Patronage of the arts was important in art history. Art patronage was especially important in the creation of religious art. Patronage was one of the main things people did in the Middle Ages and it was very prominent and widespread throughout Europe. This paper will mostly be about what the paintings were mainly about and some of the main artists in the Renaissance, the demand for commission, and how much money they made on each painting.
Patrons would mainly make art based on religion and their client's families. A positive effect the Patronage system had was an allowance for commissions on subjects such as religion and current events that highlighted the culture. As Samuel H. Kress noted in his article on the National Gallery of Art website he says, “Lavish, even ostentatious, the public display became more common, even as the fortunes of the city declined. New subjects from mythology found eager audiences impressed by such evidence of learning. And, by the end of the century for the first time since antiquity, some art was being made simply 'for art's sake.'” He is basically explaining that most commissions were for religious work, and many banking families viewed the funding of altarpieces and chapels as a kind of penance for usury (money lending at interest), which was condemned by the church but inherent to their professions. The Medici were a very famous family in the Renaissance, they were very profitable and wealthy. In this book, it states that “Wealthy families also commissioned and bought art, often portraits of themselves or their families. Some patrons established academies, or schools, to encourage scholarship and the arts. Michelangelo studied in one of the studios set up in the Medici household to encourage talented young artists.” (27) This notes that mostly wealthy people bought commissions for art. Saying that art commissions from big patrons were quite pricey, even for an average person to be spending on. For artists to earn income, they hoped to be hired by wealthy people and institutions known as patrons. Most paintings and sculptures were based on and pushed toward religion. In the article from Gale Virtual Reference Library on an article called Patronage it states, “The nature of the commission ---traditional devotional images whose execution required assistants---apparently turned Fra Angelico toward religious and didactic works that characterize the end of his career; e.g., the Chapel of Nicholas V in the Vatican.” In the Renaissance, the most important pieces were the religious pieces they would work on and that would allow the artists to gain high commissions for their pieces.
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Commissions were the biggest part of making the paintings, and selling them and the people would spend a lot on just one painting but it would all be worth it. Another positive effect that patronage had on the Renaissance was the high demand for commissions and the money that people made. In a book, it states that “Renaissance artists began to sign their work in order to be recognized. When they became famous, they were paid well for their art.” (27) Big artists that would make a lot for their pieces would start to sign their works just to get more money because they were famous. And when artists were assigned a job to do the patrons would do anything the artists needed so they were very nice to the artists. As stated in this article, “Clients, in turn, gave patrons their loyalty and support. The same person could be a patron (provider of assistance) in one situation and a client (someone needing assistance) in another.” Patrons would tell the artist what they needed doing say it be religious or anything else they would do and they would name a price according to what it was and how long it could take to make. In return, the artists would give the clients jobs as stated in this article, “They might provide clients with jobs in the church or government or supply them with a steady income. Patrons also offered protection and helped clients if they were in trouble with the law.” So if a client would get into trouble for doing something bad the artist would help them get out of trouble so then the artist wouldn't worry about finishing the painting and not getting the money from their clients. And the status of some artists rose to that of a professional. The public took an interest in art and a pride in skilled local artists. Such artists gained the respect of learned people, rulers, and church leaders. They were seen as talented geniuses. Renaissance artists were not only skilled but they were also usually skilled at working with more than one type of material, or medium. Renaissance artists also designed medals, furniture, tombs, costumes, decorations for festivals, and illustrations for books. And most Renaissance painters drew and recorded many ideas in their notebooks.
Talking about painters I think the most important topic of the Renaissance and Patrons is the painters that were involved and basically started the creation of art for all of us. An article in Encyclopedia Britannica-Renaissance art in that article it talks about one of the most famous painters Leonardo da Vinci, “Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo (1475-1564), and Raphael (1483-1520). Each of the three embodies an important aspect of the period: Leonardo was the ultimate Renaissance man, a solitary genius to whom no branch of study was foreign; Michelangelo emanated creative power, conceiving vast projects that drew for inspiration on the human body as the ultimate vehicle for emotional expression; Raphael created works that perfectly pressed the classical spirit--harmonious, beautiful, and serene.” This notes some of the most famous painters in the Renaissance. It explains how they made some of their paintings. It also says how they are originally expressed in the artist's words and how they perceive the painting from their perspective. In this quote, it says where the painters drew their inspiration from which is something very important when learning about the Renaissance and Patronage. An article in Encyclopedia Britannica touches on a very famous artist named Raphael and who made some very inspiring and amazing artwork for Patrons. “Raphael is best known for his Madonnas and for his large figure compositions in the Vatican. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur.” This quote explains the kind of paintings Raphael made and how they were very big and he would hang them in this big church called the Vatican, many artists would put their paintings in there or Patrons would buy them straight from the artists. Another amazing artist is named Donatello and this article on Biography.com explains some great facts about him. “Born in Florence, Italy, around 1386, sculptor Donatello apprenticed early with well-known sculptors and quickly learned the Gothic style. Before he was 20, he was receiving commissions for his work. Over his career, he developed a style of lifelike, highly emotional sculptures and a reputation second only to Michelangelo's.” Donatello had many styles of art as it says in this quote but he also was an amazing artist because he started receiving jobs and commissions for his art at a very young age!
The system of patronage had a positive effect on the cultural development in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe. All in all, it was most important because it started the creativity of art. It also had a good impact because it gained most people's wealth back then and it was mostly for religious purposes during the Renaissance, there were so many powerful patrons that created so much artwork and it was an amazing point in history and we can learn so much from it.
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