The Renaissance in Summation

I have been given the arduous task of delineating, defending, and describing a letter grade for my performance in the course.  I must simultaneously perform a measure of humility in the same breath as attempting to get the grade I want, I must be both self critical and self praising.  After all this is considered, I ever so cautiously, with begrudging humility, extend the rough estimate of an earned A.  I base this hopeful grade off of my achievements in reaching the course objectives, which can be summarized in the ability to 1.) remember and explicate crucial information to the Renaissance ideals, history, and developments, 2.) to draw analysis and interpretation from the formal materials of the Renaissance, and 3.) develop and display the capabilities necessary to construct meaningful discussion in and out of class and performing the responsibilities of a student in prior and subsequent class participation.  As an aside, those of you have kept up with my blog will attest that I struggle with constructing lucid and concise works, or blog entries in the very least, so I will attempt to construct a less convoluted entry here.

Weaknesses:

Honestly, my alacrity to see to the completion of blogs was sorrowfully lacking towards the end of our time in Italy. I have never been much of a journal keeper, so to think of the blog as being different was foolish of me to begin with!  Though I did achieve the completion of my blogs, the last set was likely a bit late.  This is due in large part to my own (self-made) over-booked schedule but in the same breath I must admit that this delay led to a deal of critical exercise that should have been performed prior to class undone.  The result had my cogitations overly concerned with their own mental gears over the class materials being covered, towards the end of the course at least.  This came especially to head towards the end of the trip in Italy.  Whereas they may now be complete and sufficient, their times of submission were wanting in many cases.

I think I was often times too hasty in my drawn connections between the Renaissance especially in class.  Perhaps this is a product of my last short coming, but I often times purported theses in class that were either untenable or outright rejected by the professor in class.  These points are perhaps interpreted by some as something less threatening, just an inquisitive student testing the waters of his own suspicions, but I know that I at least struggle very much with my suspicions being wrong!  I wouldn't go so far as to say the connections were ill-established, but rather something that was unfounded or an act of pushing the connection attempts to hard.  Whatever the case may be, I recall this experience of my time in Italy with some certain self frustration, which I must take certain steps towards preventing the generation of self deprecation therefrom.

Though, in general I kept up with class reading well, there was indeed a day, the very last one, where I was utterly unprepared for the class discussion.  I had not read the material and was therefore struggling verily to stay on top of the discussion at hand. Recognizing this and admitting this is made most difficult though, in knowing just how badly I wanted to read the materials and have them done for class on time.  But alas, no one is perfect.

I think I also struggled somewhat with the side of analysis of the texts we were presented.  From both too much and too little education on the topic, I was incapable of properly analyzing music and painted/sculpted/visually inclined art respectively.  The result had me working hard, spinning my wheels to learn and wrap my head around the topics at hand the first week.  It took quite a few weeks for me to empty my head/become receptive enough to graciously accept my education and craft something like an understanding or operational basis for the texts we studied.

Strengths:

It is perhaps my blogs that best show my progression in the course, to evince a gradual growth that I had not boasted priorly.  In recognizing the humanism of the Renaissance, especially the civic and secular, one need look no further than my The Grecian gods, the Christian God(s?), and David post, which addresses the civic and nearly godlike position David served for the city of Firenze and how well this reflects the sense of humanism, among other things, that grew out of the Renaissance.  It is a crucial conglomerate of the fields of recalling Renaissance facts and combining that with the analysis, a kind of formal-critical analysis hybrid that is but one of the few gems that sprinkles my blog postings.  Though the assertion that David serves a similar kind of role to the very Grecian ideal of possessing a city-claimed deity as their own is perhaps arguable, the crucial steps for the course encourage the act and praxis of the course goals and not solely unerring products of comparison!  Thus my post boasts a sort of potent and heart felt attempt at seeing through both formal and critical analysis.

In regards to class participation, homework, and blogs, I see my performance as devoted with every human attempt at serving the course objectives, class mates (professors included), and provided texts with the utmost in respect and frank compassion.  Not only did I internalize my relationship with my classmates and those very important around me, but I adopted the Renaissance material as something new and old (perhaps a rebirth thereof?).  This course has become something foundational, formational, and phenomenal.  As such, I have learned to find friends not only in the present, but through the texts of the past.

Finally, I think my further application of the Renaissance texts we covered have evinced a sort of strengthened world understanding, not solely historically, but spiritually, academically, and internationally as well.  Recognizing the influence of the Renaissance on the West is a potent practice that shall admittedly benefit me for the rest of my life.  I have had several conversations, spanning from inquisitive souls just wanting a tip of the iceberg to delineate my experiences in Italy, to the most well educated scholars on some topics.  Here's the shocker: I was able to hold my own, regardless of the situation!  Instead of seeing myself above or below these peoples, as if we all climbed Jacob's ladder in Pico's example, I am on an equal field of humanism with all peoples, capable of explicating to the simple minded and swim in the deep end with the pros (if perhaps struggling to keep my head above the water at times).  This product shows me that my ability to recall the texts covered, places visited, and the like, by far exceeds anything I could have once hoped.  I thanks God daily for the influence of this trip in my life and my daily interaction with others that has ensued.

In summation:

Overall, I have lived through the progression of learning something I already knew!  Much like Plato argues that people already knew the truth that he helps to elicit from them, I see myself in a similar boat, that I always was a Renaissance-kind of guy and am just now able to apply that idea knowledgeably and responsibly in my life.  Going in to the course I exercised a kind of snobbery that would suggest I know it all and need not listen, but this mindset got me no where and I see this as having shifted largely to accommodate honest and hopefully more humble learning.  I think that I am now, at least cognitively, much more in touch with those of the ancient world and the Renaissance world, that my thinking has blossomed in a (re)rebirth so that I now can revel in a sort of modern old version of something grand.  I am admittedly more influenced by Catholicism, which I am pleased with and at least religiously feel much more in touch with my Christian roots.  To say who I am is radical and changed is an understatement.  I understand radical comes from the Latin word radix meaning root (according to Dictionary.com).  This is what I have become, the very embodiment of what my great catholic friend, Dr. Carscadon continues to admonish me: "The stream is always more pure at its source.  To do something truly original and authentic, do something old and radical." (pardon my paraphrase)  This being said, I think my thinking and learning has developed into something much more radical, humble, liberal(-artsy), and open minded and I am proud of it!

A Synthesizer Remix of the Renaissance

Here's a quick three point synopsis of this blog entry: 1.) Perceived expectations of experiences versus actual experiences in the Renaissance course, 2.) An alteration in self understanding as a result of the course, 3.) Growth in comprehension of the Renaissance as evinced by the progression of blogging.

