Chapter
22
A Golden Age Rome and Florence
The High Renaissance is considered to have been a ‘Golden Age’ in its own time, but in the years leading up to the 16th century the great city of Rome was in a sorry state of neglect. The economy was weak and it had fallen badly into disrepair, but two popes sought to rectify this and return the ancient city to its former glory.
Between 1503 and 1521, Pope Julius II and Pope Leo X employed craftsmen and artists to build a new St Peter’s Basilica, refurbish streets, build bridges, construct churches and create some of the world’s most treasured works of art.
By the end of this chapter, I will...
* Be able to discuss how artists achieved an ‘ideal beauty’.
* Be familiar with the developments in painterly techniques.
* Know how Leonardo da Vinci’s work was a psychological study.
* Understand why Michelangelo’s sculpture was so expressive.
* Be able to discuss how Raphael achieved balance and harmony in his
compositions. Status of the artist
During the High Renaissance, the status of the artist changed completely. No longer considered mere craftsmen, artists were now viewed as people of intellect and ideas. This change in status was largely due to the new Renaissance practice of writing about art and artists.
Renaissance writers
Renaissance thinkers absorbed the ideas of classical Greek philosophy. As a result, humanist ideas developed, which in turn inspired Renaissance theorists. Leon Battista Alberti, Leonardo da Vinci and Giorgio Vasari were among those who wrote about art and whose opinions were respected.
Ideals of the High Renaissance
High Renaissance painting and sculpture was based on the study of nature and the human figure. Artists were not just interested in clever realism – they also strove towards the ideal beauty of the human figure in Greek and Roman culture.
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