Renaissance Video Reviews

The Drawings of Michelangelo
I chose this video because I have always been impressed by Michelangelo's works, especially the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo would draw from the core of the body and then contour out
Born in 1475
Sketches were used to get rough idea of placement of figures and space and used cross-hatching to give figures mass
David-13 ft. The first colossal sculpture to be carved in Italy since antiquity. Political symbol-republic's resistance to return of Medici family
Details of life combined with abstract views-not entirely natural. Worked the body to try to achieve perfection
Began Sistine Chapel in 1508
Passionate about beauty of male form
Michelangelo was also deeply religious
Last Judgment is a reflection of Michelangelo's realization of his mortality

La Primavera
I chose this video because I have always admired the beauty of this work but I did not know what the figures represneted and I wanted to learn more about it.
Large scale-10 ft
9 Classical figures shown-Venus, Cupid, 3 graces, Mercury, Zephyr, Chloris, Flora-Chlorus becomes Flora after being raped by Zephyr. Zephyr'a guilt later makes him take Flora as his bride.
500 individual flowers
Botticelli born around 1444
depiction of movement in the female forms
idealized version of figures
Venus and Cupid are reinterpretations of the Virgin Mary and Jesus
use of egg tempera in paint helps create translucency
flowers are symbolic of love and marriage

Albrecht Durer
I chose this video because I did not know much about this artist and wanted to learn about him.
1471-1528
Introduced Germany to Renaissance art
gifted at portraits-represented people in real (not idealized) form-attention to the process of aging
First true landscape artist in Europe-grasped the mood of landscape
Narcissistic
Searched for perfect form
Learned many techniques in Italy
Many works inspired by Protestant Reformation

Velazquez
I chose this video because I did not know anything about this artist.
1599-1660
Private painter to King Phillip IV
Took mythological figures but portrayed them so it appeared as if it was just occuring
concerned with nature not order
Painted the truth but makes viewer see the hidden beauty in his subjects

3. The videos relate to the readings because they discuss Renaissance artists and the importance of the Renaissance in terms of artistic technique.

4. I found the videos very helpful in better understanding the terms of Humanism, Neo-Platoism and Idealism.