1.) I originally presented a sort of idea that, "I project that this class shall encompass thematic flow in Renaissance art, establishing general trends to explain ideology behind approaches to painting, sculpture, music, architecture." This kind of expectation was entirely met and more so, exploring the roots of the Renaissance in its Grecian and Roman roots proved to be something altogether more powerful and influential after experiencing the locales around which these things were constructed.  Castiglione's Renaissance representations in The Courtier was lived out directly in Urbino!  We even got to study the architects of the Florentine Duomo and Dante before visiting their home town, Firenze!  This kind of effect is something entirely other-worldly, ethereal even!  Not enough can be said for the benefits of actually studying abroad, as opposed to taking an easy class with the excuse then to go traveling on your own.  But then specifically in response to the Renaissance, I learned much more in depth examples and snibits of historical Renaissance figures' works.  In combination with this aspect I also was very pleased with the sort of haphazard arrangement of the course material.  It was not arranged necessarily by thematic or even chronological order, but rather arranged around cities attended.  This sort of beautiful way of class organization led to a distinct connection with intellectual information on those locations.  This kind of connection is something I scarcely doubt shall ever depart from me.  I didn't really understand the variety in which the term text would be employed for this course but I also now truly understand how I might be capable of comprehending the concepts behind the Renaissance equally as well in utilizing a piece of music as a glorious painting as a piece of architecture as a philosophical text.  This kind of  enlightened state shall perhaps liberate my intellectual endeavors from merely pursuing the stylings of the traditional philosopher but stem over into other disciplines and explore their philosophies. Ultimately the interdisciplinary status of the Renaissance has spilled over into my life to form a more interdisciplinary understanding of the nature of education in general.
It grew to be apparent that my expectations for the course in many ways would always pale in comparison to the original.  I was attempting to craft my expectations in light of the other courses  but this course was designed in special circumstances and respects.  It seems to me rather influential to include the study of a locale and its products before visiting it.  If Urbino can be any kind of indicator, our class reflected a more honest and potent reaction to the art, history, and hard work present through the "crown of the Renaissance" (as our tour guide informed us Urbino was once known).
In general, the course covered the art side with much greater depth than I once expected it to, especially musically speaking.  IT did not provide the mathematical side of architecture that I once hoped for, but I think that was fairly balanced with a greater exploration of other areas of art.  The philosophy of the course I thought was also fundamental to the function of the course.  Not only were Renaissance philosophies covered, but their sources and inspirations were also given fair review to the extent that I was even granted access into my own misconceptions on some of the matters of my own major, philosophy!  Quite impressive indeed. 


2.)  Here's a fascinating tidbit:  I think I have become much more open to many of the concepts of Roman Catholicism being here in Italia than any other time I had interacted with it.  I think I had a much harsher and protestant understanding of things like relics and cathedrals before my trip to Italia as evinced by this early excerpt: "I want very much to see what the church's influence was on the Renaissance and to what purposes and ambitions things were aimed artistically.  Why does the church need such elaborate structures, paintings, and art in general?"  I now understand that perhaps the church has reserved the best things for God and that through the neo-Platonic ideologies of the ability of art and music to access the world of Forms and grant passage into the Divine Frenzy.  I am willing to claim Saint Francis of Assisi as my patron saint now!  This is something that prior to this trip seemed unimaginable and altogether heretical.  And yet here I am, professing a Franciscan sort of patronage.  Part of this is crucially tied to Saint Francis' service as a gateway to the Renaissance: "It may in fact be due to the humanist and nature loving thoughts of Francis that so many artists were able to shake the Eastern Orthodox-esque limitations on the depiction of reality in art."  This is perhaps a sort of spill over from the self understanding and the Renaissance understanding, but this is a special conglomerate.
There is also the realization that I am much more Renaissance-esque in nature than I would once purport.  This realization is important in the sense that the denial of my liberal-arts, virtuous, and humanist roots would be to deny much of my upbringing, in college and prior.  Though I recognized my liberal arts background in my first blog ("On this level I hold strong hopes that the course shows me a lot more of the influences that the Renaissance has on my daily life, aside from the fact of my Scholastic endeavors' inclination towards liberal arts.")  This has shown me just how heavily the Renaissance has affected my life and continues its positive hold in my life.  I think my blog betrays, too, how I begin to understand my connection with the past and the world at large.  It challenges me to no ends to find a concise example of this specific development but it can be seen laced throughout my blogs, whether we observe an arduous and terrifying train ride shifting to "I hopped a train" by the end of the trip or the very fact that I am now determined to achieve dual citizenship with the European Union and the USA, which should be expedited in my father's maintained citizenship with Holland.


3.) To show my understanding of the Renaissance as it enhanced, I see a slew of progression throughout my blogs.  I began the course by anachronistically drawing corollaries between the Renaissance and later time periods: "It seems like the Renaissance is directly reflected in the peoples of Europe just before WW I. " But quickly recognized the eccentricity of this time period, for its Creativity, Self Consciousness, Individualism, Secularism, and Humanism.  These central concepts pop up through out my blogs, thanks, no doubt, in large part to my fantastical instructors who informed our conceptions of the Renaissance in ways heretofore unimagined.  Knowing that I'd never even looked or criticized art (cognitively) before this Renaissance course make recognition of balance, color schemes, and formal criticism performed in blogs all the more impressive to my eye: "The balance in this piece is clever in recognition of the split between the sky and the ground and the battle scene in contrast to the body of water in the left corner creates an off center, yet oddly balanced piece."  Learning and recognizing huge portion of vastly important architectural and "rebirth" style science and art shows that my practice in the Renaissance was truly benefited and enhanced by the interaction with my class: "This is what Brunelleschi offered to the Renaissance: a rebirth for the appreciation and application of Roman architecture.  The product made possible was the once thought impossible establishment of the dome on the Basilica that remained uncovered for 80 years: the Duomo.  Using an ingenious mixture of Roman and Gothic architecture, Brunelleschi was able to achieve what many before him for nearly a century couldn't. "  What must certainly not go without notice is the fantastic work of our professors though.  By no means did I have to struggle to learn foreign concepts, nor contort my mind to comprehend my assignments.  Surely not!  Nay in fact I was so relieved to find accommodating, understanding and helpful people at the helm of this "rebirth" ship that I never even had to check the astrolabe for fear of going off course.
All metaphors aside, recognizing and following those prefacing and defacing (ha) the Renaissance way, especially those who served as harbingers of the way to come, like Dante or Saint francis, made it possible for me to grasp the way of the Renaissance to come: "Dante Alighieri portrays many of the attributes that we see common to the Renaissance period, including, but not limited to, an historical self consciousness, secularism, humanism, a utilization of tempered rationalism, and a revitalization and appreciation of the ancients."
Visiting the architecture and art of the Renaissance certainly taught me valuable lessons and gave me opportune glimpses into the true venue of the Renaissance message.  The David(s) in Firenze afforded me the fantastic chance to learn the place of civic pride in the Renaissance and the true effects of the rise of Humanism in the Renaissance: "David is seen as a prime example of the capability of humanity to reach near divine status, to be a man after the heart of God, to unite the 12 discordant tribes of Israel, to reign forever strong in guiding the kingdom of Israel: this is the man in the bible chosen to represent Firenze, the center of the Renaissance."


What a fantastic experience!  

Attention Deficit Disorder; the curse/blessing of the Renaissance?

