Tinashe chikerema final development unit 3 by Tinashe

Tinashe Chikerema Unit 3 F436 Art in the public Realm Development book.

Henry Moore Henry Moore, Draped Seated Woman, 195758 (bronze) (height 185.5 cm) (Yorkshire Sculpture Park, England).

@SaveOldFlo https://twitter.com/SaveOldFlo

What is Public Art ? My small definition â&#x20AC;˘ Public art is the commissioning of artists and craftspeople to make new site specific work that can be permanent, temporary, internal or external.

â&#x20AC;˘ The purpose can be to display power and authority, or to display a narrative that is close to the inhabitants of the area.

• Public art can bring communities together and allow them to feel that they belong. Today public art can also involve artists’ unique creative abilities in the development and design of new spaces and regeneration schemes. • Throughout the History of Art sculpture has been used a vehicle to present public art. Artists can have a role that enhances and improves the quality of the public domain.

What is Public Art? • Artists can have a role that enhances and improves the quality of the public domain. • Public art is the commissioning of artists and craftspeople to make new site specific work that can be permanent, temporary, internal or external. • It can also involve artists’ unique creative abilities in the development and design of new spaces and regeneration schemes.

â&#x20AC;˘ Public art includes street furniture, lighting, brickwork and landscaping designs to internal details of a building, its furniture, flooring, ceramics and textiles.

â&#x20AC;˘ Public art need not be within public spaces, but has to be accessible to the public realm.

• Tower Hamlets Council plans to press ahead with the sale of Henry Moore’s Draped Seated Woman to raise money towards its budget deficit. • Henry Moore wanted it on public view.

Why is it important…… • The work links to a disaster The Bethnal Green Tube Shelter Disaster • The evening of Wednesday March 3, 1943. 173 people died in a crush at station's bomb shelter in the East End of London • A woman carrying her child slipped on the step, and other followed her. They smlet burning. • However, no bomb struck and not a single casualty was the direct result of military aggression, making it the deadliest civilian incident of World War Two. More info here; http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peoplesw ar/stories/09/a795909.shtml

â&#x20AC;˘ Henry Moore was an official War artist, here is a drawing of his from the bunkers

Henry Moore OM, CH Shelter Scene: Bunks and Sleepers 1941 Watercolour, gouache and drawing on paper

â&#x20AC;˘ It is thought that the figure of Old Flo represents the strong female characters of WW2 waiting in the Bomb Shelters

• The statue was gifted to the Stifford Estate in the East End but has been on loan to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park for the past 15 years • In 2012 Mayor Lutfur Rahman made the controversial decision to sell Old Flo to raise funds for the borough. • This prompted outrage from councillors, and residents. Consequently, the sale has been delayed.

â&#x20AC;˘ Mayor Lutfur Rahman announced his decision to sell the sculpture to compensate for budget cuts. â&#x20AC;˘ But the borough is currently in a legal battle with Bromley Council over ownership of the artwork.

Old Flo: who really owns her? â&#x20AC;˘ A council's plan to sell a Henry Moore sculpture has hit a snag as another local authority has said it owns it. â&#x20AC;˘ Old Flo was originally sold to London County Council by Moore at a below-market price in the 1960s on the understanding it would be placed in east London.

Old Flo: who really owns her? • Tower Hamlets assumed responsibility for it after Greater London Council (GLC), which replaced the LCC, was abolished, and it has been loaned to Yorkshire Sculpture Park for the last 15 years. • But now the London Borough of Bromley has written to Tower Hamlets to say it owns it. • It said the sculpture remained the property of the GLC until its dissolution in 1985 and was then transferred to Bromley.

Old Flo: who really owns her? • Stephen Carr, leader of Bromley Council, said: "This sculpture must remain in public ownership which is line with the original principles of Henry Moore himself. • "The idea that selling this internationally recognised sculpture will somehow tackle the financial situation facing Tower Hamlets is flawed. Local authorities need to face financial reality and look at the longer-term challenges. • "The monies raised would not protect frontline services for very long and would stop future generations appreciating this national treasure."

