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Exploration of a Renaissance Artist: Focus on Benozzo Gozzoli

Online link for paintings: http://www.wga.hu/framese.html?/html/g/gozzoli/1early/index.html

Trial by Fire Before Sultan description:

            Behind the small crowd of people is an old stonewall corner. Each individual crack on the wall is highlighted on the seam of the wall. On the left side of the wall the cracks become smooth and less visible. On the right side the cracks are faintly visible. The darkness of the space near the right side of the wall shields the cracks. The side of the darkness lies behind the sultan.

            From the bottom right hand corner to almost the top right hand corner, stretches the seated body of a man who is assumed to be a sultan. His robe is golden yellow with a vague pattern of blue trimming the bottom. Each wrinkle that accompanies sitting is visible. The robe gathers in the lap of the sultan. He wears sleeved shirt underneath the rode, but only the left arm is visible. In the center of the shirt, along the sultans chest are eleven gold buttons. On his head is a hat in the shape of a round pointed triangle. There are lines that run from the furry white rim of the hat to the gold button on top.

            The sultan’s eyes are looking down upon the crowd that is implied to be before him. His lips are thin and almost covered by the thick rust colored beard that he wears. To the left of the sultan is a man covered from head to toe in a red robe. The man’s head is covered also by a hijab. Behind the man is a knight fully dressed in metal, but his head gear is not pointed. It is rounded to his head. Beyond and in between the knight and man are the heads of three more crowd members.

Death and Ascention of St. Francis description:

            Under the arch of a bright rainstorm lies a town square. The sky behind the storm is light blue, almost the color of crystal water. Directly under the arch but still above the town, five angles float on a wisp like cloud. The angels almost appear as the morning sun. Under the angles is a yellow stone house. At the top is a section with three triangular windows in a row and a circular one above the middle window. Under the top section is a layer of red shingles coming out in to the crown that is gathered in the town square. To left of the house is a old, gray church-like building and to the right is a pale, red rectangular building.

            A large mass of people stand gathered between the buildings. For the ones closes to the rear of the crowd only the shapes and colors of their heads are visible. In the front of the crowd are men in white robes, the y hold long wooden poles above their head.  In the center of these men is another man, but he holds a book opened toward his face. One man kneels with his hands in the prayer position at the head of a dead body. Another man leans over the dead body that is raised on a high blue table. This man wears a red robe that is trimmed with white at the top. One the table lays a man that is covered from head to toe in a yellow robe. His head rests on a red pillow.

Argument:

             Artists of the Renaissance were considered to be people of the future. Their art possessed certain qualities that distinguished the transition from medieval to present day art. Many artist abandoned arts connection to the church and went off in a separate direction to find the beauty of the world. However, in the majority of Benozzo Gozzoli’s work there is a clear connection to the church. Although his work was connected to the church, it still possessed the qualities of the “new” art that was introduced during this time.

            One characteristic that was introduced during the Renaissance was the idea of focusing on realism. The artwork was meant to look as if it were real people and real objects. In all of Gozzoli’s pieces the people are painted as if they were and individual. The people have features unique to them, making them look more life like or real.

            Artists of the Renaissance also adopted the idea of perspective. Artists made objects that were further back in space appear to be far off in the distance of the artwork. Techniques of using a vanishing point assisted artists when painting. Art was no longer 2-demensional. Figures were shown in their true form. Gozzoli demonstrates this in his painting Death and Ascention of St. Francis. He shows the 3-dimensional figures f buildings and people.

                        The only argument that would exclude Gozzoli from the artists of the Renaissance is his high focus on the church. Other then that he met all of the other characteristics of the Renaissance.

Works Cited:

"Italian Renaissance Art." Carrie Text Electronic Library. European University Institute, 2006. Web. 3 Dec 2010. <http://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/gilbert/07.html>.

Nicolas, Poich. "La Renaissance ." Web Museam. BMW Foundation, 2006. Web. 4 Dec 2010. <http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/renaissance/>.