Renaissance art of the 15th and 16th centuries creates the bridge between medieval art and early modern art. During this time, other topics of interest began flourishing, such as philosophy, literature, music, and science. This might have contributed to the many famous artists and works that emerged from this era. It also could be why we are attracted to the period, since it is when interests started turning towards what we have in modern times.
Our culture might think that Renaissance art is superior because of the boom in knowledge and technique. The masters from this era paved the way for a different style of art and utilized tools that we still emphasize on in art today. Some of the notions from medieval art remain, such as religious propaganda, but in whole, the Renaissance pushes towards a new kind of realism. The use of perspective, foreshortening, sfumato, chiaroscuro, balance, and proportion are some of the techniques that come into play to contribute to this realism and start to develop with the help of the “big name” artists that our society focuses on.
With the help of famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, this era is sometimes called the “High Renaissance” period in regards to Italy’s scene. These artists observed the world of reality around them and incorporated their findings in their works. Leonardo and Michelangelo both studied anatomy and the human body in great depth to perfect the human figure and form reflected in their art.
Our culture might think that Renaissance art is superior because of the boom in knowledge and technique. The masters from this era paved the way for a different style of art and utilized tools that we still emphasize on in art today. Some of the notions from medieval art remain, such as religious propaganda, but in whole, the Renaissance pushes towards a new kind of realism. The use of perspective, foreshortening, sfumato, chiaroscuro, balance, and proportion are some of the techniques that come into play to contribute to this realism and start to develop with the help of the “big name” artists that our society focuses on.
With the help of famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, this era is sometimes called the “High Renaissance” period in regards to Italy’s scene. These artists observed the world of reality around them and incorporated their findings in their works. Leonardo and Michelangelo both studied anatomy and the human body in great depth to perfect the human figure and form reflected in their art.
Hi Evan! Welcome to ART 236. I look forward to working with you for another quarter.
ReplyDeleteI like that you talked about how the Renaissance incorporates a "new kind of realism." Another student in the class suggested that realistic works of art help the viewer to have a connection with Renaissance artists. Perhaps this accounts in some ways for why Renaissance art is popular today. If something looks realistic, we feel like we are seeing the exact same thing that a Renaissance artist actually saw 500-600 years ago. Perhaps this realistic style helps to "bridge the gap of time" between our century and the Renaissance centuries, and people today like that.
-Prof. Bowen