HumanitasA Contemporary Renaissance

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Bartosz Skiba, David Kluszczynski, Jay Rao

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ArchitecturePass Foyer

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Saint Peter’s BasilicaPass Foyer

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St. Peter's Basilica was constructed because Emperor Constantine around 320 AD decided to erect it in the area where Saint Peter had been martyred. Rafael (with the contribution of experts such as Fra Giocondo and Giuliano Da Sangallo) took over the guidance of the works, and proposed a Latin cross plan. Rafael was succeeded by Baldassarre Peruzzi first and Michelangelo later, who instead chose a return to the Greek cross. Pope Paolo V, however, imposed the Latin cross structure, which was realized by Maderno who took care as well of the façade as we see it today. The St Peter's Basilica was consecrated in 1626. The plan of the dome belonged to Michelangelo who managed to finish only the portion of the dome basement called Tamburo. Afterwards, the design was built exactly to his standards, though.

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Florence Cathedral’s DomePass Foyer

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Santa Maria el Florence is a cathedral located in Florence, Italy. Florence in the year 1296 began to build a glorious cathedral, designing it with space for a huge dome. However, no one knew how to build such a dome until Filippo Brunelleschi who was born in 1377 decided to take control. The dome is the largest masonry dome ever built, and used several innovative techniques. Brunelleschi decided to build without scaffolding in such a way it supported itself as it progressed. But even today Brunelleschi's Dome is the tallest building in Florence, over 600 years after it was built.

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Miracle Of Christ Healing The BlindPass Foyer

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One of the many iconic Renaissance paintings is “The Miracle of Christ Healing the Blind,” by El Greco (Born Domenikos Theotokipolous). This magnificent piece is 47 by 57 and a half inches long. It is one of the larger paintings composed by El Greco. To continue it was made of oil paints. This painting itself falls into the genre of religious paintings. This piece specifically revolves around Mark’s passage in the bible. (Mark 10:46-52) This passage describes how Christ healed the blind by anointing his eyes. The symbolic meaning of this painting was to represent those without faith as being blind and the anointing of their eyes opened their eyes to religion and Christianity, as well as the world around them. The most interesting factor to take into consideration is the unfinished upper left corner of the painting! El Greco was moving to Spain from Crete and he had two copies of this painting. He took the one with the unfinished upper corner. This piece is a wonderful representation of the old Byzantine and Renaissance style.

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Last Judgment TriptychPass Foyer

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This triptych represents the Last Judgment and seven deadly sins. The interior view of the left wing depicts important events in the Bible the Fall of the Rebel Angels, Creation of Eve, Fall of Man and Expulsion, while the interior view of the right wing shows Hell and the Prince of Darkness.

Bosch’s inclusion of the fall of Adam and Eve unique compared to other renaissance artists. Instead of Heaven, it is the act of judgment which is stressed, and the joy of the saved is focused on as fully as the cries of the lost. In Bosch's version, however, the divine court appears small and insignificant at the top of the central panel, unusual according to renaissance standards. Mankind is shown in anarchy, which is predominantly focused on, rather than the judgment itself. In the last panel punishments are given to the wrongdoers. This triptych was unique from others in the renaissance in that it focused on the plights of humans rather than the greatness of God.

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Portrait of Man

Jan Van Eyck used unprecedented methods to paint this portrait. The portrait is presumed to be a self-portrait by several historians, because of the way the man’s gaze falls on the viewer. Van Eyck makes the man seem to emerge from darkness, and there seems to be light falling from the left side of the face. The man’s gaze a penetrating gaze. The way we can tell this is the original is by the frame. He signed and inscribed in an elaborate way on the frame, which proves its origins. On the top of the painting, it says: 'Als Ich Can' (as I/Eyck can). On the bottom, it says: 'Jan van Eyck made me on 21 October 1433'. He painted the letters in such a way that they look carved. The portrait depicts a black background, where a man in a red turban is sitting. The portrait is also referred to Man in a Turban.

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Salome With The Head Of Saint John The Baptist

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This paining by Bernardino Luini is a great example of fine details. ‘Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist” is one of Luini’s finest works. It measures 62.23 by 51.43 centimeters and is composed of oil paint techniques on canvas. This work was composed between 1515 and 1520. As one delves into this piece, he or she will soon realize the implementation of religion on it. This paining is based on the biblical scriptures that showed Salome performing favors for king Herod and in return bringing the head of John the Baptist to satisfy her mother. Luini based a great amount of study into this one paining. He then painted to his best accuracy. He went into aspects of Salome’s hair color and facial structure. That all tied together to produce a detail enriched paining. One interesting factoid is that we see Salome with averted eyes from the bloody head. Many characterized her as an evil figure that enjoyed the death of the man. In reality she was just fulfilling her mother’s request. All in all, this is one vibrant paining as is shows the beauty of young Salome and the rigidity and blood from John the Baptist.

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The CrucifixionPass Foyer

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In many cases, the three dimensional aspect of sculptures made them very appealing to look at. This sculpture by Donatello ( Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi) is one that leaves the viewer with a plentiful amount of questions and ideas. This sculpture was made in 1460 to 1464 in Florence, Italy. It is mainly composed of bronze however portions of gold and silver are also incorporated. In total this sculpture measures 93 by70 centimeters. The sculpture features Jesus on the cross with angels all around him as well as other members being hung beside him. Below the cross there are plenty of people either fighting or mourning over the actions that are taking place. The idea taken from this sculpture is that these people were so concerned in their own ideas, that they forgot what inhumane action they made the crucified men partake in. This is one of the many conclusions that one may draw from this sculpture. However, these varied views on the sculpture’s meaning, make it special and worth observing.

