Early Renaissance Art

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses early Renaissance art. It focuses on sculptures that were commissioned for various reasons. The paper describes these works of art - their inspiration and properties and the purpose of their commissions. It particularly focuses on a statue of Pallas Athena, the ancient goddess of wisdom and the protector of the city of Athens and the sculpture of "David."

From the Paper:

"The only possible objection might be the church that might resist the image of a nude female form from mythology standing proud before the city. Yet the Medicis wished that their power, over the authority of the Church and the technical legal status of Florence as a republic would reign supreme. They were making a new republic of wisdom that was in reality not a democracy at all, just like "David," for all of the gestures made to Biblical times in its name and in the statue's slingshot, really strikes the viewer as more of a celebration of Man and the artistry of the sculptor than the divine. The sculpture would pay homage to the right ideology on the surface, but an even deeper message of raw power would be expressed by the image of stone and metal."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Essak, Shelly. "Art History 101 - Early Renaissance Art." 2007. 20 Apr 2007. http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/early_ren.htm
• "Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance." PBS.com. 2007. 20 Apr 2007. http://www.pbs.org/empires/medici/medici/snapshots.html
• Pioch, Nicolas. "La Renaissance: Italy." Web Museum Paris. 2002. 20 Apr 2007. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/renaissance/it.html
• Renaissance Masterworks from the National Gallery of Art." National Gallery: Washington, D.C. 20 Apr 2007. http://www.nga.gov/press/2003/exhibitions/211/background.shtm

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• Term Paper # 118423 : "Renaissance Art"

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