Henry Moore's 'Old Flo' in 1962

Analysis of Old Flo Abstracted but with clear references to the female human form The forms are generalised; out of proportion; the head is small in relation to the body; The arms appear to be too thin to support the upper body; the legs are long in relation to the body the face is stylised; no individuality or expression the hands, feet and breasts are simplified the body is relatively massive the clothing covering the torso has folds which run horizontally and accentuate the breadth;

Analysis of Old Flo for you!! the clothing dips between the legs; the hem of the clothing curves over one leg but is stretched over the other knee; no discernible neckline or sleeves somewhat precarious pose suggesting movement; the torso faces forward but the head is slightly turned; the legs below the knees face in the opposite direction to the head; the feet are set at an angle and apart from each other larger than life size; monumental the figure is seated in the gap between two blocks plinth integral to the figure; supports the figure.

A description of the Materials the high tensile strength of cast metal allows for the open format the technique of modelling the original material of plaster or clay is evident in the folds and texture of the drapery the modelling has allowed the sculptor to create the somewhat smoother shapes of the arms and legs the bronze is tough and durable so can be exhibited outside patina and mass of bronze enhances the monumentality colour appropriate for outdoor, natural setting light-reflecting surfaces increase sense of volume

the difference between the block format of the seat and the detailed portrayal of the figure suggests that the seat/base has been produced separately.

• ‘flash mob’ protest was held outside the Tower Hamlets Town Hall • 40 demonstrators turned up dressed as the ‘Draped Woman’.

• ‘flash mob’ protest was held outside the Tower Hamlets Town Hall

A movable pop-up art display by the • 40 demonstrators artist known as Bob and Roberta Smith turned up travelled around East London from dressed as the January 10-18 2013 to gather local ‘Draped community opinion on the possible sale Woman’. of Henry Moore’s sculpture

The East London artist Bob and Roberta Smith who studied Fine Arts at • ‘flash mob’ Goldsmiths in the early 1990’s, often protest was works on political art campaigns. held outside the Tower Hamlets Town Hall • 40 demonstrators turned up dressed as the ‘Draped Woman’.

He said: “Old Flo is an image of a woman sheltering from an air-raid so I • ‘flash mob’ am interested to hear wartime stories protest was about people trying to shelter from the held outside Blitz. the Tower Hamlets Town Hall

I’m also interested to hear what young people think about Old Flo – do they think Old Flo represents an image of • 40 demonstrators peace or non-violence for people who turned up don’t remember the war?”

dressed as the ‘Draped Woman’.

Henry Moore Background and other works • Henry Moore was born in Castleford, Yorkshire • He was strongly influenced in his early years by painters such as Giotto, Masaccio, Blake, Turner and Picasso, • The sculptures of Michelangelo also influenced him

• Moore was one of the first contemporary sculptors to encounter the possibility of public art • Influence from Hans Arp

Cloud Shepherd, Arp (1953),

Henry Moore Reclining Figure (1929) Hornton Stone, length 83.8 cm.

Put these sentences in continuous prose for me….. Henry Moore Reclining Figure (1929) Analysis and interpretation Hornton Stone, length 83.8 cm.

Rectangular form of original block of stone preserved. Inspiration from a plaster cast of the Toltec-Mayan sculpture from Chichen Itzá known as ‘Chacmool’. Suggestions of prehistoric ‘Earth-Mother’ figures.

Moore thought that ‘primitive’ art had an intense vitality. Associations have been made between the rounded forms and hollows of the figure, the markings of the stone and the surface and undulations of a natural landscape. Figure seen as part of the landscape and created from a natural material.

Henry Moore Reclining Figure (1929) Analysis and interpretation Hornton Stone, length 83.8 cm.

Monumental reclining female figure with simplified anatomy and small breasts. Surface textures of stone undisguised. Direct carving created solid and simple forms and were an authentic expression of creativity. Direct carving associated with honesty of materials and the integrity of artistic expression - also the technique practiced by many â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;primitiveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sculptors.

