Wikipedia Project: References

Robert Bideleux and Ian Jeffries, A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis and Change, London: Routledge, 1998.

Timothy E. Gregory, A History of Byzantium, Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

Olivia Remie Constable, Housing the Stranger in the Mediterranean World: Lodging, Trade, and Travel in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

John Mark Nicovich, “The Poverty of Patriarchate of Grado and the Byzantine-Venetian Treaty of 1082”, The Mediterranean Historical Review, Vol. 24, Issue 1, New York: Routledge, 2009.

The other sources I found will probably not get used, since they don’t contribute any other meaningful information that has not already been contributed by the sources above.

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Wikipedia Assignment: Current info and what will be added

The information currently existing on the stub I chose is minimal.  The stub just talks about the treaty very generally, stating the two parties involved (the Byzantines and the Venetians), the fact that it was a “trade and defense pact”, and that it would affect Byzantine-Venetian relations for several centuries.  Again, not much information at all.

I intend to add several sections.  I am definitely going to add a section detailing the specifics of the treaty (what each side offered in exchange for what they wanted to get).  The book A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis and Change and the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Venice will provide useful information for this heading, since both list multiple trade concessions made by the Byzantines in exchange for military assistance against the Normans.  I also intend to add a section detailing the consequences of the treaty, for both sides.  The book A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis and Change will prove useful here, since it is the only source I have found so far that really talks about how the treaty sped up the decline of the Byzantine Empire, since the Byzantines had agreed to not tax Venetian merchants for their goods and to allow them to pass through Constantinople freely, without paying any sorts of fees (and so lost a great amount of revenue).  The Mediterranean Historical Review also has an article which details a few of the benefits that Venice enjoyed after the signing of the treaty, such as the fact that the granting of a merchant quarter to Venice in Constantinople allowed the Doge of Venice to collect a rather large amount of income, and alleviate the poverty of the Patriarch of Grado, the metropolitan of Venice.

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Most Useful Sources- Wikipedia Article

The most useful sources I have found have been the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Venice, and the book A History of Eastern Europe: Crises and Change, which I found through Google Books.

The Catholic Encyclopedia entry describes the particular benefits Venice gained because of the treaty, including the freedom from taxation on the goods Venetian merchants stored and transported through the city and the appropriation for a Latin church, St. Marks, in Constantinople.  The second source details not only some of the concessions the Byzantines made, but also the reason that they made those concessions (Norman invasion threatening the Empire) and some of the repercussions of the treaty, which spurred the gradual decline of the Byzantine Empire.

The book A History of Byzantium and a snippet from an article in the Mediterranean Historical Review also have provided some quality information, but the information in these two sources is more of a conformation of what the two sources named previously have stated than an addition of any other info.

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The Renaissance values that Machiavelli reflects

Machiavelli reflects the Renaissance values of secularism and realism, especially in his first and most well-known treatise, The Prince.

Born in Florence on May 3, 1469, Machiavelli was probably the most well known political theorist of his time, and maybe of all time.  He served as a diplomat for the Republic of Florence from the early 1490’s until about 1512, when the Medici family, who had been ousted in 1484, retook control of Florence.  Machiavelli was taken prisoner and tortured for several weeks as a conspirator against the state, and was then released.  He was forced to endure an odd form of exile, in which he could not enter the city of Florence, but he could not leave the province either.  During this period, Machiavelli wrote the document that he is most famous for, The Prince (1513, published in 1532), in an attempt to regain favor with the Medici and be allowed to return to political life.  He had originally written the piece for Giuliano de’Medici, Machiavelli changed the dedication after Giuliano’s death to that of his heir, Lorenzo de’Medici. (link) When the Republic was restored in 1527, Machiavelli had hoped that he would again be allowed to participate in political life.  However, he was viewed by his fellow citizens as a Medici supporter, and was not allowed to return.  This disappointment, along with his already failing health, probably led to his death on June 22, 1527.

