Patronage
I suppose it's time we gave some serious thought to preparing in a structured way for the AS History of Art exams this year. For those of you who are still contemplating sitting the exams, or those of you who are still not sure, I think it's best if, over the next few weeks, we take a look at some of the big themes that you will need to be aware of. One of the trickiest to get your heads around is Patronage. Fortunately, the excellent Smart History site has a great resource which uses Voice Thread to present a discussion of the story of the relationship between the city of Florence and the subject of David (the biblical prophet who was responsible for defeating Goliath and the Philistine army). This story centres of the artists Donatello and Michelangelo and takes in the shifts in context and meaning relating to a variety of representations of David over many years, beginning with the Florentine republic and including the possibly the most famous of all patrons, the Medici family.
I'd like you to listen carefully to the discussion on this Voice Thread and make some notes on the key points. By the end you should have a pretty good grasp of some of the key issues related to the theme of patronage. I would then like you to research another famous work of art and think about how issues of patronage contribute to our art historical understanding of it. Please include your observations here in the form of a comment or post.
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After listening to the extracts about the Patronage surrounding various sculptures of David, by the Medici family, i decided to look the Basilica Of San Lorenzo in Florence. Firstly because they were heavily involved in the initial Patronage of the building, but most of the art inside too.
The Chapel is believed to be the oldest religious building in Florence, first consecrated in 393. After a few re-consecrations, in 1419, Giovani de Bicci de'Medici financed a replacement church of the then current Romanesque church. The architect, Filippo Brunelleschi was one fo the first Renaissance architects and initially designed it, however it was not completed in his lifetime. Scholars argue over who finished it.
The reason why i chose this building was because it was considered the Medici's Parish, they not only commissioned the main church and art, but also The Chapel Of The Princes and The Medici Chapel. (Of which was dedicated to St John the Evangelist and was considered "one of the most complex masterpieces of renaissance architecture" due to the fact it had a cube base and a dome roof. ) This forced the city, which was once a republic before the Medici's presence and eventual rule, to be reminded of their power, wealth and almost self inflicted omnipresence. They idealize themselves into God-like creatures by funding a beautiful building with crypts for only their family, naming where they bury the dukes of the family "The Chapel Of The Princes". The patronage of the family is disguised as an act to benefit Florence and the Florentines, by providing them with a new, beautiful church, but they do it in such a manor as to display how important they are to be considered, how they are (in their opinion) saviors.
This type of self satisfied attitude towards the Florentines is what essentially lead to their downfall. I think at the time, this may have tainted the city's view of architecture and art of the building, however today the beauty is what is primarily considered and the story of the patronage almost makes it more interesting. The Florentines seem proud of the building and the grandeur and extravagance is no longer personal to the Medici, it belongs to the city.
Well done Flo. How about choosing something closer to home? The Queen's House in Greenwich or The Wilton Diptych in the National Gallery or the Sainsbury Wing where it's on display (I think?) Have a think about what motivates patrons to fund works of art - there may be many reasons. Have these motivations changed over time? What kind of relationship did artists have with patrons before (and even during) the Renaissance? How have patrons changed since the Catholic Church stopped being the main source of income for artist/craftsmen? Who funds art these days and why? Who owns the contents of the National Gallery? What is the function of a private collector like Charles Saatchi? In the exam, you'll need to be able to think around some of these big themes like patronage and have a few examples up your sleeve. San Lorenzo is a very impressive building (as are most of Brunelleschi's Florentine projects).
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