Why were artists inspired by Non-European Art? You can reword these sentences……………

Early 20th-century Modernist principles of simplification and reduction to essence were assisted by inspiration from nonEuropean sources - particularly African tribal carving and Oceanic sculpture. Islamic art and Japanese prints were also consulted. Non-European art provided valuable insights and alternatives as it appealed to jaded aesthetic palates seeking genuine expression and an unsophisticated and unselfconscious approach. Some borrowings from so called ‘primitive art’ were based on a perceived direct brutality of form to Western eyes - though often the context and purpose of the source work was unknown or ignored.

More about Moore…………. • Moore was a member of the Seven and Five Society from 1931 and he was invited to join Unit One; a group whose members included Edward Burra, Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Edward Wadsworth • Look up these artists for me, especially Hepworth- you will see similarities in their work • They wanted their art in public spaces because in the post-war era people equated public space with freedom

• The Seven and Five Society was established in 1919. • The Seven and Five owes its name to the original intention of the founding members, to restrict membership to seven artists and five sculptors. • When Ben Nicholson was invited to join the group in 1924, his influence created a major shift in direction towards modernist ideas. • In 1934, Nicholson introduced a ruling restricting the work shown at the Society's Ben Nicholson (first abstract painting, exhibitions to be nonChelsea) c.1923-4 representational only

Barbara Hepworth 'Two Forms (Divided Circle)â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; 1969-1970

The seven foot-high sculpture, one of only six Barbara Hepworth casts made by the late artist, was targeted because of the value of its metal. 'Two Forms (Divided Circle)‘ 1969-1970

Southwark Council had insured it for £500,000. If it is melted down for scrap, it may only fetch just £750.

Barbara Hepworth 'Two Forms (Divided Circle)‘ 1969-1970

She once said of the sculptures: "You can climb through the Divided Circle – you don't need to do it physically to experience it."

Barbara Hepworth: £500k 'Two Forms' sculpture stolen by metal thieves An “irreplaceable” piece of public art created by one of Britain’s best known artists, Dame Barbara Hepworth, has been stolen by suspected metal thieves.

http://www.independent.co.uk/artsentertainment/art/news/four-artists-vie-toreplace-stolen-barbara-hepworthsculpture-but-no-metal-allowed8475867.html

Arc de Triomphe begun 1806; completed 1833-36

Ingres Napoleon on the Imperial Throne (1806) oil on canvas large scale

France Timeline 1800 - 1900 1789-92 The Revolution the end of Louis XI 1804-1815 Napoleon I Empire 1815-48 Restored Monarchy- Bourbon Dynasty was restored to the French throne. 1814-1824 Louis XVIII 1824-1830 Charles X-tyrannaical brother of the beheaded Louis XVI- 1830 revolution 1830-1848 Louis-Philippe I, the Citizen King- a republican. 1848 Revolution, King Louis-Phillipe abdicated. Second Republic Louis Napoleon elected president 1851 Coup dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Etat Louis Napoleon takes over as Emperor 1852 Napoleon III, proclaims the Second Empire, Hausmannisation starts 1870 France declares war on Prussia: The Franco Prussian war, collapse of Second Empire, declaration of Third Empire. Paris besieged by the Prussians 1871 Paris surrenders, peace treaty agreed. 1873 Prussian army of occupation leaves French territory. Elections for president. 1879 Elections, parliament returns, state policy admires plein air painting and modern life subjects (impressionism becomes popular).

The Revolution 1789-92, Napoleonic Empire,18041815, Restored Monarchy1815-48 Second Empire, 1852 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1870, Third Republic, 1870 - 1914

1806, architect Jean-Francois-Therese Chalgrin was given the task of finding the best possible location for the arch. He studied several different options and on May 9th, Napoleon agreed to the site: Place de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Etoile. On May 11th 1806, the project was given to trusted architects Chalgrin and Jean-Arnaud Raymond. And on August 15th, 1806 the first stone was laid to coincide with Napoleonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday.

Arch of Constantine, marble, 312-315 ad, Rome.

Relief sculpture

Arch of Constantine roundels, detail

Neoclassical design version of ancient Roman architecture is by Jean Chalgrin. The major sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe, namely Cortot, Rude, Ă&#x2030;tex, Pradier and Lemaire. We will consider the Rude sculpture The main sculptures are treated as independent.

