RENAISSANCE ART
GEC 3000 Arts Appreciation
INTRODUCTION
• Renaissance art, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and literature
produced during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries in Europe under the
combined influences of an increased awareness of nature, a revival of
classical learning, and a more individualistic view of man.
INTRODUCTION
• Scholars no longer believe that the Renaissance marked an abrupt break with
medieval values, as is suggested by the French word renaissance, literally “rebirth.”
Rather, historical sources suggest that interest in nature, humanistic learning, and
individualism were already present in the late medieval period and became
dominant in 15th- and 16th-century Italy concurrently with social and economic
changes such as the secularization of daily life, the rise of a rational money-credit
economy, and greatly increased social mobility.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
RENAISSANCE ART
• What are the characteristics of Renaissance art, and how does it differ from
the art of the Middle Ages?
• Renaissance art is marked by a gradual shift from the abstract forms of the
medieval period to the representational forms of the 15th century. Subjects
grew from mostly biblical scenes to include portraits, episodes from Classical
religion, and events from contemporary life.
• Human figures are often rendered in dynamic poses, showing expression,
using gesture, and interacting with one another. They are not flat but suggest
mass, and they often occupy a realistic landscape, rather than stand against
a gold background as some figures do in the art of the Middle Ages.
Renaissance art from Northern Europe emphasized precise detail as a means
of achieving a realistic work.
SETTING
• When and where did Renaissance art start and end?
Characteristics of Renaissance art, notably naturalism, can be found in 13th-century
European art but did not dominate until the 15th century. Scholars have traditionally
described the turn of the 16th century as the culmination of the Renaissance, when,
primarily in Italy, such artists as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael made
not only realistic but complex art. About 1520 the Renaissance gave way to
Mannerism, wherein a sense of drama pervaded otherwise realistic art.
HUMANISM AND RELIGION
• How did humanism and religion affect Renaissance art?
Interest in humanism, a philosophy that emphasized the individual and the human
capacity for fulfillment through reason, transformed the Renaissance artist from an
anonymous craftsman to an individual practicing an intellectual pursuit. Artists
introduced new subjects to their work, which reflected the growing emphasis on the
individual, including portraits, scenes of contemporary life, and historical narratives.
Although Renaissance culture was becoming increasingly secular, religion was still
important to daily life, especially in Italy, where the seat of Catholicism was located. A
good portion of Renaissance art depicted scenes from the Bible or was commissioned
by the church. Emphasis on naturalism, however, placed such figures as Christ and the
Madonna not on a magnificent gold background, as in the Middle Ages, but in
landscapes from the observable world.
REVOLUTIONARY
• What made Renaissance art revolutionary?
The developments of the Renaissance period changed the course of art in ways that
continue to resonate. Interest in humanism transformed the artist from an anonymous
craftsman to an individual practicing an intellectual pursuit, enabling several to
become the first celebrity artists. A growing mercantile class offered artists new
patrons that requested novel subjects, notably portraits and scenes from
contemporary life.
• Moreover, scientific observations and Classical studies contributed to some of the
most realistic representations of the human figure in art history. Figures have
accurate anatomy, stand naturally through the Classical scheme of contrapposto,
and have a sense of mass, an accomplishment made easier by the flexibility of oil
paint, a medium that was gaining popularity. They also occupy believable space—
an achievement based on the development of linear perspective and atmospheric
perspective, illusionistic devices to suggest depth on a two-dimensional surface.
FAMOUS RENAISSANCE
ARTWORKS
• What are some famous Renaissance artworks?
Two of the most famous artworks in history were painted during the
Renaissance: the Mona Lisa (c. 1503–19) and the Last Supper (c. 1495–98),
both executed by Leonardo da Vinci, which show an interest not only in
representing the human figure realistically but also in imbuing it with character
through expression, gesture, and posture.
THE LAST SUPPER
MONA LISA
OTHER FAMOUS ARTWORKS
• Other famous artworks include Michelangelo’s sculpture of David (1501–04)
and his paintings for the Sistine Chapel (ceiling, 1508–12; Last Judgment,
1536–41), in which the artist pushed the accurate representation of human
anatomy to challenging extremes with complicated elegant poses.
MICHELANGELO: THE CREATION
OF ADAM
• Raphael’s School of Athens (c. 1508–11) celebrates the intellectual by
populating a deep hall, skillfully executed using the recently codified linear
perspective, with notable Western thinkers.
• Donatello’s David (early 15th century) recalls Classical sculpture through the
use of contrapposto, wherein the figure stands naturally with the weight on
one leg. Albrecht Dürer exemplifies the Northern European interest in
meticulous detail in his Self-Portrait (1500), while Titian’s Venus of Urbino
(1538) illustrates the Venetian interest in representing soft light and vibrant
color.
REFERENCE
• https://www.britannica.com/art/Renaissance-art
