Renaissance Art

The word “Renaissance” literally means “rebirth” or “born anew” in French. The name came about as a result of La Renaissance – a famous volume of history written by historian Jules Michelet (1798-1874). The Renaissance is considered the bridge between the Middle Ages and Modern history, the era that spans from the 14^th to the 17^th century. Starting as a cultural movement in Italy in the late medieval period and which spread to the rest of Europe, the Renaissance boasts of a period full of great creative and intellectual activities. The scholars and artists began investigating what they believe to be a revival of classical learning, literature and art.

During the Renaissance period, artists wanted to capture the experience of the individual as well as the beauty and mystery of the natural world. New ideas and attitudes were markedly portrayed in art. Various elements were studied to help enhance and improve the quality and humanism of art such as perspective, balance and proportion, the use of light and dark and many more. The artists of the Renaissance era strove to portray lifelike human forms with correct proportions and realistic clothing and expressions. They also developed new techniques that give paintings a lifelike quality and a three-dimensional effect. To better understand their subjects, the artists exerted efforts to study in detail the human and animal anatomy.

Renaissance art is divided into two periods: the Early Renaissance and the High Renaissance. During the Early Renaissance, artists tried to emulate classical artists by focusing on symmetry and develop the flawless form. This era featured artists such as Giotto, Masaccio and Donatello. Giotto di Bondone was the first important painter of the Early Renaissance. Giotto profoundly studied nature to instill reality within his paintings, an effort most remarkable in his particularly realistic facial expressions. His innovations in the depiction of perspectives were later further developed by another painter named Tommaso Guidi, also known as Masaccio. Masaccio was the first Renaissance artist to paint models in the nude by using both light and shadow to define the shape of his models instead of using clear lines. Another great artist from this age was Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi or better known as Donatello. He was regarded as the greatest sculptor of the Early Renaissance and the most significant individual artist of the 15th century in Italy.

The increasing interest in perspective and space was established during the High Renaissance, which gave art even more realism. Artists including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Rafael dominated this period. Leonardo da Vinci was dubbed the ultimate “Renaissance man” for his intellect, interest, talent and his expression of classical and humanist values. He was a scientist, an inventor as well as an artist. Like Leonardo, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni or Michelangelo, was a “Renaissance man” of many talents. He was a sculptor, a painter and an architect. He drew on the human body for inspiration and created works on a vast scale. The youngest of the three great High Renaissance masters, Raphael Sanzio, learned from both da Vinci and Michelangelo. His paintings skillfully expressed the classical ideas of beauty, serenity and harmony.

The most notable thing about the art of the Renaissance is the continuous evolution of techniques and materials. Each new generation of artists build upon the accomplishments of the last. While technique, style, and materials stayed relatively constant throughout much of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance was an age of rapid change and development. This rapid evolution and the continuing advance of artistic techniques and talent was one of the main reasons why the Renaissance still represent the highest of achievements in the history of art.

In my own opinion, Renaissance art is the prime era in which the artists and their artworks have substantially grown and evolved. I consider this era to be the “finest” compared to the previous ones as it showcases unparalleled use of technique and incomparable quality of art. Also, some of my favorite artists came from this period like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti. I admire their mastery of diverse skills that initiated a huge impact throughout history. Someday, I want to create artworks that would also bring significance to the world of art with the same excellence and vision from the Renaissance. 

References:

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Dowling, M. (2014, December 30). Renaissance Art. mrdowling.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.mrdowling.com/704-art.html

Donatello. (n.d.). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donatello

Donatello Biography. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of World Biography. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.notablebiographies.com/De-Du/Donatello.html


Images from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation_of_Adam