Art in Middle Ages

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Art During the Renaissance and the Middle Ages During the Middle Ages, art and learning were centered on the church and religion. But at the start of the 14th century, people became less interested in thinking about God, heaven and the saints, and more interested in thinking about themselves, their surroundings and their everyday lives. Part of this change was influenced by the study of ancient Greek and Roman writings on things such as scientific matters, government, philosophy, and art. When scholars during the Renaissance began to study these writings, their interests turned away from traditional areas of study such as religion, medicine, and the law. The people of the Renaissance became interested in other areas of science; for instance, the natural world, biology and astronomy. People now studied mathematics, engineering, and architecture. “Madonna and Child in Glory” by Jacopa di Cione and “Adoration of the Shepherds” by Giovanni Agostino da Lodi are two paintings created during these two different era’s. The way in which the subjects are depicted and the details within the paintings will illustrate the two different styles; Jacopa’s being done in the Middle Ages, while Giovanni’s was painted during the Renaissance. There were three major changes that took place between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance era- “the evolving role of the artist from craftsman to independent artist; a more widespread incorporation of secular subjects into works of art, particularly mythological subjects; and the development of individual artistic styles and techniques”. Artists, writers, musicians and composers began creating work outside of the church. Artists signed their work and authors wrote autobiographies and memoirs, in other words, stories about themselves. The values and ideals popular during the European Renaissance can be described by the term secular humanism:
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