Renaissance and Baroque Sculpture in Italy

The biblical hero David was a popular subject for sculpture and painting throughout the Renaissance and into the Baroque period. By studying, comparing, and contrasting sculptures of David created in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, you can begin to see the stylistic changes that occurred across these centuries. In a minimum of 3 well-developed paragraphs, compare and contrast the following 3 sculptures of David:

1. Early Renaissance: Donatello. David. 1446-1460.
2. High Renaissance: Michelangelo. David. 1501-1504.
3. Baroque. Gianlorenzo Bernini. David. 1623.

In your comparison, discuss:

• What specific visual similarities do you observe in these three sculptures?
• What specific differences do you see? Consider the representation of the figure, additional objects portrayed, and the role of the viewer for each sculpture
• How has the attitude of David changed between these three representations?
• How is each sculpture representative of the time period and style in which it was created?

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific works of art that you have read about this week, talking about how they illustrate and support your ideas.

Question 2: Dutch Baroque Painting

As we learned this week, Dutch Baroque art showed the influence of Protestantism and the middle-class merchants and traders who served as patrons. Dutch Baroque artists created portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and genre scenes of domestic life.

In a minimum of 2 well developed paragraphs, discuss how the following paintings reflect the social and historical context of sixteenth-century Holland. Consider the influence of religion, commerce, social structure, and/or patrons of the art in your response. Offer specific examples of how the subject of each painting reflects the society and culture in which it was created.

1. Frans Hals, The Women Regents of the Old Men’s Home at Haarlem, c. 1664
2. Rembrandt van Rijn, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, 1632
3. Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific works of art that you have read about this week, talking about how they illustrate and support your ideas.

Respond to both questions as thoroughly as possible, making sure to use information from the readings and the lectures. All responses should be in complete sentence form, using proper spelling and grammar.