Analysis of Renaissance Painting
In the mid to late 15th century in Europe, a period known as the Renaissance flowered during times of great political and social turmoil and various cities, such as Florence and Venice in Italy became the centers of humanistic philosophy which was highly influenced by classical forms and motifs dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Artistically, the Renaissance created an entirely new way to express human emotions and ideals via architecture, sculpture and especially painting. Historically, the painters of the Renaissance, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi and many others, were forced to fully evaluate not only the achievements of their numerous predecessors but also the new scientific theories of the time related to perspective construction, meaning that these painters "created paintings that reflected realistic yet often idealized figures and scenes based on humanistic tents and principles, whereby man was separate from God and viewed his environment as naturally occurring and not the product of a higher power" (Freedburg, 167). During the Renaissance period, many different styles of painting arose, some of which reflected the political and social events of the time and incorporated various techn
According to Arthur Blunt, "a new vocabulary of styles and techniques affected every aspect of Renaissance painting. Altogether, Raphael brought together in this magnificent painting the ideals of the Platonists and the Aristotelians (Plato and Aristotle), both of which served as the foundation for humanism during the Renaissance period in Europe. iques used to express humanistic ideals. Certainly, this painting is highly humanistic, for it is the result of mathematics combined with pictorial science, being the art of perspective. In 1508, another giant of the Renaissance, Raphael Sanzio, was called to Rome to the court of Pope Julius II, where he was commissioned to decorate the papal apartments in the Vatican. During the Late Renaissance, a new style of artistic expression came into existence know as Mannerism. Between 1536 and 1541, the great Michelangelo was working on his amazing fresco called the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Although originally meant as a religious rendering to replace Perugino's The Assumption of the Virgin, Michelangelo inserted his own humanistic ideals into this painting, especially related to making the naked human body as the dominating image. Anne which exhibits "soft, gentle and sinuous figures, highlighted by delicacy, refinement and sensibility" (Vasari, 267). Thus, many Renaissance paintings contained a considerable array of different human types supported by well-controlled emotional content, yet the largest majority of these paintings as compared to earlier styles such as during the Gothic period, contained true realism via facial and figural expressions that reflected the real world. Holt points out, "this fresco displays a limitless technique via the manipulation of he human form and its physiology, yet Michelangelo's technical mastery is put to the service of the subject via profound feeling and religious conviction," (325), an indication that Michelangelo, although highly influenced by humanistic traits and principles, still considered the religious nature of a painting to be very important. On one wall of this apartment, Raphael painted a composition which constitutes a complete statement of the Renaissance related to its artistic forms and spiritual meaning, the so-called School of Athens.
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