Misplaced Pages

#527472

39-474: Known as the city of gold and of the high fashion, Arezzo was home to artists and poets such as Giorgio Vasari , Guido of Arezzo and Guittone d'Arezzo and in its province to Renaissance artist Michelangelo . In the artistic field, the city is famous for the frescoes by Piero della Francesca inside the Basilica of San Francesco , and the crucifix by Cimabue inside the Basilica of San Domenico . The city

78-604: A rinascita (rebirth), author Jules Michelet in his Histoire de France (1835) suggested the adoption of Vasari's concept, using the term Renaissance (rebirth, in French) to distinguish the cultural change. The term was adopted thereafter in historiography and is still in use today. Vasari was born prematurely on 30 July 1511 in Arezzo , Tuscany . Recommended at an early age by his cousin Luca Signorelli , he became

117-582: A colony of his veterans in the half-demolished city, as Arretium Fidens ("Faithful Arretium"). The old Etruscan aristocracy was not extinguished: Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , whose name has become eponymous with "patron of the arts", came of the noble Aretine Etruscan stock. The city continued to flourish as Arretium Vetus ("Old Arretium"), the third-largest city in Italy in the Augustan period , well known in particular for its widely exported pottery manufactures,

156-589: A considerable fortune. He married Niccolosa Bacci, a member of one of the richest and most prominent families of Arezzo. He was made Knight of the Golden Spur by the Pope. He was elected to the municipal council of his native town and finally, rose to the supreme office of gonfaloniere . He built a fine house in Arezzo in 1547 and decorated its walls and vaults with paintings. It is now a museum in his honour named

195-441: A pupil of Guglielmo da Marsiglia , a skillful painter of stained glass . Sent to Florence at the age of sixteen by Cardinal Silvio Passerini , he joined the circle of Andrea del Sarto and his pupils, Rosso Fiorentino and Jacopo Pontormo , where his humanist education was encouraged. He was befriended by Michelangelo , whose painting style would influence his own. Vasari enjoyed high repute during his lifetime and amassed

234-593: A small hill next to that of San Donatus, was occupied and fortified in the Etruscan period. There is other significant Etruscan evidence: parts of walls, an Etruscan necropolis on Poggio del Sole (still named "Hill of the Sun"), and most famously, the two bronzes, the " Chimera of Arezzo " (5th century BC) and the "Minerva" (4th century BC) which were discovered in the 16th century and taken to Florence . Increasing trade connections with Greece also brought some elite goods to

273-510: A transitional area where the risk for severe earthquakes is much lower than in nearby Umbria and Abruzzo , albeit it is slightly more vulnerable than Florence . Notable earthquakes are still a very rare phenomenon in the province , with a 4.6 quake 25 kilometres (16 mi) to its north-east that claimed no lives on 26 November 2001 the exception. Arezzo has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ) with hot and dry summers combined with mild and rainy winters. The annual average temperature

312-499: Is twinned with: Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari ( / v ə ˈ s ɑːr i / , US also /- ˈ z ɑːr -, v ɑː ˈ z ɑːr i / ; Italian: [ˈdʒordʒo vaˈzaːri] ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter , architect, art historian and biographer, who is best known for his work Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects , considered

351-645: Is "one of the nourishments that maintain them". References Sources Copies of Vasari's Lives of the Artists online: University of Arezzo The University of Arezzo ( Studium Aretino ) was an Italian university founded in 1215 that is located in the town of Arezzo in the Tuscan region of Italy . It was recognized as a studium generale from early in the 13th century but declined in importance after being overtaken by newer Italian universities and closed in 1520. The University of Siena has operated

390-533: Is 13.54 °C (56.4 °F), the hottest month in August is 23.56 °C (74.4 °F), and the coldest month is 4.66 °C (40.4 °F) in January. The annual precipitation is 864.03 millimetres (34.02 in), of which November is the wettest with 120.8 millimetres (4.76 in), while July is the driest with only 42.24 millimetres (1.66 in). The Piazza Grande is the most noteworthy medieval square in

429-661: Is also known for the important Giostra del Saracino , a game of chivalry that dates back to the Middle Ages. Described by Livy as one of the Capita Etruriae (Etruscan capitals), Arezzo ( Aritim in Etruscan ) is believed to have been one of the twelve most important Etruscan cities—the so-called Dodecapolis , part of the Etruscan League . Etruscan remains establish that the acropolis of San Cornelio,

SECTION 10

#1732764990528

468-599: Is incorrect; Andrea died several years before Domenico. In another example, Vasari's biography of Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, whom he calls " Il Sodoma ", published only in the second edition of the Lives (1568) after Bazzi's death, condemns the artist as being immoral, bestial, and vain. Vasari dismisses Bazzi's work as lazy and offensive, despite the artist's having been named a Cavalier of the Supreme Order of Christ by Pope Leo X and having received important commissions for

507-578: Is one of the few cities whose succession of bishops are known by name without interruption to the present day, in part because the bishops operated as the feudal lords of the city in the Middle Ages . The Roman city was demolished, partly in the course of the Gothic War and of the late-6th-century invasion of the Lombards , partly dismantled, as elsewhere throughout Europe . The Aretines re-used

