Roma Caput Mundi::
Rome, head of the world. Through the rises and falls, Rome is a city that has managed to endure. And endurance that was re-invigorated by the deliberate invention of the Renaissance papacy, religion, humanistic scholars and money (Rowland 1, 2).
Poet Francesco Petrarca was inspired and passioned by the city of Rome- which at this time was a city of “ashes” in the mid 15th century. Influenced by his personal interests, he began to collect ancient Roman manuscripts. The past gave home a set of standards by which to measure the creations of the present (Rowland, 3). These revitalized standards began to once again encourage the arts and trade- eventually encouraging the blooming of Rome into an important commercial city. The residents of Rome lead by St Francis, believed that their work in restoring the city was an answer to the call of God (Rowland, 4). In the end, what was the true drive for the revitalization of Rome was money. Economic growth and the return of the Papacy made it
a place of employment (Rowland, 5)
“Rome provided a constant stream of pilgrims, drawn to the ancient sites where saints had
performed miracles or died in the faith. Many of these faithful visitors were desperately poor,
but many were not. They came, they worshiped, and they spent…” (Rowland, 2)
As the years turned into the next century, collaborations between the church, scholars, artists and entrepreneurs hurdled Rome’s economic standing. The popes began to invest large sums of money into revitalizing the city fueling its growth as the new Christian capital (Rowland, 6). Humanism played a huge role in the growth of Rome. The humanistic movement yielded a special sense of authority in a society rebuilt on religion. It became a way for talented men to improve their social status (Rowland, 7). This movement also encouraged the Vatican Library to become an important part of the city. The Vatican Library was what Pope Julius II based his whole rule of Rome around. He hired a humanistic speaker to speak publicly about the importance of learning to the preservation of civilization (Rowland, 12). It was the aim of Julian to persuade every visitor of Rome that Catholicism was the transcendent truth (Rowland, 12).
“In many respects, Julius II gave definitive shape to the Renaissance papacy, an institution
he supported with broad vision, close attention to finance and implacable resolve. He took
full advantage of the fact that his papal name evoked the memory of another holder of the
priestly title.. Julius Caesar.…” (Rowland, 11).
Unfortunately, the treasury that Pope Julius II worked so hard to fill was emptied by his successor, Pope Leo X, or Pope Terribile. The years under Pope Julius II were the last in which were driven by antiquity, arts and oratory. What encouraged Rome to grow and flourish- the Religion, money, humanism and the Papacy was coming to an end. But this time, the city remained standing.
“Rome had fallen to the Visigoths and Vandals, the expanding city made the barbarians’
conquest look less and less real; the destruction they had visited upon the city was at long
last disappearing under new construction. By 1600, the Eternal City, ever larger, ever
more beautiful, was well on its way to becoming gorgeous, irrefutable physical fact.”
(Rowland, 13).
Patronage and Popes: Saints or Sinners?
The Renaissance papacy was worldly in the sense that it was the largest, most complex international institution in Europe. It relied on the central Italy tax base as a financial foundation- directed towards the consolidation and growth of the Papal state through military actions (Patridge, 12, 13). Not only was the Renaissance church worldly- it was corrupt. Popes exaggerated and abused their power to appoint uneducated family members to high office positions and used church lands for personal propaganda. “Clerics of the church were often poorly educated, lax in their vows, and undisciplined” (Patridge, 13). Many Popes saw themselves as the new Christ figures. They maintained their diluted sense of power by controlling council committees.
Protestants in northern Europe eventually rejected the church- causing the biggest complication to the papal primacy. Believing that human kind was “justified by faith alone,” they eventually rejected the entire priesthood and considered the bible as their only authority (Patridge, 14). As a response to this challenge- the papacy encouraged the revival of the classic cultures. The rinascita (rebirth) which was the source of the word “renaissance” was introduced through the rebuilding of the ruins of Rome. Encouraged by the humanist mindset, the literary and artistic history of Rome was being re-discovered. Rome began to once again thrive on the foundation of the Papacy, humanism and the pilgrims who sought to visit such a richly religious ground (Patridge, 15).
