Birth of Venus

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:28 +0000

During the 15th century, European civilisation underwent an important process of enrichment and expansion, in addition to profound political, economic and social transformations. In short, there was a change of mentality that culminated in the emergence of a new artistic and literary movement, the Renaissance. This cultural epoch is rooted in anthropocentrism (Man as the centre of the Universe) and in the revaluation of the individual personality, while at the same time it is strongly marked by its attempt to break with the Middle Ages in order to recover the forms of classical Antiquity. It originated in Florence, where it was born in the early 1400s, and lasted for two centuries in three distinct stages. The first, the 15th century, is known as the Quattrocento or early Renaissance; the second, as the Cinquecento or full Renaissance, reduced to the first 20 years of the 16th century and considered the period of plenitude; the third and last is called Mannerism, which covers the rest of the 16th century and in which certain anti-classical connotations predominate. The architecture, which mainly uses stone and marble, is dominated by a high degree of proportion and symmetry; in this field, churches with a centralised plan and a variety of civil buildings stand out: villas, palaces, hospitals and libraries. The architects Filippo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Bramante, Andrea Palladio and Michelangelo stand out. Man is the fundamental subject of sculpture, whether religious or profane, and he was the protagonist of a large number of portraits of a royal, heroic, equestrian or funerary nature. The materials used are diverse, the most common being stone, marble, bronze, wood and terracotta. The most notable figure is Michelangelo, who was joined by Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, Andrea Verrocchio and Luca della Robbia. Finally, the main centres of painting were Florence, Rome and Venice. During the Quattrocento, artists focused their attention on perspective and composition, with Fra Angelico, Massaccio, Piero della Francesca, Ghirlandaio and Botticelli, the latter two being painters of a refined and detailed style. Finally, Cinquecento painting was dominated by simple, monumental forms in which a high degree of technical perfection was achieved, with important examples in the works of Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo.

The post Birth of Venus first appeared on History Lab.

Cingara orientale

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:21 +0000

Around 1590 Cesare Vecellio (1521-1601) published in Venice one of the best-known works on Cinquecento costume, entitled De gli habiti antichi, et moderni di diverse parti del mondo. The two-volume volume, illustrated with engravings by Christoph Krieger, contains representative costumes from Europe, Asia and Africa, together with extensive commentaries that provide detailed information on the costume, the place of origin of the people and their customs. Among the pages the author devotes to Asia, with the inhabitants of India, is the Gypsy woman (cingara orientale). What stands out about her is the hat that covers her head, an element that Vecellio calls a “crown” in the original Italian text but which is called a bern in Gypsy women’s clothing. This consists of several wide ribbons wound or intertwined on a wide and more or less rigid base, which could sometimes be made of wicker or even wood. The use of this headdress does not seem to correspond to any kind of social or civil category, but rather it is possible that it was an element of protection for both women and children, useful against the rain or the sun, which they would have to face as a nomadic group constantly exposed to the inclemency of the weather. This female attire was complemented by the use of sackcloth over the body and cloaks over the shoulders, which often made it easier to carry children.

The post Cingara orientale first appeared on History Lab.

Cinquecento - History Lab

Birth of Venus

Cingara orientale