Sangallo (façade, Palazzo Farnese): * see EndNote<A>

The palazzo was started in 1517 for the Farnese family.  Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (1484-1546) was the first architect.  It was later re-designed by Michelangelo, with the addition of a dramatic cornice.

see Chapter VI, page 205

 

Renaissance (as superior to the Greco-Roman art):

Medieval thinkers considered themselves inferior to the ancients.  Bernard of Chartres (1070-1130) described scholars of his day as “dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants.”  In contrast Renaissance writers & thinkers saw themselves to be giants almost equal or wholly equal to the ancients.  Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) in his Lives of the most eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects (1550, 1568) gives homage to Greek & Roman art.  Like Bernard of Chartres he sees Western Gothic art as inferior to the classical Age.  However he also proclaims a re-birth, beginning with Cimabue & progressing thru Masaccio, Fra Angelico, Ghirlandaio, Verrocchio, & Perugino.  It reaches apogee with Leonardo & ultimate perfection in Michelangelo: “he [Michelangelo] surpassed and triumphed over the ancients”.

 

Petrarch (and the Antique):

see chapter I, page 4, Chapter III page 110

 

Michelangelo (and the Antique): * see EndNote<B>

Michelangelo’s early education was heavily influenced by Humanist philosophy as well as practical exposure to Classical artefacts.  In his maturity he was influenced by the Laocoön group & the Belvedere Torso fragment, the impact of both evidenced in his painting & sculpture.

 

Fra Angelico (Franciscan Christian):

see Chapter VII, page 221,

 

Counter Reformation:

see Chapter II, page 66 and Chapter III page 107

 

Michelangelo (and Counter Reformation): * see EndNote<C>

In one sense Michelangelo was little appreciated by the men of the Counter Reformation.  The Council of Trent (1545–1563) closed just a year before his death.  It proclaimed that architecture, painting & sculpture had a role in conveying Catholic theology.  Any work that might arouse "carnal desire" was inadmissible in churches.  Consequently Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment fresco (in the Sistine Chapel, 1534–41), came under persistent attack for its nudity (later painted over for several centuries), for not showing Christ seated or bearded, and for including the pagan Charon.  However in a larger sense Spengler’s assertion (“The… Counter Reformation…lives already in Michelangelo.”) rings true.  The Catholic Church was a leading arts patron across much of Europe.  The goal of art in the Counter-Reformation, was to restore Catholicism's predominance and centrality.  The Church played a major role in the new Baroque style of the late 16th century; so too did Michelangelo.  His Laurentian Library (1523) in Florence is a pioneering building in a new style, Mannerist.  The Renaissance ideal of harmony gives way to freer and more imaginative rhythms.  Even more revolutionary was his ovoid dome for St Peters.  Both of these look towards the future: the Baroque.

 

round-arch & pillar:

see Chapter VI page 214, Chapter VII, page 238,

 

pseudo-Corinthian column 15th century versus  Roman columns: * see EndNote<D>

From about 40 BC to 230 AD the Romans adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture.  However their buildings (aqueducts, forums, basilicas, bridges) were different from Greek buildings (temples) & become a new architectural style.  Although they retained the 3 classical orders, these were largely decorative rather than structural.  Stylistic developments included the Tuscan and Composite orders.  The Corinthian order was especially poplar.  Between the early 14th & early 16th centuries, Italian architects consciously choose to revive & develop ancient Greek & Roman culture.  This Renaissance style emphasised symmetry, proportion, geometry & regularity as they are demonstrated in the architecture of classical antiquity, in particular ancient Roman architecture, of which many examples remained.

 

Michelangelo (his lonely fearful wrestlings):

At age 13 Michelangelo turned his back on his father’s wishes, to become a businessmen; instead he entered the world of art, a labour’s profession.  This defiance created a distance between the 2 men that would haunt the artist throughout his life. Within this conflict we see Michelangelo the artist &, more importantly, the man.  Despite his intellectual and artistic accomplishments, Michelangelo’s life was punctuated by intense conflict.  Already as a young student he suffered conflict between his attraction to the male form & his deep faith.  In his diary, he reflected on his first 2 sculptures, each a small bas-relief: "Already at 16, my mind was a battlefield: my love of pagan beauty, the male nude, at war with my religious faith. A polarity of themes and forms...one spiritual, the other earthly, I've kept these carvings on the walls of my studio to this very day."  He also suffered political estrangement, for while his first patron was a Medici, his first allegiance was to his home Florence.  When Medici dynastic ambitions threatened Florence, Michelangelo knew where his heart lay.  Aware of his own imperfection, he relentlessly pressed himself to exceed all expectations, yet too often his patrons failed to meet their obligations to him.  His temperament was not suited for patronage; he neither feared or respected those above him.  Leo X, Julius III, rich & powerful popes, were men he alienated, and yet they were too, his patrons!  Leo X was critical & confided to a friend: "Michelangelo is frightening...one cannot deal with him."  Michelangelo was seen as a self-absorbed and isolated contemplator.  Yet his feeling of self worthlessness meant he suffered helplessly in his personal relationships.  These feelings of inadequacy often led him to show overly repentant behaviour toward family, father, brothers and associates.  Despite a spectacular career he spent his last 4 decades searching for atonement. 

 

Michelangelo (and Laocoon):

Roman copy in marble of a Greek original (dated between 42-20 BC), original by 3 sculptors: Agesander, Athendoros & Polydorus; shows 3 people desperately struggling for their lives.  It is Hellenistic in style, it portrays a scene of action & emotion, it does not strive for the perfection, harmony & symmetry of the Classical period.   The expressions of pain on the faces are particularly notable.  Unearthed in 1506, it had a profound influence on Michelangelo.  He was present at the unearthing & as a friend of Julius II (who bought the sculpture) he was allowed to study it extensively.  The figures show movement but not movement reflecting great strength but rather desperation.  The emphasis on climax and emotion influenced him & moved him towards the Baroque mood & style.

and see above Michelangelo (and the Antique)

 

Goethe (Faust 2, the great Pan):

Spengler’s quote is taken from Act 1, Scene iii: a spacious hall with adjoining rooms. 

In this scene we find everything is prepared for the Lenten carnival.  A herald announces its start, & points out the differences between this affair, which will be in the Italian mode, and the typical Germanic festival.  The herald's explanation alludes to the differences between the Gothic, Part One and the Classical Part Two.  In the carnival numerous allegorical figures appear.  Most are drawn from Greek mythology, signifying the emphasis on Classical thought that will be maintained throughout much of Part Two.  This reinforces the herald’s first proclamation.

However Helen is not introduced until Act 1, scene vii: the hall of the knights, dimly lit.

The Emperor has asked Faust to bring Helen & Paris back from the dead and present them at court.  Now everyone moves to a dimly lit Gothic hall where Faust will present his mythological spectacle.  By magic Faust makes a Greek temple appear, then Paris and Helen are seen in the foreground. While the audience is too superficial to appreciate the classical ideals represented by Paris and Helen, but Faust sees in them the archetypes of human perfection.

 

Michelangelo (Sistine chapel fresco capturing Apollonian Soul): * see EndNote <E>

While the Sistine Chapel narrative is based on Biblical lines, it reflects the new taste for Antiquity & gratuitously included the pagan sibyls.  The Humanist doctrine that humanity is potentially noble & beautiful (reflecting a Greek ideal) is captured in the 343 figures on the ceiling.  These also reflect the artist’s interest in the human body.