“It was the papacy that led the church through the slow and painful process of reform…
The inquisition, reestablished in 1542, enforced orthodoxy and the Index, founded in
1571, suppressed Protestant ideas by banning heretical books. The proper education of
priests and effective ministering to the laity became high papal priorities (Patridge, 16).
With the goal of re-Christianizing the world, for the second coming of Christ, the orders were required to follow strict obedience and adherence to vows in order to restore a renewal of religion, learning, peace and prosperity.
Response:
In these readings- I was captivated by the entirely human portion of the readings. It is indisputable that the Roman Renaissance reflects Rome at both some of its highest and lowest points. To me, growth and destruction is an indisputable part of western civilization. I think it is simply human to grow to comfortable- and every once in a while we need that reminder and need to “reset”. I see this parallel in both the readings from Patridge and Rowland. The Roman papacy became corrupt, driven by greed and selfish worldly desires. The same goes for the great city of Rome, what once was a powerful epicenter for civilization crumbled under its own reins; it too, needed to be rebuilt. The idea of the Renaissance- a word that is derived from the root “rebirth” encapsulates this idea beautifully. The rebirth of a historically rich city was fueled by the renewed vigor of the Catholic church.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Flight of Mind- Take II, Page 209-247
Pages 209-247
The First Notebooks
The earliest- intact- notebooks from Leonardo date back to the mid 1480’s. Scribblings and writings of his are known to exist from before this time- but it was at this point that he began habitually keeping his collected thoughts in books. The oldest known notebook is most likely Paris MS B in which the subject matter is imaginative and diverse- a trademark of Leonardo’s various pursuits and interests (Nicholl 209). Architecture, maps, personal notes (like funding information and mailing addresses of models) and futuristic military technology are organized and scribbled on each page.
MS B has the first detailed designs for Leonardo’s flying machine- the ornithopter. It is essentially an
aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designed specifically to imitate the flight of birds, it differs from the helicopter that initiates flight by a helix movement. He explores the ideas of the helicopter in a later entry. “The screw will find its female in the air and will climb upward.” he writes (Nicholl 212).
The drawings are thorough, have operation instructions, material lists and mathematical requirements. They are the written account of ways, means, and theory.
I am unsure as to if any of these blue prints ever made it off of paper- but it is interesting to think of how these ideas may have been received at this time. The words extraterrestrial and sci-fi were used by Nicholl to describe such inventions. I feel like so much of his pursuits were a little forward for the masses to accept.
Leonardo’s notebooks also include a large amount of puns and word games collectively called rebuses (this particular example anyway). The purpose of the rebus was to avoid the use of words, by using pictures (a visual code), linguistic interpretations, and double meanings (Nicholl 218).
Nicholl sees these drawings- along with poems, other puns and recorded jokes as a means to color Leonardo’s personality. That these jests were means to entertain himself, and less so in the conventional means of entertaining others, or making them laugh.
If I were to interject with my own opinion- from what I know- I would agree that Leonardo may have internalized a lot of his thoughts and conversations. The more I read, the more I feel as though his notebooks became someone to talk to. A place to write his thoughts- and maybe by putting them down, they talked back to him.
The Moor’s Mistress
Lady with an Ermine (1483-1490) Oil on Panel.
We discussed the history of Cecilia and the background of her portrait in class. This painting has always been one of my favorites. Ill simply re-cap my favorite parts.
Cecelia, became Ludovico’s courtesan sometime around 1487. As Nicholl eloquently puts it, “…it was not until 1490 that we have incontrovertible evidence of the liaison in the time-honored form of pregnancy.” While pregnant with Ludovico’s child, he marries the Daughter of the Duke of Ferra, Beatrice- for political reasons. According to Nicholl, it is rumored through other sources that Beatrice refused to consummate the marriage while Ludovico continued to pursue Cecilia (Nicholl, 228).
