One of the greatest stories of the Italian Renaissance is that of Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti. In 1401 the art directors of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore announced a competition for artists; to make door panels for the east entrance (Kleiner, 560-2). Since the east doors faced the cathedral, people considered it extremely prestigious to be able to participate in such an impressive creation. After the first round of competition, two finalists remained; Brunelleschi, an accomplished and experienced artist, and Ghiberti, a younger but equally talented artist. The two contestants had to create a panel (or square) of Abraham ready to sacrifice Isaac. Before reading which was which, I noticed that one seemed very chaotic while the other was easy and enjoyable to look at despite the subject matter being tumultuous. After reading I discovered that Ghiberti is the artist I was most attracted to. Brunelleschi's panel depicted a very young and seemingly twisted and distressed Isaac, which is not what the Bible testifies to. Isaac never stood up to his father. Ghiberti depicts a young man who, although tied up, does not resist his father at all. I believe this is one of the reasons why Ghiberti won; he gracefully recreated a turbulent biblical scene. When Lorenzo Ghiberti won the competition and finished the east doors, Michelangelo declared that his doors were "so beautiful that they would fit the doors of Paradise." (Kleiner, 566) These magnificent gates have since been titled The Gates of Paradise (21-9). Another famous artist of this period is Donatello, one who specialized in sculpture and relief sculpture. Some of his works shown in this chapter include St. Mark (21-5), Sa...... middle of paper ......ul, and faithful marriages. Camera Picta means painted chamber and the room it is in is, interestingly enough, the duke's bedroom. So does the peacock. The Renaissance era in Italy witnesses the presence of many beautiful creators full of imagination, details, perspective and ideas for their art. When looking at their art, it is important to remember the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, as analogies are almost always made; when this and other basic information is known, it is much easier to connect to and appreciate a work of art. Works Cited Kleiner, Fred S. and Helen Gardner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History. Boston, MA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2009. Print."The Boxer Rebellion, 1900." Military history encyclopedia on the Web. History of the war. Network. January 21st. 2012. .