Receiving a glimpse into the superlative and highly laudatory world of Giorgio Vasari’s appreciation for Leonardo da Vinci has “started me knowing something I already knew.”  (a line from one of my favorite blues bands back home.  Apparently I am missing America!) Leonardo was undoubtedly an amazing man, perhaps the culmination of all of humanity’s hard earned direction towards perfection.  The Renaissance aim towards perfection in all aspects though causes me pause in wonder.  It seems in many situations of our current time, if someone is very gifted in school but incapable of concentrating on many things long enough to complete them, many times their parents are quick to lock them in a room with a bottle of Ridlin and a pencil in hand.  This focus on the ideal of achieving perfection in all realms, the true embodiment of the Renaissance man, seems unattainable without the very “disorder” that our society is so quick to closet and attempt to control.  ADD is indeed a serious case that can prove detrimental to the mental health of many students in class, yet it was utterly laudable in the Renaissance mindset for a man to shift back and forth between different topics, often times leaving those items uncompleted and ideas half thought.  Now this is certainly my interpretation of Vasari’s interpretation of Leonardo’s life.  Whereas Vasari chose to interpret this breakdown of completion as an attribute of Leonardo’s genius and ensuing incapability to bring his hand into the same light as his mind.  But it seems to be the only way that any human being could feasibly attain the variance in interest necessary in the ideal man of the Renaissance.  Think about it!  Leonardo was talented in anatomy, art, sculpture, sketching, physics, inventing, writing backwards, playing music, singing music, and who knows what else!  I understand that he was described as something that was just formed by God's hands here on earth as opposed to being born like the rest of us for a reason!  But as this summer semester comes to an end I am reminded of a question that I asked myself some short five and a half weeks ago: what is a Renaissance man and is that goal obtainable?  Honestly, having been in this Renaissance mindset, worldview, and birthplace, I am beginning to embrace its feasibility as something real.  It is indeed something powerful and mighty: the human potential for achievement is a limitless un-cappable thing.  I have secretly worked so hard to be opposed to the ideas of the Renaissance this entire trip.  Not so much because I disagree with it but rather in attempts to form my own distinct argument, to be right and unique; a daisy in a field of tulips.  And yet there is something so infectious and righteous about this thing called the Renaissance that I can see why it is still all about me today, why I was raised and encouraged to pursue a liberal arts education. It is such an amazing, formative, and transformative kind of thought process.  Perhaps it is not right.  Perhaps humanity is not an utterly unlimited thing and there is something to be said for the atrocities have committed to work against the humanism, secularism, Creative historical self consciousness, and especially the virtuosity of the individualist approach.  But imagine the potential!  I have consistently been a cynic for many of the latter half of my life.  It's easier to not expect good and then just to be surprised when the good occurrences actually take place.  And yet this is something that the Renaissance mindset doesn't see as necessary.  Almost in an ultimate and superlative optimist mindset, the Renaissance thinkers like Castiglione, Ficino, and the even Vasari here recognize and laud the capability of reaching a perfect kind of humanity: the embodiment of humanism.  This produces something in me I never thought possible.  I expect humanity to become something greater and that they can!  Not just to make it into heaven either!  There is a reason to be a good civic individual, to become something of a versatile and virtuous human for this place, to meet the past, embrace it in education and enhance it and make it something for the better.  Mayhaps ADD is necessary to achieve all of this, the optimal balance of humanism, secularism, historical self consciousness, and individualism, but perhaps that is why our generation is so riddled with it!?  Perhaps this is indeed the optimal time for the rebirth of rebirth; to become once more what we once were to do once again the things that are no longer done.

Relics: A question of significance for the Renaissance

What function do relics serve within the religious worldview?  Is the opal ring of Mary meant to establish some kind of religious pilgrimage destination?  Does the preserved arm of Karl Der Grosse lead to the forgiveness of sins?  Marco, our Assisi guide, established several of the functional norms for a Christian relic and reliquary in the mindset of the past.  To them, the relics contain some of the holiness of the saint that the bone fragments or significant item pertained to.  As a result, the city to which the relic belongs is seen as protected and guarded especially by the spirit, store house of merit, and prayers of the respective saint.  This protection met the likelihood of pestilence, war and destruction and dismantled it outright.  The product instilled faith, courage, and hope in the general masses.  The Perugians took great pride in their possession of the grandiose marriage ring of Mary in their possession.  As did the inhabitants of Assisi to possess the habit, hair, prayer chords and various other paraphernalia of the early 13^th century saints, Francesco and Chiara.  But with the increasing secularization and understanding of reality’s containment within this plain of becoming as opposed to the Platonic interpretation of the Christian God’s possession of all true forms in his presence, we must ask, what function have the relics continued to serve?  At some point it seems obvious that as people begin to understand the human body better, recognizing, as did Leonardo da Vinci, the true intricacies of its build as well as its pathways to ailments, the people were much less likely to receive items of the past saints to provide protection.  I care to argue that this led to the product that can be witnessed in today’s society: no longer does the relic serve the same purpose it once did.  Now perhaps more than the past, it is simply an item intended for devotion towards the figure and a reminder of what their function was in relation to Christianity.  What then, though can I say is to blame, the main cause for this shift in understanding something as significant as a relic?  What between the modern age and the Medieval period is to blame for such an occurrence? Perhaps the secularism of the Renaissance played a heavy part in the shifting sands thereof.  It seems in all likely hood that a different understanding of the way the world functions and the direction towards which all things point would engender this difference in comprehension of relics!  The secularism of the Renaissance would perhaps recognize that people are not stricken ill from the wrath of God but perhaps is the result of something more earthly bound.  Therefore the necessity of relics in the protection of a state is largely mitigated by this turn of events.  Similarly the growing belief in humanity’s capabilities, the greater understanding of the design and operation of the human body, would evince a sort of humanism playing a hand in the significance of relics.  This also may explain a different sort of understanding of the function of saints in general.  Whereas sainthood seemed entirely aimed at the ethereal before the Renaissance, the painting of the Renaissance evinces a sort of ethereal grounding of those peoples, so that no longer are people considering saints as something entirely of another plain, but perhaps their function has shifted to an importance of comprehension of this time and space instead.  Thus the secularist and humanist tendencies of the Renaissance provide the fulcrum to redirect the attention and significance of the relics.  Today, relics serve a different purpose than that which they first inhabited.  Perhaps it is my Baptist understanding of the nature of idolatry and iconography, but I can distinctly recall earlier this trip commenting to one of my professors the idolatrous nature of some of the reliquaries in the Medici chapel in Firenze.  Though I was frustrated with being chastised at the time, I have naught but shear joy at the corrections I received therein, for the lessons I learned have utterly shifted my view of relics.  By no means would I confess any sort medieval comprehension of the sort of mystical prowess of relics (the absence thereof likely evincing the sort of soft rationalism so oft related to Renaissance thinking) but the religious significance they contain for me goes without limit.  These religious items deserve and warrant not only my utmost respect, but conjure in me some sort of religious appreciation and devotion sparked a-new in the effective hands of the saints now bygone.  The result is an un-protestant view of these “idols” turned icons, though perhaps more Renaissance inspired appreciation as opposed to that sported by the medieval period.

The Primary Portal to the Divine Frenzy

It has taken me sometime to locate the significance of music in the renaissance.  Perhaps part of it has been the inherently visually inclined nature of our society in the ubiquitous television and motion pictures.  Families are considered entirely underprivileged and out cast if they miss the most recent programs or can’t afford their own television.  The result has engendered a societal understanding that is largely visually focused and secondarily concerned with auditory input.  But perhaps this is a subject best reserved for later discussions.  The Renaissance worldview produces an entirely other understanding of these components:  the world of forms is most easily accessed through the auditory pathway, so that this was the preferred venue of performance (to some extent).  The Renaissance holds a kind of rebirth of this Grecian ideal, in the sense that it is established in reflecting the importance of the harmonies of the universe.  The perfect motions of the heavens, in their perfected circular flight patterns was thought to be accompanied by a series of harmonious and perfect sounds, according to the Courtier written by Castiglione.  What can be done with this?  How is it possible for humanity to attain and mimic perfection?  The fact that the Renaissance thinkers saw this as a possibility evinces their extreme humanism, in recognition of mankind’s capability to achieve unlimited ambitions.  It is interesting how the methodology applied to music in the Renaissance truly reflects the course’s delineated themes of the Renaissance: individualism, humanism, secularism, and historical self-consciousness.  The appreciation for at least the versatile aspect of individualism is very strong in the composition of Renaissance composers, in that peoples are no longer continuing the long-standing tradition of   monotonous plain chant in the church or else where, but begin to incorporate a versatility in ranges and parts: often times hopping around in response to one another in frattolas and working in harmony as if mimicking the patterns of a wave for the madrigal compositions.  The ensuing versatility led to a true sense of Creativity in that the people knew that what music they were making was something entirely different, new and worthy of mention.  Though it was based off the prime ideals achieved in ancient Greece, at least the recorded ideals of pursuing a controlled balance along with a precise mimicry of the perfect proportions in Pythagorean calculations, there was something significantly new and innovative in their works.  No longer did the music have to follow a direct sense of direction in the church.  Not every song is any longer caught up in fields of the trinity and new ways of pronouncing the dogma of the church in respect to the Virgin Mary and the likes.  Rather, people adapt Petrarch’s texts, which are arguably anything but Christian, through text-painting, controlled dynamics, precise emotional response that is not over expressed but in a very classical-British-queen style states emotions simply, “I am feeling dismayed,” without an emotional expression, as well as a growing respect for trained tempos and pleasing sounds for the ear (especially during the high Renaissance).  The emergence of secularism can even be seen in the note grouping seen in Renaissance music!  Because peoples grouped in threes for the significance of the Trinity before the Renaissance, we can see the exceedingly ecclesiastical mindset occupying peoples of those times.  And yet this seems not the case for Renaissance composers, who used whichever tempo matched the text best for each specific piece!  What a Creative concept!  Along with this Creative aspect we also witness the resurgence of literature as the primary vessel of composition, the controlled expressions, the sophistication in style and form, as well as the use of vernacular in music produces an utterly new respect for local speech over and against those of the church in pure Latin (another example of secularism)!  We therefore see evinced a sort of obvious grouping in the music of the Renaissance as an utter embodiment of all things crucial to our renaissance mindset.  This is only fitting in recognition that the auditory senses are the quickest access point to the world of forms, so that the pure form of music should be composed of the forms most crucial to the Renaissance worldview: A divine musical frenzy leading the way for the divine Renaissance frenzy.