The Painting was “painted on the backdrop of sex, gossip and poetry,”- for the appreciation of her lover (Nicholl, 229). Nicholl uses this as a foundation to compare Lady with an Ermine to Ginevra de’ Benci- both aesthetically and in meaning. The attentiveness of the subject, the ¾ view, and the gaze outside of frame parallel to each other physically. Subject wise, the idea that resonates in both of the paintings overall was to capture a “kind of love object.”
Nicholls interpretation of the Ermine was particularly interesting to me, “The ermine, because of its temperance… will rather let itself be taken by hunters than take refuge in a muddy den, in order not to stain its purity.” (Nicholl, 229). Leonardo was very clever to take the character of an animal, and to place it in the portrait of Cecilia in place of her paramour- who in context- wouldn’t muddy his shoes to marry his real lover from a lower social standing. I wonder if he ever caught onto the fact that the artist paralleled him to such a creature- a natural predator (as Nicholl puts it). Sometimes I feel we can over think paintings- especially in an art setting where everyone aims to dissect and interpret. I don’t think it is possible for us to overanalyze Leonardo’s paintings, drawings, poems. I am just getting this sense of a man whose mind never quit working. Someone who could find meaning and natural pattern in everything, and that if he wasn’t- he wasn’t seeing it right.
The Anatomist
Thanks to Leonardo’s notebooks, we have a written record of his first interests in anatomy- during the late 1480’s. He made such profound achievements in this area that it is debated as to whether this was his greatest- most significant achievement. In 1489 at the age of 36, He began mapping and documenting the human body more in depth and ever before.
"The manuscripts are a map of Leonardo's mind. They contain everything from the briefest half-sentence or squiggled calculation to fully worked-out scientific treatises and literary exercises. Their subject matter ranges from anatomy to zoology... The great lesson of the manuscripts is that everything is to be questioned, investigated, peered into, worried away at, brought back to first principles." (Nicholl, 7)
The First Notebooks
The earliest- intact- notebooks from Leonardo date back to the mid 1480’s. Scribblings and writings of his are known to exist from before this time- but it was at this point that he began habitually keeping his collected thoughts in books. The oldest known notebook is most likely Paris MS B in which the subject matter is imaginative and diverse- a trademark of Leonardo’s various pursuits and interests (Nicholl 209). Architecture, maps, personal notes (like funding information and mailing addresses of models) and futuristic military technology are organized and scribbled on each page.
MS B has the first detailed designs for Leonardo’s flying machine- the ornithopter. It is essentially an
aircraft that flies by flapping its wings. Designed specifically to imitate the flight of birds, it differs from the helicopter that initiates flight by a helix movement. He explores the ideas of the helicopter in a later entry. “The screw will find its female in the air and will climb upward.” he writes (Nicholl 212).
The ornithopter- Flying-machine. Designs from paris MS B Showing horizontal and Vertical version.
I am unsure as to if any of these blue prints ever made it off of paper- but it is interesting to think of how these ideas may have been received at this time. The words extraterrestrial and sci-fi were used by Nicholl to describe such inventions. I feel like so much of his pursuits were a little forward for the masses to accept.
Leonardo’s notebooks also include a large amount of puns and word games collectively called rebuses (this particular example anyway). The purpose of the rebus was to avoid the use of words, by using pictures (a visual code), linguistic interpretations, and double meanings (Nicholl 218).
An example of a Rebus- in which sometimes a single picture or a collection of pictures represented a word- it was a means of mapping out ideas. Each rebus had a solution and a key to help guide to the correct answer (Nicholl 218).
. Nicholl sees these drawings- along with poems, other puns and recorded jokes as a means to color Leonardo’s personality. That these jests were means to entertain himself, and less so in the conventional means of entertaining others, or making them laugh.
If I were to interject with my own opinion- from what I know- I would agree that Leonardo may have internalized a lot of his thoughts and conversations. The more I read, the more I feel as though his notebooks became someone to talk to. A place to write his thoughts- and maybe by putting them down, they talked back to him.
