the Renaissance Art--a very short introduction
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Initiated by great artists like Raphael, Leonard da Vinci and Michelangelo, the Renaissance is an age that surpasses the past and the future. After the scourge of the Black Death and the dark times of the Middle Age, people awaking from their dark slumber longed for a revival of classical times--and so was the "rebirth" or Renaissance of Europe. The Renaissance shows the world the pinnacle of mankind’s wisdom and inspiration that is still highly appreciated today.
As an essential part of the Renaissance, the Art of the Renaissance is the continuation of the classic and the first sunshine of the new age. It is not a simple copy of the classic works, but the continuation with creativity and originality. The great development of craft gave artists the power to present a more vivid and clear portrayal of the nature. And the humanist new ideas rendered more art elements to the artwork and made them unprecedented.
Brilliant as art is, it is not the actual “the first light” of the Renaissance. In 14th century, Florence, Italy, humanist artists like Petrarch and Boccaccio began to articulate a longing for the classical times and the works of Rome and Greece, emphasizing the revival of classical language and literature. Hereby, the spirit of the Renaissance is infused into the minds of the elite scholars and artists, with a new idea, a new viewpoint and a new angle. The Renaissance was the revival of the language and art. But its influence is not confined to the literature, art and music alone. It affected the whole development of the civilization.
The glory of the Renaissance is sacred, invulnerable, and even overwhelming when we look at the works with an admired and excited heart. But when one takes a closer look at the details and the origins of the Renaissance, it becomes concrete and clear. The function of art and patronage, which was essential parts of art, plays a very important role in Renaissance art. With this central idea, the author shows the art of the Renaissance in a historian’s point of view and opens a window for the readers to gain a new understanding of the Renaissance.
In the first chapter, Whose Renaissance, Whose art, the author expressively states that, “the craft involved in making the work of art is often valued as much as the aesthetic qualities itself in the time of the Renaissance”. And the theme and the function of the art piece are closely within the definition of the patron, on the money of whom the artists live. The majority of objects and images were not initially appreciated in the aesthetic sense. Renaissance people did not appreciate the art for art’s sake but rather for its use or symbolism.
Understanding is in the eye of the beholder. The concept of “Art” must be contextualized through the eyes of the people of the Renaissance. Because of the religious atmosphere in Renaissance age, one of the most important functions is to serve as the altarpiece, which people encounter within the context of actual religious ritual.
In chapter II, the Art of the Altarpiece Art, the author talks about the altarpiece art with the approach of an art historian in order to prove the significance of the function of art
An example that particularly struck me was Raphael’s the Entombment of the Christ because of its “devotional, personal, and politically embedded” meanings. It is a painting of the saints with Christ’s lifeless body, but also holds deeper meaning for the patron—a mother who had abandoned her child and was searching for forgiveness. With the expressive portrayal of the moving figures in a beautiful rhythm, the painter showed the Madonna’s sorrow over her son’s death with grace. This grace carries through the metaphor of the redemption of the mother’s memory of her son and the atoning mind for her heartless behavior. In this case, the function of the art and the role of the patronage are evident.
In the Chapter IV, The Challenge of the Nature and the Antique, the author discusses the techniques employed in developing a work. The improvement of science and techniques like linear perspective allowed the artist produce more vivid and realistic art. However, instead of coping the photographic image and the exact nature, a balance between the reality and the imagination is achieved in pursuit of the atheistic in art or just a display of their mastery, like the case in the painting portrait of an Artist and his Wife. In this painting the artist, to prove his skill, painted flies so lifelike that the viewer would try to swat them away thinking them real.
The admiration of the ancient antiques is shown by their imitation of them such as Dürer’s Adam and Eve. The detailed description of nature was done with mathematical precision like da Vinci’s studies of the superficial anatomy of the arm. But moreover, efforts were made to show space within an image as was achieved in da Vinci’s prestigious painting The Last Supper. Not only are the reality and history perfectly presented, but you feel like you are among the figures in the picture, which leave a whole universe for you to imagine.
The Chapter V verifies yet another function of art in Renaissance time, which was to record the appearance of the patrons and makes the figures in the painting as they want to be perceived. As is mentioned in the book, “Renaissance was the time when the modern notion of individuality is fully manifested. “P61. Futhermore Alberti had written that art should strive to show the movement of the soul through the movements of the body; in other words, to depict the inner person through outward signs.
In achieving this goal, certain qualities are added to enhance the person’s image as well as the quality and character. In the case of Titian’s Fruancesco Maria della Rovere, Duck of Urbino, the qualities of courage and mutuality are depicted by the figure’s protrusion from the darkness behind. As is achieved in the painting, the qualities of the hero’s identity often highlighted.
Focus on the gender provides a special angle to view the art. The 5th chapter contemplates how the Renaissance viewed the women and how women experienced the Renaissance. The author answers these questions by using art to examine women as individuals, as patrons and as artists.
