Renaissance is an era in the history of Europe between the 14th and the 17th centuries. It is regarded as the break from the past as it marks the transition from medieval to modernity. Renaissance is a word derived from the French word Renaissance and the Italian word ‘rinascita,' meaning ‘rebirth,' as it was a period when scholars and artists began to question what they had previously perceived to be education, art, and literature (Ajmar, 2017). Consequently, a new style in painting, sculpture, and architecture emerged after the gothic.
The new style of sculpture, painting, and decorative arts (renaissance art) mushroomed in Italy in the 14th century and reached its peak in the early 16th. Among other historic cities in Italy, Florence stands out as an economic, political, and artistic center owing to the renaissance period (Abulafia, 2016). Florence in 1450 C.E marks a vital part in history as it is believed to be the place of birth of renaissance art. As the center for wool trade, the city is controlled by wealthy merchants who dominated the industry. The merchants built mansions in the town and villas in the countryside. They also funded the construction of grand cathedrals and thus changed the general face of Florence.
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While we walk through the gated Florence city, three of the most significant renaissance artistic sites we might come across are; Giotto Di Bondone's creative work of interior decoration at the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, the infamous well architected Florence Cathedral (‘Duomo’) and the infamous David bronze sculpture by a renowned Florentine sculptor, Donatello. '
One of the famous renaissance artworks in Florence is the decoration of the interior of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. The decoration was done by Giotto Di Bondone's was famously known as just Giotto with a theme of salvation and an emphasis on the Virgin Mary as the chapel is dedicated to the Annunciation (Giotto, 1995) . The west wall is dominated with the last judgment and the on either side of which are complimentary paintings of the Virgin Mary and angel Gabriel. The scene is a combination of the cycles of the life of the Virgin Mary and the life of Christ. The cycle is composed of 37 scenes arranged around the walls starting with the life of the parent of the Virgin Mary, Joachim, and Anna, continuing with the life of Mary then the life of Christ in two tiers then finally the final judgment which fills the entire space of the counter façade.
Another significant part of the renaissance in Florence we may come across is the renowned Florence Cathedral famously known as the ‘Duomo' by Filippo Brunelleschi. The Florentine architects started planning the structure in 1294 with the aim of making the cathedral with one of the biggest domes in Italy (Trachtenberg, 2001). Due to inadequate engineering technology, they stopped in the middle leaving the structure domeless for nearly 120 years. Brunelleschi, however, later on, won a competition against his lifelong rival Lorenzo Ghiberti and came up with a plan that completed the dome in 1436 and also designed the cathedral with a set of the bronze door for the baptistery of the cathedral.
Finally, we might come across the infamous Florentine sculptor, Donatello 's, Davids bronze statue (1386-1466). The polished form and nature of Davids pose combine to bring the sculpture to life illustrating Donatellos artistic ability to inject human vitality into a standard image of Christian art (Maclagan, 1971) . For a city like Florence threatened by rival cities such as Milan, David was an ideal emblem of superiority to the rivals. The statue stands 159 cm and is cast in bronze.
I chose the three sites because they are a representation of Florentine Renaissance art which generally entailed painting, architecture and carving respectively. Renaissance period marked the age of a growing awareness of the next natural world of the people of Florence hence the revival of the literature, painting, sculpture, and architecture was an expression in the form of renaissance art.
References
Abulafia, D. (2016). The French Descent into Renaissance Italy, 1494–95: Antecedents and Effects . Routledge.
Ajmar, M. (2017). Exemplary women in Renaissance Italy: ambivalent models of behaviour?. In Women in Italian Renaissance Culture and Society (pp. 244-264). Routledge.
Giotto, G. B. (1995). Giotto: The Arena Chapel Frescoes . WW Norton.
Maclagan, E. R. D. (1971). Italian sculpture of the Renaissance . Greenwood Press.
Trachtenberg, M. (2001). Architecture and music reunited: a new reading of Dufay's Nuper rosarum flores and the Cathedral of Florence. Renaissance Quarterly , 54 (3), 741-775.
