The Era Of The Renaissance

“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

Nyctophobia; the fear of the dark. However, it’s not exactly the fear of darkness itself, but rather, what could be lurking within it. Now, the Dark Ages weren’t actually “dark”, but it was a time of rapid decline in Europe in which historians don’t have much information. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was thrown into a never ending battle of hardships. From the Black Plague to the loss of beloved heroes and heroines, the country really was left in the dark, until a flicker of hope emerged offering a new beginning: the Renaissance. The Renaissance lasted from the 14th to the 17th century and was an era of “rebirth” in European history. During this period, culture throughout Europe underwent a dramatic reformation where classic

The Italian Renaissance exported a ton of artwork of paintings, portraits, and sculptures with a twist. The artwork that was being put out started defining new areas of art that separated it from the medieval artwork. Artist started to get more detail by trying to make a sculpture of people in a painting/portrait accurate. Another thing the artist did was turning 2-D pictures into 3-deminsonal, giving it life. Pietro Perugino’s paintings captures the new territories these artist are exploring to bring life and a deeper meaning to the picture, like Perugino’s Delivery of the Keys to Saint Peter.

Baroque and High Renaissance are two very important periods in art history, during that time a lot of different forms of art were created which include architecture, painting, and music. Baroque is just another word for having flashy symmetrical decoration. It’s a style that started around the 1600s in Italy and with its popularity it quickly spread around Europe. High Renaissance artist displaces the importance of draftsmanship, structured, and often-centralized compositions. Many artists quickly rise to stardom during these eras. This paper compares and contrasts these two art periods with the works created by great artists such as Marcantonio Franceschini who lived during the Baroque period and Mariotto Albertinelli who lived during the High Renaissance period.

The Renaissance, which lasted from the fourteenth through mid-seventeenth century, was a movement aimed towards reviving classical culture and an appreciation for ancient ways. Florence, Italy was considered the birthplace and the heart of the Renaissance. It was an industry town that dedicated its resources and supplies to architectural projects and where new architectural styles were developed (“The”). It’s impact on Western art lasted 600 years (Edgerton). Filippo Brunelleschi, a Florentine architect, changed the course of Renaissance architecture, developing new styles and techniques that forever changed the application of perspective in art. The techniques developed and invented by Filippo Brunelleschi changed the perception of Renaissance

The Renaissance, a time defined as the rebirth of classical ideals, occurred in Italy between 1350 and 1600. Spreading quickly throughout Europe, with the innovation of the printing press, it caused rippling effects. The Renaissance ultimately altered the aged education of theology from the Dark Ages and renewed it with studies of more ancient, classic works. Classic art and literature grew extremely popular, contrasting the lack of interest in them before. Many artists became prominent advocates for the revival of the ideals of the classical past. The artists, using their masterpieces, tremendously determined how modern historians view the era. While several aspects of the Renaissance contributed and influenced the time, artists like Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raffaello Sanzio had a stronger effect on and are greater representations of the time.

Given the many versions and accounts of famous artist’s lifetimes, we’re shown the vast underlying meaning, and situational ironies, to several of well- known pieces of work we still admire today. Donatello, Verrocchio, da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini; All of these artist left unique and controversial imprints on the timeline of art and life. Though many follow one right after the other, we see the changing of times through the midst of the creation of their works. Through the Renaissance and to the Reformation period, these artists help shape the nature of society. Coming to the end of the Renaissance era, an artist nicknamed “Caravaggio,” because of where he came from, pushed his world into the times of a more sound

During the late 14th century until about the 16th century, Italy and other European countries underwent a time of rebirth of the Ancient Greek and Roman classics. This era was known as the Renaissance. The citizens of Europe were surrounded by advancements in technology, music, and culture. However, one of the most prevalent changes that is still in affect today is the newly founded techniques in the arts. Artists began to think outside of the box, and they made some of the best paintings of their time. They used different methods than artists from previous centuries had, including classicism, secularism, humanism, and individualism. One of the greatest artists of all time, Michaelangelo, is most famous for his Italian Renaissance work.