Art shows not only the exterior, but the inside of the person--- this follows in examining women in Renaissance art. The painting Lucrecia Valier shows the female subject’s courage and commitment to the tradition by the brave image of the woman. The social status or the role of woman in their family is of course, of crucial importance when we talk about the woman patronage. A good example is the Elizabeth I’s portrait. It shows her legitimacy and depicts her somewhat as a chaste, youthful and ever-virgin woman.
The art is always the higher product of the society when the people are rich enough to buy the pleasant distraction for life lest it’s boring. Household decoration comprised a significant part of the artwork of the Renaissance, while art in the public sphere also boomed. As reviewed in the Chapter 8, cities like Florence, which were both rich in funds and artists, were filled with art from squares to architecture and status. The function of art differs from domestic use to public use.
The artwork belonging to the Renaissance families has conspicuous family qualities, including the practical use like the Wing-handled Jar from the Medici Family, Birth-tray with seated nude boy and other artworks for family decoration. For example in Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, several figures seem to be related to the theme of love, fertility and beauty, with a metaphor of iconographic continuum in matrimony and childbirth. These qualities make it very auspicious to place it in a house. Also, much artwork like the cameos of the Mary and the baby Jesus make religious figures more intimate to the family and create a harmonious connection between the people and their faith.
On the other hand, artwork placed in the public sphere, for example plazas and architecture, generally serves as a secular role. In Florence this is due to the efforts of the Medici family. Ever since the Marrozocco was created, it was the symbol of power of the Florence and still today, grand sculptures of lions still can be seen throughout Europe. The sculpture Judith decapitating Holofernes, highlights another connotation--- the merits and loftiness of the new government. Imagination is naturally linked to the sculpture in the beholders’ eyes.
The last chapter shows the Renaissance speaking in terms of the artists which allows us to better understand the meaning, understanding and how art was made. A great master of all times, known for his diligence and mastery, Michelangelo is often referred to as the quintessential definition of “Renaissance artist and man”. As a great initiator, the conception of art emerged as an aesthetic rather than a functional activity. Another mile stone during the Renaissance was the signature of the artists on their works. As to this, the artists’ intellectual work is respected and their names are remembered as the creators of the great art. This new kind of individualism somewhat contributed to the beginning of the Art History, as a field of art. The great art critique, Giorgio Vasari emerged as the first proper art historian, who argued that “the notion of artistic progress is naturalism and the first, and then of stylistic or formal innovation for its own sake”. When we look back the history now, the process of the art development of Renaissance echoes Vasari’s idea.
Renaissance art, as a milestone of the western civilization and also that of the world, is broad and profound. While, as a very short introduction and, in an explicit way, this book gives great insights into the complex Renaissance history through art. Reading a good book is like taking a magnificent voyage. This book is such a voyage, leading us to a world that often seems unreachable.
As an essential part of the Renaissance, the Art of the Renaissance is the continuation of the classic and the first sunshine of the new age. It is not a simple copy of the classic works, but the continuation with creativity and originality. The great development of craft gave artists the power to present a more vivid and clear portrayal of the nature. And the humanist new ideas rendered more art elements to the artwork and made them unprecedented.
Brilliant as art is, it is not the actual “the first light” of the Renaissance. In 14th century, Florence, Italy, humanist artists like Petrarch and Boccaccio began to articulate a longing for the classical times and the works of Rome and Greece, emphasizing the revival of classical language and literature. Hereby, the spirit of the Renaissance is infused into the minds of the elite scholars and artists, with a new idea, a new viewpoint and a new angle. The Renaissance was the revival of the language and art. But its influence is not confined to the literature, art and music alone. It affected the whole development of the civilization.
The glory of the Renaissance is sacred, invulnerable, and even overwhelming when we look at the works with an admired and excited heart. But when one takes a closer look at the details and the origins of the Renaissance, it becomes concrete and clear. The function of art and patronage, which was essential parts of art, plays a very important role in Renaissance art. With this central idea, the author shows the art of the Renaissance in a historian’s point of view and opens a window for the readers to gain a new understanding of the Renaissance.
In the first chapter, Whose Renaissance, Whose art, the author expressively states that, “the craft involved in making the work of art is often valued as much as the aesthetic qualities itself in the time of the Renaissance”. And the theme and the function of the art piece are closely within the definition of the patron, on the money of whom the artists live. The majority of objects and images were not initially appreciated in the aesthetic sense. Renaissance people did not appreciate the art for art’s sake but rather for its use or symbolism.
Understanding is in the eye of the beholder. The concept of “Art” must be contextualized through the eyes of the people of the Renaissance. Because of the religious atmosphere in Renaissance age, one of the most important functions is to serve as the altarpiece, which people encounter within the context of actual religious ritual.
