The Role of Women as Patrons during the Renaissance Essay

The Role of Women as Patrons during the Renaissance - Essay Example The Renaissance humanists embraced Christianity and, therefore, the church was at the forefront in patronizing many artistic works of Renaissance (Conelli 2004). The Renaissance was largely marked by the return to classical ideas that brought about the age of awakening in Italy and northern Europe between 1400AD and 1600AD (Thomson 1984). During Renaissance, or born anew in French, artist were exploring new ideas and, this lead to a wide discovery of talent and innovation. During and before Renaissance, men ruled over everything from political to social. A woman at these times was supposed to get married, give birth to boys and stay loyal to her husband (Trager 1994). A Renaissance man was expected to be well educated in a way that he understood proficiently art and science and have cultural grace. Women of all classes were expected to perform the duties of a housewife, or work in the fields if they were peasantry women. For middle-class women, they helped run their husbands business es while women of the noble class engaged in sewing, cooking, and entertainment. However, since the explosion of art and architecture presented opportunities individual’s growth, there were wealthy women who broke the mold of subjugation and achieved fame and independence (Chambers 1970). Most of these women learned how to paint in their father’s workshops while women of the high class had the opportunity to learn the art and practice architecture. Against this background, this essay examines the role of women as patrons of art and architecture during the Renaissance. Artistic Patronage Patrons of art had a significant role in the development of art in the Renaissance Europe. Patrons were not only customers of art but were also initiators of the same, and they often dictated on the art form and content (Chambers 1970). In most cases, art patronage was carried out by wealthy families of status, and it acted as a show of power. Art patronage was relevant for religious pu rposes, entertainment and as a source of political propaganda. As a result, the influence of the art was essential to the wellbeing of any artist. Artistic patronage was a formal undertaking with contracts defining the cost materials and dimensions of the project (Chambers 1970). For architectural works, the sketch of the project and the timeline, as well as the content of the piece, was contained in the contact form. A Patron of art or architecture offered a lot of support that placed him or her beyond the position of a mere customer. Art patronage originated from religious practices as noted by Tuscan merchant Francesco di Marco Datini of the 14th century that pictures moved ones spirit to devotion (Ciletti 1984). Therefore, the intention of any patron to any painting or curving was to devote such an art for religious purposes. Most portraits, placed at altering for a chapel, were meant to earn grace for the patron in redeeming her souls from the torments of purgatory (Ciletti 198 4). This was the theme and the form that Medici family in the early Florence artistic and architectural patronage undertook. Moreover, patrons were portrayed in paintings of religious subjects like in the work of Jan Van Eyck’s Madonna of the Canon van der Paele (Chambers 1970).

Ulysses S. Grant and The Gilded Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Ulysses S. Grant and The Gilded Age - Essay Example To be fair, keeping up with such expansion would have been a difficult task for any man. The challenges seem mind-boggling, even by contemporary standards. After the Civil War the United States was saddled with a huge national debt, the South's economy was virtually destroyed, the West was being opened up at a rapid pace (despite the increasingly desperate resistance of those whom Grant called "the original occupants of the land"), and the industrialization would very shortly make U.S. productivity soar above that of the United Kingdom. New inventions small and large were changing American life at a dizzying pace: the telegraph, the vast expansion of the railroads, gaslight, the iron-hulled, steam-engined ocean liner and battleship, new agricultural machinery, the safety razor, the repeating rifle, the fountain pen-there seemed no end to American invention and ingenuity-while at the same time the cities of the Northeast and Midwest expanded at breakneck speed to accommodate millions of new immigrants, creating a building boom and sending land prices sky high.4 Faced with all of these challenges, Grant took an unheard of approach in selecting members for his cabinet. He had long since made known his disdain for the political games of Washington. And rather than appoint public officials well-versed the problems of the day, Grant opted to appoint a collection of personal acquaintances and former military connections. Of course, "traditional interpretations of the Grant administration assert that the president-elect erred in not consulting broadly among the nation's political leaders before selecting his cabinet."5 The Senate, initially stunned by... This essay starts with a discussion of the general-turned-president, Ulysses S. Grant. While history cannot help but respect Grant’s morals and ethics in dealing with highly sensitive issues, the corruption that flourished during his terms, and even in his own administration, often casts a more memorable shadow over the era. Indeed, although an entire book could be dedicated to said corruption, and some have, this essay focuses in Grant’s rise to the presidency and his administration’s dealings in: The Gold Ring, Native American Population, The Whiskey Ring, and technology and labor advances following his terms. Fresh off landmark victories in the Civil War, Grant was quite possibly the most popular man in America. He was a landslide winner for the Republican Party without even making a single stumping speech. Grant was noted for his steadfast determination to meet resistance and pound away until he emerged victorious. Abraham Lincoln, when asked why he liked Gra nt responded, simply, â€Å"He fights.† It can surely be said that for eight years, Grant swam against the tide of public opinion in hopes for peaceful Indian assimilation. With the economy on the upswing, Reconstruction slowly working, Indian assimilation in progress, and rapid expansion into the West, Grant was a landslide winner for a second term. His second term, however, would be much more troublesome than the first. In addition to the rise to prominence of the Klu Klux Klan, Grant’s primary focus was on eliminating corruption from big business.