...future ones. In this essay I will compare and contrast art from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance periods. A1. Earlier Historical Art Period The Middle-Ages is a period of time between the 5th and 15th century. Most art during the Middle-Ages was commissioned by the Catholic Church. Therefore the art tends to be mostly religious in nature and focused on creating symbols of Christian concepts and values. Artwork from this period served a purpose such as teaching spiritual truths and lessons, as a meditation aid, or even used to try and convert non-believers. Since the purpose of art during the Middle-Ages was to give glory to God, it was not common practice to seek personal recognition thus many pieces from this period went unsigned. Artists from the Middle-Ages didn’t focus on realism and most artwork from this period looked shallow, flat and lacked perspective. There was little to no use of lighting and shadow during this period. A2. Later Historical Art Period The Renaissance was a period of time between the 14th and 17th century. Art during the Renaissance period was used to show the beauty in nature which included human beings. Renaissance art often depicted everyday life and was very focused on realism and tried to portray things as they looked. There was more emphasis on the individual person and artists made heavy use light, shadow, and perspective. Artwork during the renaissance period was commissioned by people and groups not affiliated with the church and artists...
Words: 988 - Pages: 4
...The Renaissance, seen as a time of growth and expression for the individual, brings about a shift in people’s paradigms. In the time period before the Renaissance, labeled as the Middle Ages, the main focus was the role of the Church in everyday life. The common people would look up to the men of the Church, since they were the only literate members of the community. By receiving information from bishops, priests, and cardinals, values that encompassed the beliefs of the Church were formed. Therefore, each person strived to be as holy as possible. However, it all changed with the arrival of the Black Plague, which was an extremely devastating time for all of Europe’s citizens. As the plague began to take over more and more of Europe, the people...
Words: 1185 - Pages: 5
...The Renaissance; the transitional time period from the dark Middle Ages to the age titled Early Modern. During this time period, scholars in Florence--and then much of Europe--revived the ancient ideas of the Greeks and Romans. That being said, the Renaissance was a completely different era due to: the birth of Humanism, revolutionary ideas, and the amazing pieces of art that were created during this time. Stunning pieces of art distinguished the Renaissance as its own time period unrelated to Medieval times. The best place to start is with the medieval mosaic, “Justinian & Attendants” by San Vitale. The mosaic is flat, depicts Christian themes, has no vibrant colors, and its most important figure has a halo around them (Doc 11). On the...
Words: 838 - Pages: 4
...Developing Europe into a powerhouse, the Renaissance marked complete cultural transition of Europe out of the Middle Ages and identified a societal change of values and ideas reflected in the art and literature of the time period; the “rebirth” in Southern Europe, however, differed from Northern Europe. As both the North and South had access to newly printed materials courtesy the printing press, they did share commonality of thought- both supplied predominant Christian artistic themes, had an artistic ‘center’, and provided systems of guilds and patrons. The Southern, or Italian, Renaissance began during the 14th century and “inevitably, trade and commerce brought Italian ideas northward, where they influenced the artistic traditions” beginning the 16th century Northern Renaissance (Benton and DiYanni 53). The South focused on a return to the concept of humanism and revival of idealist, classic Greek and Roman values, but the North focused on the common man and daily realities of life. Centered around Florence then later Rome, aided by the patronage of the Medici family in the Early Renaissance and Popes in the High Renaissance, and inspired by Greek and Roman mythology, the Southern Renaissance movement emphasized humans (their capacities, values and worth). Italian artists made the viewer delve into the inner working of the human mind and their subject matter primarily consisted of gods and goddesses displayed with symmetry, balance, and linear perspective. Known for his goddess...
