The Renaissance in Sydney Art Analysis - Bronzino
Sydney
These last two weeks, I have been in Sydney visiting my brother. He has inoperable stage 4 colon cancer. He caught a virus and had to be checked into the hospital during my stay. David’s friend Mary took me around the city, so I wasn’t stuck in the house.
Where does an artist go when traveling Sydney? The Art Gallery of New South Wales.
The Assignment
I have had to drop out of most classes this summer, but I decided to keep my Explorations in Art class. It’s not just a class for me but therapy.
This week’s assignment was to create a new blog post with Renaissance in the title. Select a visual art or architecture from either the Italian or Northern Renaissance. Share with my audience my feelings and art analysis of the work.
As we walked through the art gallery, I shared with my friend the paintings and artists that I thought she might know and that I had a bit of knowledge about from all my studies. In the Renaissance wing of the museum, I found a Bronzino. Not my favorite Bronzino piece, but it was a name Mary recognized.
The Artist
Bronzino “Little Bronz” was a nickname Agnolo received, likely due to his dark skin and reddish hair. (Allori) His birth name is, Agnolo Di Cosimo Di Mariano Tori. Born November 17, 1503, Bronzino studied under Raffaellino del Garbo and Jacopo da Pontormo before beginning his career. Pontormo, Michelangelo, and the late works of Raphael greatly influenced his early work.
From 1539 until his death, Bronzino served as the court painter to Cosimo I, Duke of Florence. The Medici family is famous historically for their patronage of the arts. Bronzino is most famous for his portraits. (“Il Bronzino | Biography, Paintings, Style, & Facts”)
In 1547 Bronzino was expelled from the academy for unknown reasons. Because of this, in 1563, he was one of the co-founders of the newly formed Florentine Accademia delle Arti del Disegno. (Allori)
Bronzino died of an unknown medical condition on November 23, 1572, in Florence, Italy.
The Painting
Cosimo I De’ Medici in Armor
Artist: Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano)
(Italian, Monticelli 1503-1572 Florence)
Date: ca. 1545
Medium: Oil on Panel
Dimensions: 86 x 66.8x 35 cm
Period: Mannerism
Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation Purchase 1996 (78.1996)
(masters and Humphris)
Twenty copies of this portrait were made. It is believed to be an official portrait created as propaganda. (Allori) The one I saw in the Art Gallery of New South Wells has been studied and found to be the prime autographed version. (Whiddington and Cascone)
Art Elements
Bronzino portraits are characterized by an “intense concentration and almost unnerving clarity”
(masters and Humphris)
Lines
The detailed lines in the Duke’s armor show his richness, authority, and power. Outlined by the contrasting velvet red making, each piece of armor stand out.
Value
This piece’s dark background and color values bring a feeling of power. The intense light and dark bring a focus to the Duke’s face.
Emotions
The strong chin and stern mouth of the Duke are contrasted by his diverted gaze revealing a bit of anxiety as a youthful ruler.
Some of Bronzino’s other works you might recognize
Eleonora of Toledo with Her Son Giovanni, oil on canvas by Il Bronzino, c. 1545
An Allegory with Venus and Cupid, oil on wood by Bronzino, c. 1545
Portrait of a Young Man, oil on wood by Bronzino, c. 1530
Art Gallery of NSW | Art Gallery of NSW, https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Accessed 14 June 2023.
Allori, Elessandro. “Bronzino Biography.” Daily Dose of Art, https://www.myddoa.com/artists/bronzino/. Accessed 13 June 2023.
“Bronzino | An Allegory with Venus and Cupid | NG651 | National Gallery, London.” The National Gallery, London, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/bronzino-an-allegory-with-venus-and-cupid. Accessed 13 June 2023.
“Il Bronzino | Biography, Paintings, Style, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 June 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Il-Bronzino. Accessed 13 June 2023.
masters, old, and Cyril Humphris. “Cosimo I de' Medici in armour, circa 1545 by Agnolo Bronzino.” Art Gallery of NSW, https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/78.1996/#shop. Accessed 13 June 2023.
Pilliod, Elizabeth. “Bronzino (Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano) | Portrait of a Young Man.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435802. Accessed 13 June 2023.
Whiddington, Richard, and Sarah Cascone. “An X-Ray Scan of a 16th-Century Bronzino Painting of Duke Cosimo de' Medici Has Revealed a Mysterious Underlying Portrait.” Artnet News, 1 May 2023, https://news.artnet.com/art-world/x-ray-imaging-bronzino-cosimo-de-medici-portrait-2287094. Accessed 13 June 2023.
