My whole life I have seen the struggle between social classes. I am lucky to be apart from all of it, which is one of the pros of being an artist. Since I am considered to be an artistic genius, I was no longer regarded as an artisan, but more of a hero or a celebrity.
There are currently three estates that make up the social classes. The first estate was the clergy, second is the nobility, and the third consists of peasants and inhabitants. Peasants, or the Third Estate, dominated the population of towns and cities. Their lives are relatively difficult because their livelihood depends on the upper class to employ them. When times are rough, the nobility and clergy remain unscathed while the peasants suffer and starve.
It may seem like the nobility did not care for the common people, but in actuality, most of them did. Thanks to Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier, nobles remained chivalrous and honorable people. The nobles are also the patrons of artists who provide workshops and money to have an artist paint for them and because of this, I have great respect for the noble class.
Clothes are another aspect of social life. It is said that if one dresses well, even though they do not have money, they will be accepted in a wealthy social class. Clothes were a public was of displaying wealth and rank. The church frowns on this by claiming that wearing great clothes was a sign of being materialistic but that did not stop artisans from producing better clothing.
Sources: http://www.mrdowling.com/704-social.html
http://www.realarmorofgod.com/renaissance-era.html
Spielvogel
Clothes, my favorite thing in the world. Of course, clothes symbolizes one's wealth and social status, that's why I pay close attention to my clothing standard (except during battles, I don't want to get my fancy clothing all bloody and torn). Anyways, although I am not a patron to you, I have admired your artworks and respected you for your accomplishments for a long time. If you have some spare time, please, come and visit Mantua. I hope that maybe you can paint portraits of my family and I.
ReplyDeleteDear Raphael,
ReplyDeleteI must say that your artistic talents are a wonder as I never knew how to draw. I believe that your sufferings have paid off in the end due to the acclaim that you have received from nobility to even kings and queens such as myself, Isabella of Castile. Please continue your artwork as it is an inspiration to us all.