Humanism's Influence On Artwork

Nauert illustrates how humanism affected religion, platonic revival, and magic, beliefs on human nature, popular culture, and Renaissance art. The art of printing helped ignite the growth of humanism and enables humanists to share their ideas. Nauert argues that the humanists’ criticism of texts in the fields of law, medicine, natural science, and theology allowed them to assume control over these fields. They gained this control because they claimed that their critical methods revealed whether a document was authentic, furthermore, they rejected documents that they discovered were forged or misinterpreted. In Florence during the mid-fifteenth-century, humanists became less interested in civic humanism, and grew interested in spiritual, religious, and philosophical questions. Nauert suggests that Niccolò Machiavelli was the sixteenth-century heir of Florentine civic humanism. Nauert illustrates how Renaissance art was connected to humanism. He writes, “The veneration felt by humanists for ancient works of art was widely regarded as a rediscovery of the principles of the principles a spirit of ancient art, a three-sided influence among ancient work, modern artist, and modern humanist was only natural” (91). The papacy also became patrons of humanistic art and scholarship; and their support facilitated the expansion of humanism. The achievements of Renaissance Italy did begin to lessen in the sixteenth century; and the influence of humanism faded, but did not perish.

The Renaissance began in the 1300’s and brought with it many new ideas and ways of thinking. The main one of these ideas being humanism, or that the best that a man can be is greater than the idea of theology. The Italians began to spread this idea and it began to grow. The Italians decided that the best way to express and spread the idea of humanism during the Renaissance was through their sculptures and paintings. This can be seen in many works of art from this time period such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, The School of Athens by Raphael, and Michelangelo's David.

Although Michelangelo 's David embodies the athletic ideal of antiquity in its muscularity, here the male nude implies, as it had in classical antiquity, heroic or even divine qualities. David also represents the power of right over might.

The new evaluation of the individual’s worth and the new conception of the individual’s relation to nature, which were to become the central motifs of the Renaissance, can be seen graphically in the paintings of artists like Piero della Francesca, Donatello, and Michelangelo. The individuals in their portraits and sculptures were the center of attention and were portrayed realistically, thereby glorifying man. More specifically, Michelangelo’s statue of David portrays man’s power and beauty (David, Spielvogel, 324). Linguists and philosophers also expressed this idolization of man. Pico della Mirandola, author of the “Oration on the Dignity of Man,” wrote that God addressed man saying, “‘Though shalt have the power to degenerate into the lower forms of life, which are brutish. Thou shalt have the power, out of thy soul’s judgment, to be reborn into the higher forms, which are divine’” (Mirandola, 411). Therefore, man’s understanding of his potential as an individual led to an increased emphasis on humanism in all aspects of Renaissance society.

Although using David as the subject of a piece was something that previous artists had done, Michelangelo’s David became a favorite to the people of Florence when it was unveiled in 1504.The importance of David’s nude body and its positioning is obvious when we remember it was made during the Renaissance. Celebrating the human form and having figures in contrapposto were defining aspects of this period. Aside from being one of the most famous Renaissance artists, Michelangelo is also regarded as one of the greatest artists and sculptors in history. Michelangelo’s David was, and still is, seen as the perfect and ideal image for the human body. The amount of detail able to be seen, from the veins on his arms, to the muscles lining his abdomen, shows how very meticulous Michelangelo was when it came when it came to the human body. He cared so much about correct anatomy that he even studied and dissected a human body to ensure an accurate but even more perfect portrayal of the male figure. The elegance, beauty, and perfection displayed in Michelangelo's David has made it into one of the most recognizable pieces of Renaissance art in history. Many artists have been inspired by him and his artwork, including Gian Lorenzo

“What is meant by humanism in this case is once again the exaltation of worldly interests as well as the sympathetic presentation of indomitable, defiant heroes and of human passions in their most mundane and captivating forms” (Montano 206). The Renaissance was a time of “rebirth”. It was a time of bringing back the ideals of the Classical Era and focusing on how mankind could use these ideals to become more knowledgeable. Dante Alighieri’s writing, though penned in the Middle Ages, indicates the true beginning of the Renaissance in Italy. His ideas and passions expressed through his many works have left their impression on the world, extending to modern times. One of Dante’s greatest masterpieces, “Dante’s Inferno”, truly expresses his beliefs

Humanism as the specific system of views had been forming for centuries, absorbing various approaches to the issue of man. As a rule, humanism is defined in terms of several essential meanings. One of these meanings of humanism is the movement of educated people united by the interest in antiquity which was formed in the Renaissance mainly in Italy. Besides, humanism is understood as a special type of philosophical ideology, in the centre of which there is man as an individual with his goals and aspirations, with abilities and inclinations that are typical of his nature. Another meaning of humanism is humanity as a basic principle of man’s attitude to man. Humanism during the Renaissance, despite its opposition to medieval religious ideology, is its successor in many aspects since antiquity and Christianity, despite their ideological contradictions, comprised a range of some similar features, the most important of which was the view that humans are more important than anything else. That is why humanists did not idealise a ‘natural’ man, not enlightened with knowledge and not brought up morally, seeing in man only an opportunity of becoming a ‘real’ man. It meant the affirmation of necessity of man’s improvement and necessity of a certain moral and social ideal. As it is generally known, the appearance and assertion of the term ‘humanism’ is connected with the Renaissance although the ideas of humanity and justice which are the essential points of this notion had been