Many of the ideas Machiavelli expresses in The Prince directly contradict a huge number of Church teachings (secularism).  He essentially argues that, for rulers attempting to keep their states united, the ends justify the means.  For example, in chapter 17 of The Prince, when he is discussing whether or not it is better to be cruel or merciful, Machiavelli states that “a prince ought not to be troubled by the stigma of cruelty, acquired in keeping his subjects united and faithful.  By giving a very few examples of cruelty he can be more truly compassionate than those who (…) allow disturbances to continue, from which arise murders or acts of plunder.  Lawless acts are injurious to a large group, but the executions ordered by the prince injure a single person.”  Yes, Machiavelli did just say that harsh and cruel punishments are okay (and in fact encouraged) so long as they help the ruler maintain unity and order.  Machiavelli also states later in the chapter that it is better for a ruler to be feared by the people rather than loved by the people.  How does a ruler make people fear him/her?  Through cruel acts (according to Machiavelli, at least), and that idea makes sense.  People will fear a ruler if he severely punishes some of them for any mistakes they made or crimes they committed.  That would then discourage dissension and rebellion in the population, which would (theoretically) lead to a stable state.  This, however, is entirely in contradiction with Church teachings, which promote mercy and forgiveness over severe punishments and cruelty.

Machiavelli states in chapter 18 of The Prince that a ruler should “seem compassionate, trustworthy, humane, honest, and religious, and actually be so; but yet he should have his mind so trained that, when it is necessary not to practice these virtues, he can change to the opposite, and so it skillfully. It is to be understood that a prince, especially a new prince, cannot observe all the things because of which men are considered good, because he is often obliged, if he wishes to maintain his government, to act contrary to faith, contrary to charity, contrary to humanity, contrary to religion.”  He essentially says that a ruler should appear to be morally upright, except when being morally upright does not serve his/her best interests (which would probably be most of the time, especially for a new prince).  He states that rulers will have to deal with situations that will make it difficult for them to follow all those standards laid down by men, and will have to be cruel, heartless, stingy, and faithless at times in order to survive and keep his state intact and united.  This is again promoting ideas that the Church probably would not have been to pleased with, especially the “contrary to religion” part of the above quote.  The above quote also reflects the value of realism in that, it is not possible for an important ruler to be morally upright in all their actions, if they wish for the survival of their state (and their own personal survival, in many cases).  At times, rulers might have to be ruthless, dishonest, cruel, and tricksy in order to maintain their rule and the stability of their state.  Machiavelli understands this, and says that, sometimes, moral uprightness is not always the best course of action for a ruler.

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Analyses of Slides 11, 16, and 18

Analysis of Slide 11- Donatello’s David

Donatello’s statue the David emphasizes four of the six key cultural values of the Renaissance that we are working with for this project: Humanism, Classicism, Idealism, and Christianity.  One can immediately see that Donatello crafted the statue to give the appearance of David in a relaxed pose, placing most of his weight on one foot (in this case his right), i.e. contrapposto.  This reflects the cultural emphasis of the time on the appreciation and imitation of Greek and Latin art (also known as Classicism), since a large number of Greek and Latin statues were carved so that the figures were in similar poses to the one David is in.  When one looks at the marble statue in image twelve, it can be seen that the David emphasizes a physical perfection similar to that emphasized in the marble statue, though on a slightly lesser scale.  This epitomizes the cutural value of idealism during this time period, and classicism again, since it is very similar to the ancient marble statue used as a comparison in slide twelve.  The focus on the human figure in the David epitomizes the cultural value of humanism at the time (focus on human perfection, in this case).  It also draws from a Christian element (it is David standing on Goliath’s head after all), emphasizing another key cultural value of the time period (Christianity).

Analysis of Slide 16

Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks emphasizes the cultural values of realism and Christianity.  Da Vinci utilizes a large amount of modelling from lighter to darker shades of colors to emphasize various characteristics of the people depicted in the painting, which gives them a much more realistic appearance.  One also sees the background fading in the distance, becoming fuzzier and more indistinct (chiaruscoro), which lends more of a realistic view to the painting.  The entire painting in general is fairly dark as well, which seems more realistic (to me, at least).

