University of Minnesota Morris Digital Well
University of Minnesota Morris Digital Well
Undergraduate Research Symposium 2014 Undergraduate Research Symposium
4-2014
Economic Underpinning of Renaissance Italian Art
Katherine Jacobson
University of Minnesota - Morris
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Part of theAncient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, and the
Economic History Commons
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Recommended Citation
Jacobson, Katherine, "Economic Underpinning of Renaissance Italian Art" (2014). Undergraduate Research Symposium 2014. Book 3.
Katie Jacobson
Undergraduate Research Symposium
April 12, 2014
Aby Warburg, 1902
3
Main Question
Historical Context
Demand and Competition
Patronage
Main players
Principal-Agent Relationship
Status signaling
Summation
http://img3.rnkr-static.com/list_img/1721/301721/full/famous-italian-renaissance-artists-u2.jpg Da Vinci, 1512 Self Portrait 4How was the relationship between wealth
and artistic talent developed through
Renaissance Italian patronage, and how is
this evident today?
Study emphasizing kinship bonds, self-fashioning, the
communication of social status, …network[ing], and
the promotion of individual, family, and collective
agendas
6
Renaissance:
14
th-17
thcentury
Measurements of wealth
Bank value vs. Public
display
Magnificenza
“Gift culture”
Symbolic value of luxury
display
Dowries
http://www.walksofitaly.com/tour_bookings/tour_all_listing/2/104Uffizi Museum Florence, Italy
7
Largest
concentration
of urban
populations
in Europe
Politically
fragmented
Urban, regional
economies
8 http://www.ilibrarian.net/history/italian_city_states_1494_lg.jpgCited in: Goldthwaite, 1993; Kent, 1987
The Church
Foreign policy: symbols
Community - advertising
Material requirements
“…people transformed
individual needs into
corporate demand.”
Vatican City
http://foundwalls.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Vatican-City-Rome-Italy-Europe.jpg
10
Governments, Professional groups, Individuals, Families
Political ambition
Power
Responsibility
Social position
Prestige
12https://www.google.com/search?q=increase+demand+graph&espv=210&es_sm=91&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=30HrUvuZNMmwyQGq4ICwAQ&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=1215&bih=551#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=YLjtaGmVi35uOM%2 53A%3B4IcjEMgOoxapjM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.raybromley.com%252Fnotes%252Fnoteimages%252Fequilibrium%252Fincrdemandeq.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.raybromley.com%252Fnotes%252Fequilchange.html%3B415% 3B318 13 (Patrons) (Artists) (Patrons)
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Italian%20Images/images/Firenze/Firenze_Skylines/900/Florence-Duomo-Nov07-RAW4827AR900.jpg
Collective groups
Governmental:
“[t0 provide] focal
points for public
spaces & proclaim
the communes’
beneficence
towards their
citizens”
Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy, 1588 Summer, 2013 15
Confraternities
Buildings to meet and worship
Décor
Families & Individuals
Wealthy bankers, merchants
Celebrated, of noble houses
Secular rulers of various Italian courts
Renaissance popes, cardinals
Cosimo de Medici:
“…responsible for making it
trendy to invest in the arts.”
Commissioned:
Donatello
Michelangelo
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Cosimo_di_Medici_(Bronzino).jpg 17
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Italian%20Images/images/Firenze/Firenze_Skylines/900/Florence-Duomo-Nov07-RAW4827AR900.jpg
1) Contemporary
2) Future
“Conspicuous consumption that lasts through many
generations”
3) Heavenly
“…patrons wanted God and the saints to see their
devotion, and hoped that their commissions would help
them reduce their time in Purgatory…”
19
Why demand increased in this time period -> world now values art -> art produced by patronage system -> who were patrons; motivations -> who were artists; motivations -> keeping in check (P-A)
“The frequent and
prominent displays of
personal emblems
indicate that patrons
had a second audience
in mind, namely
viewers here on
earth…”
http://www.wikipaintings.org/pt/lorenzo-lotto/virgin-and-child-with-two-donors
Lorenzo Lotto, Florence, 1525-1530
Madonna and Child with Two Donors
20
“All the [commissioned works] have given and give me the
greatest satisfaction and pleasure, because in part they
serve the honor of God, as well as the honor of the city
and the commemoration of myself.”
Giovanni Rucellai, Memoir, 1473
21
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/foto/santa%20maria%20novella/image/facciata.jpg
Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy, 1456
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Italian%20Images/images/Firenze/Santa%20Maria%20Novella/800/Top-Facade-Jul05-D1147sAR80.jpg 23
Patrons commission art, go find artists
Know that when employing people to work for us, can have this P-A problem Define problem In order to achieve this -> not artist declaring this but patron
CEO Controls:
Medium
Budget
Timing of ad campaign
Payroll
Together Discuss:
Target audience
General message
Qualities to be signaled
Patron = Principal = CEO
Artist = Agent = Advertising Agency
24
Principal-Agent
Problem
Separating ownership
and control of a firm
allows one party to act
in own interest rather
than interest of firm.
http://girlfriendinacoma.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Journey-cartoon-.jpg 25 Had to overcome this problem. Talked about principal motivations (patron), but artists have to have their own motivations
Employment
Court artist
regular salaries
Grow and maintain honor, status networking
Incentive-based system
26
Cited: Nelson, Zeckhauser, 2008; Reiss, 2013
“…[R]eputation plays a major role in guaranteeing
quality output from hard-to-monitor agents”
“…discouraged artists from skimping on effort, and from
turning out work of low or unacceptable quality.”
http://www.raybromley.com/notes/noteimages/equilibrium/incrdemsup3.jpg 27 Alignment between P & A -> increase demand -> increase supply -> more output!! Flowering in art (Artists) (Artists) (Patrons) (Patrons)
28
Econ conclusion: increase demand (see graph)
- Socioeconomic change,
increase demand, competition - Commissioning, patronage,
29
Bart Finzel
Stacey Aronson
LeAnn Dean
Dr. Stephen Wharton, Richmond University, London
Family & Friends
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