Words: 1302 - Pages: 6
...Renaissance The first important painter of the Renaissance was Giotto di Bondone In 1334, Giotto was appointed chief architect in Florence, where he remained until his death in 133Therefore, as the city-states of Italy began to develop great wealth during the early fifteenth century, architects and sculptors rose to fame and power. In 1401, Florence held a competition to choose the artist to design and sculpt a pair of bronze doors for the Baptistry, a church honoring St. Paul the Baptist. The Italian Renaissance is divided into three major phases: Early, High, and Late Renaissance. The Early Renaissance was lead by sculptor Donatello, architect Filippo Brunelleschi, and painter Masaccio. They began the movement on the foundations that development and progress was integral to the evolution and survival of the arts. They found their inspiration form antiquity, creating realistic figures that portrayed personality and behavior. They focused on the laws of proportion for architecture, the human body, and space. The term Early Renaissance encompasses most 15th century art. The High Renaissance sought to create a generalized style of art that focused on drama, physical presence, and balance. The major artists of this period were Leonardo Da Vinci, Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. The period lasted only a short time from 1495 to 1520. The Late Renaissance was put into motion by the sack of Rome in 1527, forcing artists to relocate to other artistic centers in Italy...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
...greatest European cultural movement and great innovations within the fields of science, art and literature. The Renaissance art finds its roots mostly in Classical Greek and Roman art. Early renaissance art was created in parallel with late Medieval art and it was also greatly influenced by Gothic arts, an older art style that was developed in the 12th century and during late middle ages. Although religious topics and events remained very popular which reflected the influence of medieval art, but more emphasis was placed on the meaning and the realistic qualities of the artwork by renaissance artists. As the political and social domination of church started to diminish and the humanist movement grew in popularity, the renaissance art took a different direction and distinctive characteristics started to develop in different areas. The artists started to separate themselves from their Middle Ages heritage by going against the religious traditionalism. To keep up with the humanist movement the renaissance artists started to portray more life-like and more realistic human forms, and they broke from medieval traditions in painting, sculpture and architecture. The decline of Church absolutism also altered people’s religious views and produced a different view of life. The renaissance patrons demanded art that showed joy in human beauty and life's pleasures. The renaissance artists had to produce arts to meet the tastes of their patrons. A combination of social and political conditions...
Words: 456 - Pages: 2
...The Renaissance was a period of monumental change in European history from the period prior. It was a time of knowledgeable excitement with substantial developments in art, literature and science from. A time after the Middle Ages and when the Roman Catholic Church ruled. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the Renaissance changed the views of the world from the Middle Ages. The Art of the late 13th century depicts stiff 2D, emotionless, gothic styled and chiaroscuro-less pieces. Though there is also a lack of perspective, it can be interpreted that the Byzantine style dominates, making it nearly totally religious and patronized mostly by the church. (Document A, Madonna Enthroned Between Two Angels by Duccio di Buoninsegna). Contra...
Words: 781 - Pages: 4
...The Prince illustrates the increasingly secular outlook of the Renaissance by describing the fortunes that were acquired during those times as a result of dubious politics. These fortunes are directed towards Lorenzo Medici, the prince this book is dedicated too, which basically is like a guidebook for how to be the greatest prince in all the land. Not only does The Prince describe the fortunes of the Renaissance, but also how to acquire these fortunes with strength and power. An important aspect of the Renaissance was the introduction of humanism, which is the belief that human beings are worthy of scrutiny and are genuinely good creatures with potential value. By reading The Prince, I felt that the sinister tactics of gaining absolute power...
Words: 815 - Pages: 4
... Values, and Emotions Renaissance versus Baroque February 2014 The Renaissance era has been considered a time of move into the modern day. The term Renaissance means rebirth, and came from the French. The Renaissance started in Italy and extended throughout Europe between the fourteenth and seventeenth century. It was throughout the Renaissance that Europe saw many large social, scholarly and economic changes. Old-fashioned values of the Church were lost which in turn permitted artists the freedom and liberty to discover the human mind and body. The Renaissance era allowed art to progress far past conventional and traditional religious focus to imitate human feeling and realism in art. Although faith continued to be the core guidance during the Renaissance, the beginning and acknowledgment of human form, expression and scientific study became very lively inspirations within the arts. Renaissance art saw the rebirth of nature and the human figure. Sculpting and painting practices advanced greatly throughout the Renaissance. Artists started using different methods like laws of portion, physical appearance, the linear perspective, balance, and physical appearance. Main characteristics of Renaissance art included admiration and tribute to the human body and nature, realistic linear perspective and importance on the association of light and shadow. Some of the world’s finest artists are from the Renaissance period and include: Michelangelo...
Words: 1579 - Pages: 7
...“Three Renaissance People” The Renaissance was the rebirth of Europe after the middle ages. Transformations in philosophy, science and math helped change around the culture and arts in Europe. The three people that will be discussed in this paper, which had a part in the renaissance will be Michelangelo, Galileo, and William Shakespeare. Michelangelo was a great artist during the renaissance, he sculpted, painted, and did architecture. Galileo was a scientist who was a mathematician and an astronomer who had breakthrough views on the solar system. William Shakespeare was an English writer who changed the perspective on how to write. Michelangelo creativity and methods through his art really showed how advanced he was in his talent. Michelangelo’s art provided realism which led him to create extraordinary art pieces. He also created the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling and The Last Judgment on the walls of the Chapel of Sistine in Rome. These...