The Moor’s Mistress
Cecelia, became Ludovico’s courtesan sometime around 1487. As Nicholl eloquently puts it, “…it was not until 1490 that we have incontrovertible evidence of the liaison in the time-honored form of pregnancy.” While pregnant with Ludovico’s child, he marries the Daughter of the Duke of Ferra, Beatrice- for political reasons. According to Nicholl, it is rumored through other sources that Beatrice refused to consummate the marriage while Ludovico continued to pursue Cecilia (Nicholl, 228).
The Painting was “painted on the backdrop of sex, gossip and poetry,”- for the appreciation of her lover (Nicholl, 229). Nicholl uses this as a foundation to compare Lady with an Ermine to Ginevra de’ Benci- both aesthetically and in meaning. The attentiveness of the subject, the ¾ view, and the gaze outside of frame parallel to each other physically. Subject wise, the idea that resonates in both of the paintings overall was to capture a “kind of love object.”
Nicholls interpretation of the Ermine was particularly interesting to me, “The ermine, because of its temperance… will rather let itself be taken by hunters than take refuge in a muddy den, in order not to stain its purity.” (Nicholl, 229). Leonardo was very clever to take the character of an animal, and to place it in the portrait of Cecilia in place of her paramour- who in context- wouldn’t muddy his shoes to marry his real lover from a lower social standing. I wonder if he ever caught onto the fact that the artist paralleled him to such a creature- a natural predator (as Nicholl puts it). Sometimes I feel we can over think paintings- especially in an art setting where everyone aims to dissect and interpret. I don’t think it is possible for us to overanalyze Leonardo’s paintings, drawings, poems. I am just getting this sense of a man whose mind never quit working. Someone who could find meaning and natural pattern in everything, and that if he wasn’t- he wasn’t seeing it right.
The Anatomist
Thanks to Leonardo’s notebooks, we have a written record of his first interests in anatomy- during the late 1480’s. He made such profound achievements in this area that it is debated as to whether this was his greatest- most significant achievement. In 1489 at the age of 36, He began mapping and documenting the human body more in depth and ever before.
“The orthodox felt that anatomy was a curiosity too far: man was made in God’s image, and should not be stripped down like a piece of machinery… There is a certain dogged courage in these investigations, which were beset by taboos and doctrinal doubts, and which depended on the stressful and repulsive procedures of post-modem examination in pre-refrigeration circumstances…” (Nicholl, 240).
Part of his in depth study of the human figure, in addition to an in-depth study of the scull, body systems, the paths of arteries and veins, muscle groups, the controls of motion and the most famous of all these studies- the proportions of man. The Virtruvian Man is a drawing that tabulates the proportions of the human body- in relation to other parts and measured in palms and fingers (Nicholl, 247).
The real big questions posed about the Virtruvian man is as to whether of not it is actually a self portrait of Leonardo. An ideal muscular figure- possibly better aged than 36 with perfectly symmetrical features and stern expression suggests to some that it is more than a picture of someone. Could it actually be one of the few portraits of the man we rip apart the words of his notebooks to so eagerly learn about.
The Virtruvian Man
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Flights of Mind
"The manuscripts are a map of Leonardo's mind. They contain everything from the briefest half-sentence or squiggled calculation to fully worked-out scientific treatises and literary exercises. Their subject matter ranges from anatomy to zoology... The great lesson of the manuscripts is that everything is to be questioned, investigated, peered into, worried away at, brought back to first principles." (Nicholl, 7)
What I got from Flights of the Mind, were essentially theories and insights into discovering the real Leonardo. By exploring signature works he attempts to encode both his lifestyle and attitude. Nicholl does not channel his energies into overt psychological analysis (leaving that to Freud- which I find terribly interesting and what I briefly tip toed into in my previous blog) or an over-interpretation of his works of art. Instead he painstakingly reads and attempts to decode every written word in Leonardo's journals. He attempts to illustrate who Leonardo was- as a real person, as compared to the "almighty" image that he carries with him today. Decoding "mental events," jokes, doodles, snatches of poetry, drafts and letters, household accounts, recipes, shopping lists, bank statements, names and addresses of modes, etc... (Nicholl, 4)
Leonardo was essentially abandoned by his father, withheld from his mother, and raised by an artistic master, who we assume, resigned himself to painting as a result of his apprentices innate artistic abilities (Nicholl, 20). I guess what I find so interesting about all of this is how Leonardo's life formed him into the brilliant mind that he became. It was the workings of that mind that made him such an important presence in the renaissance and still today. What would we have of his mind if it weren't for his notebooks? I am an art student. Every year my instructors press the importance of writing in a journal- everyday. Writing, drawing, collecting, thinking on paper, anything... How we can learn so much from ourselves about ourselves by simply reliving these seemingly meaningless moments in time. How even the most simple fluctuation in handwriting can tell us so much about ourselves.
