Florence Baptistery Competition

Florence Baptistery CompetitionThe panel that best depicts the ideals of humanism is that of Lorenzo Ghiberti. The reason behind is that it shows both a sense of realism as well the quality of idealized beauty. Besides, the artwork uses space as a representation of a shift from Gothic idealism to naturalism, an idealism of renaissance.

The content of Ghiberti’s entry portrays Abraham and Isaac at the moment when Abraham was in action, about to thrust a knife to Isaac’s throat. The figures in the artwork are placed asymmetrically. The treatment of Isaac is an indication of the direction to which the Renaissance was taking as Isaac was based on earlier classical works. Besides, Isaac is reflected in the figure’s musculature and is well-proportioned form, which is a characteristic idealism of the renaissance period. Therefore, Ghiberti’s panel is the best reflection of ideals of Renaissance as compared to Brunelleschi’s entry.