How Renaissance artists were trained

imagine stepping into the heart of a Renaissance Workshop where aspiring artists honed their skills and produced iconic masterpieces the smell of fresh paint the sound of chisels a symphony of creativity but how do these iconic artists learn their craft what kind of training turned them into Legends they were definitely talented but the Renaissance period was defined by an apprenticeship process that systematically churned out artists that we admire till today [Music] often entered workshops at a young age sometimes before they turned 10. they became part of an artistic lineage frequently connected through familial or marital ties this was prevalent in the art world and likely helped ensure a steady income when Sons assume their father's roles pursuing art as a career was often a result of it being a family trade with Talent occasionally taking a back seat overseeing the family and workshop was the master who possessed both artistic expertise and Kane business Acumen as The Apprentice and master worked together The Apprentice learned the craft and contributed to the creation of commissioned artwork and there was certainly no shortage of aspiring Young Artists prepared to dedicate their lives to the craft numerous workshops each focusing on a specific facet of art employed a significant number of individuals in the late 1300s out of approximately 25 000 residents in Siena 30 were painters and 62 were stone masons and by the early 14th century there were nearly 100 painters today we view fine art as a luxury something accessible to those with money and connections but back then art was something Society desired required and utilized as a result a sufficient number of artists had to be available to meet the substantial demand and therein came the role of The Apprentice an apprenticeship could last anywhere from a few months to several years with each experience tailored to the ever-changing Art Market as an apprentice or garzone you would become an integral part of the Master's household sharing accommodation and meals with the Masters family the apprentice's parents might contribute to their living expenses but as their skills developed the master would become responsible for paying their wages each Workshop varied in structure when a big project arrived like a fresco cycle or a series of statues the workshop would expand and hire more assistance to manage the additional work in the beginning apprentices would start with simpler tasks like preparing panels and grinding pigments Renaissance artists and their assistants made their own materials from scratch including paint colors and brushes this early and enduring knowledge of the material and physical aspects of their craft provided the artist with an almost intuitive understanding of the materials during this time they would learn to draw by copying their Master's drawings or those of other artists these collections of drawings would serve as both instructional resources and valuable references for Future Works to further their visual education apprentices would study and copy renowned Works in their City you know Michelangelo right he replicated jato's paintings during his training years if fortunate apprentices would get the opportunity to travel to cities like Rome to expand their artistic Horizons accompanying their masters on important commissions would help them gain practical experience and encounter new artistic influences apprentices would then progress to drawing from statuettes or casts primarily using ancient sculptures like these to help bring more naturalism to Renaissance depictions of the human form mastering these drawings would prepare apprentices for the next stage drawing a live model usually a fellow Apprentice would be called to pose for these studies allowing them to practice capturing the human form in various positions when apprentices Advanced to painting they would typically start by working on less significant parts of a composition like landscape backgrounds if you were to take almost any painting from a Renaissance Workshop you would find it collaborative in such situations the master would paint the more Central figures or faces while the apprentices would be tasked with imitating the Master's style and completing the rest of the painting as witnessed in duccio's most famous Altarpiece maesta while contracts occasionally specified that the master should execute certain parts of a composition Guild rules allowed the master to sign any work from their shop as their own so even if an apprentice did the majority of the work the master would sign his own name the signature meant that the work met the Master's quality standards once an apprentice's training in a workshop is complete they progress to journeyman status by submitting and receiving approval for a piece that demonstrates their artistic Mastery they can open their own workshop and hire their own apprentices some artists might never become independent Masters but continue to work in other workshops sometimes as temporary help for large commissions a few artists like Andrea Del Sarto and frascia Biggio even form joint workshops to mass-produce Common artistic artifacts the apprenticeship system built a collaborative and educational space that fueled growth and Ingenuity it's through these Hands-On experiences and Relentless practice that apprentices became Masters etching their names into history if you enjoyed this video please subscribe and ring that notification Bell to uncover more stories about art thanks for watching

Channel: Art Uncovered

Views: 809,929

Keywords: art, art history, renaissance, baroque, dutch renaissance, high renaissance, sandro botticelli, botticelli, michelangelo, da vinci, leonardo da vinci, rembrandt, rembrandt van rijn, museum, art museum, met, metropolitan museum of art, van gogh, sothebys, christies

Id: xTDVz4y6f5Q

Length: 5min 36sec (336 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 23 2023