Delacroix: ‘Liberty Leading the People’ 1830 oil on canvas large scale

Delacroix: ‘Liberty Leading the People’ 1830 oil on canvas large In case you are wondering the Victor scale

Hugo book/film/musical Les Miserables deals with a revolution in June1832, which came after General Maximillian’s death ( he was close to Napoleon 1st) a small group of around 800 tried to revolt against the King Louis-Philippe Who then went on to commission La Marseillaise on the Arc di Triomphe!!! Where he depicted workers as Gods!!!

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large scale

Romanticism also associated with political radicalism, often uses contemporary subject matter, although in a familiar semi-idealised manner

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large scale Delacroix took no part in the 1830 Revolution that toppled the Bourbons and put the July Monarchy of Louis Philippe in power.

It is a mixture of the real, the invented and allegory. Visually striking, capturing the excitement and energy of the event, and a potent symbol of the struggle for freedom.

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large scale He gave it a strong visual impact which suggested optimism and belief of the French people.

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large scale

Delacroix breaks with the tradition of subtle modulation of colour.

He applies brilliant pure pigment. See sharp primary colours, the blues, yellows and the especially powerful reds

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large scale Midground two figures stand together but represent very different social and economic positions. The man in the top hat, waistcoat and jacket is a member of the middle class. The second figure represents a member of the working or lower class. Delacroix's message is the revolution unites these classes against the ruling aristocracy.

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large scale

Remember at this point was a largely medieval city with narrow alleys, and could be easily blocked allowing revolutionaries to fortify sections of the city. It is upon these very barricades that Liberty, the personification of freedom (who the French call Marianne) stands.

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large She holds the tricolor. scale This is the banned flag of revolution and democracy.

Why has Delacroix exposed Marianne's breasts? The figure is not an actual person but rather the embodiment of an idea. Marianne is allegorically representing democracy. Democracy was born in Ancient Greece and Delacroix reminds us by his use of partial nudity.

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large scale

In the foreground lay two dead bodies. The figure on the left is intended to enrage the viewer. He is dressed in a long nightshirt as his body was dragged into the street from his bed where he had been shot. In this sense the painting is propaganda. Delacroix is alluding to the royal troops ( Charles X) who spread terror by murdering suspected revolutionary sympathizers in their beds and then dragging the bodies into the streets as a warning.

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large In the foreground lay two dead bodies. scale This figure is possibly dying but look how he is dressed in the tricolor, and his last vision is that of Liberty ( Democracy for the French people)

The dead uniformed figure on the right is a royalist soldier. Here, Delacroix shows the enemy as vulnerable.

Delacroix: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Liberty Leading the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1830 oil on canvas large scale Notre Dame, a symbol of the King's power is now flying the tricolor

Francois Rude: ‘La Marsellaise’, 1833, Stone, h 13m Arc de Triomphe An example of public sculpture

Romantic Sculpture: based on the body, violent emotion,

intense exaggerated movement, anatomical detail. Carpeaux was Rude’s pupil

Francois Rude: ‘La-Marseillaise.’ 1833-36. stone relief. h13 m. Arc de Triomphe. Rodin: ‘The Burgers of Calais’, 1885The 95,arch was commissioned by Napoleon as a tribute to the French 217 x 255 x 177 cm army, until it stopped after the A huge piece of self glorification by Napoleon

defeat of Napoleon. In 1833 work was begun again. completed in 1836 under the new king Louis-Philippe and his minister of the interior, Adolphe Thiers, the arch was a way of illustrating the new government's efforts at national unity and reconciliation.

Rude's The Departure of the Volunteers Francois Rude: ‘La-Marseillaise.’ 1833-36. stone relief. h13 m. Arc de Triomphe. Rodin: ‘The Burgers of of 1792 (or "La Marseillaise") Calais’, 1885-95, The most famous of the four reliefs on 217 x 255 x 177 cm the faces of the arch depicts the French people rallying against enemies from abroad. (Rude's own father had been one of these volunteers.) These citizens, both nude and in classical armour, are roused to patriotic fervour by the Roman goddess of war, Bellona, who can also be seen as a personification of Liberty.

This grouping became known as "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem written in 1792--the same year as the departure of the volunteers.

