The Evolution of Art and Style during the Renaissance

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

“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

Baroque painting contained dramatic details, large in scale and was full of energy. This style was intentionally non-symmetrical. The painters of this time were looking to capture the real feelings of their subjects along with the movement or action taking place.

The Renaissance era, a time of rebirth in European culture, did happen, despite the controversy. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Europe experienced an explosion of arts, mostly among the visual ones. Iconic artists like Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello emerged as a result of the re-enlightenment of Europe. It may be true that only five percent of Europeans experienced the enrichment of the time period, but considering that Europe had about ninety million people by 1500 B.C. alone, over 5 million people were affected. Taking into account that during start of the Archaic period, Greece was only inhabited by around 80,000 people, and the five million people of Europe at that time are sufficient for a historical distinction.

Both conveyed many intense emotions through religious scenes, focused on individualism, and both focused immensely on the minute details in the artwork. Many would feel many emotions after taking a glance at the artwork made during the Northern and Italian Renaissance time period because most of the artists’ focused on not only the religious side of the art, but to also to have a deeper meaning. The details that the artists put into their artwork during these two time periods is what made their artwork stand out compared to other pieces. The small details like the veins in an arm, or the branches coming off of a tree could make the biggest difference. Even though the Northern and Italian Renaissance had many similarities, both still had many differences. Those differences included the Northern Renaissance artwork focusing more on everyday life of regular humans, while the Italian Renaissance artwork focused more on biblical scenes and classical

Neoclassical Art was an art form that followed the Baroque and Rococo art periods. Neoclassicism was a way for artists to display their wish to return to meaningful art, to escape the frivolity of landscapes and still life paintings, and paint something that had a moral, educational or inspirational value to the viewer. Neoclassical art was an attempt to return knowledge and purity back to art. Neoclassicism was mainly focused on Greek and Roman arts and stories of the classical era with some new advancement. It was a revival of antiquity.

Most forms of Catholic Baroque art are assertive and, as intended, assault ones senses. The evolution of religious art from the uniform composition characteristic of the Italian Renaissance through the evolving Mannerism in to the bold and striking Baroque was striking to say the least. The stylistic changes from Da Vinci's The Last Supper to Tintoretto's version in the 1590's bear a perfect example of this transition. The point of view in Da Vinci's was central and allowed for a

One of the greatest stories from the Italian Renaissance is the one of Fillipo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti. In 1401, the directors of the art of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral held a contest for artists; to create panels for a the doors on the east entrance (Kleiner, 560-2). Because the east doors faced the cathedral, the people thought it extremely prestigious to be able to participate in such a massive creation. After the first competition round, two finalists remained; Brunelleschi, an accomplished and experienced artist, and Ghiberti, a younger artist, but one with just as much talent. The two competitors were required to create a panel (or square) of Abraham readying to sacrifice Issac. Before reading which was which,

It wasn’t until the progression of Italian Renaissance that drastic changes allowed the emergence of types of secular art, inspiring the classic roots of Roman and Greek societies creating a different type of culture. The dominant church was shifted as humanism took on new ideas. As time progressed, artists had more flexibility with their work and they used it to their advantages.

The influences of any era is evident through artwork and architecture. During the Middle Ages the main influence was the church, this is evident through the focus on biblical and religious symbols. During the Renaissance the main focus was the study of people. This is shown through the increase in self portraits and classical antiquity-inspired buildings. The change between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is best shown through the art and architecture, demonstrated specifically through an emphasis on religion and classical antiquity, both suggesting a clear cultural change. The culture of both of these eras was greatly shaped by the studies of humanism and theology.

•The creation of the baroque style—an art style full of emotion, flamboyancy, symbolism, vigor, and subtlety—largely as a product of the Catholic Church patronage of the arts

The Renaissance time period was home to many new ideas in art. This includes new artists bringing forth ideas that had yet to be discovered and made popular. New themes and types of art were also being brought forward during this period.

It is hard to believe that what began during the Renaissance would be followed by what we refer to as the Baroque period beginning in the 1600’s and later the Rococo. The term Baroque was first used in the eighteenth-century by critics in a negative way. “To the eyes of these critics, who favored the restraint and order of Neoclassicism, the works of Bernini, Borromini, and Pietro da Cortona appeared bizarre, absurd, even diseased—in other words, misshapen, like an imperfect pearl” (Camara, E., n.d. para. 12). Stylistic style differs in the Baroque period with the use of interrupted contours, dynamism, and instability. In addition, artists were moving toward a more realistic subject matter and not the idealized portrayals we saw in the Renaissance period.

The renaissance or “rebirth” was a cultural awakening which spanned from the fourteenth to sixteenth century. A growing interest in humanist traits and classical ideas heavily influenced the art during the renaissance. A growing community of artists provided much needed competition for their profession. The renaissance introduced many different and modern ideas but also remained obedient to classical belief. The unique art of the renaissance spread throughout Europe. Northern European art differed tremendously from Italian art.

When the new upper class movement, Renaissance, occurred in Italy around the 14th century, a revival of the classical forms originally developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, an intensified concern with secular life, and interest in humanism and assertion of the importance of the individual began. Thus, artists such as Mosaccio and Giotto depicted art that unlike the Middle Ages, showed emotions, feelings, and bright colors, thus demonstrating the deep concern for naturalism in the society. Other artists during the Italian Renaissance period such as Giovanni Bellini began to express their art through secular and religious themes and ideas that were exhibited through landscapes and portraits. As new styles of