Italian Renaissance 1400 1600

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Italian Renaissance (1400 1600)
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Italian Renaissance Art

• The Italian Renaissance REN-ah-sans, which
  means rebirth, was one of the most important
  periods in the history of art. During this time,
  there were many outstanding master artists in
  painting, sculpture (which is hard materials
  carved into works of art), and architecture
  (which is the design of buildings).
• The time period for the Renaissance was about
  1400-1600 AD (more than 500 years ago). The
  country of Italy is in southern Europe. It looks
  like a boot on the map! (Look at the map on the
  previous pagecan you find Italy?)
• The Renaissance marked a change in the importance
  of artists. Before, an artist was considered to
  be more like a worker craftsman (someone who made
  horseshoes, for example). During the Renaissance,
  artists were considered really special for the
  first time.
• In the Renaissance, art and science were closely
  connected. Art was influenced by the science of
  anatomy (which is the study of the human body),
  and by math, which explained perspective.
  Perspective in painting is making objects on a
  flat surface look like they have depth and
  shadows.
• Some artists of the Renaissance, like
  Michelangelo, had an amazing genius and a strong
  personality, and were able to achieve fame and
  fortune because of their creative powers.

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Michelangelo Buonarroti

• Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni,
  called Michelangelo, was an artist during the
  Renaissance.
• He was born in Italy in 1475 (died 1564). He was
  brilliant and talented in many ways he could
  paint, sculpt, design buildings, and write
  poetry.
• Michelangelo is best known for his sculptures
  (hard materials carved into works of art) and
  frescoes (paintings on wet plaster).

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Michelangelo Sculpture

• When Michelangelo was a child, his mother became
  ill and couldnt care for him, so he was sent to
  live with a stonecutter. Michelangelo later joked
  that this is where he learned to love cutting
  stone into sculpture.
• He spent years studying the human body. He even
  looked at dead bodies so he could learn the way
  the muscles and bones were attached and how arms
  and legs moved.
• He drew sketches of people, concentrating on
  getting the muscles just right. His sketches of
  bodies helped him to do sculpture.
• Do you see how he drew muscles here? What other
  body parts did he study in this drawing?

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Michelangelo - Sculpture

• Michelangelo was very religious, and many of his
  masterpieces show religious scenes or people from
  the Bible.
• One of his most famous sculptures was David, the
  biblical hero who defeated the giant Goliath. The
  work was finished in the year 1504.

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Michelangelo - Sculpture

• This is a close-up of David. He is said to have
  a worried look here because he is about to face
  the giant Goliath in battle.
• Michelangelo lived in Florence, Italy, and he
  wanted the citizens there to be like David and
  stand up for themselves.
• The statue of David is more than 14 feet tall.
  Thats taller than 2 men stacked on top of each
  others shoulders!
• Is Davids hair curly or straight? How can you
  tell? (Remember, he is all made of marble stone!)

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Michelangelo - Sculpture

• Michelangelo believed that there was a sculpture
  in every piece of stone. He tried to let the
  stone speak to him and become what it was meant
  to be. His job as the artist was to free the
  sculpture from the stone.
• Do you see how this sculpture is trying to free
  itself? This sculpture is called The Blockhead
  Slave. Why do you think that?

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Michelangelo - Sculpture

• This sculpture is called the Pieta Peeyet
  TAH. Some people consider this the finest
  sculpture ever made by anyone!
• Michelangelo created the Pieta between the years
  1498 and 1500. He was about 25 years old when it
  was finished.
• Look at the skirt. Can you believe that it is
  made of hard marble stone?
• What makes it look like real fabric?

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Michelangelo - Sculpture

• Here is a close-up of the Pieta sculpture.
• This was the only piece of work ever signed by
  Michaelangelo, and he did so in anger when he
  overheard someone say they thought another artist
  had done it.
• He was so upset about the signature that he never
  signed anything else.
• Michelangelos signature is on the womans sash
  here.

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Michelangelo Painting

• In 1508, Michelangelo was asked by the pope (who
  was head of the church) to paint the ceiling of
  the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
• Michelangelo, who always thought of himself as a
  sculptor, would now have to perfect the art of
  fresco, which is painting on plaster.
• After 4 years, he had painted over 300 figures on
  the ceiling.
• The project was very hard for Michelangelo. Can
  you imagine lying on your back on a scaffold to
  paint a huge ceiling every day for 4 years?

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Michelangelo Painting
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Michelangelo Painting

• Michelangelo painted many Bible scenes on the
  chapel ceiling.
• One of the most famous is God creating Adam. How
  does it look like Adam was created in this
  picture?

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Michelangelo Painting

• The artist may have gotten this idea of creation
  from a medieval hymn (or song), which asks the
  'finger of the fathers right hand' to give the
  faithful people speech, love, and strength.
• What makes the hands look so real here?
• This painting of the fingers touching is very
  famous.

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Michelangelo Painting

• The fingers pointing painting has inspired many
  similar things, including this movie poster!

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Michelangelo Painting

• This is another famous image from the chapel
  known as the Delphic Sybil.
• Sybils were women who were prophets, or foretold
  the future.
• What colors do you see here? These colors didnt
  use to be so bright.

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Michelangelo Painting

• Years of candle smoke in the chapel made the
  frescoes dirty and dingy.
• All the ceiling artwork was carefully restored
  between 1980 and 1999. Some people say the
  restored colors were not Michelangelos
  intention.
• Here is a before and after photo of the figure
  of Daniel.

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Michelangelo Art Response

• If you were going to paint a whole ceiling with
  pictures, how many would you paint? Of what?
• Draw a plan for a ceilings worth of pictures.
  This is an actual map of the paintings on the
  Sistine Chapel.
• Imagine lying on your back to paint all your
  pictures!

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Michelangelo Bonus Slides!

• If theres time, lets see what else Michelangelo
  could do besides sculpture and painting!

Michelangelo was also an architect and designed
this building, called the Campidoglio, which was
the seat of the civic government in Rome. He
helped design the most impressive building in
Rome, too! See the next slides!
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Michelangelo - Architecture

• Michelangelo's crowning achievement as an
  architect was his work at St. Peters Basilica,
  where he was made chief architect in 1546.
• The building was originally designed by Donato
  Bramante, but Michelangelo became responsible for
  the outside (exterior) and for the dome.
• Michelangelo was in his 70s when he worked on the
  basilica, and he refused to accept any payment
  for it, saying it was his service to God.

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Michelangelo - Architecture

• For the dome's exterior, Michelangelo used a
  ribbed design with columns.
• He first created a model out of wood. You can
  still see the model today on display in Rome (at
  the Vatican).
• The model is 17 feet 8 inches high x 12 feet 8
  inches in diameter. Thats almost as tall as 3
  men on each others shoulders!

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Michelangelo - Architecture

• The real dome is 265 feet high x 190 feet in
  diameter!

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Michelangelo - Architecture

• And of course, the ceiling is painted!