, the government or the church. The commissioning of the artwork could occur after the patron enters a contract with the artist and they agree on what kind of material was supposed to be used. In this era, the artist was seen as someone who worked using hands normally regarded as a craftsman or artisan. Portraits are examples of artistic work that was commissioned during this era. These are paintings that bring out the natural representation of an individual. This type of artwork was very renowned in Greece and Rome during the early Renaissance. In these areas, portraits were commissioned to be used in coins and the sculptures. This process was basically carried out by the government and the church because it represented the rule of law. However, other wealthy patrons commissioned these portraits to elevate their status in the society by hanging their images in the public places. An example of a commissioned portrait is that of Tomaso and Maria Portinari in 1440.
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Other artistic works commissioned during this era were the religious works such as alter pieces. Patrons could enter into contracts with artists just to buy the best alter pieces then they could trade with the church for the pieces. During this era, the church was regarded as being high in authority and every best artwork could be used in the church. Therefore, the commissioning of altarpieces was basically motivated by money. Statues were other artistic works that were popularly commissioned during early renaissance. Statues were the fundamental structures that held a lot of importance in the Catholic faith. The statues and other sculptures could be used to depict the heavenly creatures that built the foundation of the Catholic Church. This helped to affirm the Catholic faith during this era.
During the early Renaissance, citizens had a deep interaction with the artwork since it represented their faith, past events, entertainment, beauty and status of authority. A statue of angels in most Roman churches is a representation of faith. Citizens could visualize the sounds and implications of the statues in terms of what God expects from humanity. Therefore, these materials could be found in homes, churches and other places where the divine spirit is perceived to exist. Therefore, the early artwork formed a fundamental basis in which humans could relate with God. Statues of great worriers could remind the citizens of how they fought for their independence and the past history that underline their traditions. Some citizens’ could use the artwork such as portraits to elevate their social status in the society. For instance, a portrait could be used in coins used for trading just depict who the ruler was. This is a sign of respect and authority for the individual.
However, during this era, some wealthy families did not adhere to the regulations stipulated by the artist to display the image in the public domain. For instance, the patrons from the merci family were self-styled and materialistic. They commissioned almost each and every best artwork just to fill their private gallery which limited the popularity of the artist. Therefore, artists could not be appreciated by the public through this act. Private ownership of these artworks is an act that did not help to nurture the artistic skills during this era. The upcoming artists also found it difficult to progress in a market that was dominated by strong artists. This is due to the fact that during this era, the public commissioning of the artwork was based on the status of the artist. Some commissioned artworks surpassed the norms and values that dictate religion and culture. There was little regulation on the message displayed by some of these artistic materials.
The Gate of Paradise is a set of bronze decorations used on the gates of the Florence baptistery church. This artwork was generally used to show how democratic the church was since it was a competitive exercise in which the winner was chosen based on the type of artwork produced. This concept describes the participatory leadership of the church. Orcans' artwork in the “Stori altarpiece” is an artwork that depicts the tilted Christ and the saint of Madonna. This is also an artwork that described the participatory system of governance since it depicted a common tabernacle that all the citizens could depend upon for worship. “The birth of venis “is another artwork that clearly depicts the worship of a goddess which symbolizes the new revolution. Finally, Benozzo’s work on the procession of Magi is another artwork that clearly depicted three kings. This artwork described the participatory governance by illustrating three kings that were accepted by all people. It emphasizes the need to have a democratic kind of leadership.
The Period Of The Eye is a descriptive work done by Michael Baxandall that clearly describes the visual culture of the Italians in the 15 th century. In this perspective, he argued that each individual analyzes the visual information based on the cultural traits being harbored in the brain. Therefore, this concept helps to provide useful insights on the visual culture of the Italians during the 15 th century. The work of Baxandall is an exceptional expedition that clearly illustrates how Italians in the 15 th century valued art since it was cultured in their lives even before birth. He argues that there are various perceptions surrounding the quality of an artwork. The status of the artist was the main determining factor in evaluating the quality of the artwork. Therefore, Baxandall links this visual conceptualization of the artwork and the image that has been cultured in an individual’s brain. Therefore, through his insights, the culture of the people in the 15 th century in Italy is clearly illustrated. Therefore, the evaluation of an artwork during the 15 th century in Italy was entirely based on the culture of the region.
His assertions clearly illustrate how the patrons commissioned the artwork during this era. There were so many factors that were considered before the artwork was judged. The criteria used for payment, the materials used, the time used to create the artwork and the status of the artist was the major factor that described the culture of Italian people during this era. In his assertions of linking the visual image with the cultural conceptualization of the mind is clearly depicted in the in the artwork business in the 15 th century. In this era, patrons and other merchants demanded some critical aspects before committing to a given artwork. This concept is built on the cultural guidelines that demand uniqueness based on the quality of the product. However, during this era, the quality of the artwork was inseparable from the artist. Therefore, there are some qualities that an artist was required to manifest before his or her artworks were acceptable in the market. However, this is a very retrogressive ideology since some artists during this era had exceptional abilities but the dominance of the known craftsmen in the industry limited their growth. It is also clear that that the visual culture of the Italians was also based on the kind of sponsor that a given artist was working for. In this era, the pope, rich merchants such as the merci family and the king were some of the prestigious patrons that each artist strived to work for so as to get a public appeal. Therefore, any artwork that was accepted by the bishop or pope was regarded as the best and the artist's name could be elevated in the social hierarchy. The perception of an artwork in the 15 th century was generally based on the cultural traits that an artist exhibits, his or her background and the status that is commanded in the public eye.
Baxendale's theories are valid since most scholars have clearly established the connection that normally exists between the artists and his piece of work. There are forces that dictate certain artistic technique used. His arguments on the visual conceptualization of an artwork are built on culture. This clearly defines what coerce an individual to come up with a given artwork. The observers of paintings have stood firm to corroborate these assertions by clearly illustrating how the ancient pictorials had a description of history. Therefore, these claims support Baxandall’s assertions that an artwork represents a channel through which powerful words are conveyed to the public.
“The Procession of Magi” is an artwork done by Benozzo which clearly depicts three kings. This is an original artwork that describes the past leadership of the nation. Therefore, Baxandall, clearly affirms that the visual conceptualization of this artwork brings out insights on what the artist had intended to convey. In his theories, he argues that the power of words can be manifested in the artistic works. According to Baxandall, art is built on what is of interest on the public domain. Orcan’s work in the “altarpieces” is another artistic work that clearly affirms Baxandall’s theory on the visual conceptualization of artwork. “The Gate of Paradise” and “The Birth of Venis” are other two artistic works that affirm Baxandall’s theory of visualization of the artwork. He argues that an artwork is a way to find a broad vocabulary that captures all the key elements that the artist wants to convey. However, there are other forces that surround any artwork for it to have an exceptional appeal to the audience.
