Lezione di Storia dell arte 9 Lorenzo Ghiberti Perché vinse il Concorso del 1401

Let's resume our art history lessons Today we're studying a great artist Lorenzo Ghiberti One of the central figures in the Florentine artistic scene though stylistically we might consider him halfway between between Gothic and Renaissance Here we know that the three founders of the e Renaissance were Brunelleschi Donatello and Masaccio However there were artists who managed to blend various stylistic elements and thus particularly to fuse as we said the elements of the Gothic with the innovations Renaissance Thus Lorenzo Ghiberti just like Jacopo della Quercia was a prominent figure of the Renaissance He was particularly active in the early 1400s especially as a goldsmith and sculptor And we'll also see him as an architect So he began his journey artistic as a goldsmith he succeeded in shaping his small figures into bronze imparting the expressive power of classical ar and that preciousness and grace of late Gothic tradition Therefore the most important thing is that Lorenzo Ghiberti managed to win the e contest of 1401 an extremely important date you know in all history books The 1401 conventionally marks the beginning of the Renaissance Why Following a relatively brief period of economic and political turmoil there had certainly been the plague during the 1300s After that period of crisis financial and political the 1400s the competition that is announced but from Calima's art it represents that revival— that resurgence of those extremely important commissions So in reality it's an opportunity for everyone That's why Ghiberti won—to demonstrate his own talent Because Ghiberti immediately demonstrated that talent that ability to sculpt bronze surfaces and he precisely managed to alternate the faces smooth leveled and with protruding and uneven parts just as we see in that fifth rocky outcrop dividing the composition And thus he organizes Alberti the scene in a simple clear and engaging way w s ability to create such strong chiaroscuro contrasts and the ere's this rocky outcrop we see in this image shattering the light and thus creates these dark grooves this darkness so to speak that alternates the all smooth faces faces polished where the light shines Then in reality Lorenzo Ghiberti was shaped by the Florentine culture of the fifteenth century created during that transitional period between the Gothic and the Renaissance yet managed to fuse that naturalism as we said with the strength of classical art the Gothic tradition because he then incorporates elements from both traditions ardogotica look how she handles the drapery look at that flowing line e elegance of the drapery that line which then triggers motion which triggers at triggers the climactic moment of the biblical story when Abraham raises the knife to which echoes that flutter that flutter of the knife mantello Thus he endows Ghiberti with a clear pleasing style demonstrating great skill credible technique This will be his great strength—the ability to shape surfaces a quality that will resonate most with the audience of the time and the That will lead him to win the competition Here we know the subjects are drawn from the scene sorry the subjects are taken from the Bible because a competition was required the contest called for the creation of bronze panels bronze panels that had to depict theme of e sacrifice of Isaac that is in reality God testing Abraham by commanding him o sacrifice his son Isaac And then what happens Well in reality Then He stops him and thus the angel stops Abraham telling him precisely the e test is over I see how much faith you have in me that you're even willing to sacrifice your firstborn and thus there's no need for you to do so at that po point Abraham looks around and there it is Aries right there Aries indeed So he offers to sacrifice the male goat instead of the son You see this you see the various elements that make up the scene perhaps it's a b Confused yet there's the angel above and two servants on the other side of the scene Now what's important Of course we've mentioned this way of carving the surfaces as well as the support plane this rocky backdrop that somewhat represents e element of division precisely of the biblical episode but also the supporting framework for the unfolding of the scene and then this beauty The physical portrayal of young Isaac is clearly a reference to classical statuary as you can see With that said let us now examine the relief panel Brunelleschi What is Brunelleschi doing on the other side So the composition is completely different they are two entirely distinct methods of representation The pyramid-shaped composition draws the eye immediately e observer at the center therefore where the drama unfolds precisely Isaac struggles to free himself then there's the angel—the angel who does not ac simply a gesture but he takes his father's place and is ready So block it then there's the ram constantly trying to free itself from the bush — if you can see that it's another crucial element of the story biblical yet a dramatic realistic scene depicting what the difference to grace indifference to the late Gothic style which instead was realistic thus Brunelleschi was considered too avant-garde Too modern— that was the reason he didn't actually win even though he arrived it seems on equal footing so to speak on equal terms together precisely that Then in the second half Brunelleschi withdrew from the competition —Brunelleschi stepped aside marking this loss this loss of the Brunelleschi's defeat was crucial because it determined his decision to dedicate himself to architecture rather than another path more towards sculpture so he will become the architect of that revolution in e figure of the architect who will no longer be merely a forema so it will not only manage the construction site but also an architect who designs tha design that manages the construction site all the way to establishing every rule for building thus making this a fateful encounter between Brunelleschi and none other than Ghiberti Let's remember that the competition was open to many participants because Indeed the participation of seven among the goldsmiths and sculptors is noteworthy Fiorentini also included Jacopo della Quercia and Francesco di Valdembrino so too Sienese artists but the victory of the Florentines in particular will prove decisive for the development of figurative art tha at will lead to the mature Renaissance so with this topic I'd say we should conclude then we'll continue our course as always regarding the In our next lesson we'll explore Urbino's Renaissance through Piero della Francesca so stay tuned— that's all for today thank you