Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

This course will explore those artistic masterpieces that serve as milestones of the Italian Renaissance and also in the development of Western art and architecture. Through an in-depth analysis of these works of art and architecture, as well as the historical context in which they were produced, we shall develop an understanding of how specific works of art, and the unique vision of the geniuses that produced them, transcend simple artistic value and become monuments to human achievement.

Course Objectives:
• To learn to appreciate the rich and influential aspects of Italian Renaissance art and architecture.
• To bring a historical period to life through a “hands on” approach to the monuments and works produced during this specific period known as the Renaissance.
• To develop the fundamental skills of art historical analysis that include formal analysis and iconographic interpretation.
• To develop an ability to interact in a personal and intimate manner with works of art and their surroundings

PART 1 – THE COMPETITION THAT SPARKED THE RENAISSANCE AND BRUNELLESCHI’S DOME

Lecture 1 – The Competition Panels
• The competition of 1401 for the contract for a set of bronze doors for Florence Baptistery is generally considered the event that kicked off the Renaissance. Firstly, because of the date of the competition, which coincides with the chronological beginnings of the Renaissance. Secondly, because of the artists involved – Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi – who were two of the greatest of the Renaissance. Finally, because competition amongst great artists would become one the central leitmotifs of the Italian Renaissance.

This lecture will explore how each artist brought his own unique vision and style to his work, and why sometimes losing actually means winning.

Lecture 2 – Brunelleschi and the Dome of Florence Cathedral
• Towering 32 stories tall and with an interior diameter of 143’6’’, Brunelleschi’s dome is still the largest in the world. No other work defines the determination and vision of Renaissance Florentines better than this engineering marvel, which showed the world that Renaissance artists were not simply imitating their classical ancestors – but surpassing them!

This lecture will explore the history of the construction of Brunelleschi’s great dome and unravel the secrets behind its design.

PART 2 – THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL DOORS AND THE ADVENT OF LINEAR PERSPECTIVE

Lecture 3 – Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise
• Often described as the most beautiful and famous doors on the planet, the Gates of Paradise took nearly a full generation for their artist, Lorenzo Ghiberti, to complete. The ten richly- decorated-gilded-bronze panels depict Old Testament subject matter like pages from a picture book.

This lecture will examine how the goldsmith Ghiberti infused each panel with his exquisite mastery of craftsmanship and detail, in addition to his extraordinary ability as a visual storyteller.

Lecture 4 – Masaccio’s Holy Trinity
• Although not as highly publicized as many other more famous paintings, the Holy Trinity by Masaccio might just be the most important painting in Florence and is certainly one of the most important of all time.
The reason is that it is the first painting ever, in the entire history of art, to apply a technology known as linear or single-point perspective. Suddenly, painting could no longer only look 3-dimensional, it now was 3-dimensional!!!

This lecture will explore the mathematical principles behind the great painting, as well as how for the first time, science and theology synergized in Renaissance art.

PART 3 – DONATELLO’S DAVID AND BOTTICELLI’S MYTHOLOGICAL PAINTINGS

Lecture 5 – Donatello’s bronze David
• Donatello’s bronze David was the first free-standing nude statue to be made since ancient Roman times. In addition to restoring sculpture to its place alongside architecture, and not simply as ornamentation for it, Donatello also caused quite a ripple in traditional Christian iconography. The eroticism of the sculpture is palpable. Combined with anomalous details such as boots and a hat (for which my students have appropriately nicknamed the statue the Puss in Boots David) the true meaning of the sculpture has eluded people in my business for many years.

This lecture will explore the risqué aspects of the statue as well as discussing various theoretical interpretations of its symbolism.

Lecture 6 – Alessandro Botticelli’s Primavera and Birth of Venus
• When Botticelli painted the Primavera in the 1470s, he opened up a veritable Pandora’s Box. No longer would Renaissance artists be limited to simply dressing Christian saints in togas and sandals, they could now gradually introduce the very literature, philosophy and religion of the ancient Greco-Roman world into their own art.

This lecture will unpack Botticelli’s great allegorical painting by identifying its characters and their meaning; but it will also explore how the first Renaissance painting to ever depict a pagan subject was still loaded with Christianity.

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