Comparison of the Medievil and Renaissance Eras
Comparison of the Medievil and Renaissance Eras It is amazing how significantly various aspects of society can and will change over a prolonged period of time. Between the time periods of the Medieval era and the Renaissance, one can note numerous significant changes, mainly those pertaining to art and religion. In general, ideals and subjects during the Renaissance became more secular. In Medieval times, people seemed to focus mainly on the church, God, and the afterlife; whereas during the Renaissance, the focus was more secular: humans and life on earth. Although these two eras differ in many ways, the most concentrated differences deal with the realms of architecture, painting, and philosophy. Architecture noticeably shifted from religious awe to classical reason between the Medieval era and the Renaissance. During the Middle Ages, architecture was aimed mainly at making advancements in the church. Medieval cathedrals had very distinct features, such as pointed spires, which were exactly that -- spires, or steeples, that were pointed and extended upward from the tower area; the rose window, which was a large stained glass window that was located on the front of
When considering the subjects of Medieval painting, the majority of them were religious oriented or somehow involved the church, whereas religion or the church was seldom involved in Renaissance paintings. On the contrary, the Medieval painting, The Annunciation, deals with exactly that: an annunciation, a religious event in which many Christian churches commemorate the announcement of the incarnation of Luke. the tower; and squared-off exterior walls, which were a contrast to the usual rounded exterior designs that people were accustomed to. Medieval paintings seem to be focused almost entirely on religion and are given heavenly attributes, while paintings of the Renaissance consist mainly of secular subjects and contain much more realism, especially noted in human subjects. In the case of the Mona Lisa, the subject is a typical woman with a very sublime smile, but with no apparent religious association whatsoever. The same applies to The School of Athens; it is a painting of a group of philosophers in a barrel-vaulted and domed hall: no religious connection can be made here, either. " The philosopher, Machiavelli, is an example of this, as he made attempts to find a balance between freedom and authority, something that was very useful in life and put no confidence in the church or God. Ideals during the Renaissance became more directed toward practicality concerning life on earth and put less faith in the church than did the people living in the Middle Ages. New confidence in human abilities and thought was developed, and there were many more inquiries pertaining to science and reason, rather than religion as it was in the Middle Ages. Architectural focus had changed from the cathedral in the Medieval era to other, more classical and secular subjects, such as castles and homes of significant rulers. Perhaps the greatest and most evident way in which the Medieval and Renaissance time periods differ is found in the opposing premises of philosophy. The Medieval philosopher, Aristotle, proposed the logic that the systematic ordering of knowledge, in addition to reason, need to be applied to the Bible in order for one to be ultimately successful. Both of these paintings are extremely realistic, seemingly three-dimensional, very well-proportioned, and involve large amounts of shading to accentuate the realism. Philosophic developments during the Renaissance were made to be more practical and had more realistic applications to the "real world.
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