Lorenzo Ghiberti
Artist/Architect
Biography
Florenzo Ghiberti was born in Florence in 1378. He spent most of his life in Florence. Ghiberti trained in his stepfathers, who is a goldsmith and painter, workshop. Ghiberti originally trained as a painter but then he focused on sculpting and architecture. some of his works include the Bronze Doors at the Baptistry of Saint John, The Santa Trinita (which is a tomb for Onofrio Strozzi), and he helped design and create the dome on the cathedral in Florence with Felippo Brunelleschi. Lorenzo Ghiberti does not haveany recorded patrons but he received a salary for all of his works. Ghiberti is linked to classicism because he uses the classical past and history along with mathematical ratios on his sculptures and architecture. He is also linked to perspectivism because his sculptures and architecture are three dimensional with depth.
Gate to Paradise
The Bronze Doors at the Baptistry of Saint John were created by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Construction took from 1425 to 1452. This piece influenced sculpture relief, also known as spacial relief, in Renaissance art. The Bronze Doors are attention grabbing. The doors are a magnificent 17 feet tall and every inch is beautifully detailed. The details in the panels tell a story. This piece represents classicism because it is made for and about a classic, historic figure (Saint John). The panels are also mathematically symmetrical. The attention to detail on the entire piece also show classicism. I find the size of this piece very interesting, it is 17 feet tall and weighs three tons! You can view this piece on Artstor using this link.
Work Cited
"Lorenzo Ghiberti." International Dictionary of Architects and Architecture. Gale, 1993. Biography in Context. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.