It's always uphill to Jerusalem...I mean Assisi

I made an admittedly unexpected pilgrimage to the city of peace this weekend.  I hopped on the train with a certain determination to witness the glorious grandeur of that far and distant dome that our tour guide pointed out just a week ago during our whirl wind tour of Assisi.  Legend has it that this is the church that Saint Francis found in ruins and rebuilt.  The original is of course very small, no bigger than a class room I take Italian in daily.  And yet the precious appeal of the place was astronomical.  Saint Francis of Assisi was indeed not a part of the Renaissance dates as we have listed them, between 1350-1600.  But I wonder how much of his influence and this locale end up embodying many of the Renaissance themes.  The humanism present in much of Francis' theology is also present in the legends surrounding him, his disciples, and their times.  I realize that many people will find my opinions here disagreeable, because these peoples have been canonized and the prowess of saints will always supersede those of regular humans.  This is a valid point but their acts took place while they were still humans here on earth (if one will allow me to employ my rudimentary understanding of sainthood) so that those things enacted by Saint Francis and his contemporaries very well embody the humanism they purported.  Saint Francis was granted a tiny and dilapidated church in the middle of a wooded area off of Assisi and he rebuilt it on his own!  The amazing structure is a thing worthy of note.  The fact that the legend focuses on one man's ability to rebuild a church, and perhaps his capability to rebuild, reclaim, and reform the crumbling church of Christ signifies a rather Humanist understanding of his capabilities.

Much adornment has been laced upon the structure over the decades in a fashion that truly evinces the significance of this site to Franciscan fanatics.  Though much has been added to the structure, including frescoes, inside and out, as well as a miniature medieval belfry, the simplicity and stoutness of the tiny structure truly flaunts the potency of Saint Francis' message.  As Marco informed us, Saint Francis' elevated view of nature's equivalence to humanity, that in some sense we are all one in the same relative family, led to a humanistic revolution that permits access into a brand new world of reborn humanism.  One of the aforementioned frescoes is as follows:

This imagery is at the front of the tiny chapel, the Porziuncola, and as beautiful as it is, rightly reflects many of the artistic endeavors that would later be perfected in higher Renaissance times. Constructed several hundred years after Francis' death, Prete Illario da Viterbo crafted this in 1393, near the beginning of the Renaissance and though it still carries some of the characteristics of its past predecessors, it is unique in that the stacking of the angels is intentionally more realistic as if these angels were more bound by real life gravity instead of just randomly arranged in convenient patterns around the Lord and Madonna.

We also witness a great implicit humanism at the hand (feet and side, ha!) of Francis' stigmatic blessing.  As portrayed by Giotto, the scene draws a direct connection between the conventionally seen Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom those with a higher Christology might deem God himself embodied here on earth is passing his afflictions on to Saint Francis, as yet a mere mortal.  The capability of a human to so greatly reflect not only a god but the God in Jesus is something beyond what many humanists would be willing to say about humanities capabilities in general.  Included with this notion of humanism is Francis' grandiose capability to live on means most humans would collapse under.  The portrayal of Saint Francis as one whom poverty and hunger cannot afflict, but rather as something he embraces, pushes the limits of humanity to something we perhaps have not seen before.

But what really hit me last Saturday is the sort of understanding of Assisi's other name: the city of Peace. Of all the great respects and admirations I have for Saint Francis, I laud his broad admonishments towards peace.  Loving brothers and sisters over and against the fighting that cleft in twain so many locales through out Europe for centuries.  His policies towards obedience, chastity, and poverty are the gateways to unifying and achieving this transformational kind of peace.  To do just a bit of elaboration on my point here:  it is through being poor, avoiding unnecessary ornamentation, (chaste), and obedient to other in loving them as your family that you are capable to escape the torturous world that is war and hatred.  In something altogether ground breaking, it seems that Saint Francis' interaction with "San Chiara" (Saint Claire) also shows a sort of inventive new way to understand humanity and witness the fact that a woman is indeed capable of goodness at the same level as a man.  In many regards this motion is witness to Francis' Creativity in enacting a vivid and potent Historical self consciousness that lingers even to this day, thank God, to inspire me!

Secular and Individualistic, I think Saint Francis and his order or not.  But without their Creative sense of world comprehension as well as loving humanism, the world of the Renaissance may not have been.

Renaissance: Waiting for (re)rebirth or lingering yet?

There seems to be this kind of conception within the schools of thought I have received instruction from that the Renaissance is a thing of the past, a state that has an effect on us daily however it does not command any kind of continuing hold over the modern world in most senses of the term.  And yet my experiences in the Italian country lend themselves to other conclusions.  Though it is admittedly no longer depicted in sculpture or Renaissance-esque frescoes, there are still vast quantities of expressed humanism.  Nudity in respect to the ideal body is much more widely accepted here in Italy than any place I have experienced in the United States of America.  This could be the result of my relatively limited experiences with the variety of our many states or it could be a vestige of the once very vivacious vitality of the Renaissance now vivified in the very place it once came to life!  The nudity in commercial posters, on television, even on the beach, is something seen much less offensively that I think reflects much less embarrassment of the human body, a greater pride in the effects strength of humanity’s greatest vessel, the body.  This can also be seen in how people treat their bodies here (for the most part).  People seem to take better care of their bodies in Italy than America, by and large.  What between the walking and the value of restful siestas from 1-4 on weekdays instead of expecting full, nonstop workdays to produce wealth evince a greater appreciation for the body and its needs over against economic and consumer concerns.  In conjunction with this there seems to be a great deal more smoking in this society than our own, a surprising development for such a humanist society fixated with their own appearance and the  perfection thereof!  Women are scarcely seen separated from their high heels (at any time!) and men are usually (gulp) in style with collars popped!  It’s a frightening and intimidating appeal but one whose efficacy works to produce a largely humanist culture, at least within my brief four week window of observation.  

