Lorenzo de' Medici

He had a workshop of his own by 1470. After hiring Fra Filippo Lippi’s son, Filippino Lippi, he finished his apprentices painting. Hiring him was a great opportunity for Botticelli, as the man’s family had contacts that would later benefit him. The Medici were between the families introduced to Botticelli. This family played a huge part…

The statue of David has inspired many renowned artists throughout art history maintaining the continuity of the story of David and Goliath. Four of such artists are Donatello, Verrocchio, and Michelangelo during the Renaissance period; and Bernini in the Baroque period. Each transformation of David is rendered in a distinctly different sculpture of the same subject reflecting each of the artist’s own style and time period in comparison. The inspiration of the subject matter is David; the…

Before I came to Florence, Italy, I used to dream about visiting Milan, Italy. The Reason I wanted to come to Italy was not only Milan is one of the major fashion-cities in the world, but also Italy is famous for the origin of a high-end fashion brand. But my main reason study abroad in Italy was only Milan, honestly, I didn’t even know about Florence that well. After I arrived in Florence, I realized that I was a big frog in a small pond, there were so many inspiring things I have not imagined…

Durante Alighieri, also known as Dante (meaning “he who gives” ) was born in Florence on May, 1265. He was born into a family with small nobility and a history of involvement in Florence complex political scene. His mother, Bella degli Abbati, came from a family of wealthy landowners but died a few years later after his birth. His father, Alighiero di Bellincione, whom Dante seemed to have avoid mentioning as much as possible, soon remarried with Lapa di Chiarissimo Cialuffi. His father made…

development of the Italian Renaissance because of the use of a variety of techniques that enabled him to produce realistic looking paintings. In 1416, Piero Della Francesca was born in a small town, Sansepolcro in Italy. Piero was the son of Benedetto de' Franceschi and Romana di Perino da Monterchi. Benedetto was a successful tradesmen and Romana was a member of a noble family. With the success of his parents, Piero was able to attend school. Not much is known about Piero’s early life but it…

No family exemplifies this better than the Medici's of Florence. Essentially a wealthy Florentine banking family, their house and family contributed greatly to this Age of Enlightenment. Other that being admirers of the arts, what benefit could the Medici family gain from such patronage? Commissioning grand works of art held multiple benefits for the patron, it could enhance their family's status from a spiritual, and nobility…

If Michelangelo Buonarroti were to paint a picture of a Renaissance gentleman and painter, it would most likely look like himself. He grew up in a moderately wealthy family with him being an apprentice to a painter for the royal Medici family. His life was full of great artistic accomplishments, such as creating the sculpture David, the interior painting of the Sistine Chapel, and probably his most famous painting, The Last Judgement. The legacy that Michelangelo Buonarroti left behind for…

The Birth of Venus is a truly magnificent piece of artwork. It was painted around 1480 with tempera on canvas. This painting was the first large mythological painting since antiquity. Botticelli painted this during the Renaissance era. Here are excerpts from Stanze per la Giostra, by Angelo Poliziano, that are though to be what Botticelli painted his image about. “A young woman with nonhuman countenance, is carried on a conch shell, wafted to shore by playful zephyrs…the Hours (Goddess of the…

have had the right to be arrogant. He was skilled in most forms of art, although he always thought of himself as a sculptor. For two years Michelangelo lived in the Medici household while working on the sculptural relief The Battle of the Centaurs (“Michelangelo Buonarti Biography”). Michelangelo also made many statues in the Medici household garden (“Michelangelo Buonarti Biography”). He was commissioned by Cardinal Raffaele Riario to make a statue of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. The…

4. Florence was considered to be the focus of what came to be the Renaissance. The political realm of Florence was dictated by the Medici family. This family controlled the city in secret, for nearly eight decades. The family saw the city of Florence as their work of art One member of this family was Cosimo de’ Medici. Cosimo embraced the very essence of what humanism is. Humanism embraces the arts and literature from cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome. Cosimo made sure that he was constantly…