Introduction
Renaissance was a revolutionary period which saw tremendous changes take place in Europe. Renaissance is a French word which means rebirth; many a thing changed during the period of renaissance for instance the Political changes in Europe, social changes which took place during that time etc. This paper will throw light upon the importance of Florence to the Renaissance in terms of politics, patronage, and style.
Main body
Florence was one of the most exciting places in Europe, located in Italy the city had a population of roughly about 60,000 people in the fifteenth century. The most noticeable aspect of Florence was that it was a self governed and most importantly an independent city.
The city grew with leaps and bounds because of its strong economic background to match this, the city also boasted of a strong political philosophy, these factors contributed in the immense success of Florence during the period of the Renaissance. The economy of Florence was centered on the manufacturing of goods or trade of cloth so inevitably meant that the most powerful people in the city had to be the people who represented the textile workers. Workers in Florence were experts when it came to transforming wool into cloth of an excellent quality; they wee well acquainted with the ways to do the same. The process was a quite complicated one which involved dying of wool, cleaning the wool and a host of other processes.
The Palazzo Vecchio was constructed in the year 1299. This was also the home of the Florentine guilds. This portrays the Florentine culture that was the home of many Italians. This was a place where influential people would gather and decide complex issues like voting and other important things. The guild members were all from good backgrounds, the background of the people was the most important factor that determined whether they were good enough to become guild members or not. Some guild members were lawyers, sculptors while other members included solicitors, masons and builders.
Florence was a very different city; it was unlike Venice or for that matter any other city during the time of Renaissance. Sea trade did not flourish in Florence as much as it did in Venice because the people of Florence had many other interests which fetched them much more than Sea trade, this was primarily the reason why Sea trade never flourished in Florence. Banking was one of the most common professions during the time of Renaissance; many families tasted success being bankers in Florence. The gold coin Manufactured in Florence was a trademark of purity and was accepted the world over by people. The buildings and the sculpture are very famous and looked upon by many people all across the globe, some of the buildings built at that time still stand, his goes to show the pain and the efforts which were out in by the people at that time.
Renaissance was a revolutionary period which saw tremendous changes take place in Europe. Renaissance is a French word which means rebirth; many a thing changed during the period of renaissance for instance the Political changes in Europe, social changes which took place during that time etc. This paper will throw light upon Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece. Grünewald was a very prolific artist of the Renaissance period; he was mainly involved in making religious paintings. This paper will provide an insight on his masterpiece which is known as the Altarpiece which is now located in France. In addition to this the paper will also throw light upon two other masterpieces.
Mathis was one of the most famous painters of the Renaissance period. He was not well known until the late 19th century which brought him to the limelight. The details about this great artist are still obscure, for the reputation that he had back then, people expect a lot of information about him but the fact is that even his real name is not known by the people. The name Mathis was given to him by a 17th century writer; this happened because the writer got confused with another artist and named him Mathis. If the facts are to be believed, his first painting is supposed to be in Munich Germany, painted in the year 1503. Mathis supposedly died in the year 1528 or 1531 in Halle. There is no concrete information about this amazing artist, very little is known about him.
The Isenheim Altarpiece is arguably his most popular work of art. The Altarpiece was completed in the year 1515 and consists of about nine images. The images include scenes like the Crucifixion of Christ, Resurrection, Mother Mary Bathing, Temptation of Saint Anthony etc. The paintings are colossal with the height of roughly about 2.65 Meters and with the width of about 5 Meters. Most of his other works are in Munich and some of them are in Basel Switzerland. The most striking aspects about his work are the dramatic forms, depiction of light and the use of vivid colors. The masterpiece is mainy about the Crucifixion of Christ, the dark blood of Christ stands out in the painting, it is clearly visible in the dark green colour which constitute to the color of the Flesh of Christ. The sufferings that Christ underwent are clearly reflected in the eyes of Mother Mary who faints in the arms of ST John.
The masterpiece is well appreciated even till date; this goes to show the dedication and sincerity with which Mathis created this masterpiece. He did not stick to the traditional rules that the modern art enforced upon artists. The same can be clearly made out by the difference in the sizes of the characters. The work is very out of the box, free from any restrictions and very original and extremely moving.
Leonardo da Vinci was a great artist. He is remembered even to date. His work is regarded as one of the finest that any human being has ever created. His masterpiece Mona Lisa is still considered to be the best painting ever painted by a human being. The above painting is called the last supper. This is another very famous painting painted by Leonardo. The painting focuses upon Lord Jesus Christ having last meal with his disciples. This painting was painting in the 15 century and it is known as a Mural painting. It was painted in Milan now in Italy. The painting is roughly about 460 × 880 centimeters and it covers the wall of a dining hall in Italy. The painting was painted on a dry wall instead on painting it on a wet plaster. Leonardo was a true genius, he had the ability to write with one hand and paint with the other simultaneously.
Conclusion
Florence is considered as one of the most important cities that prospered during the time of Renaissance. The city prospered in more ways than one, the people indulged in lucrative professions which made them financially sound also making the economy of the City extremely sound. Professions like Banking, Wool production were some of the common professions adopted by the people of Florence. The city is very rich culturally, politically and socially. The paintings in the city of artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci etc are the focal point of the rich art that can be found in the country. It is very fair to say that Florence has not lost its beauty and even today it is as beautiful as it was during the period of Renaissance.