Art was a crucial aspect of expressing Renaissance ideas. Italian sculptors, painters, and architects in particular did a fantastic job of communicating Renaissance concepts in their artwork. Three of the most central humanistic beliefs during this period of time were the appreciation of the individual, the emphasis on the real rather than the abstract, and the imitation of past civilizations. The sculpture “David”, by Italian artist Michelangelo, is an excellent example of the humanistic emphasis on appreciating the individual and dignifying the human kind. Michelangelo depicts David as a strong, godlike figure, emphasizing the size of his hands and feet.
It was also the next and most glorious phase in Art History. The word Renaissance came from the Italian word “rinascita”, which means "rebirth," describes the radical and comprehensive changes that happened in European during the 15th and 16th centuries. Most of the paintings were done in Florence and Rome. There was a focus on painting human anatomy, nudes, facial expressions and human sculptures. The High Renaissance occurred in Milan, Florence smaller bits scattered here and there throughout northern and central Italy but it was centered mostly in Rome and mostly support by the Popes.
“The term Middle Ages was coined by scholars in the 15th century as the time between the downfall of Classical Greece and Rome and its rediscovery at the start of their own century.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014) Renaissance is also said to have ended the Dark Ages, metaphorically being the point of man’s enlightenment. The Renaissance would be such a wondrous period in history that its legacies have ripped through time and can be seen in almost every modern miracle of our time. Rebirth of the Classics: Out with the New
With his command of large-scale musical form, as well as his attention to secular text-setting, Du Fay set the stage for the next generations of Renaissance composers. By about 1500, European art music was dominated by Franco-Flemish composers, the most prominent of whom was Josquin des Prez (ca. 1450–1521). Like many leading composers of his era, Josquin traveled widely throughout Europe, working for patrons in Aix-en-Provence, Paris, Milan, Rome, Ferrara, and Condé-sur-L'Escaut. The exchange of musical ideas among the Low Countries, France, and Italy led to what could be
The Italian Renaissance Culture The Italian Renaissance began in the 14th century and ended in 16th century. The Italian Renaissance reason for beginning was because of the variety of artists and sculptors in Italy trying to get their work noticed. The different types of art during the Italian Renaissance were from sculpting to painting to philosophy to science and many more types of art. In this essay I am going to be talking about the famous people of this culture filled time. One of the types of art during this time was painting and sculpting.
Artists and Architects in Italy began looking at ancient artefacts, structures and scriptures for inspiration in seek of a new ‘truth’ and thus Humanism was born. This study of classical culture shifted man’s interest from religion to himself as the human body became the subject of interest as they believed that “man is the measure of all things” in stark contrast to the prior emphasis on the secular. Humanism, similar to its Greek predecessor, sought to find the order of the universe and also a new order of architectural language. Figure 1. Marcus Vitruvius ‘De Architectura’ (The Ten books on Architecture), 15BC Figure 1.
A most notable philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola distinguishes himself of all other renaissance thinkers and scholars with his famous work that describes the supreme statement of the Renaissance idolization of man. Published after his death “Oration on the Dignity of Man” will later come to be known as the "Manifesto of the Renaissance". He was born in Mirandola in the 15th century, to a noble Italian family that was remarkable in the arts and study of the Italian Renaissance. As a young child he received an education in both Latin and Greek and showed an interest in the arts of philosophy as he went on to study at the University of Ferrara and later at the University of Padua, a major center of Aristotelianism. In 1485 he furthered his studies at the most important centre of Scholastic philosophy and theology, the University of Paris, as he astonished fellow scholars with his precocious learning.
But it was the virtuoso handling of the medium on panel by van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden that represented a turning point in its eventual adoption as the major painting medium in Europe in the 16th Century. By then van Eyck had been credited by some to be the first to engage in this medium; although he had been incorrectly credited with the "invention" of oil painting it was his experimentations and development that was not in dispute, providing much inspiration for other artists in Northern Europe and Italy. He was to pass his knowledge to few, yet many were to study his work and replicate the beauty, character, luminosity and longevity of his paintings. Rogier van der Weyden was also a Flemish painter whom we can attribute his use of oil paint and the advancement of his technical abilities as major artistic achievements of the Renaissance period. Rogier was distinguished by his dynamic compositions stressing human acts and drama.
He focus on developing education and new invention so he started to support for new scientific and artistic advances and seek out best possible education or their children. b. Leonardo Da Vinci: He represents for the “Renaissance man” because he contributed his talent in many careers including painter, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer and inventor. His representative dedication: Drawing of a man, Mona Lisa, The Proportions of Man. c. Michelangelo: he is brilliant artist who sculpted: David statue and drew “The birth of Adam”, etc. d. Gutenberg: invented Printing Press; e. Petrarch: Important writer and poet who spread Humanism, the Renaissance.
The Renaissance The Renaissance was a time period of extensive cultural rebirth. It was the first step towards “the emergence of modern identity and individuality” (Brotton 1). It is important to understand that there was not only one Renaissance. While most history textbooks focus on the major renaissance centered in Italy, Brotton explains that there were renaissances in the Islamic and South-East Asian worlds as well as others that overlapped with the Italian Renaissance. Enveloped in this worldly reform was the start of a new ideology known as Renaissance Humanism.