Artist vs. Patron
The Italian Renaissance has been covered already on this blog in a couple of ways. Luckily for those of us fascinated by the Renaissance, there are many more. One of the unspoken understandings when talking about the masterpieces of the Renaissance is the relationship between the artist and their patron. This relationship is incredibly important to understand when considering Renaissance art and its repetitive nature.
What’s the story
To sum the relationship between the artist and their patron is a quote from Michael Baxandall's article Painters and Clients in Fifteenth-Century Italy:
"A fifteenth-century painting is the deposit of a social relationship. On one side there was a painter who made the picture, or at least supervised its making. On the other side there was somebody else who asked him to make it, provided funds for him to make it and, after he had made it, reckoned on using it in some way or other. Both parties worked within institutions and conventions - commercial, religious, perceptual, in the widest sense social - that were different from ours and influenced the forms of what they together made."
So, with this quote in mind, we will break down the specifics of the professional relationship between the artist and their patron.
The Painter who makes the picture
Artists in the Renaissance did not make art without the support and purpose that was provided by a patron, or as Baxandall likes to refer to them, the client. So, it only makes sense that the work created by artists in the Renaissance was meant to serve a purpose upon completion. Whether this purpose was to serve as a scene for religious reflection or reside in the patron's household, there was also an underlying purpose as well that was specifically for the patrons.
[figure 1] Andre del Verrocchio, The Baptism of Christ, 1472-75, oil on wood, 177x151cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence
To complete their workload on time artists often had workshops where they shared their knowledge with upcoming artists and allowed them to work on small, less significant details of the work. This is an important factor in the overall execution of Renaissance works because the artist who got paid for the works often only did the most important parts of the painting. Artists were often given specific instructions to paint the face and the hands of the characters in the scene, among some other details, because these were considered the most important parts of a work. For example, the painting The Baptism of Christ by Verrocchio is a work that was completed with the help of other artists in his workshop [figure 1]. We know this because the angels on the bottom left closely resemble the artistic style of Leonardo da Vinci, who was a student of Verrocchio's and would have helped in his workshop.
Ultimately, artists created art during the Renaissance to get paid first and to work on their technique or skill second. Even those artists who were secure in their patronage, like Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Raphael had to focus on making sure they were creating works of art that pleased their patrons before they got to experiment with perspectives, idealization, color theory, and so on. However, this could also be seen as an upside since artists were fully supported financially while employed by a patron, so they could, eventually, experiment with their subject matter, style, and skills.
The Patron who pays for it
The underlying purpose of creating art that was mentioned earlier, specific to the patrons, was to give back to the community. Wealthy patrons, especially, needed to focus on how they would show that they were thankful for the wealth that they amassed in their business. This giving back was never something that was outright stated either. This necessity to commission works of art often came from the patron's need to impress the community and prove that they could successfully contribute to society.
The group that gained the most benefit from the may patrons commissioning art was the church, hence the repetitive religious subjects in Renaissance art. Even works that were not for the church were still seen often because those wealthy enough often entertained other wealthy people in their households, where they could show off their art.
However, there was a possibly unfortunate side-effect to the relationship between patrons and artists during the Renaissance. Patrons had almost complete control over what the artists created. The patrons decided what the scene would be, in their contracts with the artists they specified what colors had to be used, and they often specified who the work was for so that the artist could include the likenesses of all the important patrons and recipients in the work. These contracts were so specific that they often told the artist exactly how much color pigments the patron expected them to use and where these colors should be used. This most commonly applied to the use of gold and blue pigments because they were the most expensive and the best way to capture wealth in an image, at the time. These pigments were used for the background of images like we see here in Cimabue's Virgin and Child Enthroned and Giotto's Lamentation of Christ in the Scrovegni Chapel [figure 2 and 3]. Eventually, the specifics evolved into requiring certain skills in order to create the most beautiful and perfect painting possible.
[figure 2] Cimabue, Madonna and Child Enthroned (Santa Trinita Maesta), c. 1290-1300, tempera on wood, gold background, 384x223cm, Uffizi Gallery, Florence
[figure 3] Giotto di Bondone, Lamentation of Christ, c. 1305, fresco, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua
Who are the players
One example of the relationship between patrons and the artists they employ is the Medici family. The Medicis were the ruling family of Florence in the mid to late fifteenth-century, and although they were not the typical patrons, they employed numerous artists over the period of the Renaissance. The Medicis were interested in both public and personal art. They funded art for churches to show that they could be supportive of Florentine society and they also hired artists who were willing to explore other subject matter for their personal art. Art, for the Medici, was a way for them to keep the people of Florence on their side through the changing political tides.
Why is it important to art history?
This discussion of the relationship between an artist and their patron helps us understand Renaissance art. It explains why there is so little variety in subject matter and colors. Discussing this relationship also helps us figure out the "why" behind the artists' works. We know that artists did not have much freedom in the way of subject matter and that further supports that any deviation from the standard can tell us something about the artist.
How can you form your own perspective?
Think about how this process of commissioning art was started. Why was it that when artists were beginning to receive payment for their works, they were not allowed freedom in what they created? If we consider this, along with the relationship between the artist and the patron, how does the Renaissance influence the relationship between artists and patrons today?
"Artist vs. Patron" references and pulls quotes from Michael Baxandall's, “Painter and Clients in Fifteenth-Century Italy,” in Readings in Art History, ed. Harold Spencer, 66-7. Vol 2 3rd ed. (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1983).
