Florence: The Cradle of the Renaissance

FlorenceHome to some

of the greatest artists and thinkers during the Renaissance

Cultural center of Europe

LocationLocated on the Arno River

◦Center of trade and commerce Center of woolen-cloth trade Center of Banking

Drew travelers from all around the world◦Came to do business, study art, or to learn

Visitors brought new ideas, goods, and technologies◦These enlivened the city

Cultural ActivityDominated by the Medici

family◦ Made wealth through

banking

Could afford to be patrons◦ Michelangelo lived in the

Medici house

Learned from one another◦ Sometimes competed with

each other

Advances in ArchitectureInfluenced by Greek and Roman

ruinsMany families built palazzis

◦Stores on the ground floor and homes above

Public spaces influenced by humanism

Greatest feat is the cathedral, Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore

Advances in Painting and SculpturePerspective

◦ Used to create depth in the painting

◦ Size of objects showed distance

◦ Created as lines converged in the middle of a painting

Shading created 3-D figures

Used geometry and science

Had oil-based paint

Sculptures were free standing

Showed realism

Painting Sculpture