The Medici; Heroes of the Rennaissance
The Medici; Heroes of the Renaissance In the year 2004, PBS broadcasted the series, “Medici; Godfathers of the Renaissance”. This four-part documentary, in attempt to gain viewer interest, compared the Medici to the mobsters found in Francis Ford’s “The Godfather”. The relation of the Medici to Italian mobsters in the PBS Medici series is in no way accurate, for they were not villains of the renaissance, but heroes. The Medici were very connected with the church, and used their extensive wealth to promote religion. The Medici became powerful as a result of being the official Papal bankers. They used a lot of their power and wealth to give back to the church throughout their lives. Throughout the Medici timeline there were a total of four Medici Popes. The family was very much intertwined with the church. The Medici patronized the sculpture of David by Michelangelo as a gift to publicly show the beauty their religion. The Medici found and sponsored an architect named Brunelleschi to successfully complete the a dome for the Sistine Chapel. The building of the dome was an on-going problem and embarrassment for the church for many years, and the Medici had solved it. The Sistine Chapel was now a pride for the people of Florence. The Sistine Chapel was also flooded with famous paintings from Medici artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli. These painting connected the church with modern society because the Medici artists were used, and they were very popular to the people of Florence. The Medici contributed to the church’s beauty, and connection with society throughout the renaissance. Art and architecture was a crucial part of the renaissance. It was the celebration of humanism, the competition between cities, and the start of new ideas. The Medicis were patrons of the most talented and radical people. The people the Medici supported all contributed greatly to the renaissance outlook on life and human pride. Art was so important to the Medici