3.1 Wealth and Patronage
In this unit, you saw many examples of artworks that were collected and commissioned by wealthy art patrons such as the Medici family. These art patrons proudly displayed these artworks in their homes in order to impress visitors. Explore the photographs of one of these works, the Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/198556, as well as learn more about its patron, Federico da Montefeltro, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_da_Montefeltro.
In your post, discuss (1) whether or not you think that art today is still made for the purpose of showing off wealth and (2) whether you think that it is a negative or a positive thing that artists can be closely tied to wealthy patrons.
Click “reply” to start your own post, which must be at least 100 words long. Edit the subject line to create a descriptive title for your post. If you would like to attach images or files, click “browse my computer” at the bottom of the message box and follow the instructions.
This is a graded discussion board post. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Forum Grade or Thread Grade section to display the rubric).
3.2 Baroque Decorative Arts
The Baroque style you learned about in this unit was seen not only in the “fine arts” (painting, sculpture, and architecture), but also in what are know as the “minor arts” or “decorative arts” – interior decoration, furniture, serving ware, clothing, and so on (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decorative_arts). Explore the webpages linked to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Baroque style page: http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/b/baroque/. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is a museum specializing in the collection of objects of decorative arts.
In your post, link to an example of a Baroque decorative art object you found on the website of the Victoria and Albert Museum or another museum. Describe the object and discuss why this type of object not included in our textbook (as opposed to paintings and sculptures), whether or not you think this type of object should be included in our textbook, and, if so, what students would learn about Baroque-era culture from this object.
Click “reply” to start your own post, which must be at least 100 words long. Edit the subject line to create a descriptive title for your post. If you would like to attach images or files, click “browse my computer” at the bottom of the message box and follow the instructions.
This is a graded discussion board post. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Forum Grade or Thread Grade section to display the rubric).