Allegorical Classical references, both in the figure of Bellona and the nude soldiers or wearing Roman Armour Pyramidal

Vast scale Rhetorical gesture/ heroes

The violence of the figures and their compressed, densely packed composition owes something to Romanticism

Francois Rude: ‘La-Marseillaise.’ 1833-36. stone relief. h13 Axially organised m. Arc de Triomphe. Rodin: ‘The Burgers of Calais’, 1885Clearly pyramidal 95, Feeling of movement 217 x 255 x 177 cm created by overlapping bodies, held in place by the icon like figure above.

Figures thus joined in communal activity (volunteers) and the creation of liberty (the point at which the volunteers realise that liberty as a group) Note the paired gestures on the goddess above and the man below

Francois Rude: ‘La-Marseillaise.’ 1833-36. stone relief. h13 m. Arc de Triomphe. Rodin: ‘The Burgers of Calais’, 188595, 217 x 255 x 177 cm

Frontal relief: the viewer is expected to stand in a certain position to get the full meaning

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux: ‘Ugolino and His Sons’, modelled ca. plaster, 1860–61, marble 1865– 67. H. 195.6 cm large scale

Carpeaux: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Study for the Modelling Stand of the Ugolino Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, ca. 1860. Pen and brown ink Ecole des Beaux-Arts, studying with Francois Rude. Carpeaux won the Prix de Rome in 1854 and left Paris for Rome two years later in 1856. Carpeaux's major work during his time in Rome was his 'Ugolino and His Sons', based on a passage from Dante's Inferno.

Derives from Dante and his Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux: ‘Ugolino and His Sons’, modeled description of the imprisonment in 1288 ca. plaster, 1860–61, marble 1865–67. H. 77 in. and (195.6 cm) subsequent death by starvation of the Pisan count Ugolino della Gherardesca and his offspring. Carpeaux depicts the moment when Ugolino, condemned to die of starvation, yields to the temptation to devour his children and grandchildren, who cry out to him. An intensely Romantic theme and sculpture

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux: ‘Ugolino and His Sons’, modelled ca. plaster, 1860–61, marble 1865– 67. H. 77 in. (195.6 cm)

Father eat thou of us, and stay Our suffering: thou didst our being dress In this sad flesh; now strip it all away.”

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux: ‘Ugolino and His Sons’, modeled ca. plaster, 1860–61, marble 1865–67. H. 77 in. (195.6 cm)

This marble version was made by the practitioner Bernard under Carpeaux's supervision and completed in time for the Universal Exposition at Paris in 1867.

Francois Rude: ‘La Marsellaise’, 1833, Stone, h 13m

Romantic Sculpture: based on the body, violent emotion,

intense exaggerated movement, anatomical detail. Carpeaux was Rude’s pupil

Equestrian Statues

An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin "eques", meaning "knight", deriving from "equus", meaning "horse". A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an "equine statue". A full-size equestrian statue is a difficult and expensive object for any culture to produce, and figures have typically been portraits of rulers or, more recently, military commanders.

Equestrian statues were expensive to create, they required a lot of material to create. Equestrian statuary in the West goes back at least as far as Archaic Greece. Found on the Athenian acropolis, the sixth century BC statue known as the Rampin Rider depicts a kouros mounted on horseback. Ancient Middle and Far East A number of ancient Egyptian, Assyrian and Persian reliefs show mounted figures, usually rulers, though no free standing statues are known. The Chinese Terracotta Army has no mounted riders, though cavalrymen stand beside their mounts, but smaller Tang Dynasty pottery tomb Qua figures often include them, at a relatively small scale. No Chinese portrait equestrian statues were made until modern times; statues of rulers are not part of traditional Chinese art, and indeed even painted portraits were only shown to high officials on special occasions until the 11th century.

Monument Sculptures • William Mitchell in his book Art and the Public Spaces suggests that violence is central to a monument. He says they only exist due to its violence.

