Italian Arts & Music
A look at the art history of the Italian Peninsula.
Arts of Ancient Italy
The Italian Peninsula possesses a long, diverse, and globally influential art history. Beyond its ancient cave paintings, the peninsula’s first major artists likely belonged to Greek, Italic, and Etruscan civilizations. All three cultures exchanged artistic customs and would have a later impact on Rome. To the north, the Etruscans developed a strong tradition of bronze casting, pottery, and wall paintings or frescoes. Their works emphasized natural humanity, often depicting individual people and scenes from daily life. This fascination with the human form would continue through the Roman and Renaissance eras.
Ancient Roman Arts and Music
Like most other civilizations, the people of the Roman Empire produced art for personal entertainment, social status, religious expression, and to honor their dead. They built upon the indigenous styles of cultures like the Etruscans as well as sending students abroad to study. The Romans were heavily influenced by Greek sculpture, particularly its technical mastery. While the Greeks generally painted their statues or cast them from bronze, Roman sculptors preferred white marble. Romans were more likely to depict non-mythical subjects, including wealthy and notable people, than the Greeks. Many Roman artists produced copies of earlier Greek works, preserving them in the process.
Sculptures and monumental architecture are the most visible remnants of Roman culture. Other forms of art, such as paintings and mosaics, were also popular and well developed. Many frescoes, a type of wall art where paint is integrated with fresh plaster, have survived as well. The homes of the upper classes and public spaces also contained mosaic floors featuring a variety of subjects. Panel paintings, done on wood, have only been found in a few cases, such as the Fayum mummy portraits of Roman Egypt.
Art of the Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance developed almost 1,000 years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The independent city-states left in its wake recovered and thrived through foreign trade. A boom in wealthy merchant families expanded demand for art and education, including a renewed interest in the ancient Greeks and Romans. These powerful patrons, especially those of Florence, commissioned art, funded workshops, and launched successful artists to new heights of fame. Artists perfected their understanding of human anatomy and used mathematics to develop new models of perspective. Where medieval art had primarily focused on religious subjects, Renaissance artists explored secular subjects as well. As their techniques grew more sophisticated, new styles of painting and sculpture emerged.
Italian Renaissance art spread through much of Europe via schools and the export of its artists. Among the most famous Italian artists of this time include Giotto, Donatello, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci.
Like the visual arts, the literature and music of Italy were transformed during the Renaissance. Prominent authors like Niccolo Machiavelli and Dante Alighieri explored the human experience, while music became more complex and theatrical. Medieval Italian music developed alongside the Catholic Church. Simple hymns and chants gave way to more complex, polyphonic compositions and secular pieces. Guido of Arezzo, a monk of the 11th century, invented modern musical notation. Both symphonies and operas originated in Italy before gaining popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries. Later composers like Antonio Vivaldi would continue this musical tradition.
Folk Music of Italy
Besides the formal pieces composed for wealthy families and the Catholic Church, Italy is also home to a diverse collection of folk music traditions. These musical styles, developed and played by its common people, vary by region. They trace their roots to wandering musicians, or troubadours, of the medieval era. The northern areas of the peninsula have been more influenced by European cultures, including a shared Celtic heritage. To the south, Greek, Arab, and African influences are more pronounced. Italian folk music received greater academic attention as the peninsula unified to form a nation. Today, many of its older ballads, dances, lullabies, and other songs are still performed on special occasions.
Modern Italian Arts
Modern Italy remains at the forefront of the global art scene. Futurism, an early 20th century movement, was spearheaded by Italian artists such as Umberto Boccioni and Carlo Carrà. Giorgio de Chirico, alongside Carlo Carrà, lay the groundwork for later surrealists through their metaphysical paintings. The nation is particularly well known for its contributions to the fashion, film, interior design, and automobile industries. Its artists now work in many genres, styles, and media, either professionally or as a hobby.
References
Crawford, Michael Hewson. The Roman Republic. Harvard University Press. 1993.
Daly, Selena. Italian Futurism and the First World War. University of Toronto Press. 2016.
De Puma, Richard Daniel. Etruscan Art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2013.
Duggan, Christopher. A Concise History of Italy. Cambridge University Press. 2014.
Jones, Philip. The Italian City-State: From Commune to Signoria. Oxford University Press. 1997.
Joost-Gaugier, Christiane L. Italian Renaissance Art: Understanding Its Meaning. John Wiley & Sons. 2013.
Kelly, Christopher. The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. 2006.
Killinger, Charles. Culture and Customs of Italy. Greenwood Publishing. 2005.
Sanker, Paul. Roman Art. Getty Publications. 2012.
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