Educational Media Reviews Online

An introduction to the Italian Renaissance is a wonderful video useful for high school audiences, in order to introduce to this age group the importance and development of art during the Renaissance. The film takes its material from the Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari, a book of artists' biographies written near the end of the sixteenth century. A dramatic discussion takes place between Vasari and his apprentice Pietro, who has just returned from visiting a number of important Italian cities and towns. The video illustrates this dialogue, supposedly taking place in the late 1560's. Vasari guides his apprentice through the work of the early Italian Renaissance artists, starting with Giotto in the mid-fourteenth century and ending with Michelangelo in the late sixteenth century. Vasari explains how the term Renaissance came about, and guides the viewer through each of the important Renaissance artists, and their contributions through each period of art development. Terms like contrapposto, chiaroscuro, and sfumato are explained, and each artist's work is shown and its importance discussed. Major artists included are Giotto, Ghiberti (1381-1455), Donatello (1386-1466), Uccello (1397-1475), Masaccio (1401-28), della Francesca (1420-92), Botticelli (1445-1510), Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Rafaello (1483-1520), and Michelangelo (1475-1564).

The authenticity of the clothing and furnishings in which Vasari and Pietro conduct their discussion really adds weight to the power of the dialogue they have concerning art and artists during the Renaissance period. To present this type of information within 30 minutes is truly amazing. I highly recommend this video, and will in fact use it myself in my music appreciation classes as an excellent introduction and starting point for discussion on the connectivity between all of the arts during the Renaissance.