Development of Renaissance Art
The Renaissance time period was a pivotal time for the development of art and how it illustrates history. During, the fourteenth and seventeenth century culture completely changed which caused the art to also change. Peoples thoughts on religion , education, and politics changed drastically during this period. Rather, then the art be an idealized sense of reality, renaissance artist show reality as it is. Artists like Masaccio, Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Michelangelo, and Botticelli all contributed to the rebirth of art at the time.
Masaccio THE EXPULSION OF ADAM AND EVE FROM PARADISE Brancacci Chapel, church of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence. c. 1427. Fresco, 7′ × 2′11″ (214 × 90 cm).Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Mone Cassai, more commonly referred to as Masaccio redefined art in Florence during the 15th century. Most of Masaccio's art is religious and he is most famous for the frescos he painted in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence. "The Expulsion of Adam and Eve" presents two significant figures from the bible. In the piece, Adam and Eve look frightened, distraught, and ashamed. Eve is covering herself and looks extremely vulnerable and Adam is covering his face as if he is afraid to even look at himself. Above them an angelic figure is holding a sword as they are kicked out of paradise. This scene from the bible has been done countless times however his version stands out due to various techniques. Masaccio "focused on the mass of the bodies formed by the underlying bone and muscle structure; a single light source emphasizes their physicality with modeled forms and cast shadows" (Stockstad 624). The painting is very light in color and seems to be lit up but he still is able to create shadows by using dark hues in a very realistic way. Masaccio work was appreciated more in later generations because he was the first to cover walls in just fresco. After Masaccio's death it became a tradition to cover walls in fresco and use similar techniques by using linear perspective, creating lifelike light sources, and using light colors.
Antonio del Pollaiuolo THE BATTLE OF THE NUDES c. 1490. Engraving, 153⁄4 × 2213⁄16″ (40 × 58 cm). Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut. Maitland F. Griggs, B.A. 1896, Fund (1951.9.18).
Another extremely important artist from this time is Antonio del Pollaiuolo who was an Italian painter, sculptor, and engraver. Pollaiuolo's engraving "The Battle of the Nudes" is one of the most famous pieces from the time period and depicts something not religion related. Although, religious art was still predominant at the time, many of the engravings were actually based on classical figures like Hercules . In the engraving, a naked man is shown fighting in various positions, Pollaiuolo focused on the muscles of this individuals and what happens to the body as he is fighting. This painting is not anatomically accurate; however, the attention and precision to each muscle and bone that is shown is extremely impressive. Pollaiuolo work paved a new way of engraving by showing the same figure in movement and illustrating how the body changes.
 |
| Sandro Botticelli BIRTH OF VENUS c. 1484–1486. Tempera and gold on canvas, 5′87⁄8″ × 9′17⁄8″ (1.8 × 2.8 m). Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. |
Sandri Botticelli was a late fifteenth century painter who painted for the Medici family in Florence. Many of his paintings focused on monumental mythological figures and he used techniques like linear perspective to enhance the meaning. One of his most famous painting is the "Birth of Venus" which focuses on the goddess Venus. In the painting you can see Venus arriving to a shore completely nude covering herself with her long hair. Botticelli uses linear perspective to create a scene that looks extremely realistic. Three other figures appear in the piece as well one being Zephyrus who helped Venus find her way to the shore, Another figure appears to the right of Venus, and is known as the "Goddess of spring" who seems to be waiting for her on land. Botticelli emphasizes beauty standards of time and represents Venus as the ideal beauty standard. Venus is the goddess of love, desire, and sex and Botticelli was able to illustrate this without words.
 |
Michelangelo DAVID 1501–1504. Marble, height 17′ (5.18 m) without pedestal. Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence.
Michelangelo is one of the most famous painter and sculptor from the renaissance. He is most known for his painting in the Sistine Chapel, and his sculptures like "David" and "Pieta". In Michelangelo's "David" he created the ideal figure that illustrates strength, and beauty. Michelangelo's knowledge of the human figure is profound and paved the way for many other artists. Unlike, many other versions of this scene David is holding the rock that he will use to Goliath in a gentle way. However, David is the epitome of strength and the sculpture shows the ideal of masculinity.
Works Cited
Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. Art History. Sixth Edition ed., Pearson, 2018. |
No comments:
Post a Comment