• “Public art has served as a kind of monumentalising of violence. • (Mitchell, 1992, page 35)

• Equestrian statues were/are very expensive to make • They require a lot of material (bronze) the lost wax method is complex • The fact the horse stands on thin legs and the person on the horse would be heavy is a testament to the artists who created them • It is an imposing genre • Aim was to glorify and give a status to the person on horseback

â&#x20AC;˘ Probably for its sheer beauty and graceful movement than the horse has inspired more representations in art, both ancient and modern. â&#x20AC;˘ The mystique of the horse has captivated mankind for centuries, reaching far back into antiquity. â&#x20AC;˘ Horses played a prominent role in the ancient Greek world

â&#x20AC;˘ Archaic Greek Statue of a Horse 510 BC

Parthenon, west frieze ,showing a horse rubbing her head, 442438 B.C.

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius-16th emperor bronze, c. 165 ad, Rome

• In 161, Aurelius took control of the Roman Empire along with his brother Verus. • He was best known for his stoic meditations, a philosophy that emphasized fate, reason and self-restraint • His stance on his horse suggests these peaceful ideas

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius-16th emperor bronze, c. 165 ad, Rome

• However there were conflicts. In fact, his reign was marked by war and disease. In the 160’s, he warred with the Parthian Empire (Iran) for control over lands in the East. • Verus oversaw the war effort while Aurelius stayed in Rome.

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius-16th emperor bronze, c. 165 ad, Rome

â&#x20AC;˘ Returning soldiers brought some type of disease back with them to Rome, which lingered for years and wiped out a portion of the population. â&#x20AC;˘ As the Parthian War ended, the two rulers had to face another military conflict with German tribes in the late 160s.

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius-16th emperor bronze, c. 165 ad, Rome

â&#x20AC;˘ He is not best remembered for the wars he waged, but for his contemplative nature and his rule driven by reason. A collection of his thoughts have been published in a work called The Meditations.

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius-16th emperor bronze, c. 165 ad, Rome

Upward composition Raises the status of the figure

•

Multi figure

•

Irregular Silhouette

•

Upward composition

•

Figure not engaging with the viewer

•

Open palm on right hand elevates status.

•

Open mouthed horse

•

No fixed viewpoint

Bronze has a high tensile strength this is • evident with the • projections.

Complex negative space Dynamic animated sculpture

Lost wax process

Multiple casts High tensile strength Large projection Very detailed/realistic Deep recessed lines on robe-this would be very difficult to achieve using the reductive process Rich brown, shiny patina that emphasises the curves

Context of Renaissance • Artists in Renaissance Italy were aware of Marcus Aurelius • But it took them half a century app 1450 to gain the knowledge of how to create a similar example • The cost and the complexities of the casting method were challenging. • Some attempts of sculptural representations of people on horseback did exist. Like this one

The Renaissance in Florence • The term Renaissance (Re-birth) applied to the period 1400-1600. • It referred to the rebirth of art by drawing on the spirit of antiquity.

• Florentine Early Renaissance is typified by interest in rediscovery of classical learning and art. • They also developed one point perspective • The human perspective on the world-Humanism • Remember it was the rebirth of Science, Geometry, and Literature

Why did the Renaissance begin…. • There was an increase in wealth and rivalry between cities. • There was a rise in the power of merchant families as patrons • the guilds increased their patronage. • These guilds competed with one another to improve the art in the Republic of Florence.

Donatello. Equestrian statue of the Condottierre Gattamelata 1446-1450 Padua

The Orsanmichele, Florence

Orsanmichele, guild church, built 1337-80, niches contain statues of each guild's patron saint only major guilds were allowed to use bronze for their statues.

• Orsanmichele is a church in Florence. • The church was originally built as a grain market in 1337. • • Between 1380 and 1404 it was converted and used as the chapel for Florence's powerful craft and trade guilds. • Late in the 14th century, the guilds commissioned statues of their patron saints to go into the niches of the building.

What is the Orsanmichele, Florence?

The building is square in plan The Guilds commissioned the greatest artists of the period. Particularly famous are Ghiberti's St. John the Baptist, 1414-16; Donatello's St. George, 1416. Which we will look at later………………

â&#x20AC;˘ Orsanmichele's public commissions demonstrates the fierce devotion and pride of Florentine trades, and show how great art arises out of a competitive climate. â&#x20AC;˘ Each trade hoped to outdo the other in commissioning original, groundbreaking sculptures for public display on Florence's most important street, and the artists hired and materials used (especially bronze) indicate the importance that was placed on this site.