Words: 440 - Pages: 2
...The Renaissance was destined to happen. It happened for many reasons. Many new inventions and changes accrued during the time that people cherish now. One of the effects of the renaissance is the art. It brought art from looking like elementary school work to college level professionals. It created three different types of beautiful storytelling pieces. The first type of art is classical. This type of art shows importance of leaders or gods with little background and no sense of perspective. Then there is medieval art. This teaches religion to those who can’t read and the important figures are larger. Lastly, there is the Renaissance type of art. It shows both religious and non-religious pictures that are very detailed and colorful. The renaissance also helped people become more individualized and more into secular thought. Without religion forcing them down, the people became free with their thinking. They had an increase of books and knowledge. Even a book on how to be a king and how to gain political power to keep, it was a book done in this period, which would have not have been published in medieval times. Also, without religion suppressing them they became materialist, wanting many things. Leading into wanting the finer things in life, but if that did not change us we would have the desire to get anything, thinking it’s a sin. Philosophy also changed during the Renaissance. Many books depicted animals, as well as plants and minerals. Artists such as Leonardo...
Words: 336 - Pages: 2
...The Harlem Renaissance was a classical period during 1919-1940 that used humor to address, societal, racism, and other cultural issues. Langston Hughes was a major figure during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance helped African American authors develop better in art in writing. It helped African Americans leave a bigger legacy and inspire those around them. The Harlem Renaissance gave a clear understanding of how blacks go through racism but in a humorous way. It was seen a big cultural movement for African Americans to over step racial prejudice. One of the major authors during the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes. Hughes helped in shaping the artistic view of how we see certain situations. One of his famous poems during...
Words: 396 - Pages: 2
...Alexandra Hill HUM 2232 16 October 2012 Renaissance Besides the horrific natural disasters of the plague, the signs of intense human creativity flourished in all the arts. The deep-rooted scholastic approach to learning increased interest in Classical literature. Therefore, people began incorporating new ideas to political systems, economics, and trade. The ideal Renaissance man and woman wanted a better understanding of life. The passion for enlightenment changed the culture and scholasticism of this period. Francis Petrarch, Christine de Pisan, and Lavinia Fontana contributions to the Renaissance are the signs of intense human creativity, and created a new perspective on life. Men during the Renaissance controlled of everything. They had a voice in the political and social systems. Social categorizing of the Renaissance people depended on a person classification of wealth. Men were supposed to be loyal to their king and the Church. Learning from outside sources other than the Church became popular. They did not reject the church, but people started to question the traditional history and teachings. In this era, people started to focus back on their history and began to have a strong passion for investigating and learning more about their past. Education became paramount. The more educated, the more a person understood about life as a whole; it became a necessity to become well rounded and successful. Social status played a huge role during these times, reputation, wealth, and...
Words: 981 - Pages: 4
...The Role of the Church in the Development of Modern Medicine throughout the Middle Ages During the Middle Ages, the culture and society of Europe and the Western world was under the control of the Church. The religious aspects of medieval European peoples were a great consideration in the matters of the body and health care. The majority of medical knowledge and research was under the influence and followed the expressed ideas of the Church. As the hold of the Church on society began to disintegrate, medicine was able to move from medieval practices influenced by religious belief into modern medicine, based upon observation and evidence. Causes of disease and illness were now understood and scientists were able to start searching for cures because restrictions that prevented modern medical theories from being discovered were lifted. Paracelsus discovered that agents outside the body caused illness. The study of the human anatomy was now practiced and became an essential part of medical knowledge, giving way towards new modern advancements such as blood transfusions and surgeries. Da Vinci conducted many autopsies and constructed detailed drawings of the human anatomy, which had never been studied earlier. Medical knowledge was no longer different and divided into sects but was now centralized under the modern scientific teachings taught to doctors in universities everywhere. As the culture of the Middle Ages moved away from the Church and religion so did scientific knowledge...
Words: 3196 - Pages: 13
...What Were the Characteristics of the Renaissance? In very simple terms, the Italian Renaissance re-established Western art according to the principles of classical Greek art, especially Greek sculpture and painting, which provided much of the basis for the Grand Tour, and which remained unchallenged until Pablo Picasso and Cubism. From the early 14th century, in their search for a new set of artistic values and a response to the courtly International Gothic style, Italian artists and thinkers became inspired by the ideas and forms of ancient Greece and Rome. This was perfectly in tune with their desire to create a universal, even noble, form of art which could express the new and more confident mood of the times. Renaissance Philosophy of Humanism Above all, Renaissance art was driven by the new notion of "Humanism," a philosophy which had been the foundation for many of the achievements (eg. democracy) of pagan ancient Greece. Humanism downplayed religious and secular dogma and instead attached the greatest importance to the dignity and worth of the individual. Effect of Humanism on Art In the visual arts, humanism stood for (1) the emergence of the individual figure, in place of stereotyped, or symbolic figures. (2) Greater realism and consequent attention to detail, as reflected in the development of linear perspective and the increasing realism of human faces and bodies; this new approach helps to explain why classical sculpture was so revered, and why Byzantine art...
Words: 1465 - Pages: 6
