Final Exam Studyguide
History of Art 3521: Introduction to Italian Renaissance Art
Final Study Guide
I decided to prepare this sheet as a short description of some of the important themes that we’ve taken up in lecture in the second half of the quarter. In preparation for our final, I would recommend reviewing your notes and textbook, putting together answers to each of these. Indeed, if you have good answers in your head (making use of examples shown in class) for each question, you should do well.
1. How was Michelangelo different from Leonardo, especially in respect to naturalism, and why did Leonardo look down on Michelangelo? How did Leonardo think he could improve the naturalism of painting (think in part about sfumato here)? Why did Michelangelo “break” naturalism’s rules? What is Neoplatonism and how did it affect Michelangelo’s art? How did the young Raphael transform his sources, that is, what was he after in his Florentine work?
Michelangelo used very hard lines (DEZZANO), focus on musculature and anatomy
Leonardo used scumato so that there wasn’t any hard contours, the beginning of the idea of colorito, forms don’t have to be
Leonardo looks down on Michelangelo because of the harsh contours, color choices with the lack of shading.
2. Who was Julius II and what did he want artistically? What is the meaning of Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling? What is the special nature of Michelangelo’s figure style?
3. What was the Stanza della Segnatura and what did Raphael represent there? How and why did Raphael present his self-portrait in the School of Athens? How did Raphael engage with classical art and architecture of ancient Rome in his work? What was the nature of Raphael’s collaborations and work with his workshop?
4. What was Mannerism? What did artists like Pontormo, Rosso Fiorentino, and Parmigianino aspire to do in their work that was different from many artists before them? Did their art put beauty before content/message?
5. What are the meanings
Final Study Guide
I decided to prepare this sheet as a short description of some of the important themes that we’ve taken up in lecture in the second half of the quarter. In preparation for our final, I would recommend reviewing your notes and textbook, putting together answers to each of these. Indeed, if you have good answers in your head (making use of examples shown in class) for each question, you should do well.
1. How was Michelangelo different from Leonardo, especially in respect to naturalism, and why did Leonardo look down on Michelangelo? How did Leonardo think he could improve the naturalism of painting (think in part about sfumato here)? Why did Michelangelo “break” naturalism’s rules? What is Neoplatonism and how did it affect Michelangelo’s art? How did the young Raphael transform his sources, that is, what was he after in his Florentine work?
Michelangelo used very hard lines (DEZZANO), focus on musculature and anatomy
Leonardo used scumato so that there wasn’t any hard contours, the beginning of the idea of colorito, forms don’t have to be
Leonardo looks down on Michelangelo because of the harsh contours, color choices with the lack of shading.
2. Who was Julius II and what did he want artistically? What is the meaning of Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling? What is the special nature of Michelangelo’s figure style?
3. What was the Stanza della Segnatura and what did Raphael represent there? How and why did Raphael present his self-portrait in the School of Athens? How did Raphael engage with classical art and architecture of ancient Rome in his work? What was the nature of Raphael’s collaborations and work with his workshop?
4. What was Mannerism? What did artists like Pontormo, Rosso Fiorentino, and Parmigianino aspire to do in their work that was different from many artists before them? Did their art put beauty before content/message?
5. What are the meanings