The HIGH Renaissance
The High Renaissance is just that – the height of the Renaissance! Art historians usually agree that it is the (pretty brief) period between 1500 and about 1525. When you think of the Renaissance the names that come to mind are probably the artists of this High Renaissance – Leonardo and Michelangelo, for instance. And, for many people when they think of the greatest work of art in the Western world, they think of Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling. This is a period of big, ambitious projects.

Our Question: What exactly is the High Renaissance, and how is it different from the Early Renaissance?

As the Humanism of the Early Renaissance grows, a problem begins to develop. Have a look again at Fra Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child with Angels. In this image of, Mary and Christ have become so real, the figures so human, that we can hardly tell that these figures are divine (except for the faint shadow of a halo). On the other hand, we have seen that in the Middle Ages, when artists wanted to convey a sense of otherworldiness and spirituality, they sacrificed realism.

Leonardo da Vinci comes along, and creates figures who are both real and spiritual at the same time. We can say that Leonardo unites the real and spiritual, or soul and substance.

Leonardo’s figures are just as real as Lippi’s or Masaccio’s figures. They appear three dimensional, we can see the shape of the body under the drapery, and they have a sense of weight. But at the same time they have an undeniable and intense spirituality. How does Leonardo do that?

Vasari tells us a story that when Leonardo was a young apprentice, his master Verrocchio asked him to paint one of the angels in the painting he was then working on of the Baptism of Christ (it wasn’t unusual for a work of art to be partially painted by assistants). Here is the story:

In this work he was assisted by Leonardo da Vinci, his disciple, then quite young, who painted therein an angel with his own hand, which was much better than the others parts of the work; and for that reason Andrea resolved never again to touch a bruch, since Leonardo, young as he was, had acquited himself in that art much better than he had done.

It is a wonderful legend — that Verrocchio took one look at Leonardo’s angel and never painted again, but instead devoted himself to sculpture. Verrocchio was understandably amazed. Leonardo had clearly transcended the style of the Early Renaissance. Leonardo’s angel (the one on the left) is perfectly beautiful. Too beautiful to be real in fact. Verrocchio’s angel on the other hand, the one on the right, looks and moves like a figure you might see in the real world. Leonardo’s angel moves in a much more complex and elegant way. The figure kneels with his back to us, twists his shoulders to the left, tilts his bead back and up to the right to look at Christ. His pose conveys a sense of longing to it, and we know that he is looking at the divine. The pose has a gracefulness and ease that makes it very different from the still somewhat stiff-looking figures of the Early Renaissance. The graceful movement and ideal beauty help to lift the angel out of the ordinary and place him in a heavenly realm.

The Important Role of the Patron — Pope Julius II
Patrons were especially important and influential at a time, like the one we are looking at, when works of art were always commissioned. Michelangelo would not have gotten to be Michelangelo if he had not been supported in his youth by the Medici family – Lorenzo de Medici (also called Lorenzo the Magnificent) gave Michelangelo a small allowance and allowed him to live at his palace while he studied art. Michelangelo’s father didn’t want him to be an artist, but finally agreed when Lorenzo gave him the allowance. The role of supporting artists, particularly young artists is still an important one. If I were rich, it is certainly one of the things I would do with my money. How about you?

Pope Julius was a very ambitious man who realized that he could use the arts to increase his own prestige and power and also the prestige and power of the church.

He is responsible for commissioning the following:
1. He commissioned Michelangelo to sculpt his tomb. Michelangelo completed several figures for this important and ambitious project, including Moses.

2. He commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In fact, Michelangelo refused several times, until at last the Pope absolutely insisted.

3. He commissioned Raphael to paint frescos in several rooms in the Papal palace (that place in the Vatican where the Pope lives and works). We’ll look at one of these frescos called the School of Athens.

4. He commissioned Bramante to rebuild the Church of St. Peters (notice I said re-build). This church, located in the Vatican, is THE central church of the Catholic Church. At the time when Julius II was pope, there was an old church of St. Peters that was rather run down. Parts of it dated back to the 5th century. Pope Julius II decided he wanted an entirely new church – in fact he asked Bramante to design for him the biggest and most beautiful church in all of Christendom.

Why did Pope Julius II do all this?

He was motivated by several factors:
1. He wanted to increase the power and prestige of the papacy and the Church
2. He wanted to restore the city of Rome to its former glory. Remember that the city of Rome had once been a magnificent capital of an entire empire.

It is important to remember that at this time in history, Popes are more like Kings than the way that we think about Popes. They had political as well as spiritual ambition, commanded armies, and lived rather luxurious lives. They often had mistresses and illegitimate children! Its true! This will all change when Martin Luther questions some of the practices of the Church in his 95 Theses