St. Francis Altarpiece And The Duration Of The Renaissance

Hailing from Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Western Roman Empire both stumbled to its eventual extinction. Yet, while the Western Roman Empire collapsed, requiring the Church to preserve its remnants, the Byzantine Empire endured for more than a millennium, as well as its art. Marked by years of Roman influence and its historic iconoclastic controversy that radically transformed the Church, Byzantine art established itself as a pillar of Western art. Along with its civilization’s endurance, the style that ruled Byzantine art demonstrated by the Hagia Sophia’s Theokotos impacted Western Art forever, proven through Berlinghieri’s St. Francis Altarpiece and the duration of the Renaissance. Sprawling over most of North Africa to the Levant,
Francis Altarpiece subscribes to medieval Italian and Byzantine style. Created to commemorate St. Francis, known for his intense religious devotion, St. Francis parallels Jesus Christ: the recently canonized saint was even portrayed with stigmata. Like Theokotos, the altarpiece was meant to inspire his followers to incite an emotional and spiritual response among his followers, however, Dr. Harris states “the purpose of this image is for his followers to show his saintliness, the miracles that he performed, and to depict him as a person who is blessed by God” rather than encouraging action as its Byzantine counterpart had done. The piece is profoundly religious: Berlinghieri in his commitment to compare the Assisiani to Christ portrays St. Francis committing miracles and exorcisms. While depicting St. Francis, Berlinghieri utilizes aspects of Byzantine style to emphasize his divine nature. Just like Mary in Theokotos, Berlinghieri elongates St. Francis’s body. His body is highly frontal and schematic as well, signaling the abandonment of Classical style just as its Byzantine predecessor done. The influence of the Byzantine Empire in Gothic Italian art remains hardly surprising: Byzantine style such as its usage of icons grew prevalent in thirteenth century Italy due to trade and migrations. Just like the Byzantines, Berlinghieri attached gold onto wood in accordance to Byzantine belief that gold implies heavenliness. However, as Berlinghieri created the piece shortly before the Renaissance, one most note the Italian affinity for rich materials as the value of materials eclipsed the technique and meaning of the piece. Yet, despite its slightly different purposes, St. Francis Altarpiece and Theokotos dwell in its lack of naturalistic qualities. Both pieces, in its schematic fashion, abandoned Classical Greek ideals in order to emphasize the importance of religious and spirit rather than humanity in