Compare And Contrast Hercules And Antaeus

The Italian Renaissance was a time for great cultural change and achievements, which began in Italy approximately during the 13th century and lasted up until the 16th century. It marked the transition between the Dark Ages and Early Modern Europe. The European Renaissance originated in Central Italy, and centered in the city of Florence.i The distinctive characteristics of northern Italian states such as art, literature, philosophy, and culture produced an atmosphere of learning and artistic expression.

“Hercules demonstrated his strength right from birth. He choked the serpents that had been sent to him by the jealous Hera.” (classicsunveiled.com)

The Renaissance occurred in Europe between 1400 and 1600. This event began in Italy during the Medieval period and then expanded to the rest of Europe, marking the start of the Modern age. The Renaissance began in Florence Italy in the 14th century. It was a cultural movement that had an enormous impact in Europe during the early modern period. The Renaissance’s influenced politics, science, literature, art, philosophy, religion, music, and other aspects. Around the 13th century in Italy started the Renaissance’s art influence. Leonardo da Vinci, was known as the "Renaissance man," because of his art masterpieces and his studies in other fields during this time. Italy wasn’t a political concept in the

Greek hero Heracles. Hercules's mother was Alcmena or Alcmene, the wife of King Amphitryon of Troezen. His father was none other than Zeus, the king of the gods, who disguised himself as Amphitryon and visited Alcmena on a night that lasted as long as three ordinary nights. Hera, Zeus' jealous wife, was determined

Another one of Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpieces known as Pieta was created between 1498 and 1499. This masterpiece was displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The Pieta depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of her son, Jesus Christ after His crucifixion. Like Michelangelo’s famous sculpture David, his masterpiece Pieta has also been re-created many times by other painters and sculptors.

One of the most famous painter and sculptors of the Italian Renaissance, the age of renewal and cultural achievement circa 1500, was the artistic genius Michelangelo Buonarroti. The man that desired nothing but perfection often reached it in his work. He captured the motion of the human figure and the anatomy of muscles in a way that was increasingly beautiful and startlingly realistic. Whether because of one of the most famous sculptures in history, “the David” or the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, that became the textbook examples for the art period of High Renaissance, Michelango’s art changed the world and he will continue to be studied with awe throughout history.

A comparison of the style between the famous Italian Renaissance Sculptors Michelangelo, Bandinelli, and Giambologna

The Italian Renaissance was a period of great cultural changes and achievement throughout Europe. It spanned from the end of the 13th century up to about the 1600’s. It marked the transition of Europe from the medieval period to the Early Modern Europe. The term renaissance is a modern term that was coined by historians many years after the Renaissance had already ended.

For any wealthy person living in the Italian Renaissance who wishes to commission a work of sculpture, there can be no other choice to consider other than Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564). The Florentine is truly the embodiment of the term “Renaissance Man” insofar that he distinguished himself as a painter, architect, poet, and engineer, but his greatest distinction, as he thought of himself, is as a sculptor.

One of the ways Michelangelo most embodied the Christian ideal of art is in the representation of his figures in his paintings. The human body is made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore when it is represented purely, it is a reflection of God’s beauty and majesty. Michelangelo was of the “school of significant form,” meaning he gave strict definition and precise measurement to his figures to make them strong, powerful and complete. Michelangelo did this by drawing sharp contrasts of shadows and light and making it seem like every muscle in the bodies of his figures was tense and frozen

One of Michelangelo’s beginning works include the Battle of Centaurs which was made under his patronage Lorenzo. Inspired by Bertoldo de Gionvanni’s work in bronze that was hung up the Medicini palace, and the myth STORY IN DA BOOOKKK!!!! Greek sculptures of the school of Pheidias perceived the battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs as symbolic of the great conflict between “order and chaos and, more specifically, between the civilized Greeks and Persian barbarians” (Kleiner, 2008). Michelangelo was able to depart from previous techniques he learned, and also experimented with tools he’d not previously used. Rather than working in discrete, parallel planes artists previously did, Michelangelo carved his figures dynamically that have infinite planes (Shea, 2015). As Michelangelo grew older, he improved his sculpturing skills, and created the statue of David in early 1500. The statue of David is one of his most recognizable pieces, and has been one of the most iconic piece of Renaissance art. This piece is so remarkable because of its sheer size and its incredible detail. Michelangelo was able to capture precise human anatomy, bulging veins and utterly determination of Davids face as he made his decision to fight Goliath (Kleiner,2008). Michelangelo was able to create the ideals of the Renaissance by constructing the fluidity of twisted limbs, artists hadn’t done previously. His artistic abilities

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance – Aristotle. And this saying goes for Pietro Lorenzetti, Enthroned Virgin and Child with a Kneeling Donor and Angels. It is an Italian Proto Renaissance and International Gothic painting, painted on wood with tempera. The focus of this piece is on its religious meaning and significance rather than on depicting an accurate scene. We see this by the colors used and the positioning of the characters and who they are. As well as the reasoning being, this work was commissioned.

Beforehand, artists were majorly disregarded, but once Italy trade with Europe and Asia created wealth in the market for art it generated sponsors, and these sponsors later became the rich to exemplify their wealth, Because artists gained flexibility in their creations, the Renaissance art reflects a new perspective on the individual though glorification and focus upon body detail. Whereas second generation Renaissance men, Antonio del Pollaiuolo and Andrea del Verrocchio, examined the human anatomy, who are artists and sculptors, create an influential standard. Later, this is shown throughout the Renaissance with realism, individualism, and secularism hand in hand in art. These are symbolized by 3D, sfumato, emotion, chiaroscuro, contrapposto,

[3] Despite that he created numerous masterpieces, his works demonstrated high level of skills and innovative content. His style that formed in Florence was exposed to Classical art and humanist thought. For instance, the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo painted the scenes in reverse chronological order, and the complexity of figures presents a relaxed and relived mood. Besides, he emphasized the power inherited in the human body, especially torso. David is a example in this case, it represented a state of relaxation and tension, and its proportion is corresponded more to Hellenistic style than Classical Style. His muscular figures are rendered in exaggerated contrapposto, which are one of the most monumental images in Western art. [4] On the other hand, Michelangelo’s late style revealed the pressure of patronage on artists during the renaissance. His anxiety about completing the sculptures is revealed in his work of sculptures and paintings. Many scholars consider his late style as a mark of the close of renaissance and as part of new Mannerist development.

One of the pieces defining characteristics, what makes it such a marvel, is how the physique is anatomically perfect. This speaks of a highly developed culture, with an intricate understanding of anatomy and physiology. But, also of a culture that privileges physical strength and beauty. The Greeks of the time were either artists or warriors, or often both, so strength and beauty were central in their world. Laocoon and His Sons is a much more naturalistic piece than earlier Greek works; in which the figures were often idolized; lacking luster, life, emotion, humanity. Cleobis and Biton, a set of sculptures from the Archaic Period, exemplify this quite well; posing, rigid, golem like figures; lacking the humanity they are supposed to represent. The Hellenistic baroque style of Laocoon and His Sons gives us a much more true-to-life representation in comparison to earlier works. This work has inspired artists and regular humans alike down through the centuries, one of whom it is particularly well known to have influenced greatly was Michelangelo; as can be seen in some of his pieces; e.g: The rebellious Slave.