Sculpture of Italy
Encyclopedia
Sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

 of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

refers to the plastic arts, sculpture and statues in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

Etruscan sculpture

The sculptures are mainly Etruscan terra-cotta or bronze.
They modeled the figures of the dead, who appeared lying on the sarcophagus.

Etruscan sculpture with realistic portrait appeared, leaving the idealism of Greek art.

Bears some resemblance to the original Greek sculpture and some Mesopotamian influence.
The main works of this period are:
The Chimera of Arezzo
Chimera of Arezzo
The bronze "Chimera of Arezzo" is one of the best known examples of the art of the Etruscans. It was found in Arezzo, an ancient Etruscan and Roman city in Tuscany, in 1553 and was quickly claimed for the collection of the Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I, who placed it publicly in the...

, the Capitoline Wolf
Capitoline Wolf
The Capitoline Wolf is a bronze sculpture of a she-wolf suckling twin infants, inspired by the legend of the founding of Rome. According to the legend, when Numitor, grandfather of the twins Romulus and Remus, was overthrown by his brother Amulius, the usurper ordered the twins to be cast into...

, the Apollo of Veii
Apollo of Veii
The Apollo of Veii is an over-life-size painted terracotta Etruscan statue of Apollo . Originally at Veii, it dates from c. 550 - 520 BC ans was sculpted in the in the so-called "international" Ionic or late-archaic Etruscan style...

 among others.

Republic and empire

Roman sculpture was not until psad own style while.

Its early influences were the Etruscans.
Inherited from the Etruscans to the realism of the images of wax who performed their dead, the Greek idealism. Republican period include the portraits of Julius Caesar, Cicero and Pompey.
The Greek idealism can be seen in the works for the rule (if AC) as the Augustus of Prima Porta
Augustus of Prima Porta
Augustus of Prima Porta is a 2.04m high marble statue of Augustus Caesar which was discovered on April 20, 1863, in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta, near Rome. Augustus Caesar's wife, Livia Drusilla, retired to the villa after his death. The sculpture is now displayed in the Braccio Nuovo of...

, or the portraits of Caligula and Tiberius.

Posterormente the time of the Flavian and during military anarchy s. III dc current prevailing more typical of realism. During the reign of Antonin
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...

 tends to baroque portraiture. Proof of this are portraits of Comfortable, Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...

 and Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius is an ancient Roman statue in the Campidoglio, Rome, Italy. It is made of bronze and stands 3.5 m tall. Although the emperor is mounted, it exhibits many similarities to standing statues of Augustus...

.

In Rome also carved reliefs, the influences were the same, being the most popular trend realism and idealism more aristocratic. In the reliefs, Roman artists made use of pictorial and prospects. And anecdotal details.
The most obvious influence of Greece can be seen in the reliefs of the Ara Pacis of Augustus, this idealistic tendency was lost over time, but still in the Trajan's Column
Trajan's Column
Trajan's Column is a Roman triumphal column in Rome, Italy, which commemorates Roman emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars. It was probably constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate. It is located in Trajan's Forum, built near...

 or the Arch of Titus
Arch of Titus
The Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in c.82 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of...

, but is weaker in the Column of Marcus Aurelius
Column of Marcus Aurelius
The Column of Marcus Aurelius is a Roman victory column in Piazza Colonna, Rome, Italy. It is a Doric column featuring a spiral relief: it was built in honour of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and modeled on Trajan's Column.- Construction :...

 in that its reliefs represent the horror of war.

Byzantine sculpture

The most prominent works of sculpture are manufactured Byzantine capitals ornamental plant and animal motifs involved, as are those of San Vitale and the sarcophagi of the same city, in which items are represented Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd may refer to:In Christianity:* The Good Shepherd , pericope found in John 10:1-21, and a popular image in which the Good Shepherd represents Jesus...

.

But the major works of sculpture is the small Byzantine works, pamphlets and carved boxes in ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...

, highlighting Barberini diptych, Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...

 by 5th century, or The Bishop's famous Maximian in Ravenna, carved into the year 533 on ivory plaques with painstaking work.

Romanesque

During the Romanesque in the rest of Europe the sculpture was subordinated to architecture as a simple decoration, mainly at the doors of churches and cathedrals.
But most of the Italian territory, the sculptural decoration did not exist, in particular Italian Romanesque art was given more importance to color, so the decoration was carved fachads if that was not painted or marble used in different colors.
But in general the Italian Romanesque, like the Gothic was more classical than in the rest of Europe.

Gothic

Italian Gothic sculpture is developed mainly in Tuscany and northern peninsula.
These are the places where Nicola Pisano
Nicola Pisano
Nicola Pisano was an Italian sculptor whose work is noted for its classical Roman sculptural style. Pisano is sometimes considered to be the founder of modern sculpture.- Early life :His birth date or origins are uncertain...

 carved reliefs of the Baptistery pulpit of the Cathedral of Pisa and Cathedral of Siena.
Nicola Pisano
Nicola Pisano
Nicola Pisano was an Italian sculptor whose work is noted for its classical Roman sculptural style. Pisano is sometimes considered to be the founder of modern sculpture.- Early life :His birth date or origins are uncertain...

 had a tendency markedly classicist who practically anticipates rebirth.
Moreover, his son Giovanni
Giovanni Pisano
Giovanni Pisano was an Italian sculptor, painter and architect. Son of the famous sculptor Nicola Pisano, he received his training in the workshop of his father....

 are influenced more by the international mainstream, taking characteristic of French Gothic as German.

Finally with Lorenzo Ghiberti
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Lorenzo Ghiberti , born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian artist of the early Renaissance best known for works in sculpture and metalworking.-Early life:...

 Gothic ending retains certain features of Gothic sculpture but somehow returning to classicism which will lead to rebirth.

Baroque

Of the various Italian sculptors who emerged in the Rome of this period, Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome. He was the leading sculptor of his age and also a prominent architect...

 (1598–1680) is seen as the most important and his approach to the Baroque as the most highly charged. He is greatly valued for his virtuosity in carving marble and his ability to create figures that combine the physical and the spiritual.

A particular example of Bernini's work that helps us understand the Baroque is his St. Theresa in Ecstasy
Ecstasy of St Theresa
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is the central sculptural group in white marble set in an elevated aedicule in the Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome...

(1645–52), created for the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria
Santa Maria della Vittoria
Santa Maria della Vittoria is a roman catholic titular church and minor basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary located in Rome, Italy. The church is known for the masterpiece of Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the Cornaro Chapel, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa....

, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. He was also a fine sculptor of bust portraits in high demand among the powerful.

Neoclassicism

Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova was an Italian sculptor from the Republic of Venice who became famous for his marble sculptures that delicately rendered nude flesh...

 (1757–1822) became probably the most famous Italian Neoclassical sculptor, creating works for Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...

 in Paris. Examples include Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss
Antonio Canova's statue Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, first commissioned in 1787, exemplifies the Neoclassical devotion to love and emotion. It represents the god Cupid in the height of love and tenderness, immediately after awakening the lifeless Psyche with a kiss, a scene excerpted from Lucius...

.
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