546-572: Is set on a steep hill, rising from the floodplain of the River Arno . In the upper part of the town are the cathedral, the town hall and the Medici Fortress ( Fortezza Medicea ), from which the main streets branch off towards the lower part as far as the gates. The upper part of the town maintains its medieval appearance despite the addition of later structures. Arezzo's city proper is near the high risk areas for earthquakes, but located in

585-662: The Casa Vasari , whilst his residence in Florence is also preserved. In 1563, he helped found the Florentine Accademia e Compagnia delle Arti del Disegno , with Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici and Michelangelo as capi of the institution. Thirty-six artists were chosen as members. He died on 27 June 1574 in Florence , Grand Duchy of Tuscany , aged 62. In 1529, he visited Rome where he studied

624-557: The Val di Chiana , south of Arezzo, were drained and the region became less malarial . At the end of the-century French troops led by Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Arezzo, but the city soon turned (1799–1800) into a resistance base against the invaders with the "Viva Maria" movement, winning the city the role of provincial capital. In 1860 Arezzo became part of the Kingdom of Italy . City buildings suffered heavy damage during World War II ;

663-991: The Vasari Sacristy ), Arezzo, and other places. Many of his paintings still exist, the most important being on the wall and ceiling of the Sala di Cosimo I in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, where he and his assistants worked from 1555. Vasari also helped to organize the decoration of the Studiolo , now reassembled in the Palazzo Vecchio. In Rome, he painted frescos in the Sala Regia . Among his better-known pupils or followers are Sebastiano Flori , Bartolomeo Carducci , Mirabello Cavalori (Salincorno), Stefano Veltroni (of Monte San Savino ), and Alessandro Fortori (of Arezzo). His last major commission

702-649: The Villa Farnese and other sites. Vasari's biographies are interspersed with amusing gossip. Many of his anecdotes seem plausible, while others are assumed fictions, such as the tale of young Giotto painting a fly on the surface of a painting by Cimabue that supposedly, the older master repeatedly tried to brush away (a genre tale that echoes anecdotes told of the Greek painter Apelles ). He did carry out research archives for exact dates, as modern art historians do, and his biographies are considered more reliable in

741-672: The Etruscan nobles of Arezzo: the krater painted by Euphronios c. 510 BC depicting a battle against Amazons (in the Museo Civico, Arezzo 1465 ) is unsurpassed. Conquered by the Romans in 311 BC, Arretium became a military station on the via Cassia , the road by which Rome expanded into the basin of the Po . Arretium sided with Marius (157 – 86 BC) in the Roman Civil War , and the victorious Sulla ( c. 138 – 78 BC) planted

780-629: The Germans made a stand in front of Arezzo early in July 1944 and fierce fighting ensued before the British 6th Armoured Division , assisted by New Zealand troops of the 2nd New Zealand Division , liberated the town 16 July 1944. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission 's Arezzo War Cemetery , where 1,266 men are buried, is located to the north-west of the city. Pope Benedict XVI visited Arezzo and two other Italian municipalities on May 13, 2012. Arezzo

819-477: The Medicean Grand Duchy of Tuscany . During this period Piero della Francesca ( c. 1415–1492) worked in the church of San Francesco di Arezzo producing the splendid frescoes, recently restored, which are Arezzo's most famous works. Afterwards the city began an economical and cultural decay, which ensured the preservation of its medieval centre. In the 18th century the neighbouring marshes of

SECTION 20

#1732764990528

858-515: The arts had been in the air since the time of Alberti . Vasari's term, applied to the change in artistic styles with the work of Giotto, eventually would become the French term Renaissance (rebirth) widely applied to the era that followed. Vasari was responsible for the modern use of the term Gothic art , as well, although he only used the word Goth in association with the German style that preceded

897-422: The case of his contemporary painters and those of the preceding generation. Modern criticism – with new materials produced by research – has revised many of his dates and facts. Vasari included a short autobiography at the end of the Lives , and added further details about himself and his family in his lives of Lazzaro Vasari and Francesco Salviati . According to the historian Richard Goldthwaite, Vasari

936-439: The characteristic moulded and glazed Arretine ware , bucchero -ware of dark clay and red-painted vases (the so-called "coral" vases). Around 261 AD the town council of Arezzo dedicated an inscription to its patron L. Petronius Taurus Volusianus . See that article for discussion of the possible political/military significance of Volusianus's association with the city. In the 3rd to 4th century Arezzo became an episcopal seat: it

975-543: The church of Santa Croce in Bosco Marengo ( Province of Alessandria , Piedmont ). In 1562, Vasari built the octagonal dome on the Basilica of Our Lady of Humility in Pistoia , an important example of High Renaissance architecture. In Rome, Vasari worked with Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Bartolomeo Ammannati at Pope Julius III 's Villa Giulia . Often called "the first art historian", Vasari invented