Individualism: 

There is an obvious understanding of individualism in the modern italian society, though perhaps not to the same extremity as the USA because of their mitigated capitalism in conjunction with more socialist dealings in the sense of health care.  The base ideals are still largely individualistic, people work on their own to earn money to spend and buy for themselves, to stick out from the crowd as someone unique and special.  But what about issues specific to our Renaissance studies?  Are people trained specifically for versatility and virtuosity?  It is perhaps questionable on this level because people are encouraged to study within their fields and remain within that concentration to a certain specialty in many ways in America at least, and I have seen nothing to the contrary here.  But Italians do not seem entirely concerned with becoming terribly versatile as the Renaissance individualism may necessitate.  Do people strive to be virtuous?  If we are dealing with a sort of Aristotelian understanding of virtue, that there is a certain balance achieved for every man that must be aimed for but is unique to each individual, then probably not!  Laws are established for people to pursue a blanket answer of conduct for every individual in society to conform to a set standard, not for a personalized standard for each person.  The result is not necessarily overly detrimental, because the implementation of a golden mean rule would be too unwieldy for any larger society.  So the current ethical and legal code will suffice but it does not serve to direct the community towards the virtuosity aforementioned.  In several senses then, although individualism is still a massive proponent of the Italian society, the basis in versatility and Aristotelian virtuosity seems limited at best.

Secularism: 

The rampant secularism of Europe by and large no longer seems like an entirely terrible thing to me.  For some time it has struck me as sort of malaise, a discomforting dis-caring distanced generation, deeming the church as defunct and devious. And yet, it has become something more similar to our Renaissance understanding of the term for this course.  Secularism is not so much a thing that is opposed to the church here, but really that can be more concerned with living in the here and now and being more concerned with civic life and virtue over the life of the here after.  This seems to be an accepted and even expected part of society here.  Don't get me wrong.  People here are certainly religious and adhere to Roman Catholicism strongly, but I think it is more of a societal aspect, where people don't constantly go about their daily lives being concerned with their entrance to heaven.  It may be because the average value of life is higher and people don't need to look forward so much to the next life to live joyfully.  Regardless of the justification, the secularism has huge implications for the established churches.  Attendance has been down for many religious services so that huge basilicas that I assume were once full to the brim on sundays are now reserved from the nave up and populated with a scant few attendees.  This secularism also carries with it connotations of shifting purposes for days of the week and holidays.  What was once a celebrated saint's day has often times just been down graded or renamed to a bank holiday, so that things still shut down but for more secular reasons.  Similarly corpus christi didn't phase the Italian public at all it seems!  The schedule worked on in fine order, much to my pleasure, as my travels in Positano would have suffered severely from lack of transportation!  The secularism is by no means a manifestation of the absence of Christianity though.  Quite the contrary.  Though the peoples have become more concerned with this life over the "next" there is still a huge representation for the respect and application of the ethics of Christianity.  There is still an appreciation for agape love in the Italian mindset and a certain understanding of an arrangement of an ethical code by which to conduct ones self, still loosely based on the principles of the Christian ethics.  The result leaves us with a sort of church-society conglomerate to where everyone is indeed a Roman Catholic, but not necessarily be choice but because of their Italian nationality.  Once again I am not generalizing this to everyone, but this seems to be a trend at large.  The presence of secularism is clear.

Historical self consciousness:

The church at least maintains the ancients and the newer oldies, like Saint Benedict, etcetera producing an effectual societal trend that appreciates and venerates those of the past, if not in a different way than it was once employed in education within the Renaissance.  There is a certain appreciation still largely present in a religious context for the peoples of Italy.  Saints of the centuries past show a church inclined with appreciating the past, but much less intellectually inclined but more the mythological and religious connotations they entail.  There is a certain shift therefore in what the ancients are appreciated for in education.  Whereas there is a certain understanding and dealing with the writings of more widely known philosophers, like Plato and Aristotle, much more attention is paid to religious figures in the church.  By and large there is a societal disconnect from the peoples and their ancient past, so that the average individual and even the better educated peoples are not so concerned with the ancients. But then we must really ask, are the ancients being employed like they were for the Renaissance peoples?  This new methodology of veneration over emulation has led to a developed sort of appreciation for the past but not a rebirth of the past in the present, a complication that perhaps prevents us from deeming the Renaissance as full swing as it may have once been.

This may contradict the disconnect from their past but there does exist a certain sense of Creativity and historical self consciousness in the modern Italian sentiment, from my observations.  These people are obsessed with recycling, reusing and conserving as much as possible, in a fashion that I see as unique to this generation.  The imperative seems established off of principles of planetary, green conservation.  This kind of understanding of humanity’s consumption having actual environmental consequences is a novel approach to worldview and this generation knows its Creativity when it sees it.  Thus the sort of implementation of smart cars, intensive and mandatory recycling is perhaps a manifestation of something more world changing and mind altering. So there is at least a realization and embodiment of something unique to this time period but by no means is it constricted to the same fields of artistic and philosophical expression, but perhaps this still constitutes itself as a unique act within history.

Conclusions:  What then can we say about our stated objective?  Is the Renaissance, at least according to my findings, in want of rebirth or lingering yet?  It is perhaps safest to state that it was once alive and its affects are still largely strewn through out this Italian culture.  But by no means is it still flourishing as it once was.  It can be said that the Renaissance is still a lingering entity some 500 years later, but it is by no means the most active influence over the society.  By and large the Renaissance is gone from the Italian worldview.  And now, for a departure from this dry language, I shall whet your visual appetites with a view of the Perugian sun rise.

Esse Quam Videri

North Carolina's state motto: "to be rather than to seem."  It represents some portions of Platonic ideology in the sense that the senses and "seeming" of an object could be deceptive and different from its actual form.  This then would surely be a present and powerful force in the Italian Renaissance, would it not?  The primary link to the past thoughts so heavily linked to Renaissance worldview would at least suggest so.  Yet somehow, the latter Renaissance years present a fascinating phenomenon.  In applying Aristotelian principles of observing reality and imitating reality and the Platonic appreciation for arithmetic representations, proportions, and calculations to represent the ideal form of reality, a shift occurred from just imitating reality in art and reflecting the higher forms therein, to actually creating a new reality, a new way to trick the eye.  Therefor the Renaissance peoples took a departure from "Esse quam videri" to "Videri quam esse."  The ultimate product generates an entirely different aesthetic that is entirely wonderful and pleasing, if not an utter departure from conveying the real to a conveyance of illusion.  This is perhaps my favorite product of the Renaissance and is a fantastic representation of the fundamentals of the Renaissance: humanism, in the capability of humanity to calculate and depict something that is so well crafted and carefully constructed that it supersedes reality and peoples' ability to perceive it, secularism, because the objects being depicted are not necessarily religious and usually are meant to develop an illusion focusing on this realm rather than in heaven, and even a certain historical self consciousness, in that Renaissance citizens recognize and appreciate that their Creativity is a new and distinct form of art that is shifting the nature and intent of humanity's inventiveness.  The following examples evince my point well enough.

When the architects and constructors of this church came together to create this structure there were some conflicts in interest.  The wealthy contributors to the church lived near by and wanted very much to maintain their sunny yards instead of being cast in the shade of a grandiose dome.  But the architects wanted to maintain their creative integrity and thus came to the best compromise they could.  Though this image is taken from the middle of the church floor, looking straight up at the ceiling, from specific points in the rest of the church, this appears to be a soaring dome above the church, a fantastic trick of the eye.  The intent is not so much to deceive people but to convey what they wanted to be reality.  This kind of depiction and shifting of the real to depict one's own ideal in architecture and the likes is an odd phenomenon of the mid to later Renaissance that seems a kind of departure from the traditional philosophical aims for deconstructing the constraints of this world (at least in a neoplatonists' worldview). 

