The Church’s Canvas: Italian Art Through a Sacred Lens by https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm The Renaissance was a period from 1400 to 1525 in which the Catholic Church was greatly present in Europe. Still, its presence in Florence and Rome, Italy, was especially significant as it influenced the majority of artworks created in these cities during the Renaissance, which this exhibit will examine. As other scholars have noted, Italian Renaissance art served as a means of instruction to the faithful following the Church’s rise to power (Hope, 812). The Church’s sovereignty came after the societal and economic ruins of the fall of the Roman Empire as a means of uplifting society and prevailed as the ruling power in Rome and much of Europe leading up to the Protestant Reformation in 1517 (McGiffert, 32, 45). By this time, however, the Church’s impact was significant enough to ensure that art remained revolving around the Church well into the Baroque period from 1600-1750. In this exhibition, you will find a handful of the many artworks the Church and its affiliates, such as the Medici family, commissioned to represent the heavy influence of Catholicism in Italian society and the art produced during the 15th and 16th centuries. The artworks commissioned include Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, 1508-12, which is part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio, 1597–1601, which consists of the three paintings in the Contarelli Chapel. Michelangelo was paid 3,000 ducats, and Caravaggio was paid 400 scudi for his three paintings (Wallace, 80 and Langdon, 192). During that time, the compensation to these artists was notable, and this was typical of the Church given its abundance of worshippers and wealth. The carefully selected artworks in this exhibition, The Church’s Canvas: Italian Art Through a Sacred Lens, reflect the influence of the Catholic Church on Renaissance and Early Baroque art during the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy. en-us 2024-08-12 20:50:12 UTC 2024-08-13 04:25:00 UTC hello@padlet.com Filippo Brunelleschi, Dome at Florence Cathedral, Early Italian Renaissance, 1420-1436. rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073738371 The Dome at Florence Cathedral, engineered and designed by Brunelleschi, is an all antica architectural treasure that is considered the first building of the Early Renaissance because it draws inspiration from Classical art, yet represents an interest in humanism. Brunelleschi developed the pointed arch dome which blends Medieval and Classical forms, earning him praise for his Dome. Its purpose was to cover the crossing where the cathedral’s transept and nave meet since Arnolfo di Cambio, who began the building in 1296, passed away before its completion. The dome was funded by the Cathedral chapter which reflects how the Church supported innovation in architectural design during the Early Renaissance.

]]> 2024-08-13 01:32:09 UTC https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073738371 Donatello di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, David, cast bronze, Early Italian Renaissance, ca. 1440-60. rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073740180 Donatello’s David is a sculpture of the biblical hero, David, in a contrapposto stance with one foot over Goliath’s head. The contrapposto stance is commonly seen in ancient Roman and Greek sculpture as a sign of triumph and confidence. This celebratory work was commissioned by the Medici family, a prestigious Italian banking family and major patrons of the Church. The Medici family’s support for the sculpture and the subject matter reflect the Church’s influence on Early Italian Renaissance art via its wealthy worshippers.

]]> 2024-08-13 01:33:57 UTC https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073740180 Fra Angelico, Annunciation, tempera on wood, Early Italian Renaissance, 1438–1447. rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073741143 Annunciation, by Fra Angelico, is a painting that depicts Gabriel, an angel, announcing to the Virgin Mary that she will carry the Son of God. The painting uses an abundance of gold decor to reveal the importance of the scene and demonstrates the use of linear perspective in painting. The work was commissioned by the Church of San Domenico in Cortona in Florence to serve as the high altarpiece of the church. Thus, this painting spotlights the involvement of the Church and the enforcement of Catholic doctrine in Early Renaissance art.

]]> 2024-08-13 01:34:56 UTC https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073741143 Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, fresco, High Italian Renaissance, ca. 1495–1498. rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073742164 The Last Supper, by da Vinci, was created for the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, and depicts Christ with his disciples. This painting showcases the sfumato technique, developed during the High Renaissance, and dull colors to achieve naturalism. The biblical scene depicts the supper at which Jesus Christ reveals the disciple that will betray him. The betrayer is Judas, who is the only apostle reaching for bread. This painting was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, a major patron of the Catholic Church, reflecting the Church’s role as a patron of 15th-century art.