Throughout the renaissance and outburst of creativity took place. Unlike Medieval paintings, Renaissance painters represented realism (pg. 328). In order to make these painting lifelike, a new technique was learned, which was, perspective. This taught the artists that making distant objects smaller and arranging objects in certain ways the painters can create the illusions of depth on a flat canvas (pg. 329). Painting by the artist named Giotto were so lifelike that people would try to brush off the fly he created in the painting. These talented artists were what created the High Renaissance. This took place during the 1400’s to 1500’s. Four incredible artists stood out during this time. They were, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Raphael, and Titan. These names are still familiar in today’s society. For example, Da Vinci created the mural The Last Supper and not to forget he painted the Mona Lisa, which is very popular to this day (pg. 329). Also, Michelangelo helped design St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, which is also very famous in today’s world. These impressive artists caused many excellent painting and sculptures which not only affected the people’s creativity during the renaissance, but still to this day has affected people's point of view of the renaissance and the amazing artwork

The Italian renaissance was a period of creative explosion. The term renaissance symbolizes rebirth, which is exactly what occurred in Italy during this time. An entire culture was remade through art. There was a resounding interest in the classics created by ancient artists. The humanist movement encouraged the study of humanity’s history in order to create a deeper understanding of how to move forward as a society. There was a seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge and creation. Many new art forms developed in this period, including opera. The Florentine Camerata, a group of scholars, created early forms of opera. Claudio Monteverdi, a renaissance composer, developed opera into the art form that is still performed today. The work of the Florentine Camerata and Claudio Monteverdi worked in harmony to create and develop this new form of music. Monteverdi’s educational background, his rebellious drive to create, his serendipitous career, and his unequaled talent allowed him to develop opera into an art form that no other composer of the time could have produced.

The early years of the Italian Renaissance paintings focuses on a naturalistic stand point whereas the late Renaissance years merge into mannerism introducing an idealistic stand point. Mannerism acts as a gateway into the Baroque style of art parting way with scenes of tranquility with earth tone colors and realistic aesthetics and drawing closer to exaggerated scenes with vibrant colors and melodramatic atmospheres. The two “Last Supper” paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci and Jacopo Tintoretto illustrate perfect examples of the transition from the realism of early Renaissance art into the later Renaissance styles of mannerism and shows a hint of what’s to come in Baroque style art. Leonardo Da Vinci investigates a naturalistic approach in his painting to portray an intimate religious experience without needing excessive emotion whereas Tintoretto uses dramatic light

The “Renaissance” was an important time following the Middle Ages. Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman art styles and ideas were revived during this period of time. Extravagant and detailed paintings were commissioned and featured mythological creatures from Greek and Roman culture. It was similar to an artistic revolution. One of the most famous painters from this period was Sandro Botticelli. Known for his detail included in his paintings, Botticelli went on to create paintings for influential figures of the Renaissance and a few frescos for the Sistine Chapel. Sandro Botticelli is the Renaissance Idol because he created a unique art style that was widely imitated by the time of his death.

The Renaissance took place from the 14 century through the middle of the 17 century. It was a time of social rebirth in Italy and the mid west of the world. It reconstructed the political, social, and religious status of society in this area. It was a revival to follow the learning and values of Greece and Rome once again in a world ruled by political stability and the desire for development and prosperity. This was reflected by the artists of this time presenting the mysteries and wonders of the natural world in their work. During this time there were numerous superior artists, whom we still remember today and honor for their expertise. These individuals were the forefront of the Renaissance and change in the European society. Leonardo Da Vinci, also named Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, was one of the most famous of these Artists at this time, composing multiple pieces of art such as “The Last Supper.”

During the seventeenth century the church was still a dominating force in Italy’s society. This presence created an artistic style centered on religious works of art designed to teach and draw people into the church. This desire to inspire and draw on people’s emotions manifested in increasingly elaborate church decorations and paintings. This dramatic movement, or the Baroque movement was seen throughout the art scene not only in Italy but the north as well. Most agree that the Baroque movement can be perfectly demonstrated in the sculptures done by Bernini at the church of Santa Maria Della Vittoria in Rome. His dramatic marble statues of angles, saints and biblical characters captures your attention and imagination.

Oscar Wilde, through the character Cyril in his essay The Decay of Lying, states that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life”, arguing that the real world is a mirror and art represents what is truly real (Wilde 38). While this argument may be possibly be true, but standing between what we call reality and the world of the artistic resides the artist, who ultimately decides how to present the world to his audience. Artists during the Renaissance – and the later part of the period called the High Renaissance in particular – would strengthen the existing artistic techniques as well as create new modes and methods to depict the world in a new and more exciting ways.