Italy: A Closer Look - Italy - page 593

Gilded figures were created to stand out in the dark, gloomy churches of this era.
Facial features of saints looked somewhat Middle Eastern, with robes and back-
grounds to match. You can see good examples of this era's art in the churches of
Ravenna (San Vitale and Sant'Appollinare), Venice (Basilica di San Marco), and
Sicily's Chiostro del Duomo, above Palermo.
With the Romanesque era of the early 1100s came some artistic fluidity, and
the incorporation of many Roman architectural elements. Arches and columns
characteristic of the era decorate churches in Pisa, Lucca, and Verona, including
the Duomo of Pisa, the famed bronze doors of the Basilica San Zeno Maggiore in
Verona, and the friezes of the Baptistery in Parma.
If you see something pointy, think Gothic art and architecture. The stylized
creations of the late 13th to early 15th centuries were more natural than those of
prior eras, but still characterized by a great deal of symbolism, exaggerated expres-
sions, and stiffly posed figures. Architects of this era discovered that pointed
arches could support more weight, so, presto, all arches became pointed, and
points were added to the roofs for good measure. The extra support meant that
roofs could rise higher and more windows could be added, making churches
larger and brighter. The arches supported more downward weight of stone, but
the walls began to buckle outward, a problem solved with flying buttresses; these
free-standing stone pillars had spider-leg-like connectors and abutted the sides of
the church. Examples of these structures are found at the Basilica di Santa Maria
Novella and Santa Croce in Florence, and the French-influenced Duomo of
Milan. Characteristic examples of art from this era include the Pisano Pulpits of
Siena's Duomo and Pisa's Baptistery; the painting The Allegory of Good and Bad
Government in Siena's National Gallery; and Giotto's frescoes, which begin to
bridge the gap between the Gothic and Renaissance eras. Giotto's greatest achieve-
ments include his Life of St. Francis, in the Basilica of Assisi and Santa Croce in
Florence, and his Ognissanti Maesta in the Uffizi.
THE RENAISSANCE (EARLY 15TH TO 17TH C.)
The Renaissance, meaning “rebirth,” signaled a return to the classical depiction of
the human form in art, and a refocus on more secular matters. Artists studied
recently discovered Roman and Greek relics with scientific zest, copying perspec-
tive techniques and measuring ratios in paintings, in buildings, and in sculpture.
The most famous Italian artists worked during the Renaissance. Masters such
as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, and others competed for
commissions from popes and princes, embarking on an era of creativity in the
region not seen since ancient times--and really not seen anywhere since.
The Renaissance was most dramatically launched when Ghiberti unveiled his
first carved panels for the doors of the Baptistery in Florence in 1401. Ghiberti cre-
ated a scene from the biblical story of Abraham with such realism, depth, and clar-
ity that he won a citywide competition for the commission and set off the use of a
similar style by other artists. Visitors to Florence can see the original panels (and
those of the second-place contestant, architect Brunelleschi) in the Bargello gallery.
Donatello did his part to launch the Renaissance in sculpture with his David
(ca. 1431), the first free-standing nude since Roman times. The effeminate statue