1014-664: The city, opening behind the 13th century Romanesque apse of Santa Maria della Pieve . Once the main marketplace of the city, it is currently the site of the Giostra del Saracino ("Joust of the Saracen"). It has a sloping pavement in red brick with limestone geometrical lines. Aside from the apse of the church, other landmarks of the square include: The Tuscan city is the main location of Roberto Benigni's 1997 film "La Vita È Bella / Life Is Beautiful", which won 3 Academy Awards (Best Foreign Film, Best Actor, Best Original Score). Arezzo

1053-609: The fortunes of Ghibelline Arezzo started to ebb, apart from a brief period under the Tarlati family, chief among them Guido Tarlati , who became bishop in 1312 and maintained good relations with the Ghibelline party. The Tarlati sought support in an alliance with Forlì and its overlords, the Ordelaffi , but failed: Arezzo yielded to Florentine domination in 1384; its individual history became subsumed in that of Florence and of

1092-467: The genre of the encyclopedia of artistic biographies with his Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori ( Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects ). This work was first published in 1550 and dedicated to Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici . Vasari introduced the term "Rinascita" (rebirth in Italian) in printed works – although an awareness of an ongoing "rebirth" in

1131-472: The ideological foundation of all art-historical writing, and still much cited in modern biographies of the many Italian Renaissance artists he covers, including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo , although he is now regarded as including many factual errors, especially when covering artists from before he was born. Vasari was a Mannerist painter who was highly regarded both as a painter and architect in his day, but rather less so in later centuries. He

1170-497: The invention of engraving . Venetian art in particular (along with arts from other parts of Europe), is ignored systematically in the first edition. Between his first and second editions, Vasari visited Venice and while the second edition gave more attention to Venetian art (finally including Titian ), it did so without achieving a neutral point of view. Many inaccuracies exist within his Lives . For example, Vasari writes that Andrea del Castagno killed Domenico Veneziano , which

1209-674: The medieval churches of Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce . In both buildings, he removed the original rood screen and loft, and remodeled the retro- choirs in the Mannerist taste of his time. In Santa Croce, he produced the painting of The Adoration of the Magi commissioned by Pope Pius V in 1566 and completed in February 1567. It was restored recently, before being exhibited in 2011 in Rome and Naples. Eventually, it will be returned to

Arezzo - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-488: The rebirth, which he identified as "barbaric". The Lives also included a novel treatise on the technical methods employed in the arts. The book was partly rewritten and extended in 1568, with the addition of woodcut portraits of artists (some conjectural). The work shows a consistent and notorious bias in favour of Florentines and tends to attribute to them all the developments in Renaissance art – for example,

1287-691: The riverside environment. In Florence, Vasari also designed the long passage, now called Vasari Corridor, which connects the Uffizi with the Palazzo Pitti on the other side of the river. The corridor passes alongside the River Arno on an arcade, crosses the Ponte Vecchio , and winds around the exterior of several buildings. It was once the location of the Mercado de Vecchio. He renovated

1326-550: The stones for fortifications. Only the amphitheater remained. The commune of Arezzo threw off the control of its bishop in 1098 and functioned as an independent city-state until 1384. Generally Ghibelline in tendency, it opposed Guelph Florence. In 1252 the city founded its university, the Studium . After the rout of the Battle of Campaldino (1289), which saw the death of Bishop Guglielmino Ubertini  [ it ] ,

1365-597: The vista at the far end of its long narrow courtyard. It is a unique piece of urban planning that functions as a public piazza, and which, if considered as a short street, is unique as a Renaissance street with a unified architectural treatment. The view of the Loggia from the Arno reveals that, with the Vasari Corridor , it is one of the very few structures lining the river that is open to the river and appears to embrace

1404-667: The works of Raphael and other artists of the Roman High Renaissance . Vasari's own Mannerist paintings were more admired in his lifetime than afterwards. In 1547, he completed the hall of the chancery in Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome with frescoes that received the name Sala dei Cento Giorni . He was regularly employed by members of the Medici family in Florence and Rome. He also worked in Naples (for example on

1443-642: Was a vast The Last Judgement fresco on the ceiling of the cupola of the Florence Cathedral that he began in 1572 with the assistance of the Bolognese painter Lorenzo Sabatini . Unfinished at the time of Vasari's death, it was completed by Federico Zuccari . Aside from his career as a painter, Vasari was successful as an architect. His loggia of the Palazzo degli Uffizi by the Arno opens up

1482-461: Was effectively what would now be called the minister of culture to the Medici court in Florence , and the Lives promoted, with enduring success, the idea of Florentine superiority in the visual arts . Vasari designed the Tomb of Michelangelo , his hero, in the Basilica of Santa Croce , Florence that was completed in 1578. Based on Vasari's text in print about Giotto 's new manner of painting as

1521-476: Was one of the earliest authors to use the term "competition" (or "concorrenza" in Italian) in its economic sense. He used it repeatedly, and stressed the concept in his introduction to the life of Pietro Perugino , in explaining the reasons for Florentine artistic preeminence. In Vasari's view, Florentine artists excelled because they were hungry, and they were hungry because their fierce competition amongst themselves for commissions kept them so. Competition, he said,

#527472