Exploration

Exploration has shaped our culture to be how it is today. Exploration dates back to the beginning of the world as we know it. Native Americans explored the earth and its surroundings and Christopher Columbus decided to go off the norm and travel to America and explore it. People even explored the universe by going to the moon and helping us understand what is out of our reach from earth. During the Renaissance, the Medici family was one of the major families that explored and made Florence flourish with the beautiful arts. Exploration is definitely a good thing, even if there are consequences.
The Medici family generation went back to 1230 ("House”). They were one of the most powerful families of the time period of the Renaissance ("House”). The Medici family had friends everywhere. Giovanni Medici created the Medici Bank which was backed by the Pope ("House”). It became the wealthiest business in Florence of that time ("House”). The Medici’s worked very hard to become the most powerful family. The family was very into the arts and architecture ("House”). They explored it and took very big risks. One of the great risks they took included finding an architect that could finish building the most valuable building in Florence: its dome (“BBC”). The architect was named Fillipo Brunelleschi. He was a self-taught genius that had a very unorthodox type of art according to the other inhabitants of Florence (“BBC”). Medici, however, thought his style was great and started to pay him to do work (“BBC”). By doing this, concepts of the past were brought back which influenced many people across Europe (“BBC”). The Medici stayed by Brunelleschi side and backed him up on the building of the dome (“BBC”). Many people disagreed over his work and did not think it was going to be good, over many years; the dome was finally finished and became the greatest architect in Florence (“BBC”). Describing the dome, a man said “...It touches the skies and casts a shadow...” (“BBC”). By hiring Brunelleschi, the Medici family helped the people explore a new way of looking at the things around them.
The Medici family was very interactive with the arts of this time period. Art flourished amazingly during this time. Artists only made pieces of art if they were commissioned to ("House”). The Medici family paid many different artists to create art for them. They commissioned great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo ("House”). The Medici family was also a direct involvement of the art by creating some of their own, especially Lorenzo Medici ("House”). Lorenzo was a poet and song writer ("House”). This was a very high point in the family ("House). “He [Lorenzo] had the greatest love and admiration for all who excelled in any art, and was a great patron of learning and of literary men…” ("Medieval”). From his love and admiration he helped Florence grow widely because of his exploration of the arts. “And for the purpose of enabling the Florentine youths to devote themselves to the study of letters, he established a university in the city of Pisa, where he employed the most eminent men of all Italy as professors.” ("Medieval”). Lorenzo created an art school to teach people art. In this school he featured some of his own art collection ("BBC”). Lorenzo was a great leader that greatly helped Florence to prosper.
The Medici family was a great, powerful family. They did not use their power for bad, but instead for the good. They helped the people of their city to see the beauty of art and to appreciate it by hiring artists. During their time, Florence was at one of its highest point. The Medici’s family’s exploration of art and architecture has greatly influenced the Renaissance and even our world today.


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"Medieval Sourcebook: Niccolò Machiavelli: History of Florence: Lorence De' Medici." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 06 May 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/machiavelli-histflo-lorenzo.html

"File:Lorenzo De' Medici-ritratto.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 06 May 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lorenzo_de%27_Medici-ritratto.jpg