The Christian influence in this painting is obvious.%CProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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A0 The painting is supposed to depict the first meeting between John the Baptist and Jesus.  Here, Jesus is blessing John, who is to the right of the Virgin Mary, kneeling with his hands clasped in front of his head, while the angel Uriel points at John.  The Christian influence is clear.

Analysis of Slide 18

In Raphael’s Alba Madonna, one can see the clear emphasis of the cultural values of idealism and Christianity.  Just as in Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks, the influence of Christianity is obvious.  Again we see the meeting between Jesus and John the Baptist, though there are some major differences between the two paintings (such as the lack of the angel Uriel in the Alba Madonna and Raphael’s use of brighter colors).  Here, John is sitting on the Virgin Mary’s lap holding a cross, with Jesus grabbing the bottom end of the cross.  All three people in the painting are looking at the cross.  This shows an emphasis on the importance of the cross in Christianity, and the creation of this painting shows how important Christianity was to society at the time.

The Alba Madonna seems to have more of an emphasis on an idealistic depiction of the meeting between Jesus and John.  Raphael uses bright colors, with minimal modelling between light and dark shades. When compared with Leonardo Da Vinci’s extensive use of dark colors and modelling, one can see a contrast between the more idealistic depiction (Raphael’s painting) and the more realistic one (Leonardo’s painting).

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Slides Four and Six ID Terms

Picture Plane- In painting the picture plane refers to the flat surface of the canvas or the physical material onto which the paint is applied. It generally refers to the front of the surface image, especially in the case of illusionary depth, although it can also refer to the picture’s ground. (Wiki)

Linear Perspective-

an approximate representation, on a flat surface (such as paper), of an image as it is perceived by the eye. The two most characteristic features of perspective are that objects are drawn:

• Smaller as their distance from the observer increases
• Foreshortened: the size of an object’s dimensions along the line of sight are relatively shorter than dimensions across the line of sight (Wiki)

Vanishing Point- a point in a perspective drawing to which parallel lines not perpendicular to the image plane appear to converge. (Wiki)

Horizon line- the apparent line that separates earth from sky. (Wiki)

Orthogonals- the diagonal lines that can be drawn along receding parallel lines (or rows of objects) to the vanishing point. (About.com)

Transversals- a line that crosses at least two other lines (geometry class)

Aerial Perspective- The effect the atmosphere has on the appearance of an object as it is viewed from a distance. As the distance between an object and a viewer increases, the contrast between the object and its background decreases, and the contrast of any markings or details within the object also decreases. (wiki)

Foreshortening- the visual effect or optical illusion that an object or distance appears shorter than it actually is because it is angled toward the viewer. (Wiki)

Chiaroscuro- contrast between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also more technically used by artists and art historians for the use of effects representing contrasts of light, not necessarily strong, to achieve a sense of volProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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e in modeling three-dimensional objects such as the human body. (wiki)

Contrapposto- an Italian term used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs. This gives the figure a more dynamic, or alternatively relaxed appearance. (Wiki)

Humanism-  An idea that placed human importance above everything else.  During the Renaissance, humanism described a curriculum comprising of grammar, rhetoric, moral philosophy, poetry, and history as studied via Latin and Greek literary authors.  It placed a central emphasis on human autonomy and independence.  (Wiki)

Secularism- The idea that government should exist seperately from religion. (Wiki)

Classicism- The appreciation and imitation of Greek and Latin literature, art, and architecture.  (World Wide Arts Resources)

Realism- A style of art that depicts the subjects the way they actually appear in everyday life. (Wiki)

Idealism- The attitude that places special value on ideas and ideals as products of the mind, in comparison with the world as perceived through the senses. In art idealism is the tendency to represent things as aesthetic sensibility would have them rather than as they are.  (Infoplease.com)

Christianity- A monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. (I am Christian)

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Comparison of Cimabue’s Santa Trinita Madonna and Giotto’s Ognissanti Madonna

