Lorenzo Ghiberti and the Baptistery Doors

I’ve always been a sucker for “the other guys” in life.  Let me explain: in class we spoke about the great competitions between Ghiberti and Brunelleschi for first the bronze reliefs for the doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence and then for the dome of the Duomo in Florence.  In both scenarios the artists tied and were contracted to do the work together.  The first time Brunelleschi got angry and went off to Rome while Ghiberti was left on his lonesome to complete the Baptismal doors.  During the second competition Brunelleschi played sick during the stressful times at work and eventually Ghiberti was dismissed.  Our reading actually says “Luckily Ghiberti was dismissed” however, when I read that I was sad and thought: well shucks, the person we are supposed to be admiring was a dirty player and a sore loser.  So, our first night in Florence I visited the replica baptistery doors and was absolutely mesmerized by the sight of them.  Yes, the Duomo is more than amazing and Brunelleschi should be more than commended at his fantastic work and his fantastic idea of how to make the dome work, but he should have been a team player.

Ghiberti’s reliefs for the baptistery doors are beyond phenomenal.  The three-dimensional work, intricacy and beauty of each relief are astounding.  They are a true picture of Renaissance art.  Before the Renaissance, 3D art was not allowed to be associated with the church for the fear that it would be considered an idol.  The only art in churches were frescoes and icons.  At this time, when artists were commissioned for a 3D piece for the church by the church, the church and art were moving forward hand in hand.  This is a very Renaissance idea; the idea that we as humans can expand ourselves not only upward (celebrating and working towards our eternally lives) but also outward (celebrating humanity and our current lives on earth).  This great expression of skill is also celebrating the human capability and accepting the Neoplutonic  idea that the arts are a pure reflection of the forms, as opposed to being an imitation of an imitation of the forms (Plutonic view).  In my opinion, the baptistery doors are an expression of “ideal art” as we learned about in class.  The doors have fantastic balance, no one panel surpasses another and each panel is balanced with order and proportion.  The panels are precise and the perspective is correct and aesthetically pleasing; just as the School of Athens by Raphael in the Vatican has columns, arches and lines that are symmetrical and visually appealing, so are the Ghiberti doors.  Each panel tells a story and the meaning is clearly communicated.  The Ghiberti doors are a fantastic representation of Renaissance art, how the art grew with the artists, how the church and the people expanded their minds as well as their abilities.