In chapter II, the Art of the Altarpiece Art, the author talks about the altarpiece art with the approach of an art historian in order to prove the significance of the function of art
An example that particularly struck me was Raphael’s the Entombment of the Christ because of its “devotional, personal, and politically embedded” meanings. It is a painting of the saints with Christ’s lifeless body, but also holds deeper meaning for the patron—a mother who had abandoned her child and was searching for forgiveness. With the expressive portrayal of the moving figures in a beautiful rhythm, the painter showed the Madonna’s sorrow over her son’s death with grace. This grace carries through the metaphor of the redemption of the mother’s memory of her son and the atoning mind for her heartless behavior. In this case, the function of the art and the role of the patronage are evident.
In the Chapter IV, The Challenge of the Nature and the Antique, the author discusses the techniques employed in developing a work. The improvement of science and techniques like linear perspective allowed the artist produce more vivid and realistic art. However, instead of coping the photographic image and the exact nature, a balance between the reality and the imagination is achieved in pursuit of the atheistic in art or just a display of their mastery, like the case in the painting portrait of an Artist and his Wife. In this painting the artist, to prove his skill, painted flies so lifelike that the viewer would try to swat them away thinking them real.
The admiration of the ancient antiques is shown by their imitation of them such as Dürer’s Adam and Eve. The detailed description of nature was done with mathematical precision like da Vinci’s studies of the superficial anatomy of the arm. But moreover, efforts were made to show space within an image as was achieved in da Vinci’s prestigious painting The Last Supper. Not only are the reality and history perfectly presented, but you feel like you are among the figures in the picture, which leave a whole universe for you to imagine.
The Chapter V verifies yet another function of art in Renaissance time, which was to record the appearance of the patrons and makes the figures in the painting as they want to be perceived. As is mentioned in the book, “Renaissance was the time when the modern notion of individuality is fully manifested. “P61. Futhermore Alberti had written that art should strive to show the movement of the soul through the movements of the body; in other words, to depict the inner person through outward signs.
In achieving this goal, certain qualities are added to enhance the person’s image as well as the quality and character. In the case of Titian’s Fruancesco Maria della Rovere, Duck of Urbino, the qualities of courage and mutuality are depicted by the figure’s protrusion from the darkness behind. As is achieved in the painting, the qualities of the hero’s identity often highlighted.
Focus on the gender provides a special angle to view the art. The 5th chapter contemplates how the Renaissance viewed the women and how women experienced the Renaissance. The author answers these questions by using art to examine women as individuals, as patrons and as artists.
Art shows not only the exterior, but the inside of the person--- this follows in examining women in Renaissance art. The painting Lucrecia Valier shows the female subject’s courage and commitment to the tradition by the brave image of the woman. The social status or the role of woman in their family is of course, of crucial importance when we talk about the woman patronage. A good example is the Elizabeth I’s portrait. It shows her legitimacy and depicts her somewhat as a chaste, youthful and ever-virgin woman.
The art is always the higher product of the society when the people are rich enough to buy the pleasant distraction for life lest it’s boring. Household decoration comprised a significant part of the artwork of the Renaissance, while art in the public sphere also boomed. As reviewed in the Chapter 8, cities like Florence, which were both rich in funds and artists, were filled with art from squares to architecture and status. The function of art differs from domestic use to public use.
The artwork belonging to the Renaissance families has conspicuous family qualities, including the practical use like the Wing-handled Jar from the Medici Family, Birth-tray with seated nude boy and other artworks for family decoration. For example in Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, several figures seem to be related to the theme of love, fertility and beauty, with a metaphor of iconographic continuum in matrimony and childbirth. These qualities make it very auspicious to place it in a house. Also, much artwork like the cameos of the Mary and the baby Jesus make religious figures more intimate to the family and create a harmonious connection between the people and their faith.
On the other hand, artwork placed in the public sphere, for example plazas and architecture, generally serves as a secular role. In Florence this is due to the efforts of the Medici family. Ever since the Marrozocco was created, it was the symbol of power of the Florence and still today, grand sculptures of lions still can be seen throughout Europe. The sculpture Judith decapitating Holofernes, highlights another connotation--- the merits and loftiness of the new government. Imagination is naturally linked to the sculpture in the beholders’ eyes.
The last chapter shows the Renaissance speaking in terms of the artists which allows us to better understand the meaning, understanding and how art was made. A great master of all times, known for his diligence and mastery, Michelangelo is often referred to as the quintessential definition of “Renaissance artist and man”. As a great initiator, the conception of art emerged as an aesthetic rather than a functional activity. Another mile stone during the Renaissance was the signature of the artists on their works. As to this, the artists’ intellectual work is respected and their names are remembered as the creators of the great art. This new kind of individualism somewhat contributed to the beginning of the Art History, as a field of art. The great art critique, Giorgio Vasari emerged as the first proper art historian, who argued that “the notion of artistic progress is naturalism and the first, and then of stylistic or formal innovation for its own sake”. When we look back the history now, the process of the art development of Renaissance echoes Vasari’s idea.
Renaissance art, as a milestone of the western civilization and also that of the world, is broad and profound. While, as a very short introduction and, in an explicit way, this book gives great insights into the complex Renaissance history through art. Reading a good book is like taking a magnificent voyage. This book is such a voyage, leading us to a world that often seems unreachable.
