Entry #8: Video Review

1. Explain why you selected the video you choose from the selection listed above.

I selected videos Florence: Heart of the Renaissance and Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany because I wanted to learn more about the two. The names intrigued me and I thought that the videos would be quite interesting and very insightful to the time periods being talked about. This was kind of a random pick for me.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Florence: Heart of the Renaissance: In this film, I learned that one of the first free-standing male nude sculptures, David, was made and one had not been made in 1000 years. This classical nude was a celebration of the human body. Art combined art and science and this was called realism. MichaelAngelou dissected human bodies to better understand the anatomy, this was quite interesting to me. In medieval times individuals could not enter the church unless they were baptized. People saw the glory of God in the human body, this was interesting because this was analogous to other videos and readings done in this course.

Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany: In this film, I learned that things changed drastically after the countrywide disease spread. A good burial was important in getting your soul to heaven in the correct way. The gruesome image of hell was painted at the end of the 1300s. The artist shows the painful tortures of hell waiting for those who have sinned in many ways. Technology and businesses changed throughout this time period.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos relate to the readings in the text because once again the human body is emphasized and celebrated through art and this was seen in previous text that I've read in this class. The Cathedral's architecture such as Byzantine-style mosaics in Florence: Heart of the Renaissance reminded me of the reading in which discussed many different structures and artwork seen in religious buildings. The reading also relates to the text, Florence in the early Renaissance because like the video, the text describes Florence and it's grand rebirth.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts? 

I liked the Florence film it was short and very informative. it wasn't long and boring there were a lot of interesting points in there that also tied into previous videos and readings which made everything that I've learned thus far come together and make sense.