What makes renaissance art different

Two of the most notable art periods in human history are known as the Medieval and Renaissance Art periods. While the two are vastly different in their focus, technique, and other areas, many of the artists from both genres came from the same places and shared many things in common with one another.

Medieval art is characterized as a darker period that ranged from about the 5th century to roughly the 16th century. It was widely known for being a time in which artists heavily focused on religious works which featured depictions of Christian and Judeo-Christian stories and beliefs in the form of painting and sculpture.

The Renaissance, on the other hand, was completely different in that it was a time when artists began to explore the brighter, more elegant ideals and values that were centered around an awakening and a time of learning, exploring, and developing things to make life better for all of humankind. Comparing and contrasting the Medieval period with the Renaissance reveals some very interesting points as to how each movement developed and also shaped the course of history in their own right.

The main differences between Medieval Art and Renaissance Art is the Renaissance Art used perspective, proper proportions and light whereas with Medieval Art the paintings were flat, did not have realistic proportions and used single colors on objects. The Medieval art period began around the 5th century, according to most art historians and critics familiar with the time period. It spanned more than 1, years and some of the most prominent artists of the Medieval period are famous for their depictions of religious figures like Jesus Christ and other Judeo-Christian religious leaders.

Medieval art was produced during a time when the world was going through very dark and trying times for much of Europe and the rest of the world. The Middle Ages were a time of economic hardship, as well as harsh rule by overly violent and bloodthirsty kings and emperors across much of the known world at the time.

Throughout the Medieval period, there were very few inventions and improvements in general as people were constricted by extremely strict governing entities.

War and fighting was common during the Middle Ages and struggle, hardship and death was as much a part of life as breathing for many people. After the first millennium was over, most of Europe was no longer gripped by the invasions of outside cultures and life was no longer dominated by violent struggles in the same way it had been. The style of painting, sculpture and decorative arts identified with the Renaissance emerged in Italy in the late 14th century; it reached its zenith in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, in the work of Italian masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.

In addition to its expression of classical Greco-Roman traditions, Renaissance art sought to capture the experience of the individual and the beauty and mystery of the natural world.

The origins of Renaissance art can be traced to Italy in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Writers such as Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio looked back to ancient Greece and Rome and sought to revive the languages, values and intellectual traditions of those cultures after the long period of stagnation that had followed the fall of the Roman Empire in the sixth century. The Florentine painter Giotto ? His frescoes were said to have decorated cathedrals at Assisi, Rome, Padua, Florence and Naples, though there has been difficulty attributing such works with certainty.

In the later 14th century, the proto-Renaissance was stifled by plague and war, and its influences did not emerge again until the first years of the next century. In , the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti c. The other major artist working during this period was the painter Masaccio , known for his frescoes of the Trinity in the Church of Santa Maria Novella c.

Masaccio painted for less than six years but was highly influential in the early Renaissance for the intellectual nature of his work, as well as its degree of naturalism. Though the Catholic Church remained a major patron of the arts during the Renaissance—from popes and other prelates to convents, monasteries and other religious organizations—works of art were increasingly commissioned by civil government, courts and wealthy individuals.

Much of the art produced during the early Renaissance was commissioned by the wealthy merchant families of Florence, most notably the Medici family.

Three great masters— Leonardo da Vinci , Michelangelo and Raphael—dominated the period known as the High Renaissance, which lasted roughly from the early s until the sack of Rome by the troops of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Spain in Michelangelo Buonarroti drew on the human body for inspiration and created works on a vast scale.

He carved the latter by hand from an enormous marble block; the famous statue measures five meters high including its base. Though Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor first and foremost, he achieved greatness as a painter as well, notably with his giant fresco covering the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, completed over four years and depicting various scenes from Genesis.

Raphael Sanzio, the youngest of the three great High Renaissance masters, learned from both da Vinci and Michelangelo. Many works of Renaissance art depicted religious images, including subjects such as the Virgin Mary, or Madonna, and were encountered by contemporary audiences of the period in the context of religious rituals.

Today, they are viewed as great works of art, but at the time they were seen and used mostly as devotional objects. Standard Standard quality. Bachelor's or higher degree. Master's or higher degree. Over 30 successfully finished orders. Page count 1 page words.

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