Unlock with PatreonArt History Lecture
Sculpture in Florence
w/ Tom Richards
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Originally presented to the sculpture students at the FAA Florence campus, this lecture explores the history of sculpture in Florence, the city at the heart of the Renaissance and the main home for the academy since its founding by Daniel Graves in 1991.
An art form that has long held a role of importance and respect in the city, sculptures are found almost everywhere one looks in the historic city of Florence; as decorative elements, an integral piece to the design of a building’s facade and even as a featured or standalone artwork. In this lecture Tom explains the influence of Florentine sculpture throughout the world and takes us through several well known examples that are able to be found in museums and churches in Florence. While Tom focuses on the elements of design, we are given insightful historical context for the works; tying together the physical nature of the sculptures in space with specific choices and the circumstances behind them that the artist made. Examples include the famous competition for the Baptistery doors at the turn of the fifteenth century and the artistic influences behind the “speaking likeness” in busts by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
We hope you thoroughly enjoy this lecture, featuring artworks by artists such as Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, 1386-1466), Michelangelo (Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, 1475-1564), Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), and exploring spaces such as The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo and The Bargello National Museum in Florence.
Click below for the list of the selected lecture slides in order!
- Museo di Palazzo Grimani, Venice, Italy.
- “Crucifix” by Giotto di Bondone, Basilica of Our Lady, Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy.
- North Doors of the Florence Baptistery by Lorenzo Ghiberti (Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Italy, Florence, Italy)
- “Crouching Aphrodite”, Roman variant of the Imperial Era after a Hellenistic type, 2nd century AD, Naples Archaeological Museum.
- “Kongōrikishi” by anonymous sculptor 1288, Kōfuku-ji, Nara, Japan.
- The Weston Cast Court, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, UK.
- “Annunciation Cavalcanti” by Donatello (original in the Basilica of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy)
- Ivory relief sculptures in the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
- “Battle of the Centaurs” by Michelangelo, Casa Buonarroti, Florence, Italy.
- “Pitti Tondo” by Michelangelo in the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
- “Atlas Slave” by Michelangelo in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy.
- “The Deposition” (The Florentine Pietà) c. 1547–1555 by Michelangelo at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Florence, Italy.
- “Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata” (detail) by Giotto, Louvre, Paris, France.
- “Madonna Panciatichi” by Desiderio da Settignano in the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
- Sant’Anna dei Lombardi church in Naples, Italy.
- Baptistery door competition entries by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi.
- Drawings by Ghiberti.
- “San Matteo” by Ghiberti at Museo di Orsanmichele, Florence, Italy.
- “David”, bronze by Donatello at the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
- “David” (1473–1475), bronze by Andrea del Verrocchio at the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
- “Penitent Magdalene” by Donatello at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Florence, Italy.
- “Penitent Magdalene” by Desiderio da Settignano at the Chiesa di Santa Trinita, Florence, Italy.
- “Saint George”, marble by Donatello at the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
- “Lady with a Bouquet” by Andrea del Verrocchio at the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
- “Bust of Costanza Bonarelli” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
- “Bust of Pietro Mellini” by Benedetto da Maiano at the Bargello National Museum, Florence, Italy.
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