Fun with Visitors, Fun with Early Renaissance Art

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April 12th 2010

Published: April 12th 2010

Florence is Fun, Part 2, by May Tomorrow is our last day in Florence. The last ten days or so we’ve had company. That has made Florence even more fun than before. Our first company in 7 ½ months; that’s about 230 days without talking to anyone but ourselves. It was nice to have different dinner conversations, nicer than anyone can probably imagine. Joy and Mark (our niece and brother in... Read Full Entry

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Nicola Pisano's Pulpit, Siena

1268. Pisano had created the first Renaissance sculpture in Pisa in 1260, then he was asked to come to Siena and do another.

Nicola Pisano's Pulpit, Closeup

1268 Here you can see the action, emotion, realness, and drama of the storytelling that Pisano is doing in stone. First time this was done since Roman times.

Byzantine Madonna

1280 or so. This is what much painting looked like before the Renaissance.

Byzantine Madonna

1280 or so. Another example of what painting looked like before Giotto.

Duccio Madonna

1290 or so. Duccio was a major pre-Renaissance painter who influenced many painters in Siena. He also learned from Giotto and changed his style later in his career.

Giotto's Followers, Florence

1330s or so. We couldn't get pictures of Giotto's paintings, but these are from his followers. You can see they were trying to make a building look real.

Giotto's Followers, Florence

1330s or so. This is the first night scene in European art. You can also see the drama and emotion as the shepherd hears the news.

Giotto's Followers, Florence

1330s or so. This just shows what a whole fresco cycle looks like. Telling stories through pictures, like a comic book on the wall.

Giotto's Followers, Florence

1330s. Here you can see the realness and solidity of the bodies, and the drama of Mary and Joseph's wedding (note the guy who's mad that Joseph would marry a pregnant teen mom).

Giotto's Followers, Florence

1330s or so. This gives a sense of the storytelling and drama and solidity of Giotto's work, even though it's not actually Giotto.

Donatello's St Mark, Florence

1415. Donatello did three or four large statues at this time for a church in Florence. These were the first statues since antiquity to look as alive and real as the Romans' and Greeks' statues.

Donatello's St. George, Florence

1415. St. George looks a bit worried about facing down that dragon. You can see the emotion and depth in his expression - the first time this had been done since Roman times.

Donatello's prophet, Florence

1425 or so. Later in his career Donatello's sculptures were more intense and realistic than his earlier ones.

Brunelleschi's Dome, Florence Cathedral

The dome on Florence's Duomo or Cathedral was the largest since antiquity, an architectural marvel. Designed and built around 1430 or so.

Gothic Pre-Renaissance Painting, Siena

1420 or so. After Giotto, a lot of painting drifted back towards things like this. This was the status quo when Masaccio painted his frescoes around 1425.

Masaccio, Florence: Peter Healing

1425. Storytelling is happening in one frame: Peter's shadow has healed one guy, is healing another guy, and is getting ready to heal a third guy.

Masaccio, Florence: Expulsion

1425. Adam and Eve being expelled. There had never been drama and intensity in painting like this before. Maybe the first masterful Renaissance painting.

Masaccio, Florence: Peter Baptizing

1425. Peter baptizing folks - storytelling again. You can sense how intense and real a commitment baptism was, when Christians were killed for being Christians....

Benozzo Gozzoli Fresco

1465. Gozzoli was a student of Fra Angelico's. This painting looks similar to Filippo Lippi's paintings. Just gives a sense of painting just after Fra Angelico and before Botticelli.

Benozzo Gozzoli Fresco

1465. This is in a church in San Gimignano.

Ghirlandaio's Last Supper, Florence

1480 or so. This shows what painting was like a generation or two after Masaccio, just before Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael.

12th April 2010

Jeanine
non-member comment

Hello Castelloes! Great write up and pictures. Can't wait to see the weary travelers tonight, and it was wonderful to get a preview of their time with ya'll. I would love to be able to download some of the pictures to my computer. Any easy way you know of that I could do that? I'm sure I'll also get some from Mark. Thanks again for being such welcoming hosts. Happy trails as you adventure on! love, Jeanine

12th April 2010

Maggi
non-member comment

SEEING
The many dimensions of your enjoyments are a thrill for me! Paul, you have a wonderful way of presenting art and history so they live. The originality of your SEEING is a pleasure. I'll have three scoops of gelato please!

13th April 2010

Louisa Goebel
non-member comment

company and art
Paul, I do believe you could teach Art Appreciation wherever you choose! Thanks for the history of early Ranaissance art. Glad your visitors made it and enjoyed the Florence area with you. When I was 13 I remember that gelato in Florence. Son Paul will be in Paris near the end of May for tennis business, the French Open is then I think. He will probably e-mail you his plans. In about two weeks you will have a new relative! We will be in Spokane. Love to all, Louisa and Paul

13th April 2010

Kiran
non-member comment

thanks to you all for sharing your latest sights, tastes and learnings with us. I loved the art history lesson and will wait to learn from you how to actually pronounce their names. How interesting...it never occurred to me that people had to discover the "art of 3-D" and emotion in artworks. I wish you all well as you move on to Paris. Much love to all and buckets of smoochies- Kiran

14th April 2010

marian
non-member comment

Early Renaissance
You filled in a lot of art history as well as naming some of the memorable buildings and towns near Florence. Thanks for remembering all those artist dude's names. Now you'll move on to high renaissance, classical, romantic, impressionism and modern...lots to do in Paris! Love, Gran

16th April 2010

Doris
non-member comment

Florence
What a wonderful time you are having. Thanks for sharing you adventures and the info on the artists' work you saw. I am so excited about visiting Florence and will enjoy it so much more after reading your blogs. Enjoy Paris. I have been there and truly loved my experiences there. Love to all, Doris

21st April 2010

alida woods
non-member comment

wow!
Loved the art history lesson! I was an an history major and it was a great refresher! I loved the frecsos of Giotto in those small chapels in the hill towns. I also love Fra Angelico's work! When I was at the Duomo, a pigeon pooped on my head!

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