Florence Cathedral: Artistic Analysis
Florence Cathedral: Artistic Analysis
The artistic work that shall be reviewed in this paper is Florence Cathedral located in page 391 of the book Gardener’s art through ages. The Cathedral is one of the notable architectural designs in Tuscany. It stands tall and towering with a 44 meter diameter and 113 meter high dome. Artist Arnolfo Di Cambio led a team of other artists to construct the cathedral. The construction work on the cathedral began in 1296. Cambio intended to construct a beautiful church that stood out in the entire region. The surfaces of the cathedral are decorated with marble crusted geometric designs (Gardener, & Kleiner, 2010, p392). The cathedral also has decorative wall paneling. The dome is for instance cylindrical. The exterior wall of the cathedral has distinct circular and rectangular shapes of varying sizes.
The most outstanding feature of the cathedral is the dome. This is the first part of the cathedral that one sees. An aerial view of the cathedral also shows the entire church structure. The cathedral is a defined structure with clear lines and shapes. The artists also use earth colors on the roofing of the cathedral. Earth colors give the cathedral a natural presence within the city of Florence. The cathedral has earth colors such as brown, cream and white. To illustrate the windows, the artists have mixed the white color with other darker colors. The hollow areas with windows thus stand out across the cathedral.
The interior of the church exudes with spaciousness as it has deeper and wider nave and aisles. The cathedral has three wide naves which end at the dome. The construction of the nave began in 1296 and by 1318, they were all completed. The cathedral also has bell tower that stands as tall as the dome. The bell tower is on the extreme end of cathedral directly opposite the dome. It is rectangular in shape with windows on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors (Gardener, & Kleiner, 2010, 391). One unique aspect of the dome is that it stands as a separate part of the cathedral. In fact, the bell tower can be removed from the cathedral and left to stand alone without interfering with the main cathedral. The cathedral also has a façade that was designed by architect Cambio.
The façade is designed to mark the entrance of the cathedral. On the front, it has three doors. The doors are made of bronze and adorned with images of Mary, the mother of Christ. The lunettes above the doors are decorated with mosaics with religious connotations. Among the representation of mosaics include images of Christ with Mary and john the Baptist. The top of the façade also has representation of the 12 disciples of Christ, Christ and Mary. Overall from the top to bottom, the façade is geometrically structured. It is easy to pick out circular, rectangular and triangular shapes that make up the façade. The shapes vary in size as well as thickness. Thickness is achieved by use of distinct line that is heavily shaded. The think lines have used to mark distinct areas such as door, windows and the pillars of the façade.
To-date the church still stands as a representation of the early Christina church in Italy. This is in contrast to the contemporary church that is different. Florence cathedral is firmly established on the ground, and the basis of the architectural design is on the horizontal vastness. The geometrical designs all over the cathedral are evidence of desire by the artists to mark the end of inwardness towards the sky. The walls of the church also carry the Tuscan Romanesque architectural traditions (Gardener, & Kleiner, 2010, p392). The dome, for instance, is the highest point of the cathedral. However, it height has an end as the dome converges and ends at the apex.
Florence cathedral is an illustration of modernity and religions. The cathedral is a religious construction used by Christians for purposes of worship. The cathedral as it stands at Florence is a representation of the dominant religious practice in the region: Christianity. The structure and mode of construction is modern in that it consists of different segments put together to form a whole. The bell tower, the façade and the dome are among the numerous parts that can stand alone as parts that made the cathedral. However, the individual element would not make sense standing alone in different geographical regions.
They have thus been brought together to create the magnificent dome. The bringing together of different parts symbolizes the unity of Christianity, and its adherents. The Christians at Florence came together and contributed to the construction of the cathedral. The cathedral thus represents the mood of unity and togetherness for continuity. The spaciousness of the interior of the cathedral brings out the mood of tranquility and calm. This is attributed to the spaciousness that the nave and the interior of the dome create. In the quest for spiritual nourishments, the spaciousness provides the arena to seek Jesus Christ.
Reference
Gardener, H. & Kleiner, F. (2010). Gardener’s art through the ages: the western perspective. Cengage learning
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