Ancient Greek And Roman Influence In Italian Renaissance Art

“No painter can paint well without a thorough knowledge of geometry” (qtd. in Butterfield 27). The Italian Renaissance is famous for its art which includes unique style of painting and sculpting, however, the Renaissance made significant remark on the use of scientific techniques which also can be considered as the influence of classical ideas. Although, classical ideas were not advanced like in the Renaissance, it provided the foundation for the Renaissance to revive it again. The Italian Renaissance transformed the manner of viewing the arts. Before, most people in Italy were bounded by religious thoughts and beliefs. Renaissance helped people to shift their mind and behavior towards the secular ideas, instead of vague ideology like

The Italian Renaissance was a movement that occurred between the 14th and 17th centuries. At the end of the 14th century, a handful of Italian thinkers declared that they were living in a new age. They declared that the barbarous, and unenlightened times were over (also known as the Middle Ages) and that the new age would be a “rinascità” or rebirth of learning and literature, art and culture. The major characteristics or feature of the era when it came to the arts were Classicism, Light & shade, Perspective, Realism & expression, and Emphasis on the human body. When it came to the culture and architecture, and learning they referred to the Greek and romans, and Humanism.

The renaissance is defined as the “rebirth” of civilization in Europe from the 14th to 17th centuries (General Characteristics of the Renaissance). A renewed interest of classical world spread from its beginning in Italy, north to Germany and

Throughout the times in Greek art, Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods have changed overtime from the sculptures in the form, style, and symmetry.

One of the most obvious examples in which Greco Roman culture was displayed in the era of the Italian Renaissance was through the works of art; and more specifically the medium of sculpture. Take for example, the piece by Donatello, Saint Mark, this piece harkens back to the artwork of the Greek culture by having the character whom is sculpted to be positioned in the contrappasto style, where the audience may view “the drapery covering his body beneath, particularly his left knee as it projects forward… He is, in other words, a fully realized human form”; this technique was predominantly used by Greek artists, and was relatively abandoned by all other artists after the fall of the Greek empire to the Romans (Sayre, 2015). Yet, the artists of the Italian Renaissance saw the beauty and value of

Italy can be looked at as the home of the renaissance and consequently the immergence of great art. Artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Raphael are some of the greats and are looked at for standards. But what about the artists whose lives are mysteries, and their works that were influenced by the greats? These artists hold just as much importance in the history of art as do the artist’s whose names can be recalled off the top of an average person’s head. During the sixteenth century things began to change in the art world, and that change was the Baroque. This new style of art brought a revolution to how subject matter was painted, it brought upon “… a radical reconsideration of art and its purposes…” (249) and how artists of all ranks could learn to paint the up and coming style of Baroque.

The Italian and Northern Europe Renaissances were both an important mark in history by changing the ideals of life, thought, culture, and art of the people’s of this time. In this paper I will explain the motive for change in these cultures, including the similarities and differences of the two cultures.

The Renaissance was a rebirth of the ideas of ancient Greece and Rome that began in the City States of Italy during the 14th century. The cultural resurgence began a new style of living in Europe after the horrors of the black death, and is seen as the beginning of the culture of the modern world. As Wassace K. Ferguson put in his book The Renaissance, the Italian artists grew tired of the darkness of Medieval Times and began to turn to the brighter times found in the classical ages (Doc 7). The Renaissance served as the evolutionary bridge between the Middle Ages and the 17th century through art, education, and religion by bringing a rebirth of the ancient Greek and Roman classics that would later define the world’s culture, while continuing the underlying beliefs of Medieval Times.

"The Renaissance was a rebirth that led to new ways of thinking in the sciences, philosophy, and architecture, as well as painting and sculpture" (Spence 6). This period of European history, beginning in the fourteenth-century, saw a renewed interest in the arts. It has been characterized by

Although the origins of the Italian Renaissance can be traced to many different locations, it is important to note that different aspects of Italian culture and society remained largely medieval during the time of the Renaissance; the Renaissance did not come into full swing until the end of the century. The word Renaissance means “rebirth”, and the era is best known for the renewed interest in the culture of classical antiquity (Greece and Rome) after the period that Renaissance humanists labeled the Dark Ages. These changes, while significant, were concentrated in the elite, and for the vast majority of the population life was little changed from the Middle Ages.

Many of us today have things in our culture that we appreciate without thinking about where they have come from. The things we enjoy so much could be from another culture, and even another place in time. This document will explore the influence of Italian Renaissance art on today's civilization, which has greatly changed the art of today.

Throughout history art has consistently reflected the cultural values and social structures of individual civilizations. Ancient art serves as a useful tool to help historians decipher some important aspects of ancient culture. From art we can determine the basic moral and philosophical beliefs of many ancient societies. The differences in arts purpose in Greece and Rome, for example, show us the fundamental differences in each culture's political and moral system. The primary objective of Greek art was to explore the order of nature and to convey philosophical thought, while Roman art was used primarily as a medium to project the authority and importance of the current ruler and the greatness of

Beginning with the Renaissance (1400-1600) we see a change in the subject matter being portrayed by artists of the time. We can attribute this change not only to the change in patrons, from the Christian church to wealthy bankers and politicians, but also to the growing body of scientific knowledge. “The Renaissance was

This unique blending of fresh ideas and rejuvenating classical ideas defined Masaccio’s artwork and more importantly the art of the early renaissance.

Art has been a pivotal component of civilization since the prehistoric times. Art is a form of expressing political and religious points as well as a reference to personal feelings and experiences. The art of Ancient Rome has long been a source of inspiration for artists from various backgrounds, without regard to the fact that the Romans often borrowed the styles and techniques of prior artists and time periods. Ancient Roman art is a very broad topic that spans three continents and covers almost 1,000 years. Roman art encompasses a variety of mediums including marble, painting, mosaic, gems, silver and bronze work, and terracotta. The melting pot of art, Rome combined a wide array of techniques and mediums which is