RENAISSANCE – THE GROWTH OF

EUROPE (1400CE – 1550CE)

Renaissance is French for Oil Painting
“rebirth” and is Rinascita in Italian. Oil painting was one of the
The Renaissance became the most significant advancements made
center of individualism and self- in art during the Renaissance period.
awareness among scholars, Like any paint, oil paint is a mixture of
philosophers, and artists, a re-birth of pigment (color), binder (oil), and
the ancient Roman and Greek ideas, thinner.
flourishing in Italy and spreading The Renaissance symbolized
across Europe. Paintings depicting the time of European history when
religious scenes became real, with an the Middle Ages stopped, and the
almost human quality. modern European world began. The
rediscovery of ancient books and the
invention of the printing press
spurred literacy across the continent.
The capabilities of oil paint,
artists developed deep, vibrant colors
and provided the mechanism for the
technique of Sfumato, one of the four
painting methods of the renaissance,
meaning to “evaporate like smoke.”

The Renaissance movement Renaissance Artists 1400CE-

inspired artists to create in new ways 1550CE
using different methods, concepts, Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446)
and materials. Linear perspective Born in France and became
became important using receding one of the most well-known
parallel lines to bring the appearance architects of the time. Architecture at
of movement. the beginning of the Renaissance was
a revival of classicism, moving away
from the traditional gothic style of
design and construction.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

Brunelleschi was awarded
the contract to build the dome of the
cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in
Florence, Italy.
 The double-walled system his sword, leaving the other leg to
from lightweight bricks, allowed the bend forward over the head of
dome to rise higher and more Goliath. David has an enchanting
substantial than ever before. smile; his hands are by his side against
The dome was built 43.2 smooth polished skin and his long
meters high, and Brunelleschi curly locks flow from underneath his
invented a herringbone brick design helmet.
spiraling upwards, adding support
while the weight was shifted Donatello was undoubtedly
outwards to the dome supports. ahead of his time as an artist
The dome was a
mathematical and architectural Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone
wonder the visitors can still climb to (1401-1428)
the lantern for magnificent views of One of the best painters of
Florence. the quattrocento period of the
renaissance. During his short tenure
as a painter, he had a profound
influence on other artists and their
methods of using perspective,
changing Western painting forever.
Unfortunately, he died at the young
age of twenty-six.

Trinity
His magnificent painting, the
Donato di Niccolo di Betto (1386- Trinity, located in the church, Santa
1466) Maria Novella in Florence, is a large
Donato di Niccolo di Betto fresco above a tomb.
aka Donatello was born in Florence, Christ on the cross is the
and was one of the original center of the painting, the body was
Renaissance artists. Cosimo De Medici painted in a muscular form looking
—the first Medici dynasty leader— down on Mary. The entire painting is
sponsored Donatello, and in 1430, located on top of an open tomb with
Donatello created the first the inscription: “As I am now, so you
freestanding nude sculpture of David. shall be. As you are now, so once was
Donatello studied Greek and Roman I”.
art along with Brunelleschi before Masaccio used perspective in
designing the statue. his painting, a departure from
The tall, lithe body of the standard painting methods. The
young David is resting on one leg and vanishing point begins as a set of
parallel lines like a train track,
vanishing into the other side of the
picture.

