Renaissance in Italy, Volume 3 (of 7) The Fine Arts — Context and Discussion

Chronological Divisions and Artistic Evolution

Symonds divides the period 1470–1550 into two subordinate divisions. The earlier group includes Botticelli, Ghirlandajo, Perugino, Francia, the Bellini, Signorelli, and Fra Bartolommeo; the later group includes Michael Angelo, Raphael, Giorgione, Correggio, Titian, Andrea del Sarto, and Tintoretto. He places Lionardo da Vinci chronologically in the former but ranks him first among the latter. These subdivisions correspond to distinct stages: the earlier painters win admiration for their aim as much as their achievement, leaving a sense of reserved strength; the later display more perfect mastery and all-embracing faculty. Symonds argues that chronology alone does not justify these distinctions—what separates the groups is the degree to which they absorbed the spirit of the age.

Mantegna's Early Career and Paduan Training

Symonds details Andrea Mantegna's origins: born near Padua in 1431, possibly a Lombard farmer's son, he herded cattle in boyhood. He was registered in 1441 on the books of the painter's guild at Padua as the adopted son of Squarcione. At seventeen he signed a picture. Studying Squarcione's casts and drawings, Mantegna found exercise for his peculiar gifts. His early frescoes in the Eremitani at Padua appear painted from statues or clay models, selected for grandeur of forms, nobility of attitudes, and complicated beauty of drapery. The figures are arranged on different planes with perfect perspective; action is indicated by appropriate gestures; coloring, though faint and cold, is scientifically calculated.

The Shift from Christian to Humanist Themes

Symonds notes that all these painters deserve to be called children of the Renaissance. Their common object is art regarded as an independent function, relieved from technical bondage. In their work, the liberty of the modern mind finds its first and noblest expression. They deal with familiar Christian motives reverently but use them for the exhibition of pure human beauty. Pagan influences yield spirit-stirring inspiration; yet antique models of style weigh lightly upon their heroic strength. Symonds contrasts this with the earlier period when the Renaissance was still immature, versus the later period when it was perfected.

Symonds's Method: Observation Over Reading

In his preface, Symonds emphasizes that he owes less to reading than to observation. He claims not to have mentioned any important building, statue, or picture he has not had the opportunity to study. This hands-on approach shapes his analysis, grounding it in direct experience of artworks. His reliance on key sources like Vasari and Burckhardt is balanced by personal examination. This method allows him to make precise observations about the transition from medieval to Renaissance art, as seen in his detailed descriptions of Mantegna's frescoes and the broader evolution of painting.

Symonds's volume offers a structured argument about the emancipation of the arts, supported by specific examples from architecture, sculpture, and painting. Readers will find his chronological divisions and emphasis on observation useful for understanding the progression from early to High Renaissance. The work is best approached as an interpretive essay rather than a comprehensive history, focusing on how art reflects cultural shifts.

Turning the pages, I remembered standing before Giotto’s campanile in the pale morning light, feeling the stone’s patience. Symonds discusses how the Renaissance freed form from medieval rigidity, yet my own quiet awe felt timeless. That same hush returned while reading Mornings in Florence — Reading Notes, where each threshold invites a slower, more personal gaze.