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Wedding At Cana

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During the Renaissance, artists expressed themselves through their work. In The Wedding at Cana, Paolo Veronese displays symbolism along with other ideas such as classicism, individualism, and secularism. He included softened edges, which was new to art of that time. The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese portrays the philosophies of society, specifically the upper class, during the Renaissance. Although it is a depiction of a biblical story, the background of The Wedding at Cana reflects Venice, where the artist resided. It was commissioned by Benedictine Abbot at the San Giorgio Maggiore Monastery. A dog is in the bottom of the painting, which symbolizes “the intense loyalty of society to Jesus” (Collins), yet the figure is small and shows that religion is not the main aspect of the art. Furthermore, Veronese blended “contemporary and spiritual” (Collins). In the picture, the scene appears to be during the Renaissance, yet Jesus is in it. This mixture of old and new symbolizes the rapid changing of society. The Wedding at Cana contains lots of symbolism, along with many other concepts. …show more content…

Realism and expression is clearly shown through the proportionate figure. The wide rainbow of clothing and countless poses that the figures are is an example of the emphasis of individualism. In the scene depicted, there is “realistic shadowing and objects layered on top of each other that blend smoothly” (MacDonald) unlike the harsh, blunt edges of Medieval art. Lastly, one can see the Greco-Roman influence of classicism in The Wedding at Cana. On either side of the painting is a symmetrical set of pillars, which display ancient Greek architecture. Along with characteristics of Renaissance art, Veronese also incorporated ideas of the time period

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