The Ideal City (Paintings)

The Ideal City is the name given to three strikingly similar paintings that show some of the ideals of Italian Renaissance work. They demonstrate a respect for Greco-Roman antiquity, ideals of city planning, and show mastery of central perspective. The Ideal City of Baltimora is done by Fra Carnevale and includes an amphitheater that resembles the Roman Colosseum. On the opposite side of the painting, an octagonal building with a steeple on top suggests the medieval Baptistry in Florence. The two buildings reflect the values of security, religion, and recreation as well as the emphasis on Roman ideas in new, ideal urban designs. The illusion of space is achieved using the receding lines that converge at a center point in the city. 

Sources:

“The Ideal City.” The Walters Art Museum, art.thewalters.org/detail/37626/the-ideal-city/.

Onniboni, Luca. “The "Ideal City" in three Renaissance paintings.” Archiobjects, 18 Nov. 2014, archiobjects.org/the-ideal-city-in-three-renaissance-paintings/.

Image Source: The Walters Art Museum, http://art.thewalters.org/detail/37626/the-ideal-city/

Associated Place(s)

Event date:

circa. 1480