For two years, Gutenberg

and his staff worked on printing the
bible in black text, illuminated by
hand with colored inks. The first
Johannes Gensfleisch Zur Laden zum
edition of 180 identical books was
Gutenberg (1398-1468)
highly successful and began the
An inventor, craftsman,
printing revolution. Two years after
blacksmith, and publisher, he was
Gutenberg invented the press, book
well educated and from a wealthy
production increased, and illiteracy
family. His work started the Printing
fell.
Revolution in Europe and is regarded
Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506)
as a milestone of the second
An Italian painter who was a
millennium, ushering in the modern
student of Roman archeology and
period of human history.
informed by antiquities, an influence
He invented the movable
showing up in the backgrounds of
type printing.
most of Mantegna’s artwork. He was
He invented metal text and a
a master of optical illusion and
letter block mold, so all text was equal
practiced drawing the perspectives
in size, giving typesetters the ability to
before beginning a painting.
form lines or pages of print. The form
was inked and pressed by hand on
paper. Gutenberg used a design
similar to wine or apple presses with a
screw design for pressure.
 quality of painting, the viewer is led
through an imaginary world between
heaven and hell. Hieronymus Bosch
was a man ahead of his time;
unfortunately, he did not leave any
written word about his ideas,
paintings, or drawings. Bosch has left
the viewer to wander and explore on
their own, the Garden of Earthly
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Delights.
Filipepi (1445-1510)
An early Renaissance painter
who attended the school of Florentine
under the sponsorship of Lorenzo de
Medici. Botticelli apprenticed at the
age of fourteen to Fra Filippo Lippi
and found himself in the middle of the
golden age of Renaissance art.

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452-

1519)
One of the Renaissance’s
most famous painters, architect,
scientist, mathematician, astronomer,
Jheronimus van Aken (1450-1516) botanist, writer, engineer, inventor,
An early Netherlands painter musician, and sculptor. Leonardo Da
and well known for the eccentric Vinci was born into a prominent
landscapes and detailed imagery Tuscan family and moved to Florence
depicting moral and religious at the age of seventeen to begin his
chronicles. Bosch’s most famous work art career.
is the Garden of Earthly Delights, He drew anatomy from
painted in 1490. stolen corpses, learning how the
The painting is a composite (8.19) body and brain worked and
of a dream-like world, a world where drawing elaborately detailed pictures
no one grows up or has of the elements of the human body,
responsibilities. In a science fiction including a fetus in the womb (8.20).
Leonardo had an insatiable curiosity Melencolia is also a variant
for knowledge, which led to spelling of “melancholy,” which
thousands of drawings in the means sadness. It was seen as one of
sciences. the four humors, or temperaments,
determining one's personality or
mental state.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti

Simoni (1475-1564)
One of the most famous
artists as a sculptor, painter, architect,
engineer, and poet. His artistic
Leonardo’s work still guides abilities and his organic style brought
and inspires artists, philosophers, and marble to life, reflected in all the
scientists’ centuries after his death. statues he created.
The genius of Da Vinci's work and One of his first major
drive for knowledge places him at the commissions was a statue of the Pieta
top of the list of great artists of all (8.26) for one of the side altars in the
time. The enigma of the Mona Lisa church of Saint Peter’s in Rome.
(8.23) remains one of Leonardo’s The scene of the Pieta shows
mysteries. the Virgin Mary holding the dead
body of Christ after his crucifixion,
Albrecht Durer (1452-1519) death, and removal from the cross,
A German woodcarver, but before he was placed in the tomb.
painter, and printmaker, establishing This is one of the key events from the
a reputation across Europe when he life of the Virgin, known as the Seven
was in his twenties. Durer created a Sorrows of Mary, which were the
vast body of work with classical subject of Catholic devotional prayers.
motifs, and religious portraits, one of The subject matter was one which
his most famous engravings is would have probably been known by
Melencolia I, an allegorical many people, but in the late fifteenth
composition with many iconic century it was depicted in artworks
subjects. more commonly in France and
Melencolia 1 is linked to Germany than in Italy.
astrology, theology, and philosophy,
suggesting it is a self-portrait of the Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (aka
artist himself, perhaps an idea of the Raphael) (1483-1520)
limitations of the earthbound realm An Italian painter living in
and the inability to imagine advanced Florence, a contemporary of Leonardo
states of conceptual contemplation. and Michelangelo. He died at the
early age of thirty-seven, he left a
sizeable body of work. Raphael talent acknowledged, she received
commissioned to paint the walls of training in marble at the university.
the Vatican library, a building right This sculpture Joseph and
next door to the Sistine Chapel. Potiphar's Wife was deemed to be the
In the center of the painting, most beautiful sculpture done by
Aristotle in blue and brown and Plato Properiza de’ Rossi and the one that
in red and purple, holding their books she was most satisfied with “since
appear to be walking forward. In the with this figure from the Old
left lower corner, Pythagoras is Testament she felt she had expressed
demonstrating the importance of in part her own most burning
mathematics. There are statues of passion” (Vasari, 341). Properiza de’
ancient Greek gods on either side of Rossi is also one of the few female
the great-coffered ceilings linking artists being mentioned in Vasari’s
antiquity with the Renaissance. The The Lives of the Artists. Though the
second painting on the west wall, The Renaissance period was of bursting
Dispute, represents theology divided intelligent artists, the societal
horizontally into earthly life and constrains for women to learn to
heavenly life. In the top half, Christ is paint and make sculptures still greatly
depicted on a bench of clouds, hindered the flourishing of women
surrounded by saints. The spiritual artists.
figures in the bottom half represent
popes, priests, and leaders of the
church, bringing together celestial
knowledge through the divine host.

Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625)

Fortunate to be in a family of
Properzia de Rossi (1490-1530) the nobility who believed in training
An Italian sculptor whose for the arts. During this period, most
talent emerged at an early age. De women could not become an
Rossi learned to carve peach and apprentice to a master artist and had
apricot pits, an unusual material to to learn from a family member. She
use for anyone. The small sculptures painted over twelve self-portraits, a
generally based on religious themes, striking image for an artist of this
and after carving her intricate scene period.
of the crucifixion on a peach pit, her As a female artist, Anguissola
did not have access to male models
and frequently used her family right hand rests on her chest, she is a
members to paint group portraits. She young and virtuous woman lifting her
painted her other siblings in The gaze towards the viewer.
Chess Game, one sister looking
outward, the subtle smile on her face
seems to say, I won the game.
Anguissola’s attention to detail
involved changing textures of the
brocade clothing, delicate laces, and
perfectly braided hair. These family
portraits and her self-portraits, the
attention to elegance painted of the
clothing and her perfection seen on
faces, helped Anguissola build her
reputation Tiziano Vecelli (aka Titian) (1490-
1576)
An Italian painter and part of
the Venetian art school. Titian is well
known for his dynamic use of color,
rendering beautiful, realistic fabric in
his paintings. The Assumption of the
Virgin is 23 feet tall and is one of
Titian’s largest altarpieces.
Lucia Anguissola (1536 or 1538 – The Assumption of the Virgin
1565 to 1568) is characteristic of the tendency
The younger sister of towards vivid colors with luminous
Sofonisba Anguissola, both of them qualities that Titian favored in the
received education in the humanities earlier part of his artistic career. The
and arts and became painters. composition of the painting is
Unfortunately, Lucia died at the early brilliantly designed to lead the eyes
age of thirty and did not have the upwards in a pyramid shape,
opportunity to establish an extensive beginning with the red robed apostles
portfolio. at the bottom, to Mary's red dress,
This is the only known self- and finally to the red tunic of God
portrait by Lucia Anguissola, younger himself at the top.
sister of Sofonisba. She portrays
herself sitting down in an elegant but
modest attire. She wears dark
clothing under which appears a white
blouse. In her left hand she holds a
small book open on her lap, while her
Jacopo Robusti (aka Tintoretto)
(1518-1594)
One of the great Italian
Mannerist painters of the
Renaissance. Tintoretto attended the
Venetian school of art and was
influenced by Michelangelo, Vasari,
and Giorgione when he painted (8.45)
Finding of the Body of St Mark. One of
Tintoretto’s early paintings and
showed a mastery of drawing and
painting with the use of one-point
perspective.
This painting shows the
moment when, as the Venetians are
busy removing corpses from tombs in
their search for Saint Mark’s body, the
saint appears to them and
imperiously commands them to stop
because his body has already been
removed from the tomb at the end of
the room and is lying at their feet. The
presence of a man possessed by
devils on the right of the composition
adds to the miraculous tone of the
episode, which is being observed by
the patron Rangone clad in attire
befitting his rank.