The+Renaissance

Renaissance Art

The Renaissance was a time of rebirth. It was a time of experimentation, of religious upheaval, and of war.

During this time, there was a reawakening of interest in the classics, and in knowledge. People became interested in art, literature, philosophy, and science. Artists began to study nature and reality, instead of following a "formula" to paint.

During the Middle Ages, artwork often followed a "formula." The compositions were all similar (illustrating a biblical story), and the figures often looked a like. The goal of these artworks was to symbolize the people and illustrate a story, not depict nature or the real world. Take a look at these examples...

During the Renaissance, artists became interested in the natural world. They still painted religious images, but they also painted portraits, still lifes, and scenes from Greek and Roman Mythology.

This might seem like no big deal, but the pioneers of Renaissance were rebels! The Dark Ages were a time of illiteracy, ignorance, and blind obedience to the church. Then a bunch of creative types came along and QUESTIONED what had always been. This is the age when scientists were executed for suggesting that the Earth revolved around the sun! Artists began to study the body to draw people, instead of just copying the artwork of others. Some were even thrown in jail for studying nudes or corpses! They risked a lot in order to stick to their commitment to progress.

Artists used human models and studied nature to give life, character, and realism to their work. Notice the dramatic differences between the Renaissance paintings, below, and the Medieval paintings above...

A Few Heavy Hitters: //The Birth of Venus//, 1486 Sandro Botticelli, Italian || //Primavera//, 1482 Sandro Botticelli, Italian || Sketchbook Pages of Leonardo Da Vinci Embryo, Vitruvian Man, Inventions...
 * [[image:botticelli-venus.jpg width="306" height="196"]]
 * [[image:botticelli-venus.jpg width="306" height="196"]]
 * Botticelli painted during the //early// Renaissance. His work breaks away from Medieval styles, but not as much as the artists who would come later. He is truly a pioneer! He is still using a great deal of symbolism and stylization- he is drawing what he knows, rather than focusing on true natural forms, because he wants the people and background to be beautiful, rather than super realistic. The Birth of Venus illustrates classic Roman mythology, rather than a biblical subject, which also breaks away from Medieval tradition || Thia painting represents the spirit of renewal during the Italian Renaissance through the depiction of classical gods and goddesses. Venus stands at the center, with Cupid above, aiming an arrow at the Three Graces. The garden is guarded by Mercury, who stands to the left. To the right, Zephyrus, god of the winds, enters in pursuit of the nymph Chloris, with Flora, the goddess of spring. If you look closely, you can see that each subject is recognizeable by the //symbols// that the artist uses. ||
 * [[image:leosketchbook.jpg width="352" height="380"]]

Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the greatest artists of all time, AND a total genius! Take a look at these drawings!! Leonardo was not only an amazing artist, he was also an inventor. He kept detailed journals and notes, which he wrote backwards. It took many many years before anyone could decipher his secret notes. || //Mona Lisa// Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian || //School of Athens//, 1510-1511 Raphael, Italian In //The School of Athens//, Raphael uses //perspective//, a new technique begun in the Renaissance, and mastered by him. Raphael reflected the classical influence upon Renaissance art, but he also paid tribute to the men who inspired him by using the faces of da Vinci, Bramante and Michelangelo as philosophers participating in the debate between Plato and Aristotle. || //St. Catherine of Alexandria//, 1507 Raphael, Italian ||
 * Leonardo Da Vinci, creator of the //Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, the Vitruvian Man// and more. He had a nature that was careful and precise, so that he never hurried to finish a work. He developed what are regarded as technical, manual skills that were so excellent that few artists in history have rivaled his ability. He had an exceptional intellect and fascination with the world around him. Besides his paintings, he left us a legacy of detailed drawings of the human anatomy, plans for a tank, helicopter, ideas on the construction of multi-level canal and road systems. Because he was an artist and a scientist at a time when both art and science, he has come to characterize the ultimate "Renaissance Man." ||
 * || [[image:michelangelo_david_2.jpg width="335" height="402"]] ||
 * In the 89 years that he lived, Michelangelo created many of the works of art that we think of when we think of the Renaissance. A skilled painter who spent many years completing the frescoes that adorn the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo had trained as a sculptor and created two of the world's greatest statues--the enormous David and the emotional Pieta. ||
 * [[image:raphaelschool.jpg width="371" height="278"]]
 * Raphael is credited with revolutionizing portrait painting because of the style he used in the portrait of Julius II. He also designed the "cartoons" that are on the tapestries of the Sistine Chapel. A tour of the Vatican Museums should include the Raphael Rooms where you can see some of the artist's works (though Raphael died suddenly on Good Friday, 1520, before all the work was completed and much of it was finished by his students). ||

Renaissance:
 * [|Key concepts and Facts] || [|Portraiture in the Renaissance and Baroque Art], Met ||
 * [|Religious Symbolism in Renaissance Italy], Met || [|Anatomy in the Renaissance], Met ||

Botticceli


 * [|Interesting Facts] || Artchive ||
 * at CGFA ||  ||

Leonardo
 * || [|Leonardo da Vinci], Met || [|Leonardo, Reanaissance Man], Museum of Science ||
 * || [|Intersting Facts], at CGFA || Le[|onardo artwork], Webmuseum, __ Artchive __ ||

Michelangelo
 * [|Michelangelo], life and work- great site! || [|Michelangelo Overview], Florence Art Guide ||
 * [|Interesting Facts] || __ Artchive __ ||
 * at CGFA ||  ||

Raphael
 * [|Interesting Facts] ||  ||
 * __ Artchive __ ||  ||
 * at CGFA ||  ||