With the declining trust in religious institutions post-the black death, and the resurgence of interest in classical Greek and Roman works, a new world view emerged during the fourteenth century that challenged the traditional Augustinian belief of inherent human sin. Humanism surfaced with the optimistic hope that studying the classics and examining human behavior could lead to a better quality of life. By analyzing documents like Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, and paintings such as The School of Athens by Raphael and Primavera by Botticelli, one can see the role Humanism played in Renaissance Italy.

David By Michelangelo is seventeen feet tall. Michelangelo created the David nude because Michelangelo wanted to create statues that were anatomically correct. The statue has a calm and a relax posing stance. The facial expression on the David is anger because the way his eyebrows are scrunched and he has tight shut lips.

Humanism is the intellectual movement of the Renaissance based on the study of the humanities, which include grammar, rhetoric, poetry, moral philosophy, and history. Humanities were very important during the Renaissance and still are today. As the power of the Catholic Church decreased, many people turned away from religious morality and focused on studies of the liberal arts to prepare for life. As a result of this, humanism influenced the whole continent of Europe. Along with literature, art was a very important part of Renaissance culture. With the expansion of humanism throughout Europe, art became significantly influenced by this movement throughout the Renaissance. Artists began to make paintings of human bodies and their realities and dramas. Two main developments affected the result of artistic works. First, artists utilized the laws of perspective to organize outdoor space and light through geometry. Second, artists portrayed their understanding of the development of movement and human anatomy through details in the faces and bodies of figures in their paintings. Three pieces of Renaissance art exhibit a substantial use of humanism: the Mona Lisa, School of Athens, and The Tribute Money.

The statue was created during the Renaissance, meaning rebirth, and was a time where a new belief was created. This belief, known as humanism, revived the humanity in humans and allowed them to change from religious standpoints to praising mankind. They did this by praising the human body itself. One way that Michelangelo praises the human body is by sculpting a statue of a human, rather than an angel. In addition, the nudity of “David” further celebrates every part of being a human and being unashamed of it. Likewise, Michelangelo fully portrays the beauty of the human body by incorporating exquisite details in many areas: the veins bulging from the

The work captures the ideas of the Greek figures. The David we are presented with is a nude man with a very muscular physique. Michelangelo catches him at the peak of his concentration. He stands relaxed, but alert, resting on a classical pose known as contrapposto. The figure stands with one leg holding

During the shift from the middle ages into the Renaissance period new conceptions of the individual and the human mind quickly came to light. Although art in the Middle Ages was centered predominantly on religion and faith, the incoming art of the Renaissance underwent a drastic change. A vast amount of these changes mainly focused on individualism, secularism, and humanism. Following the collapse of the feudal system, thoughts of individualism quickly rose when people realized that they didn’t have to adhere to a specific group.Throughout the beginning of the Renaissance, religious figures and the Catholic Church began to lose authority which conducted in new ideas of secularism. Comparably, humanistic art and notions became preeminent when individuals focused on glorifying the human body, learning more about it and inclined more towards realistic art.

The central idea of individualism is to focus on the importance of the individual, and Michelangelo exemplifies this by making only one statue from an intense scene. David is shown in his moment right before he fights Goliath, and without the rest of the army he’s with or even the man he is fighting. David is the singular focus, showing that one person can set the scene as well as the whole scene made as statues would have. The statue holds fine detailing in it, specifically that given to David’s face. It is clear that there are many emotions that are meant to be displayed, including stress, determination, and fear. Michelangelo wanted to show realism on the statue, and did so by giving it very individual feelings. The realistic way the statue was carved adds to how it holds so much symbolic meaning in solidarity. Having made David on his own conveys how he was by himself during his battle with Goliath. David wasn’t able to receive any help from the army he as with in order to fight the giant, and him being portrayed as a single statue shows how he had to stand apart from the

Beginning roughly around the year 1400 an era in Europe began; one that would shape the ideas and the lives of men. This era of rebirth or renaissance came within the fifteenth century through the revival of classical texts. One central effect of the Renaissance was the production of a new intellectual idea: humanism. Humanism being defined as a, “[t]erm invented in the 19th century. . . [regarding] developments relating to the revival of Classical literature and learning in European culture from roughly 1300 to 1600” left its mark on all of Europe leaving nothing untouched not even the artist. Both northern and southern art would be affected by humanism but in different ways ranging from changes in the human form, new choices of