RENAISSANCE MEN tells the history of the Italian Renaissance in comic form and is currently on Kickstarter! This comic highlights artists and their artwork from one of the most well-known periods in history, while also poking fun at some of the stranger events that occurred from a modern standpoint. I felt it was also important to show these famous artists as people rather than perfect beings.
While they obviously made a lot of important contributions to the art world, they didn’t always have a perfect childhood, they made mistakes, and got into arguments, which I feel makes them appear more human and relatable. The entire story is narrated by Giorgio Vasari, who many consider to be the first art historian. My comic doesn’t just focus on the artists, these people probably wouldn’t have made their mark in history without the patronage of the Medici family and the Papacy.
In my Kickstarter campaign, I offer the comic itself it two editions, the ‘standard’ version, and a ‘retro’ version, printed on coated newsprint and a cover colored using the retro comic 64 color palette. I’m also including a ‘process zine’ as a PDF so readers can look at behind the scenes artwork and my notes on the project from start to finish.
This project started out as my honors college thesis, and some of my professors are actually using it in some of their courses. If you don’t believe what you’re reading, I also included a timeline of events broken down page-by-page that gives some further background knowledge of what happened.
How was the dome of Florence Cathedral built? How significant is the Mona Lisa? Why did Michelangelo like to work with marble so much? Learn about this and more in Renaissance Men! If you or anyone you know has any interest in art history or this time period in particular, go check it out and grab a copy on Kickstarter, the campaign lasts until December 4th. www.kickstarter.com