]]> 2024-08-13 01:36:12 UTC https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073742164 Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti, The Creation of Adam, fresco, High Italian Renaissance, 1508-12. rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073742840 Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam depicts God reaching out and touching Adam, the first human created by God. This painting embodies the unique style of Michelangelo as he projects a sense of expressive energy within human forms. The painting was commissioned by Pope Julius II, a leader of the Catholic Church, for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Therefore, the painting is a direct reflection of the Church’s influence on High Italian Renaissance art.

]]> 2024-08-13 01:37:03 UTC https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073742840 Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew, oil on canvas, Southern Baroque, 1597–1601. rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073744191 The Calling of Saint Matthew, by Caravaggio, is one of three works created for the Contarelli Chapel in Rome. The painting depicts the dramatic moment in which Jesus Christ calls a tax collector, Matthew, to follow him. Caravaggio created drama in this painting by using the Baroque technique most associated with his name, tenebrism. The work was commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, an important patron of the Church. This painting persists with the theme of the Catholic Church’s influence on art and exemplifies how the Church’s patronage prolonged into the 16th century. 

]]> 2024-08-13 01:38:33 UTC https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073744191 Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, oil on canvas, Southern Baroque, ca. 1614-1620 rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073745161 Judith Beheading Holofernes, by Artemisia Gentileschi, depicts the dramatic moment of Judith, a biblical heroine, beheading Holofernes, a biblical figure sent to destroy Israelites, as an act of divine justice. The painting’s use of tenebrism emphasizes the Baroque period’s focus on emotional and dramatic religious narratives. The work was commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, a patron of the Catholic Church. Del Monte’s patronage highlights how the Catholic Church continued its influence into the Baroque period, and maintained its role in sculpting art through intense religious works.

]]> 2024-08-13 01:39:23 UTC https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073745161 Works Cited rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073846111 Gilbert, Creighton E. “What Did the Renaissance Patron Buy?” Renaissance Quarterly, vol. 51, 

no. 2, 1998, pp. 392–450. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2901572. Accessed 3 Aug. 

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Hope, Charles. “Religious Narrative In Renaissance Aart.” Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 

vol. 134, no. 5364, 1986, pp. 804–18. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41374250. 

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Keizer, Joost. “Michelangelo, Drawing, and the Subject of Art.” The Art Bulletin, vol. 93, no. 3, 

2011, pp. 304–24. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23046579. Accessed 3 Aug. 2024.

Langdon, Helen. Caravaggio: A Life. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, pp. 191-195. 

McGiffert, Arthur Cushman. “The Influence of Christianity upon the Roman Empire.” The 

Harvard Theological Review, vol. 2, no. 1, 1909, pp. 28–49. JSTOR, 

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1507353. Accessed 3 Aug. 2024.

Scott, Samuel Parsons. “Tithes.” Las Siete Partidas, Volume 1: The Medieval Church: The World 

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Wallace, William E. Michelangelo: The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture. Hugh Lauter 

Levin Associates, 1998, pp. 78-81. 

]]> 2024-08-13 03:16:28 UTC https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073846111 Image Sources rodriguezlaz https://padlet.com/rodriguezlaz/gmjy9buzcuf06cxm/wish/3073846956 Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith Beheading Holofernes. oil on canvas, 1611-1612. Museo e gallerie 

nazionali di Capodimonte, JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.14445937. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.

Donatello. David. bronze, c. 1430 - 1432. Museo nazionale del Bargello (Florence, Italy), 

JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.14492941. Accessed 4 Aug. 2024.

Filippo Brunelleschi designed dome, et al. Florence Cathedral, Exterior, Dome. dome: 

completed 1436. JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.14494595. Accessed 9 Aug. 

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Fra Angelico (c. 1400-1455). Annunciation Altarpiece, with the Expulsion from Eden at Left. 

1425-1428. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain, JSTOR, 

https://jstor.org/stable/community.18151010. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.

Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper. oil with some tempera grassa, 1495-1498. JSTOR, 

https://jstor.org/stable/community.16009279. Accessed 31 Jul. 2024.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The Calling of Saint Matthew. oil on canvas, 1599-1600. 

JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.14490796. Accessed 10 Aug. 2024.

Michelangelo. Rome: Sistine Chapel: Ceiling Frescos: Creation of Adam. fresco, 1508-1512. 

JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.18122590. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.

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