The Purpose Of Nudity In The Renaissance

The growth of arts in the Italian Renaissance embodies the values of the humanism present there. As the ides of the educated changes, so too did their designed artwork, either commissioned or personally done, reflect that change. As humanism gained more ground in their society, scholars see the impact arising in the artwork itself.

The Renaissance was the entrance to a change in the overall worldview of man. Humanistic thought began to grow more and more prevalent, and showed itself through art, architecture, and manuscripts. Humanists believe that man is autonomous, that humans are powerful enough to survive, thrive, and conquer without any spiritual help. It is a very self-centered way of thinking, destined to fail. One example of an artist who portrayed this through his work, was Michelangelo. His sculptures “men tearing themselves out of rock” give a bold humanistic statement. Man, as man, with no help is tearing himself out of rock. Man will free himself. Man is great. Leonardo da Vinci, the brilliant chemist, mathematician, musician, architect, anatomist, botanist, mechanical engineer, and artist, understood the end to which humanistic thought would lead.

The popular belief that people were unrighteous because of sin was washed away by the new idea of humanism as interest in the individual had grown. It was seen through mediums of both art and humanities with literature. The value of religion went down are the interest in the power of men strengthened. The Mona Lisa painting done by Leonardo Da Vinci during the renaissance is an excellent example of how individualism became a major focus during this time. As it portrays one human woman, and is not necessarily associated with the image of any religious figure which was popular in art from the Middle Ages (a time period before the Renaissance). More people began to create philosophies elevating the possibilities of men and developed principles on what the ideal man should be.

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

Before the Renaissance, people simply accepted everything said by Church, however when Humanist analyzed key texts that showcased how the Church’s authority was built on an unstable foundation. The movement of Humanism influenced art as it also allowed for a more realistic approach to life. Ultimately, the Renaissance promoted a new idea of thinking based on reliable evidence rather than baseless

The Renaissance was known as the “rebirth” of European Culture. This time period, from the 14th to the 17th century, was portrayed as a surge of interest in classical scholarship and values. This was the peak of learning and invention after a time of cultural stagnation. Moreover, this new society sought after new ideas both culturally and religiously enriching. The transformation that occurred in Renaissance Europe established three criteria to evaluate the individual﹣an admiration for a questioning, secular spirit, a conception for the vast possibility for human potential, and emphasis upon the importance of civic virtue.

The Renaissance was a very memorable period for the European civilization. This period dates back to the early 1300’s and lasted for hundreds of years. During this period, many things were invented and innovated, so many often define the term as a period of “rebirth”. In all actuality, The Renaissance is a period of rebirth, but many leave out the significance of the two principals that shapes its meaning. The two principles that shaped the styles created during this period includes the classical forms of the Greek and Romans, and the interest of humanism and the importance of the individual.

The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy around the 1500’s to about the 1700’s. Florence, Italy was the mecca of this rebirth because at the time Florence was extremely wealthy and the people of the city had political freedom and those new ideals of the Renaissance were not being condemned in Florence as they were other cities. This was a time where the arts and the logic of one’s own mind was valued rather than criticized, the antiquated medieval ideals no longer matched the needs of those who were living during the early Renaissance. Eventually, a term for this way of thinking arose and was called Humanism, and what humanism is, is an ideology where humans can lead themselves to create a prosperous life and instead of leaning on supernatural forces for answers. Humanists believe that humans have enough logic to create conclusions themselves. This brand-new way of thinking caused a lot of controversy because it did question God’s ability and the church’s power, but the ideas behind it are still heavily used today, even in the 21st century. Humanism in the early Renaissance is important because it called for thinking with reason, it allowed an appreciation for human body and mind, inspired authors and caused a shift in power.

In the Ancient Greek historical Art, nude male figures were used to depict the beauty of the human body as well as the new focusing in the evolution of art. "The nude first became significant in the art of ancient Greece, where athletic competitions at religious festivals celebrated the human body, particularly the male, in an unparalleled way." (Jean) Thus, the social standard of the time in aesthetic, modesty and morality was reflected in every nudity art work .Nude male figures, in sculptures and paintings, of warriors, charioteers and musicians had become more and more popular as the symbol of energy and power of life or were used as the symbol of God, Goddess and Heroes. But nude figures of Gods and Goddess were no longer allowed by the Christianity in the Renaissance because of emphasizing “on chastity and celibacy further discounted depictions of nakedness” (Jean) , nude figures of athletic were used as an expression of virility as well as the beauty of the human body. Nudity in the Middle Ages became sinful, therefore, nude figures were rare in the medieval art and the artists were focusing on creating art about God and Goddess and their power rather than depicting the beauty of the human body. And by the end of the medieval period, nude female figures intended to be attractive and slowly brought back into art and became popular again. In the Baroque to Modern art, nudity still played an important role in art. In the Baroque period, nude art had changed and became

Life in the Renaissance has changed compared to today there is new and upgraded clothing and food , people are getting the education they need now days. Back then they didn't have much to work with but with whatever they could get their hands on

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.

Humanism describes the emphasis that was revived in the Renaissance when the Liberal Arts were used to distinguish man from beasts. Through letters--or scholarship--was sought a rebirth of spirit and spiritual freedom and justification of the claim to rational autonomy. In essence, the Renaissance was a revival of the capacities and powers of the ancients.

The Renaissance era was a prosperous time for art from the 15th century to 17th century. Europe had reached the end of the middle ages. The middle age is often defined by characteristics such as martial order and absolute hierarchy. European countries did not thrive in terms of technology nor have any advancements in terms of the economy either. The Renaissance period which came after the middle age completely contrasts its preceding era. A new philosophy that later on came to be known as ‘humanism’ was rising. It is therefore necessary to discuss humanism and associated changes to the European society of the 15th century in order to examine the cause of such a unified movement towards the regaining of artistic significance in Europe. In

The Renaissance focused on individualizing people using new advances in the humanities and sciences. Based off of the Renaissance worldview documents, literature, art, anatomy and astrology contributed to developing current worldviews on individual identity, in order of most to least significant.

Therefore, we could say that the renaissance humanism started when the literary world and the world of arts was so charged. At the same time the church was leading but her great strides were infiltrated or became mixed with pagan/ Greek values that were seemingly unacceptable. Thus, the European world saw the reason to question the church’s consistency in the religious matters and the absolute attribute of things to God or religion.