What I feel the intent of this book is to aid in finding the answer as to why an artist with so many unfinished pieces can retain such a eminence amongst the ranks the great "masters" of the world- and find himself at the top of a list of the greatest artists of all time. Is there really need to find the answer? Maybe there is no reason. Maybe he is so intriguing to us simply for the fact that he was most certainly a man ahead of his time and we feel we are missing out on what he never got down on paper. A man with too many ideas for his mind to contain. His notebooks were an extension of himself, the drawing board for growth, invention, and a new perspective to life, both his own and mankind's. Today, we study his mind through his scribbles, his jokes, his recipes, and the simple fluctuations of his hand. Would we still regard him as one of the greatest if he had never written anything down? Would we be so interested in him if he had given us everything- all the answers and nothing to search for?
Also- to whoever checked the reserve book out on Thursday and did not turn it in on time- It would be great if you would share it next time. I am giving up after waiting for it for three hours past due- and still counting... I did the best I could with the Amazon.com free preview of the book. Unfortunately lots of material was omitted. I did the best I could with what I could.
Also- to whoever checked the reserve book out on Thursday and did not turn it in on time- It would be great if you would share it next time. I am giving up after waiting for it for three hours past due- and still counting... I did the best I could with the Amazon.com free preview of the book. Unfortunately lots of material was omitted. I did the best I could with what I could.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
I am not sure what I am doing....
Nope, not a clue. Nor do I know what type of content is expected from the blogs- probably a question I should have asked on Monday- but ill give it a shot.
A response to Mondays lecture and Humanism reading (9/9/2013)
I don’t really have anything interesting to add to Monday’s lecture, nor any questions aside from figuring out this whole blog thing, but I do have a response for what I found to be interesting from Monday. The most interesting part of class, for me, was the documentary on Leonardo. Not only was it delightfully outdated, it had a dry humor about it that helped hold my attention and made me want to see more. I was genuinely disappointed when 9 o'clock hit. I never had a prior opportunity to learn about the life of Leonardo- but it should be of no surprise that an such a brilliant mind did not come from an orthodox upbringing. I had no idea that he was taken from his mother simply because of her social standing and raised as if he was inferior to the rest of the family for that same reason. He was eventually pawned off onto a master artist- as if it was an inconvenience to his family. I guess it baffles me why he wasnt just left for his mother, and unclaimed by his father. It is interesting to think of “what could have been” had he been more included in his family’s interests. But of course it was the cold shoulder from his family and his opportunity under Verrocchio, his mastery artist, that helped make him into the brilliant mind that we still study about today.
According to the readings by Martines, Humanism was an intellectual movement that was not for the masses, but instead intended for the upper, ruling classes. The basic training of the humanist was rooted in speaking and writing well. It emphasized the value of continued growth in human beings, individually and collectively. What struck me most about the reading was how focused it was on the social class as an intended target. I interpreted the reading that humanism was something that even within the elite- upper, ruling class, only the lucky ones within that group would move on to study it. I thought it was interesting also that the movement began to encourage looking into classical, pre-Christian sources for learning and studies. It is what I feel is a transition of focus from church to the sciences. It is interesting to me to think of how very alive this movement is in todays times.
I apologize for my grammar and spelling- its not my strongest quality.
At least I tried..
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