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Lorenzo de'Medici & The Arts in Florence

The purpose of this research is to examine Lorenzo de' Medici and the arts in Florence during the Italian Renaissance. The plan of the research will be to set forth the historical context in which Florence and the Medici family became relevant to the emergence of Italian Renaissance art, and then to discuss the shape and significance of Medici influence on the phenomenon.

In order to appreciate the significance of Lorenzo de Medici for the Renaissance and for the arts of the period, it is first necessary to examine how the concept emerged in Europe, setting the stage for Medici influence. The Renaissance refers to the period, beginning as early as the fourteenth century, when the culture of Western civilization made transition from medievalism to modernism. Kirchner says that it dates from 1350 and "was distinguished by a spirit of confidence in man's achievements and possibilities, by an extension of secular activities, of ambition and competition, by a joyful love for worldly attractions, for the beauty of nature, by towering achievements in art, and by a redirection of thought towards rational objectives" (259-60). Kirchner says that the concept of humanism was "basic to the cultural achievements of the Renaissance" (260), and emphasized the dignity of man along classical lines. Significantly, classical literary and artistic study was pursued rather than medieval scholasticism, where the focus was less on man than on God and religion. The Renaissance and the later Northern Humanism was characterized as well by "the spirit of free inquiry" (261) in outright opposition to established religious belief and custom.

Not all sources agree on how to date the Renaissance. Herlihy refers to the period 1350-1500 as the late Middle Ages, but explains ways in which it differed from what had been typical of the medieval period. Religion in the period "was touched by an intense preoccupation with death and its ravages. . . . [T]his perverted...

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Lorenzo de'Medici & The Arts in Florence. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:11, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1712086.html