Keeping with the Renaissance theme of my past couple of art analyses, I am going to discuss the Pazzi Chapel, a building commissioned by the powerful Pazzi family that resided in Florence (similar to how the Medici commissioned the Palazzo Medici Riccadi). The building, designed by the erudite and prolific Filippo Brunelleschi, is inside the cloisters of Santa Croce, a cathedral in Florence with a Gothic Italian façade (i.e. marble encrustacean, horizontal thrust, wood timbered ceiling). I visited Santa Croce three years ago and actually stood outside the Pazzi Chapel, but alas, my family and I did not go in. The Chapel was supposed to be a learning area for the monks of Santa Croce, and it was also a burial place for the Pazzi family members. Although the Pazzi paid for the Chapel because of “altruistic” motives (to help the Church), they really wanted to show their power, wealth, and status. Influential families harbored rivalries with one another, as each tried to dominate Florentine politics and daily life. In this case, the Pazzi and Medici were enormous rivals, and members of the Pazzi family even tried to murder Lorenzo de Medici.

      The Renaissance was characterized by a new interest in Greek and Roman ideals, humanism (focus on the individual), and Neo-Platonism (combining Christianity with classical logic). The early Renaissance (which lasted from 1400-1492), flourished in Florence with famous artists such as Donatello, Masaccio, and Verrocchio. The most famous architect was Brunelleschi, the genius who was also an oddity; he designed the Hospital of the Innocence, the Duomo of Florence (where he is buried), and the Pazzi Chapel. Most importantly, he invented (or more likely, rediscovered) the principles of perspective, a way of transferring three dimensional objects onto two dimensional surfaces. Perspective had likely been utilized by the Ancient Romans (i.e. in the Boscoreale: Frescoes from the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor in the Metropolican Museum in New York City), but through the course of the middle ages, the specifics were lost. Going off on a tangent, I would like to look at several Roman frescoes because they demonstrate technical virtuosity and visual pleasure. The first is a nature scene from the Villa of Livia. The cool blues and green, perspective in the fading trees and vegetation, and the fence that separates the earthly visitor from the idyllic paradise are executed with the utmost skill. Wall painting in Rome went through four distinct phases, mirroring the tastes of the upper class (patricians) of Rome. The first style was frescos imitating marble, the second was fantasy/nature/walls that mimicked real buildings, the third style was decorative or “ornamental”, flat architecture painted onto the surface of the walls, and the fourth style was a combination of all the previous styles. Brunelleschi rediscovered all these ancient principles and brought them into the “modern” age.

Garden Fresco from Villa of Livia http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rom-Villa-Livia.jpg

Santa Croce (Pazzi Chapel in center right)

       As for the façade of the Chapel, it imitates that of a Roman triumphal arch (i.e. Arch of Constantine, Titus, Septimius Severus, etc) to evoke classical principles and to bring power/glory to the powerful republic of Florence. Watch my video on Sant’ Andrea, a Church in Mantua that also borrows the triumphal arch façade. The Corinthian columns, prominent barrel vault, and triangular gable on top of the entrance are all extremely lovely and classical. I am also enamored with the small dome that rises up from the center of the Chapel; the circular windows and lantern are unique in that natural light is allowed to permeate the sacred space. The interior has cool gray and white tones that hint at the use of pietra serena, a popular stone building material during the 15th century. This sandstone was quarried in the Tuscan region and means “serene stone” in Italian (gray is a tranquil color?). The terracotta circular roundels containing Christian imagery were created by the well-known Della Robbia family. The gray pilasters (columns that are attached to the walls) are interesting because they have a flat, almost modern look to them. Many geometric shapes (the circle, square, and triangle) are also repeated numerously in this design because they are ideal, neo-platonic shapes. The circle symbolized completeness and perfection (i.e. think of the Pantheon in Rome and the perfect sphere that it enclosed). The interior also continues the theme of the classical arch with plastered semi-circles and barrel vaults on the arms of the Chapel. Overall, although the Pazzi family is not nearly as famous as the omnipresent Medici, this amazing gem of Renaissance thinking will continue to inspire architects and art history nerds like me for centuries to come.

Interior of Pazzi Chapel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazzi_Chapel

Sources:
My AP Art History course
http://thouarthistory.blogspot.com/2009/04/four-styles-of-roman-wall-paintings.html

       But how does this discussion of the ubiquitous relate to Byzantine icons gilded in gold, bronze, and copper? To begin, icons are representation of saints or other important Christian figures that stand for specific qualities/attributes. One doesn't worship the image as an idol, but prays to it in order to help the individual through a difficult time. For example, a soldier in war would pray for aid and comfort to an image of St. Maurice, the patron saint of soldiers. Byzantine icons, made from the 6th century to the 14th century, are flat, two dimensional, and highly stylized. The figures have no depth and hover passively in an untouchable golden heaven. Although the faces (as on Jesus or Mary) may have subtle modeling (light/dark areas to suggest fullness), the eyes, mouth, and hair are generally uniform and abstracted. However, in the Middle Ages, the fact that Mary and Jesus (represented as a stylized old man to show wisdom) weren't realistic didn't concern the common peasant or priest. 

Hello everyone. I just wanted to let you know that I wrote an article about amazing places to visit in Italy for Cush Travel (www.cushtravel.com). This neat website has a travel blog and hotel booking directory--check it out! The article I wrote for them can be found here.