I originally didn’t notice many of the differences that Harris and Zucker talk about in the video.  I did notice the differences in the size of the Madonna in the two paintings, with Cimabue’s Madonna being more slight of figure, or more “ethereal” as Dr. Harris puts it, and Giotto’s Madonna being much larger, much more filled out.  I noticed the differences in the modelling in the two paintings (Cimabue’s light use of it, just a little bit on her face to indicate a chin, etc., compared to Giotto’s heavy use of it, with the changes between light and dark colors to indicate areas that jut forward in the picture).  Those are the only differences I noticed the first time I looked at the pictures, and I had interpreted these differences as changes in the styles of painting over the course of the three decades that passed between Cimabue’s painting and Giotto’s painting.  Even when I watched the Harris and Zucker piece, and saw the different points of comparison that I had originally missed, my interpretation has not changed; I still believe that these differences represent a shift in the painting styles\ and the attitudes of the times that the paintings were created in.

The first major point of comparison that Harris and Zucker talk about, and the first one that I noticed, was the differences in the size of the two Madonnas.  Cimabue’s Madonna is much thinner and much taller, much more elongated, whereas Giotto’s Madonna is very filled out, with extremely prominent hips and thighs.  It also seems that Giotto’s Madonna is somewhat shorter than Cimabue’s Madonna, due to the fact that, according to Dr. Zucker, Cimabue’s Madonna is primarily defined by line, which makes her look more elongated.

The second point of comparison that the video mentions is the difference in the use of modelling from light to dark between the paintings.  The drapery of Cimabue’s Madonna is expressed primarily by line, whereas Giotto’s is defined primarily by the modelling from lighter to darker shades of colors.  For instance, one can see a clear contrast between the knees of Cimabue’s Madonna and Giotto’s Madonna.  In Cimabue’s painting, the Madonna’s knees are one solid color with the lines of the cloth giving the idea of the knees jutting out, whereas Giotto’s painting has the color changing to a Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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ghter shade of blue to indicate the jutting of her knees.  We can see a little bit of modelling in the Cimabue painting if we look at the Madonna’s neck.  This is also much more heavily emphasized in Giotto’s painting.

Zucker also states that there are still some distinctly Byzantine elements to the Cimabue painting, such as the Madonna’s elongated nose and fingers, and her small mouth.  This was used, according to Zucker, to express more of an ‘ideal heavenly form’ rather than a person, more an element of divinity than something earthly or mundane.  Giotto’s depiction looks more realistic, with all the Madonna’s features being more like what people actually look like, rather than an idealized form like the Cimabue painting.

The video compares the different perspectives of the paintings next.  Zucker states that when one looks at Cimabue’s Madonna, it is almost like one is looking at her from several different perspectives at once (down at the throne, up at her, and directly across at her).  Both Zucker also states that when one looks at the Giotto painting, it seems as if you are looking at the Christ Child, and that he is looking back at you, which Zucker claims gave rise to linear perspective a hundred years later (something I found interesting).

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Wiki project: The Byzantine-Venitian Treaty of 1082

Before I decided that I wanted to write on this topic, I went and found a little information online, just to be sure that I could find some info.  Since I did find a reasonable amount of information, I decided that this would be my topic for this project.  I found this topic particularly interesting because I enjoy both Byzantine and Venetian history, and I wanted to learn more about this particular topic.  I also wanted to know why Byzantium, an empire that relied heavily on trade (and the taxes that trade generated), would make such concessions as it did to Venice (such as not collecting import taxes on Venetian goods).

My strategy for researching this topic is based around using Google, Google books, JSTOR, and maybe check out some books from the library, if the internet sources prove to be lacking.  In validating my sources, I will try to find out about the author, their credentials, and if they actually have the knowledge background to be writing on this topic (i.e. some kind of history education post high school).  I will also check if the sources they published their work in are credible.  As for making my entry congruent with Wiki’s requirements, I’m just going to try and base the way I right it off of the way other Wiki pages that I’ve seen have been written (particularly the ones that don’t have those warnings about content or neatness at the tops of the articles), using them as a template for writing my own Wiki article.  I will try to stay as objective as possible, and to refrain from violating any of Wiki’s guidelines on the writing of articles.

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