Here is yet another example of the capability and calculations intentionally strewn together to play a trickery on the eye, to form a sort of deception towards a preferred reality over the actual reality.  It is solely the additional mythological figures that aid us with some hint that perhaps this painting is not the actual building itself raising higher and higher, but an elaborate hoax to goad the eye into amazement at the humanistic capability to trick the second greatest portal into the divine frenzy (the eye) into a frenzy over something entirely other than the true form.  Though it is difficult to depict without being there in person, this image evinces a portion of the illusory capabilities of interdisciplinary Renaissance artists.  Though the fresco is done at the top of the ceiling, the adornment tricks the eye into following the carefully calculated heights and proportions as something that they are no in actuality.  Don't get me wrong.  This is an impressive feat.  Yet the product serves as a fascinating and peculiar example that is less than uncommon in the later Renaissance to prove a fascination with shifting ends.  What was once done to lift up, glorify and honor the perfect unity of form and matter, now these things are brought together to rift the viewer from a higher depiction of reality into a newly constructed reality.  It is no more important to be but only to seem, and very convincingly so!

This last fresco scene depicts a group looking through a hole in the ceiling, almost as if they are enjoying looking down at us just as much, if not more, than the audience.  This follows in the same strain of depicting illusion to fool the eye.  Along with these deceiving frescoes there were also physical constructs carefully crafted to fool the eye to seeing them as much longer or grander than they actually were: 20 foot hall ways mathematically proportioned to fool the eye and brain to perceiving their distance as something closer to 60 feet!  Theatres were thrown up with proportionally deceptive hallways and backdrops so that, especially with proper illumination, the eye reads the sensory input as much more distant, grander, and altogether more impressive, especially for the backdrop of a theatrical tale!  

What's more, there are documented literary trends that follow the same preference for seeming rather than being.  "Old Nick Himself" (i.e. Machiavelli) has long been villainized for his better known work The Prince.  This text encourages following a life style that is similarly "seemly" based.  Though I agree with Machiavelli's end goals of Italian peace through unification, I do not see that his ends justify his means in the pursuit.  He encourages those in power to seem to be all human (humanism anyone?), all faithful, and many other uncomfortably omni-esque imperatives.  The intended result is to flaunt the prince's ability for governance and maintain his power over the state.  He has to seem christian and religious but actually be able to shift those leanings at any time he deems as necessary for the betterment/protection of the state.  The general trend then seems to be a movement away from ends of seeing depicting the forms (whether Aristotelean or Platonist) in either lives or art, but rather the focal point is constructing a kind of reality that can mislead its viewers.  I don't know if this development is necessarily their actual intent but it certainly seems the end result they produce.  Though, I am most impressed with this kind of art, literally and artistically speaking, because they are in many senses the basis for modern arts of these forms.  Old Nick is said to be the progenitor of modern politics and much of modern art could hardly be said to be aimed at a clearer depiction of the forms/reality (i.e. cubism, abstract art, surrealism).  Though I should probably cease my projections as of now, I know just enough on these matters to be dangerous and too little to prevent my embarrassment!

"Plato, Aristotle, how you wrestle inside me," bemoaned the Renaissance.

Ok, so perhaps bemoan is a bit of a strong word here, but the function of Aristotelian and Platonic philosophies in the Renaissance world view have proven to be necessary, though perhaps not solely sufficient.  There has been some disputation in the class as to which Neo interpretation of the philosophical ponderings is the king of the hill of the Renaissance.  Some have suggested that the big player was the neo-platonist mindset held sway, since the huge pursuit for the ideal of forms and the rise of art in their capability to raise people up to the world of forms (or at least closer thereto).  Others contend that the humanism and appreciating for the natural world in peoples like Saint Francis of Assisi  and Galileo suggest the supreme reign of the Neo-Aristotelian mindset.  I care to contend however that there did not exist any kind of monopoly in popularity for the Renaissance thinkers.  These peoples full of accepted, nay expected, anachronisms took no problem with a combination of ancient philosophies into what they saw best.  As the "School of Athens" can attest to visually, the combination of alternative time lines and peoples  evinces the mindset to be an odd sort hybrid that takes the best of several worlds and combines them with great deliberation.  Therefore there exists inherently to the Renaissance worldview a sort of interacting vibrancy played out between the Dualism of Plato and the Monism of Aristotle.  Though the "neo" tacked on to the front of these schools of thought necessarily connote a few differences in interpretation and application, the contrast exists nonetheless.
Where then do we see the Platonic mindset play itself out?  The shifting value on artists of many types is typical of the Neo-platonist approach to thought, in that painters and sculptors alike were seen on a lower level close to stone masons are manual laborers during the middle ages, their socio-economic position shifted because their highly valued skills were seen as reflections of Plato's world of forms; instead of depicting reflections of reflections, their art could somehow enhance reality and point our pour and weary souls back towards the world of forms.  In this same sense, the HUGE emphasis on mathematical calculations that Plato values is mimicked in kind in the Renaissance music and later art.  The extreme appreciation for balance in proportion for Renaissance musicians is a direct throwback to Plato.  The art we witnessed just yesterday in developing perspective and mathematically calculating the vanishing point so that all things in the painting are in proportional balance.  These thoughts are highly Platonic but by no means do they weigh out the Aristotelian approach to the world either.

As Aristotle's most famous portrait depicts, his prime locale for defining importance, function, and reality altogether is here, in this world of becoming. (Notice his hand extended out towards the earth) This is manifested heavily throughout the Renaissance worldview.  As Aristotle sees all matter is comprised of matter and form (2 of his "four causes").  This is what Renaissance artists are depicting reality of matter in their most optimal form.  In attempting to capture the world of becoming and unite it with the world of forms (i.e. the church) nature became increasingly more depicted in the church.  The church now becomes the idealized form of what nature should be like, filled with men that are no longer floating angelic beings but creatures that are gravity laden and real, and yet perfected, the best combination of matter and the form after which we should all strive.  Also entering with Aristotle's mindset is a greater appreciation for the use of observation of this world, an important aspect and perspective imitated in much of Giotto's work as well as the "School of Athens."  The importance of a systematized understanding of the world and organizing set order patterns to which everything relates in the Aristotelian mindset is even reflected in their grandiose expectation for the virtuous life lived for secular reasons, only possible through the humanist mindset.
This can hopefully evince that neither Plato or Aristotle reigned supreme in the Renaissance mindset but served as guides and grand gifters of the ways of days past; things to be conglomerated in anachronism and deliberation, more for the purpose of appreciating and incorporating all the greats of the past instead of just a singular entity.  Clearly philosophies of Plato and Aristotle have worked together through the hands of Renaissance thinkers to form a world where secularism, historical self consciousness, humanism, and individualism are possible.

Like a Phoenix from out of the Ash (and mud)

What a fantastical weekend.  Honestly it was better than my highest expectations on so many facets.  Even though the hostel was a party hostel I was able to sleep really well (to the bumping base just outside my window) and the last minute change from Capri to Positano was a welcomed relief to my eyes as well as my wallet!  The phenomenal nature of Positano must be revisited, but perhaps at a later post.  What truly warrants mention is my most fortuitous visit to Pompei (scavi), Ercolano (scavi), and the National Museum of Archaeology in Naples.  These visits evinced a kind of alarming realization for me.  Up until this point I had only been giften with visiting the Renaissance statues, paintings, and frescoes without much ability to compare them to their base.  All of these mediums were employed and started because of the ancient Grecian and Roman art that displayed so many of the central concepts adopted by the Renaissance society: humanism, ideal-form, proportional distance, mathematically inclined songs, deep philosophical meaning, grandiose architecture and the likes.  The well preserved sites of pompeii and Herculaneum each boasted a proud resemblance to the Renaissance fundamentals (or should I say the Renaissance resembles the excavation sites due to their temporal proximities).  Check out this statues that was left in Herculaneum after it was crushed under mudslide caused after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius:

Now pardon me for extrapolating, but the similarities in stance to many of the items we have seen in Firenze and Roma alike are so stark that one cannot help but recognize it:

This and countless other examples were displayed from the time period near the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius.  Mostly from the 2nd and 3rd century CE, these works displayed almost the exact same contra-posta stance that many of the Renaissance crafters found so enthralling in their sculpture works; all the way from Michalangello to Bernini, the ideal forms and mathematical calculations common to the ancients is present throughout the Renaissance work.  Pardon me for the picture overload but here is a room full of examples:

These examples of balance, of sculptures in action now no longer scream solely Renaissance to me, but also the ancient Grecian and Roman principles of sculpting that were so crucial to their art.  It was finally realized in my mind what exactly was being reborn!

