Sandro Botticelli was a great humanist painter who lived in the 15th century. Although most of his artwork is a mystery to many people today, his works of the painting represent a climax of the flourishing culture in Medici’s Florence. Medicis Florence was a successful society that allowed the growth of philosophy, art, and literature. Borticelli full name was Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, Sandro Borticelli. He was the best painter in Italy and lived between 1445 and 1510 (Price,1997). He was able to study under a monk who was referred to as Filipo Lippi, and with his assistance, he got a studio in the palace of Medici. In the 1460s, after opening his studio, he allowed other commissioned paintings that were of great influence during those times. The artworks of Botticelli are evidence of his contributions to the entire art culture. This paper talks about the contributions of Sandro Botticelli to the renaissance era as follows;
Botticelli commissioned the works of the Religious authorities through his paintings. In the early 1480s, Pope Sixtus IV asked Sandro and other artists to paint the Sistine chapel’s walls. The commission was done more than three decades before Michelangelo painted the ceiling fresco. The works of Botticelli in the chapel are the frescoes found on the south and north wall in the nave. These include; ’Christ’s temptation’ ’Destruction of Dathan, Abiron and Core’ and’ Trial of Moses.’ His artistic contribution to the Sistine chapel influenced the frescoes on the canvases of the churches in the Florence area. Also, his paintings of the Madonna had a great influence on the period (Lazzeri et al.,2019).
Moreover, Sandro Botticelli was able to commission the public works. According to the book’ Renaissance and Reformation by James Patrick, Borticcelli was among the best portrait painters around Florence during the 1470s up to the 1480s and later. According to James, Botticelli’s use of shade and light in his paintings enhanced the feature and character of the subject. He was a good at using this technique that was the main feature of portraiture in those times.’ Fortitude’ is a a good example of such a painting that displayed his expertise in human portrait art. (O’Malley,2020)
Another of his contributions is his influence on a unique form of art. Besides painting religious images, Sandro painted images from his own images. Some of his paintings promoted the clothing of his own time. For example, instead of painting biblical subjects in the traditional historical clothes, he used Florentine attire in the paintings. This painting style is referred to as Christian Neoplatonism. According to the California States University, this painting style is a reconciliation of classical views with the Christian views. An example of such a modern art genre is the ‘La Primavera.’
Nevertheless, Botticelli’s artwork was used as a reflection of religion as in the studies of California University. After the Medici was expelled from the Palace in Florence during the 1490s, Sandro experienced religious challenges. This influenced his paintings in the later years as he was following Savonarola’s teachings. His paintings reflected his devotion to the religion and wished to portray his commitment to spirituality despite the crisis in Florence. Some of the paintings that portrayed spirituality in the renaissance period include ‘e’ and ‘Mystic creativity.’
In conclusion, Sandro’s works of art were of great importance to the renaissance period. They influenced many aspects of life, like culture and religion. Also, they influenced people after years to pay more attention to classical learning and to have an individualistic view of the nature of man.
Bibliography
Lazzeri, Davide, Ahmed Al-Mousawi, and Fabio Nicoli. “Sandro Botticelli’s Madonna of the Pomegranate: the hidden cardiac anatomy.” Interactive CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery 28, no. 4 (2019): 619-621.
O’Malley, M. (2020). Filippino in Botticelli’s Workshop. In Filippino Lippi (pp. 38-62). Brill.
Price, David. “The Renaissance Print, 1470-1550.” (1997): 254-256.
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