The Renaissance Artists
The Renaissance lasted from approximately the 15th
to the 17th century and spread throughout Europe. During this time, the
Church/Religion played a major role, politically, economically, and in the
everyday lives of people. However, throughout these centuries, there were major
changes and advancements to technology, music, and art. Some of the major
artists that were very important and affected their time period are, Masaccio,
Raphael, Michelangelo, and Albrecht Durer. These artists are very well known for
their amazing contributions to art during this time. Their art highlights some
of the many transformations that occur throughout the Renaissance.
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| Trinity with the Virgin, St John The Evangelist, and the Donors- Masaccio est. 1426 (Stockstad and Cothren 622) |
The first artist, Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Mone
Cassai, more simply known as Masaccio, was a famous Italian painter from
Florence. Masaccio made major changes to
art with arguably his most famous painting, “Trinity with the Virgin, St. John the
Evangelist, and Donors” (est. 1426). Masaccio used linear perspective to create
a realistic painting that makes the viewer feel that they are actually in front
of an altar. “He did this by integrating monumental and consistently scaled
figures into rational architectural and natural settings using linear
perspective” (Stokstad and Cothren 622).
This assists in the depth perception as it looks like the altar is
closer to the viewer rather than a simply flat painting. The arch that Christ
is centered under amplifies the depth perception that makes viewers feel as if
they are standing there looking at God, Christ, Mary, St. John, and the Holy
Spirit. Many paintings of this time are of religious scenes simply because the
Church had an immense amount of power and dominated society during this time.
Another important factor that can be noted, is the
fact that the donors are in the painting. They are shown kneeling by the
columns of the arch. Stokstad and Cothren note, “Members of the Lenzi family
kneel in front of the pilasters—thus closer to us than the Crucifixion; the red
robes of the male donor signify that he was a member of the governing council
of Florence” (624). This is important because, during the Renaissance, people
would often show their power/wealth, by being donors of painting and having the
painter put them in the piece of art. This way when anyone looked at the art,
the donors would also be seen. They are in a sense closer to the subjects of
the painting (God/ Christ) because they are in the piece. This shows the power
that the Church had in the government and throughout the rest of society.
The second artist, Raphael Santi, is another
famous artist and he was requested by Pope Leo to work on the Sistine Chapel.
Raphael and his assistants created the cartoons for a piece of tapestry that
portrayed “Christ’s Charge to Peter” (1515-1516). Raphael played a major role
in the production, and finalization of the tapestry since it was an important
job that he took on. The tapestry was finished and installed by 1521. It took
numerous years because it was so large and thus had to be made in three stages.
It is important to note that Raphael makes Peter the subject of the piece
instead of Christ. Peter is wearing different clothes than everyone else and is
isolated with no one overlapping him. He also uses techniques such as shadowing
to focus the musculature of Peter’s body and the use of a horizon line to bring
depth into the background. The grass on the sides of the piece center the
people almost encircling them to be the focus. Art developed during the
Renaissance no longer only includes paintings but also includes tapestry,
buildings, and sculpting.
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| Christ's Charge to Peter -Raphael, and assistants 1517-1519 (Stockstad and Cothren 657) |
Raphael’s tapestry now would reflect the Pope and
the Church. Stokstad and Cothren explains that Raphael even changed part of the
cartoon to have Christ kneeling only to Peter because it was the source of the
Pope's power. He writes, “Christ had transferred authority to Peter, who was
considered the first pope, with subsequent popes inheriting this authority in
unbroken succession” (656). With this in mind, we can easily see the power that
the Church/Pope has. If the son of God gives authority to someone, people will
believe in Christ’s decision and follow the Pope. This gives the Pope and
consequently the Church great power in society. For a clear example of the
Pope’s power, we can take a look at the fact that Michelangelo, primarily a
sculptor, was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel simply
because the Pope told him too. Michelangelo was upset that he had to paint, yet
he painted it anyway because the Pope told him too. This just shows the power
that the Church had over these artists, and how important religion was during
the Renaissance.
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| David- Michelangelo 1501-1504 (Stockstad and Cathren 659) |
Michelangelo, arguably one of the most famous
sculptors in all of history comes from the Renaissance period. He was
commissioned to create many famous projects ranging from the “Pieta”, to
“David”, and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo understood himself to be a sculptor, and that is what comes
to mind when most people today hear his name. He brought a change to the
Renaissance with his form of art. One of
the most famous sculptures that still exist today, is “David”. This project was
commissioned by the city of Florence. David is an amazing work of art, as he
stands 17’ tall. Michelangelo shows his great skill of Renaissance work with
David because of the immense detail that goes into accurately depicting the
male nude body. The sculpting has phenomenal musculature and detail. Viewers
can see the definition of David’s abdomen and arms. His hand also has great
detail as David holds the rock firmly in his hand. Michelangelo shows his skill
when working on the face. In David’s face, we can almost feel his thoughts as he
is planning to find a way to defeat Goliath. Stokstad and Cothren explain that
during this time, Florence was still in turmoil with nearby forces. With this
in mind, David stood for the idea, “right over might” (659). Stokstad and
Cothren also comment, “There it stood as a reminder of Florence’s republican
status, which was briefly reinstated after the expulsion of the powerful Medici
oligarchy in 1494” (659). Therefore,
this David was not simply a sculpture of a Bible hero, it stood for something
to the people of Florence; almost giving them strength. This is the reason that this sculpting was
placed at the city square instead of inside of the Cathedral.
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| The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse -Albrecht Durer (Stockstad and Cathren 698) |
Finally, Albrecht Durer, unlike the other artists,
is a German artist who is famous for his piece of art known as “The Four
Horseman of the Apocalypse” (Part of his “The Apocalypse” book). Durer took
full advantage of the new technology that was made available during the
Renaissance. The printing press made it possible for mass publication. Durer
used this new technology to create woodcut art.
In this, the artist would carve wood and then the ink would be pressed onto
the level parts creating an image. He also made a piece of work known as “Adam
and Eve”, in which, he used “ideal human proportions based on Roman copies of
ancient Greek sculpture” (699). He uses these Roman proportions and combines it
with “plants and animals with typically Northern attention to descriptive
detail” (699). This was something never
done before, and thus piqued the interest of many people. The ability of the
printing press allowed new forms of art such as these. Durer was able to even
create a title page and have multiple other pages with printed text on the back
of “The Apocalypse”.
Overall, many types of art occur and develop
during the Renaissance ranging from paintings to tapestry, to sculptures, and
woodcuts. However, one major theme that tends to run through all of these is
religion and the power of the Pope/Church.
This is also one of the reasons that many of these pieces of art have
survived this long. When in Cathedrals they are usually untouched and are able
to last and find their way to the twenty-first century. The power of religion also inspired art. It
inspired people to paint these amazing works of art. Had it not been for the
Pope’s power, we would not have the amazing artwork of Michelangelo and Raphael
in the Sistine Chapel.
Citations
Stokstad,
Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. Art History. Sixth ed., II, Pearson,
2018.
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