We explain what Renaissance art is and its characteristics. We also explain the painting, sculpture and architecture of this movement and its representatives.
Renaissance art was based on the use of reason to represent reality.
What is Renaissance art?
Renaissance art was an artistic movement that emerged in Italy in the 14th centuryduring the transition between the Middle Ages and the Modern Age, and stood out for his interest in the knowledge of reason and in the classical values of ancient Greece.
The colonization of America and the end of the medieval period changed the understanding of reality. Man began to believe in his own individuality, in his own mind and in the unlimited possibilities of knowledge.
The movement emerged in a context of economic prosperity and the development of new technologies such as the printing press, which had a direct impact on the dissemination of knowledge, the arts and philosophy. Artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael stood out.
See also: Gothic art
Characteristics of Renaissance art
Renaissance art sought perfection, symmetry and perfect proportion.
Renaissance art went through two main stages:
- The Quattrocento (15th century). In this period, research was carried out on the constructions of Roman and Greek monuments and perspective and oil painting were introduced.
- The Cinquecento (16th century). The maturity of the Renaissance era was achieved. The great artists who marked the era emerged, such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Miguel de Cervantes, Rafael, among others.
Renaissance art was characterized by:
- Recovering aspects of classical Greco-Roman culture, such as harmony and proportion as an ideal of beauty, in addition to mythological themes.
- Based on the concept of the human being as the center of all things, instead of considering God as the center of the universe (although Renaissance art took angels, apostles and God as its main figures).
- Weaken the Church, which lost social power in the face of the new conception of reason as the center of everything. The idea of reason predominated over faith.
- Consider human suffering as a consequence of ignorance. He maintained that knowledge led to man’s happiness.
- Seek perfection, symmetry and proportion in lines, both in painting and sculpture, to represent the human body.
- Consider the plastic arts as a way to express knowledge of geometry, mathematics, anatomy, botany and philosophy.
- Address topics such as mythology, history, the human body and nature.
- Using the oil painting technique when painting on canvas.
- Creating the essay, a new genre in literature.
- Incorporate patronage, during this period the important and powerful figures of the time (kings, princes and nobles) carried out commissions for the decoration of churches or other important buildings.
It may be useful for you: Humanism
Renaissance painting
Renaissance art used techniques such as fresco, oil and tempera.
Renaissance painting was characterized by the perfect representation of details, in terms of balance, harmony and perspectivebased on the artist’s observation. The concept of perspective and vanishing point for the conception of spaces emerged.
The new oil-on-canvas technique, which predominated over the classic quick-drying tempera painting, made it possible to perfect the effect of light and shadow, allowing for greater realism in portraits and nude bodies.
Artists such as Masaccio, Paolo Uccello, Fra Angélico, Piero Della Francesca and Sandro Botticelli stood out, who used various techniques. From the 16th century onwards, the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Rafael Sanzio and Michelangelo Buonarroti stood out.
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Renaissance sculpture and architecture
Renaissance art was noted for its perfection in the forms of the human body.
Renaissance sculpture and architecture They were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman cultures, especially for the level of detail and realism. They sought to break with the Gothic style and were based on the perfection of the representations, through mathematical and geometric calculations to obtain real proportions.
In sculpture, the perfectionist and proportional details of the human body were highlighted because artists increasingly acquired knowledge about anatomy, physics and mathematics, in addition to observation. The works used to be captured in marble and bronzeThe most renowned sculptors and architects, among other specialties, were Michelangelo and Donatello.
Representatives of Renaissance art
Among the main representatives of Renaissance art and their most recognized works were:
- Andrea Palladio (1508 – 1580). Architect of the Theater Olympic in Vicenza.
- Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321). Writer of The Divine Comedy.
- Donatello (1386 – 1466). Sculptor of David made of bronze.
- Donato d’Angelo Bramante (1443 – 1514). Architect of the basilica of Saint Peter.
- Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 – 1519). Painter of The Mona Lisa.
- Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378 – 1455). Architect of the Gate of paradisein the Baptistery of Florence.
- Michelangelo (1475 – 1564). Painter of the work in the Sistine Chapel.
- Sandro Botticelli (1445 – 1510). Painter of The Birth of Venus.
- Fra Angelico (1395 – 1455). Painter of the Coronation of the Virgin.