"Grand
Masters of the Renaissance: the Classical Tradition Reborn”
- In Chapter 14 (pp. 481-6), we
encounter Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps one who best fits
Catiglione'sl'uomouniversale and Vasari's "genius" as
Renaissance man. Leonardo's painting of The Last Supper was done on the
wall of a monastery in the monks' dining area. The technique was
experimental and, though wonderful for a few years, greatly deteriorated
over the centuries. Here is the Last Supper painting as
partially restored in 1999; the restoration could only be partial: http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/LeonardoLastSupper.htm. A chart and good comments are
also on that Web page.
- If you could walk into the
studio of Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo or Raphael and observe the
artist at work, which artist would you choose, what would you would ask
him, and why?
- In Chapters 14 and 15, we
encounter Michelangelo, the great sculptor who could also paint,
and the amazing painter Raphael. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling can
be viewed at http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/m/michelan/3sistina/index.html. A video tour of a couple of
professors touring the place and whispering to give a sense of its sacred
context can be found at http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/sistine-chapel-ceiling.html. This video also shows you
close-ups of key parts. Then there are the ideas about his techniques for
doing the ceiling; see one scholar's interesting theory at http://karlzipser.com/michelangelo.html that he made small clay models
and then used them to project shadows to be traced on the ceiling. With
Raphael's School of Athens (pp. 504-5) and Michelangelo's
Statue of David (pp. 488-9), we see how Renaissance artists so perfectly
adopted ancient classical techniques for realism, balance, and perspective
to achieve extraordinary results.
Question 2.
- Machiavelli’s instruction on how
a ruler can attain and retain power is often summed up in his statement,
“the end justifies the means.” Do you agree with his 'philosophy'?
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