Renaissance+-+Group+5


 * Needs an intro that relates work to Renaissance**The statue David by Donatello is one of the most famous examples of 15th-century, Renaissance sculpture **too vague**. The David is the first free-standing, nude statue, portraying an adolescent boy who casually rests his foot on Goliath’s head, **editing** of the Renaissance era and is currently in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. Although many other David statues are presented with clothing, Donatello presented him nude, thus the image slightly different from the biblical text or classic heroism. Recently, it has been interpreted that the figure is an androgyny, his sexuality a mystery. Despite that fact, artists in the Renaissance period focused more on the human body to get a more accurate idea of human body and life. Thus, hidden meaning told an untold story in one statue, not classic but an accurate portrayal of the human body. **Is focus on the huma body your Renaissance theme?**

“Donatello – David” The Web Gallery of Art 13 January 2010 [] “Donatello’s David” 13 January 2010 []



Esaak, Shelley. "Leonardo da Vinci, the Last Supper." __About.com: Art History__. 14 January 2010. <[]> "The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)." __Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia__. 14 January 2010. 13 January 2010. < [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo)] >
 * Need an intro that relates painting to Renaissance themes.** The Last Supper, painted by Leonardo da Vinci from1495-1498, depicts the Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper when it is declared that one of them would betray him. The disciples are arranged in groups of three and each have a different reaction: from left to right, the first group (Bartholomew, James, and Andrew) are surprised, the second group (Judas Iscariot, Peter, and John) have different reactions: Judas is withdrawn, Peter looks angry, and John looks ready to faint, Jesus is then next, the next group of disciples look upset and stunned, and the final group of disciples are looking for and explanation. "In common with other depictions of The Last Supper from this period, Leonardo adopts the convention of seating the diners on one side of the table, so that none of them have their backs to the viewer. However, most previous depictions had typically excluded Judas by placing him alone on the opposite side of the table from the other eleven disciples and Jesus. Another technique commonly used was placing halos around all the disciples except Judas. Leonardo creates a more dramatic and realistic effect by having Judas lean back into shadow." (Wikipedia) **Never quote wikipedia, textbooks or encyclopedias - they aren't worth it.** The project took so long because Leonardo was a procrastinator with a marked tendency to leave projects unfinished. The Christian belief of the Trinity is shown in the common use of the number three in the painting. Jesus' figure resembles a triangle, there are three windows in the background, and the disciples are in groups of three. The painting also has amazing perspective. This is worth noting, as every single element of the painting directs one's attention straight to the midpoint of the composition, Christ's head. **You need to focus on what this tells us about the Renaissance**

//Birth of Venus//, by Sandro Botticelli
 * You need an intro that relates painting to the Renaissance.** In Roman mythology, Venus--the goddess of beauty love and desire--was born; coming up out of the ocean on a sea shell and blown to shore by the god of wind Zephyrs where she was greeted by Horae, goddess of the seasons and a flowered cloak. //Birth of Venus// by Sandro Botticelli was a masterpiece of art in the early renaissance, capturing the story of the birth of the goddess. Since Venus is the goddess of beauty, her birth was quite literally, the birth of beauty. The renaissance itself is the rebirth of a new art and beauty of sorts. The //Birth of Venus// is full of movement--the wind, the shawls, their hair, the flowers, and the waves of the ocean. The renaissance was a new and bustling time that was in motion; gone were the middle ages filled with fear and darkness. Another important theme in the renaissance was Christianity, and though the Roman culture did not stress this religion, Botticelli was a practicing Christian. Even though in Christianity is a monotheistic religion and does not acknowledge Venus as a goddess, the story is from the Roman culture, which was hugely influential on the renaissance period. Botticelli was also one of the people close to Medici, and the //Birth of Venus// was in fact commissioned for the illustrious family; this shows the extent of the importance and significance of this painting in its time. The //Birth of Venus// not only represents the birth of the most beautiful goddess, but the birth of the birth of the renaissance and birth of beauty.

Batterberry, Michael. __Art of the Early Renaissance__. New York: McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, 1961. "Meaning in the Birth of Venus" __suite101.com__ 200. January 14th. []

The Renaissance masterpieces such as Donatello's "David," Leonardo da Vinci's "the Last Supper," and "the Birth of Venus" by Botticelli each use the concept of perspective, humanism, and religious or cultural significance in them. //**This sentence implies that all three works use all three ideals - they do not. Try this: The Renaissance masterpieces....use the concepts of perspective, humanism OR religious or cultural significance.** David// by Donatello represents humanism and accurate presentation of the human kind. **T**the statue also broadens the perspective of androgyny, and relates to the biblical text of David and Goliath. //The Last Supper// by da Vinci has Christ as the vanishing point improving perspective, shows human reactions by all the disciples, and shows the religious significance of the period even though the humanities were being emphasized. The Christian artist Botticelli's //the Birth of Venus// depicts the **R**roman story in a time when the Greco-Roman culture was significant. These three art works represent the renaissance civilization and the ideas of the period.

Citations: 20 points Artwork paragraphs: 24/30 Summary: 17/20 Total: 71/80**
 * Pictures: 10 points