Italian Renaissance Art

Question: Who wrote contemporary biographical accounts of Renaissance artists?

Answer: Giorgio Vasari was a Renaissance painter and architect but is best known as the author of the large tome of Renaissance artist biographies of which he published two editions, the first in 1550 and the second, revised and expanded, in 1568.

Question: Which family became the greatest patrons of the arts during the Renaissance?

Answer: The Medici were great patrons of the arts, primarily in Florence, and were a political dynasty for most of the period from 1434 to 1737.

Question: Renaissance artists looked to which ancient civilization for inspiration?

Answer: Italian artists of the Renaissance looked back to the artists and philosophers of ancient Greece and strove to revive the spirit and aesthetics of Classical antiquity.

Question: Which of the following was not a technique used by Renaissance painters?

Answer: Impasto is paint that is applied to canvas or panel so that it sticks out from the surface. This technique was not practiced until the 17th century and is associated more so with Modernist painters such as Vincent van Gogh and later with Jackson Pollock and others.

Question: Titian was the great painter of which city in Italy?

Answer: Titian (1488/90–1576) is considered the greatest Renaissance painter of Venice.

Question: Which school of thought coincided with the Renaissance?

Answer: During the Renaissance there was a deep interest in humanism and the writings of Classical antiquity, which espoused the virtue of the engaged and well-educated citizen.

Question: The High Renaissance refers to which of the following periods?

Answer: These three decades were highlighted by the careers of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian.

Question: Which artist or architect is credited with mastering the design and construction of the dome?

Answer: Brunelleschi was the architect and engineer who invented machines and a vaulting system to construct the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) in Florence (1420–36).

Question: Which biblical figure is the subject of famous sculptures by both Michelangelo and Donatello?

Answer: Michelangelo and Donatello created sculptures of David. Though they both depict the biblical figure poised for battle with Goliath, the portrayals could not have been more different.

Question: The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted by:

Answer: Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512.