Renaissance Florence

“What a happy age we live in!”

-- Vasari

Self-awareness

In 15th c., Florentines felt as if living in new age – reborn Athens, Rome

Artists not working in isolation, but celebrated

Part of constant city-state warfare

Acquisition of port of Pisa, etc. allowed direct trade with Northern Euro, East Medit

Marriage among wealthy

Lorenzo married Clarice Orsini, a baron's daughter and cardinal's niece, brings connections, class, and military muscle to the Medici dynasty.

Political and Econ Significance of Florence

In 1400 one of few cities left wth republican gov’t (trend to one man or one family rule)

Bruni – republican gov’t is better than monarchy because more people involved ( Cicero, Aristotle, history, human nature)

center of Euro banking in the 15th c., hub of international wool and cloth trade, main manufacturer of silk

Medici back popes, become papal bank, collect money from every parish in Euro

Medici family powerful bankers

Branches all over Euro Cosimo exiled in 1433, took money and

Florence went into recession Cosimo returned, became “godfather” Family sponsored festivals, hired musicans Toppled by French in 1495, returned to

power 1512

This is good for us

Cosimo sponsored Brunelleschi, Donatello Brunelleschi inventor, architect, scientist,

general contractor, researcher, revived classical forms – reason applied to art

Donatello – first free-standing bronze statue Lorenzo sponsored Botticelli, Leonardo,

Michelangelo Galileo is teacher for Medicis

More Medicis

Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici = Pope Leo X Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici = Pope Clement

VII

But others hired artists too

Other families for mausoleums, portraits Many guilds wanted statues University welcomed refugee scholars from

east City hired humanists, granted tax exemptions For fame and immortality

Florentine breakthroughs

Giotto abandoned flatness for depth Petrarch is first humanist Nudes in painting and sculpture (medieval

no-no) Lots and lots of math (shapes, perspective) Classical topics Machiavelli – lessons w/o regard to morality

of Bible

More!

Alberti writes book on architecture Vasari writes first book on art history

Leonardo da VinciMichelangelo

Both painters, sculptors, observers of nature, engineers, poets

Pico della Mirandola

Constant conflicts within city

Urban workers were exploited (serious riot at end of the 14th c.)

Battles between families for power; Cosimo imprisoned, Lorenzo’s brother assassinated

Massachio killed in street brawl