Final - Alaina Fontenot

For our first week in Rome, we decided to venture out and see art that exemplified the transition from the late Middle Ages/Medieval times into the Roman Renaissance period. We set out to learn about and see firsthand how the Roman Renaissance began and it's gradual change from Byzantine. To do this, we went to the S. Maria in Trastevere, the church of S. Cecilia, Bramante’s Tempietto, the Pantheon, and the Campidoglio.

This week we got to see many amazing pieces of art which all related to the Origins of the Roman Renaissance. One of my personal favorites was the fresco of the Last Judgment by Cavallini, inside of the church of S. Cecilia. This fresco portrays the Last Judgment, in which Jesus did a final judging of people at the end of the world. He is surrounded by John the Baptist, Mary, and the apostles. Below him are the people being judged and trying to get into Heaven. To the right of Jesus are the good people that will be entering the Kingdom of God and on Jesus’ left are the sinners that will be sent to Hell. This fresco showcases the mercy of Jesus along with the judgment done by Jesus that will be shown at the end of time. It was placed on the back wall of the Church, so that whenever people left mass or left the Church, they would be reminded of what was to come. It was done to remind the churchgoers to always remain good within the Church and what would happen if they were to trespass against it. This piece showcases the origin of the Roman Renaissance because the people in the painting still look two dimensional, but they are moving towards becoming whole. You can see that they have bodies beneath their cloaks and the faces are also turned and moving slightly. The faces also show emotion and Jesus, along with the apostles are seated in chairs. This was a very early attempt at linear perspective. This showcases the slight move from the Middle Ages into the Roman Renaissance.

We also went to the S. Maria in Trastevere. This is a medieval church that had a basilica setup that was dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Inside, there was a group of mosaics that depicted different stories of Mary. It had many mosaics from the Byzantine Era but also included frescos and other paintings from the Golden Age. The mosaics were known to be from the Byzantine Era because they were very two dimensional and also contained a gold background. Seeing the mosaics before seeing the Last Judgment really helped to show the gradual changes that led to Renaissance Art. While The Last Judgment is not Renaissance art, it shows the slight lead into it that artists were experiencing.

Next we went to the Tempietto, which was done by the Roman Renaissance architect, Bramante. Bramante spent his time in Rome looking at Classical as well as Byzantine architecture and in turn, made this beautiful building. This is High Renaissance architecture that was made to mark the place of St. Peter’s crucifixion. It was not actually the place of his crucifixion, but it still remains as a monument to St. Peter. It is classified as High Renaissance Art because everything about it was purposeful and proportional, having balance and harmony. It had Tuscan order columns that were based off of Greek Doric columns. It was built in a circle, which was unlike many classical architecture of the time. The circular shape was made to represent martyrdom and to keep up with the use of ideal geometry and proportions. The columns remained unfluted, which was different than most Classical columns and they also went around the whole building in a circle, instead of just in the front of the monument.

Rome has been amazing and seeing the art and the ways that it gradually changed into the Renaissance Era has been incredibly interesting. I can’t wait to see what next week holds!