Description
The early origins and the flourishing of the Renaissance in Florentine painting and sculpture.
This itinerary traces the origins of the Renaissance style in Florence from the breakthroughs made by Giotto in the late Middle Ages to the innovations made thanks to the rediscovery of perspective in the 15th century. The itinerary includes walks through the historical city center to landmark sites, along with visits to churches and museums. Focus will be placed on sculpture ‒ by Brunelleschi, Donatello, Ghiberti, and Verrocchio – as well as on painting ‒ by Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Ghirlandaio, and Botticelli, amongst others. We will follow the developments of the Renaissance culminating with the art of two of its greatest masters, Leonardo and Michelangelo.
Below is a short description of some of the sites which can be included in the itinerary.
At the Franciscan Basilica of Santa Croce, we will admire the frescoes by Giotto. By breaking away from old Byzantine models, Giotto is considered the artist who brought back to life the true art of painting. The Bargello Museum, situated in a medieval architectural landmark, houses the most important works of Renaissance sculpture. Here, we will see the two reliefs by Brunelleschi and Ghiberti made for the 1401 competition for the bronze doors of the Baptistery, triggering a Renaissance rivalry. Then at the Cathedral museum, we will see the original doors along with other works made for the Cathedral complex by Donatello and other early sculptors. At the Brancacci Chapel, we will see how linear perspective revolutionized the art of painting in the frescoes of Masaccio. At the medieval church of Orsanmichele we will take a look at the monumental sculpture that marked a new awareness of the Classical past. We will also examine the iconography of David, the symbol of the city, looking at the Davids created by Michelangelo’s predecessors at the Bargello, and then visit the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s colossal. The frescoes of Fra Angelico at the monastery of San Marco are a fine example of how a mystical sense of profound spirituality was set in a real space of the material world. Ghirlandaio’s frescoes at Santa Trinita show how he was able to cater the refined taste of wealthy Renaissance patrons combining portraiture, color, and architecture in perfectly designed perspective space. Then at the Uffizi we will trace the developments in painting with an itinerary through the galleries spanning from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 16th century with works by Giotto, Paolo Uccello, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
