THE RENAISSANCE MEN

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• There were hundreds of talented artists
during the Italian Renaissance
• However, 4 of them stood out above all
• They were:
• Donatello
• Raphael
• Michelangelo
• Leonardo
• These men did a lot of amazing work but
this will highlight their main achievements.
DONATELLO BARDI

• Lived from 1386-1466

• First of the Renaissance artists
• His famous work is his
sculpture of David
 David

• Shows David after killing

Goliath.
RAPHAEL SANZIO • Born 1483, in Italian city of Urbino.
• Father was a court painter, so he followed in
his footsteps.
• Gain a wide education in the arts, literature,
and social skills. Allowing him to move
easily amongst higher society circles,
gaining more commissions.
• Was called the “Painter of the Madonna”
• Had one of the largest art schools in Rome,
due to his talent and passion.
• Died at 37 and thousands attended his
funeral.
THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS
• Depiction of Philosophy
thinkers from all fields and
times, having discussions.

• Contains scholars such as

Plato and Aristotle.

• Shows that true

Renaissance Men are
educated in many different
fields.
MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI

• Born in Tuscany, Italy,

1475
• Showed talent in sculpture
from an early age.
• Believed that he could see
what the sculpture looked
like before he started.
• Died at 89, wealthy Artist.
Training • Age 10 started school in Florence.
Father Beat him for drawing and
neglecting school work.

• He was difficult to deal with, as a

youth he taunted a fellow student for
his lack of sculpting skills and the
student broke his nose

• Age 17 mastered anatomy by

studying anatomical bodies at the
local morgue.
Pieta • Pietà = Virgin Mary
holding and mourning
dead Christ
• Made by Michelangelo
when he was 24
• Attacked by a man in
1972
• Only major work that has
Michelangelo’s signature
on it (on the strap across
her chest)
Latin for
“Michelangelo
Buonarroti
Made This”
David
• In 1501, the city of Florence
commissioned the work called “The
Giant”

• Created “David” from a crooked block of

marble abandon from other projects.

• Third sculptor, in 40 years, tasked with

working with the stone.

• The artist chose to depict David not after

victory, but at the moment he chose to
fight Goliath.
• the height of David
reaches over 13 feet
tall.

• Contrapposto or a
weight shift is also
apparent in this
sculpture.

• Was damaged by a man

in 1991, claiming a rival
of Michelangelo’s told
him to do it.
Exterior of Sistine
Chapel
Sistine Chapel Ceiling
• Pope Julius II gave the reluctant
Michelangelo the commission to
paint the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel.

• He faced enormous difficulties:

relative inexperience in fresco
technique, large dimensions,
height above pavement, and
perspective.

• Took 4 years to complete

• Michelangelo spread a colossal

decorative theme with over 300
figures.
The Creation of Adam
 Leonardo da Vinci
•Born in Vinci, Italy, April 15, 1452
•Father was a noble and mother was a
peasant, so they could not marry. He lived
with his father, because of his status.
•His parents did however kept having
children although they were not married.(17
total half sister and brothers)
•At 15 he moved to Florence to apprentice,
Andrea del Verrochio.
•Believed that science and art should work
together to create a realistic view of the
world
 LEONARDO COULD DO MANY
THINGS…
• Mathematician
• Scientist
A. Inventor
B. Human Anatomy
C. Botany (study of plants)
D. Astronomy
E. Zoology (study of mammals)
F. Geologist
G. Hydraulic Engineer
• Musician
• Artist
• Because da Vinci was a SECRET
sought after genius. His WRITING
work was at risk of being
stolen.
• Created a writing style
called “Mirror Writing”,
writing from right to left.
• You had to use a mirror to
read the words.
• He also could write
backwards with one hand
Leonardo’s Signature in a notebook
while drawing with the
other.
Excerpts from da Vinci’s Notebook
Excerpts from da Vinci’s Notebook
Mona Lisa
 Why is she so famous?
•Her smile seems to grow as you stare at it. Famous half-
smile

•Her eyes follow around the room, no matter where you

stand.

•Her entire expression makes her look like she knows a

secret about you. She can see deep into your soul.

•He started it by painting the merchant’s wife as she modeled

for him, then took it to France with him when he moved.
Never gave it to the merchant who commissioned it. Lived
close to the King of France, told him he could have it when he
died…King hung it in his bedroom …..now hangs in the
Louvre in Paris.

•Is the MOST famous painted portrait in the world today!

MYSTERY OF THE MONA LISA
• He recorded in his notebooks the
records of model sittings.
• No records of the Mona Lisa
model sitting were anywhere to be
found.
• Theories are that Leonardo
painted himself,
• This is supported by analyzing the
facial features of Leonardo’s face
and that of the famous painting
• If the features of the face were
placed on top of each other, and
flipped, they would align perfectly
Portrait of Mona
Lisa Giaconda OR
Self-Portrait of Da
Vinci?
“The Last Supper”
• The painting depicts Jesus’ last supper
with his 12 Apostles at the moment
Jesus reveals to them that one of them
will betray him
• What is the reaction of his Apostles?
• Which person is Judas?
• Leonardo had to use fresco based
plaster which accounts for the poor
condition of the original.
• Uses linear perspective to make Jesus
the most important character.
Star Wars
Battlestar Galactica
Vik Muniz’s Last Supper made from
Chocolate
Taco Bell
Kendrick Lamar, Humble video