â&#x20AC;˘ Only a few guilds complied, forcing the city council in 1406 to set a ten-year deadline for these obligations, which created a rush of commissions.

â&#x20AC;˘ These guilds, and the republic of Florence wanted to recreate the great cities of ancient Greece and Rome â&#x20AC;˘ These cities used art to demonstrate balance, and harmony in their society

Polyclitus (POLY-CL-EYE-TUS) Doryphoros. Roman marble copy of bronze original; c. 450-440 B.C.

The basic proportions of the figure come from the classical canon of beauty equal distance between the breasts, between the navel and breasts, navel and crotch.

The figure is balanced

harmonious it is rational clear precise often described as austere with a severe smile

Plato, a Greek philosopher said: Beauty is Harmony and Proportion between the parts • Polyclitus’ canon illustrated an ideal mathematical proportion for human body parts • the balance between tension and movement, known as symmetria • A balance, ie a harmony.

Back to The Orsanmichele

• Public art in renaissance Florence- some examples on the Orsanmichele • Ghiberti. St John the Baptist, (Cloth Merchants - Calimala) (c.1412 - 14), bronze. • • Ghiberti St Matthew, (Bankers- Cambio) (1419 - 22), bronze. •

Donatello St George, (Swordsmiths and Armourers-Spadai e Corazzai) (c.1415 -17), marble.

•

Donatello St Mark, (Linen workers-Linaiuoli) (1411-13), marble.

• •

Nanni di Banco Four Crowned Saints, (Stone and Wood workers-Maestri di Pietre e Legname) (c.1412-15), marble. Find these sculptures, however I am going to focus on two

Ghiberti St John the Baptist 1412-16 Bronze, height: 254 cm Orsanmichele, Florence

â&#x20AC;˘ This sculpture was cast in one piece and created for the Cloth Merchants Guild â&#x20AC;˘ It appears to still have International Gothic features, such as the stylised drapery that seem to hide the form beneath, and even a stylised beard and face

â&#x20AC;˘ The work, his first large-scale work, cast in one piece, was so difficult to execute that the guild stipulated it be undertaken at the sculptor's risk.

â&#x20AC;˘ Although St John appears to be of International Gothic style, his scroll is inscribed with humanist script.

Donatello St George 1414 Marble, height 214 cm

â&#x20AC;˘ In 1414, the Arte dei Corazzai (Guild of Armourers) ordered from Donatello a marble statue for Orsanmichele of their patron, St George

â&#x20AC;˘ The statue is balanced expectantly on the balls of his feet with a determined clenched right-hand fist that has a hole-indicates that the knight once held a weapon, probably a gilt metal sword.

• “ Life itself seems to be stirring vigorously within the stone "(Vasari). • Donatello was young and his St George is excellent. This statue, executed around 1416, was placed in a niche on the north wall of Orsanmichele. • The base of the niche, with the bas-relief representing the saint's narrative with the dragon for the freeing of the Princess of Cappadocia, also assumes a role of great importance due to the artist's use of the technique known as rilievo stiacciato, or flattened relief.

• In the late 1410s and early 1420s Donatello devised a method of carving – almost drawing – a scene in very shallow relief, the technique known as rilievo schiacciato. • Within a depth of about 10 to 20 mm, the sculptor conveyed as much greater imaginary depth by means of only very slight indentations on the surface of the marble. • We see this in St George and the Dragon (1417), formerly on the lintel beneath the statue of St George at Orsanmichele.

St George and the Dragon 1417 Marble, 39 x 120 cm

Linear perspective was also used to imply depth in the blind arcade at the right.

• The process of Bronze casting was difficult and expensive. • Therefore it was the painters who attempted to recreate the equestrian monuments in fresco • Remember that in Renaissance Florence one point perspective was devised

He was an innovative artist

Paolo Uccello. Equestrian Portrait of Sir John Hawkwood. 1436. Fresco, tranferred to canvas. Duomo Cathedral, Florence, Italy.

â&#x20AC;˘ depicting the English condottiere ( paid Soldier), (c.1320-94), on horseback.