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Romeo And JulietPass Foyer

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Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare, during 1594–96. It was first published unauthorized in 1597. In 1599, an authorized edition was published in which was much longer. Eventually, a third edition was published, used by the editors of the First Folio of 1623. In the story, Romeo and Juliet, members of rival families fall in love. The story is about the hardships faced during this time. To end the harships, Juliet decides to drink a potion which would make her appear dead and make Romeo save her, when she is forced to marry someone else. Romeo will be praised by both families and the rivalry may end, she thought. Romeo, however, is unaware of the plot, and kills himself upon seeing the “dead” body. Juliet awakes and sees the dead Romeo and kills herself. Then, the two families see what happened and end their feud. The theme of star crossed lovers has become popular since. Shakespeare used The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet, written in 1562 by poet Arthur Brooke who in turn based it off of a tale written by Matteo Bandello.

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Gargantua and PantagruelPass Foyer

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Gargantua and Pantagruel were parts of a series of 5 books written by Francois Rabelais. The story is mainly about the life of Gargantua and Pantagruel. Pantagruel is the son of Gargantua. They are both giants. The story mainly falls for the ideas of magical realism which still wasn’t used in the Renaissance. The main purpose of this writing was to incorporate this mystical story into the real problem faced by humanists in the Renaissance: the dislocation of humanists. By using this story as an example he was able show the mindsets of both the medieval and Renaissance man.

Rabelais is one of the greatest French writers of the 16th century. Rabelais studied law, then was a physician. He decided to switch to writing, and wrote the masterpieces in the series. He was well known for satire and bawdy jokes. His pieces also dealt with real life struggles in the life of fantastical creatures.

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King LeerPass Foyer

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William Shakespeare was one of the greatest playwrights in history. One of his is greatest works was King Leer. King Leer is a play that was based on the later years of an aging king. In order to spread his wealth evenly before his evident passing, the king decided to split his kingdom into three, where each thirds would be given to each of his daughters. This split of his kingdom creates a great disturbance within his family! The family and the kingdom begin to fall apart completely. Before the division of his land, he asked his three daughters to show how much they loved him. Leer’s eldest daughters (Goneril, and Regan) gave a very heart touching answer while the youngest and favorite daughter of the king disappointed him greatly, leaving no words. The youngest (Cordelia) left and married a French prince. The daughters soon begin to turn on their father and begin to plot against the man. King Leer has a friend who is the Earl of Gloucester and has 2 sons. The king liked the Earl’s son Edgar and disliked Edmund. Of course there was jealousy between the brothers. When trying to live with both daughters, King Leer is met with a great amount of hostility. Cordelia and her French husband soon decide to invade England, the two sisters’ kingdom. Meanwhile both of the sisters in England like Edmund, who plays with their emotions. Gloucester wants to warn Leer of his daughter’s attempt at taking over… He is captured and then has his eyes poked out. While in captivity, Edgar and Edmund battle to death and Edmund loses. Cordelia and the French lose. She is sentenced to death after her attack on the English kingdom. In the end, the whole family, along with all the characters, die one after the other… To this day, King Leer is regarded as one of the best plays published by Shakespeare. The play was first utilized on December 26th, 1606, and officially printed two years later.

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Additional Content• •Glancey, Jonathan. The Story of Architecture. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2000. Print.• "Crucifixion by Donatello." , 1465. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://european-art.findthebest.com/l/7996/Crucifixion>.

• "St Peter's Basilica (Basilica Di San Pietro)." Rome.info St Peter's Basilica in Vatican. Http://www.rome.info/vatican/st-peters-basilica/. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://www.rome.info/vatican/st-peters-basilica/>.

• Kren, Emil, and Daniel Marx. "Last Judgment Triptych by BOSCH, Hieronymus." Last Judgment Triptych by BOSCH, Hieronymus. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://www.wga.hu/html_m/b/bosch/8lastjud/00lastju.html>.

• "Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)." Jan Van Eyck. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-portrait-of-a-man-self-portrait>.

• "Salome With The Head Of St. John The Baptist." Museum of Fine Arts. Museum of Fine Arts. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/salome-with-the-head-of-saint-john-the-baptist-31925>.

• "King Lear Summary." King Lear Summary Guide at Absolute Shakespeare. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/king_lear/summary/king_lear_summary.htm>.

• "The Crucifixion by DONATELLO." The Crucifixion by DONATELLO. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://www.wga.hu/html_m/d/donatell/3_late/lorenzo/pulpit25.html>.

• "The Crucifixion." Louvre. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/crucifixion>.

• "Christ Healing the Blind by El Greco Facts & History." Totally History Christ Healing the Blind Comments. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http://totallyhistory.com/christ-healing-the-blind/>.

• Art: A World History. New York, N.Y.: DK Pub., 1998. Print Scott, Mark W.Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of As You like It, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, the Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet . Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. Print

• Publishing, DK. Art: A World History. New York, N.Y.: DK Pub., 1998. Print.• The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Gargantua and Pantagruel (work by Rabelais)."Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jan.

2014. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.

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