Another crucial aspect to the Renaissance art is the fresco tradition.  I don't know that it is necessary to include all representations of this fresco process but here is one to tantalize all your fancies (plus I'm all about superfluity)

And though this possesses an admittedly greater amount of Christian overtones, the similarities in balance, human portrayal, and a reflection of reality is a significant reflection to the Herulaneum (especially well preserved) frescoes seen both in the excavation site itself and in the National Archaeological Museum:

Pardon the nudity but this is ancient European Art and it has been a great challenge to spare you the amount of nudity I have managed thus far.  The depictions in both the frescoes portray something very close to reality, or at least ideal reality.  The beauty, the elegance, the age!  I am in amazement.  But to see and connect the very art that inspired the Renaissance truly brought to life the rebirth that took place between 1350 and 1600 in Italy.  The mosaics in the Renaissance also bear extreme similarities to those preserved in Herculaneum, and what is most noteworthy is the actual feel for reality those mosaics portray.  At the end of it all though, what made me so ecstatic was seeing the great battle of Alexander (the Great).  This fantastically old item, so amazing, will never cease to amaze me.  I shall leave you with it:

This mosaic is from pompeii and looks just like a painting!  I was close enough to touch it but would never dare!  Ha!  It reminds me of the battle of Constantine picture that I referenced earlier.  Not that I am entirely concerned relating all things between Renaissance and the ancients but making connections is just like Pringles.  Once you pop the top, the fun don't stop.

Well This is Just Awesome

For all you inquiring baby birds out there, don't worry, momma Matthew's going to feed your intellectual hunger!  This trip to Sorrento is going quite swimmingly!  We made it here in record time.  Had a liesurely meal in Napoli (I ate pizza in the birth place of Pizza!!!!!) and even went to the Acheaological Museum of Naples.  The mosaics, sculptures, bronze casts, and everything was phenomenal!  Tonight and tomorrow we reside in "seven hostel" which, among other things, is only a five minute walk from the beach, has happy hour from 6:30-8 with awesome drinks (only from what I've heard mum, I promise), hot roomies in the dorm with me (mixed gender, I assure you), free breakfast in the mornings (superfluous parentheses), and...brace yourself...AIR CONDITIONED ROOMS!  Oh my, I've died and gone to heaven!  Well, it's off to the beach now, pompeii, Herculaneum, and Vseuvius tomorrow, and Capri the day after.  Ciao ciao!  Buon weekend!

The Grecian gods, the Christian God(s?), and David

By no means to I mean to offend any of my Roman Catholic brethren and sisters.  I am fully aware that Firenze was under papal influence and I do not intend at ALL to insinuate these peoples as beyond Christianity, polytheists, or pagans.  That being said, I've seen too many Davids in Firenze to not catch on to the trend.  The Greeks often times would claim a patron god in attempts to claim protection from all sorts of offenses, both natural and human caused disasters.  This kind of act has had an ebb and flow of devotion throughout the years but it has never become truly as potent nor realized to me until my interaction with it in Firenze.  Here is a replica of the most famous David statue, Michelangelo's very Grecian nude.

As one can likely surmise, the figure stood at about the proportion of three and a half regular Firenzians' heights.   This depiction of the King of the Jews, David, is a man uncircumcised, standing at some 17 + feet high!  Perhaps somewhat austere in his garb (clutching solely his sling) this view of David has a man whose hands and feet by far out-proportion the other components of his body.  This exists in good accord with many of the Renaissance sculptures we found in Firenze.  Large appendages seem to be common in the study of producing a figure who will appear in proportion from a distance.  This is a clear portrayal of the science of art and perspective so common to the Renaissance hard at work.  Though the perfection and intentional appearance of the rest of the sculpture perhaps lends credence to the thought that the enlarged hands and feet serve as expressions of the humanist tendencies of the Renaissance thinkers.  Perhaps the enlarged hands portray a belief in the capability of humanity to reach the status of godhood?  Whatever the reason, it seems far from a mistake rather an intentional product of the sculptor. It makes the original all the more impressive to recognize that its source was a flawed piece of granite!  A daunting product indeed when we recognize the flawed source could have led to a much more difficult construction of the statue; destruction of the entire piece hinged upon the false movement and incorrect placement of but one chisel.

We see too that the godlike status that the patron representative (god) of Firenze has adopted a bit of variance in expression, though scarcely departing from the Renaissance background.  David is seen as a prime example of the capability of humanity to reach near divine status, to be a man after the heart of God, to unite the 12 discordant tribes of Israel, to reign forever strong in guiding the kingdom of Israel: this is the man in the bible chosen to represent Firenze, the center of the Renaissance.  Their protection of the love of God, their belief in human capability, and their affluence all lead to close appreciation and affiliation with the figure that David is.  Perhaps this could be seen as less secular, since this is a biblical figure, but this trend might be an embodiment of that very secularism!  This is a David oft removed from his background story.  This David is a character of strength, of potency, meant not so much as a reminder of the church but a reminder of the potency of the city of Firenze.  He then embodies civic pride and connects a different kind of historical self consciousness for the Florentine public.  "We are living out the Golden Age of Israel here in Firenze in this time," the David(s) scream.  This kind of connection with and appreciation for a more historical David over the theological David also lends itself to reclaiming portions of history and having a deep appreciation for the past.  Because this and so many other Davids found themselves established apart from the church, it is all the more convincing of their secularism.

The other Davids, though perhaps not as tall and intimidating as Michelangelo's David (and the Grecian god statues it reminds me of) still contain rich symbolism that lean towards a Renaissance mindset.  Even if cast in bronze (confusingly more expensive and "valuable" than the marble carvings!) the boyish long haired David of Donatello is a depiction of class, strength and power.  The small boy steps his foot triumphantly upon the head of the slain Goliath after all!  This boy, sporting the hat more common to Renaissance Firenze than the time of the Ancient Israelites suggests a kind of anachronistic and well intended historical reclamation of the Davidic figure.  Perhaps in the same vein, I distinctly recall one marble David depicted with both his pointer and index finger extended from both hands.  This might not seem too odd, till we recognize that this statue was commissioned by one of the main powers of Florence, a bishop!  As such, the David's depiction betrays perhaps some kind of Christian claim on the Davidic figure; mayhaps even in attempts to contest the secular claims to the figure.  It could even be an implied blessing on the city of Frienze, since this is often the hand symbol given when priests bless.

The true nature of the David-craze of Renaissance Florence will perhaps elude us for some time.  David is something of a symbol for the city, though one wonders how much David began to embody the protectorate role for the city in a similar fashion to the Greeks who proceeded them.  Was David the embodiment of humanism in Florence or something more?  Perhaps an imitation enacted in the same fashion that the oh-so admired Greeks so often did with Athena in Athens?  We may never know but it is worth some consideration.