â&#x20AC;˘ Two viewpoints are used: the horse and rider are seen as if on a level with the spectator, but the sarcophagus is seen sharply from below.

â&#x20AC;˘ Uccello developed an interest in perspective under the influence of Masaccioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s works, he became engrossed with developing the new science of perspective in painting.

Donatello. Equestrian statue of the Condottierre Gattamelata 1446-1450 Padua

Donatello. Equestrian monument of Erasmo da Narni 1443-53 Bronze on marble plinth Height of statue 340 cm or about 12 feet 2 inches Piazza del Santo, Padua

Gattamelata "The Honeyed Cat", was a captain and good friend to Cosimo deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Medici He was a famous condottieri ( paid soldier) Here Donatello has altered the formula that began with the Florentine interpretations such by Ucello and as they wore modern costumes. The bare headed Gattalemata has no helmet, recalling Marcus Aurelius.

Donatello has transformed him into a triumphant Cesar He has been given in an idealised face to represent his victories. Look at his prominent facial features-knitted brow, tensed mouth and chin. The emphasis is on the soldiers intelligence and inner nature It looks like this condottiere seems immortalised in the point of thinking up a crucial strategy

Formal Features Cast in bronze from original model (clay, wax or plaster).

Composition: vertical and horizontal axes. Dark colour, matt patina. Monumental/life-size scale. Intricate detail, naturalism. Location/site: urban; higher than eye level.

Interpretation-the artists reason why he included the formal features Relative versatility of modelling/bronze casting allows subject/pose, modelling of detail, particular colour, combination of mass and space. â&#x20AC;˘ Subject is worthy of expensive bronze monument. Tensile strength of bronze allows equestrian subject (difficult/impossible for legs of horse to support weight if carved in stone). Perhaps gives effect of weight, power, presence. Bronze allows for large scale, enhancing importance of subject. Modelling allows for detail, subtle rendering of anatomy, etc. Set against building of importance (balustrades, arches, etc) reinforces importance of subject â&#x20AC;˘ Photograph taken from below, perhaps indicating work is mounted above eye-level, thereby reinforcing status/importance of subject.

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius-16th Emperor bronze, c. 165 ad, Rome.

In 161, Aurelius took control of the Roman Empire along with his brother Verus. He was best known for his stoic meditations, a philosophy that emphasised fate, reason and self-restraint. His stance on his horse suggests these peaceful ideas. However there were conflicts. In fact, his reign was marked by war and disease. In the 160â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, he warred with the Parthian Empire (Iran) for control over lands in the East. Verus oversaw the war effort while Aurelius stayed in Rome.

115

Donatelloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equestrian monument of Erasmo da Narni 1443-53 Bronze on marble plinth Height of statue 340cm or about 12 feet 2 inches. Piazza del Santo, Padua.

Gattamelata "The Honeyed Cat", was a captain and good friend to Cosimo deâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Medici. He was a famous condottieri (paid soldier). Here Donatello has altered the formula that began with the Florentine interpretations such by Ucello and as they wore modern costumes. The bare headed Gattalemata has no helmet, recalling Marcus Aurelius. 116

Relative versatility of modelling/bronze casting allows subject/pose, modelling of detail, particular colour, combination of mass and space. Tensile strength of bronze allows equestrian subject (difficult/impossible for legs of horse to support weight if carved in stone). Perhaps this gives effect of weight, power, presence and the bronze allows for large scale, enhancing importance of subject.

117

Andrea del Castagno,

Monument to NiccolĂ˛ da Tolentino 1456 Fresco Duomo, Florence. It is the same man

Paolo Uccello. Battle of San Romano. Left panel. c. 1454-57. Tempera on wood. National Gallery, London, UK

• A comparison of Andrea's Tolentino with Paolo Uccello's Sir John Hawkwood……… • Uccello froze the horse and its rider into a static composition of rigid geometric precision • Andrea expresses the tension and movement of the horse.

Here they are inside the Cathedral of Florence.

• Absolute Monarchies require symbols • Usually these equestrian statues have perished over time because as the king leaves they tend to destroy any remaining memory of him. • However, this first example is unique.........