That Infernal Dante

There is something remarkable about the transitional figures of the Renaissance.  Those peoples who evince characteristics of an age not their own, Dante, Francis,Giotto, and so on, seem to profess a kind of unexpected potency on their surroundings.  Their works, sculptures, art, texts, and theological contemplations exhibit many of the new and innovative characteristics later destined to become commonplace in the years to follow for the Renaissance.  Dante Alighieri portrays many of the attributes that we see common to the Renaissance period, including, but not limited to, an historical self consciousness, secularism, humanism, a utilization of tempered rationalism, and a revitalization and appreciation of the ancients.  Though we have but a few short excerpts from the beginning book of the Comedia, the Inferno, there are clear (and perhaps deliberately so) selections that evince a strong historical awareness of important individuals.  Not the least of which serves as Dante's guide through Hell, the great Greek poet who serves Dante in the underworld in a sense that ingeniously establishes a stark link between Dante's present and the Grecian past; a recurrent theme in Renaissance world.  It is also striking how the greats of the past end up: in a sort of Limbo location, these are the peoples of the past who worked up great deals of merit and merely made the mistake of being born prior to the capability of being baptized in the name of Christ.  Included amongst this group is Aristotle, Plato, Julius Caesar, a throng of grand poets (who "rightfully" welcome Dante as one of their own), and a host of other ancients, each equally unChristian as the last.  It makes sense that none of them are in heaven from a Christian perspective, though it perhaps betrays Dante's growing secular ideology in that he does not punish these non-believers in the pits of hell, but merely dooms them to the existence of perpetually wanting more.  His secularism begins to seethe through a bit more when we are confronted with decidedly Christian figures meeting sorts of punishment in the pits of the inferno, i.e. prior popes who did not act justly according to their authority.  This kind of shocking statement begins to evince Dante's transitional role as an entry way towards the Renaissance.  (here's a Florentine depiction of Dante to whet your appetite and perhaps dampen the dryness of my work a bit)
It is also worthy of mention that Dante's Inferno portrays a good deal of Creativity and Historical Self Consciousness.  Dante nearly realized the Italian language in opting to limn the works of Comedia in the accent of Latin (Italian that is) that was but a common language of the people.  This opened the door for centuries of authors and thinkers thereafter to release works in native vernacular, circumventing the issue of exclusion that came about through the sole utilization of Latin.  This may even connect to humanism because these people have entirely evaded hellish punishment via their own works, not through the action of God in/through Jesus!  This kind of thinking also evinces a certain action in the peoples in relation to other people instead of a central theme following peoples' relation to the church.  This reflects even further suggestions of secularism over the utterly divine centric mindset of the Middle Ages.  The clear reflection of soft rationalism is displayed in the sort of Aristotelean feel of the punishment each individual garners in the pits of the inferno.  Because people disrespected or ignored their own sense of rationalism, because those suffering therein were receiving torture reflecting or directly opposite to the lack of rational life they employed.  This process produces something interesting: Dante serves as a model for the Italian Renaissance in many ways, a kind of mold that is broken for him is imitated and (perhaps) improved upon in several castings for other important Renaissance figures.  The ensuing Renaissance will have been forever changed at the hands of yet another citizen of Firenze.

Vesuvius and all the Jazz

I really need to get this off my chest.  I am going to the Amalfi Coast this weekend and am elated to some nth degree.  I get to see Sorrento, a top notch archaeological museum in Napoli, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mount Vesuvius, and Capri!  Ah!  I can barely contain my jubilation.  I am also kind of scared, but here's to hoping it rocks.  I really want to listen to Sufjan Stevens' song, "Vesuvius" while I hike it from this album.  I hope it works out because that would be dang awesome!!  Well here's to hoping for an awesome time.  I hope things are going quite swimmingly across the pond.  I've had my ups and downs but it seems to be going alright as of now.  My Italian midterm is behind me and it's nothing but travels on my own for the next couple of days.  The lone wolf out on his own!  Which reminds me distinctly of one of my favorite new italian sayings.  When one prepares for a large examination one exclaims: "In bocca lupa" (meaning in the mouth of the wolf)  People respond "Crepi" which means it died!  How great!  The following photograph is the beginning of a fantastic meal I had just after a fantastic service at Santa Croce  Enjoy and   Buon weekend!

The Papal Basilica of Assisi

There is a phenomenal growth of artistic and conceptual appreciation evinced in the artistic representations present in the Basilica constructed on behalf of the revolutionary Saint Francis of Assisi (San Francesco di Assisi).  The true significance of this growth is immeasurable.  The record present in this basilica is much akin to the fossil records present in the grand canyon; almost as if you can see the ancient Cambrian period-esque under belly of the church with their sparse and un-lively fossils contrasted against the grandiosity of the Jurassic period with its huge, life like fossils.  It is truly fascinating to see how the effects of the humanism and love of people spread and affected the intellectual class as it spilled from the lips of pre-Renaissance sage, San Francesco.  His revolutionary understanding of the creation story from Genesis has an opposite effect to what many conservatives fear theories of evolution perpetrates.  Whereas evolution based world views are often opposed for their capability to lower the view of humanity down to the lowly state of just another version of an animal, Saint Francis saw a familial connection between all of creation in a way that led to birds, water, moon, and sun all to be seen as his brothers and sisters.  Therefor Francis elevated all of creation up to the level of humanity.  What are the consequences of such thoughts?  War, hatred, violence, against humanity and creation are nearly entirely removed from society as necessities, for who wars against members of the same family?!  This sort of infectious humanism served as a gateway for many early Renaissance thinkers to slip into our world of Rebirth without running contrary to the church.  It may in fact be due to the humanist and nature loving thoughts of Francis that so many artists were able to shake the Eastern Orthodox-esque limitations on the depiction of reality in art.  "Only pagans depict reality.  We are Christians and therefore must not artistically depict reality!  We can only depict saints the highest subject matter of theology" soon became "God has created all of the world in beauty and all of it pertains to God since they are all our brothers!"  Just as Saint Francis brought Jesus once more out of the church and to the people, his thoughts made it possible once more for the outside world, sister nature in all her grandeur, to once more fill the church.  And what a church it is!  In the photograph it is in the upper middlin section peaking out from amongst the buildings of Assisi.

What did Francis' thoughts, his humanistic tendencies make possible?  In contrasting the lower church depictions of Francis' life with the upper church here in Assisi, we can see (si, ha I love word play) a fantastic contrast.  In just a few short decades (about 35 years) Giotto's depictions of Francis' life are completely altered, carrying the feel and tendencies for perspective, reality, and distance that suggest some kind of appreciation for the education of the past, a sort of Grecian/Roman appreciation for reality's depiction in art.  One is reminded of the papal-death bed vision of Assisi in contrast between above and below.  The under-church's image while beautiful and divine in its own sense conveys a kind of brown blob for a bed, with a man that may be laying down or sitting up, but is entirely 2d, without and kind of potent depiction of reality.  yet Giotto's work above shows a very real bed, with a mattress and INCREDIBLE detail.  It jumps off the wall and into your eyes; no longer a simple sticker on the wall!  

Likewise the under-church conveys imagery of Saint Francis ripping his clothes off in the street, giving his father his clothes back while the bishop covers his naked body.  But his naked feet bear no toes!  His ribs are absent and one can scarcely decipher where the cartoon ends and the religious paraphernalia begins!  yet it's upper-church counter part depicts a man with toes, ribs displayed, and a sort of shocking realism.  This painting of Giotto's proves so inspirational that the form of the infuriated father lunging to strike is imitated for years to come, even on the fountain in the Perugia square!  What then can we say about the incredible acts of Saint Francis that is a hyperbole?  This single man, the gateway to the Renaissance, a man ahead of his times, the Jesus after Jesus, the first possessor of the stigmata, the inspiration of an order, the husband of Lady poverty, the brother to all creation, the Saint that saved the Catholic Church.  It sounds as if we are in dire need of another Saint Francis even today.