A1. Earlier Historical Art Period
In the early 1300s, Europeans began to shed the dark and oppressing mindsets of the Middle Ages. This sparked a revolution that would begin in Italy and spread throughout Europe, and is known today as the Renaissance. The word Renaissance literally (and fittingly) means ‘rebirth’ – making it a fitting title for a period where interest in learning, philosophy, and the classical arts were ‘reborn’.
Where the Middle Ages took the meaning out of the arts – using paintings and sculptures for nothing more than decorations in houses of religion, for instance – the Renaissance gave it back. Artists began to experiment and came up with new and original ideas instead of acting solely on old ones. As people saw what art truly was, their tastes began to grow and branch out, meaning that artists had to come up with new content to satisfy their growing audience. Also growing rapidly was city population, resulting in an increase in wealth that provided funds with which the arts could expand.
And expand they did. Paintings stopped focusing solely on religious models and took on new subjects such as portraits, landscapes, scenes of everyday life, and studies of the human form. Instead of focusing on the natural world and the hereafter, paintings focused on the material world and the here and now. New techniques were developed, combining science and mathematics with art, such as linear perspective and the depiction of light and shadow.
Sculpture and architecture were largely influenced by the classical world. Sculptors used new materials, developed new techniques, became more expressive with their creations, and created three-dimensional figures that deviated from stylization. Architecture became more cal...
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...ht to end the idealist tendencies romanticism had put into place but could never escape the era entirely. It also had some affect on the wild and passionate aspects of the Victorian period later on. It has never stopped influencing the art world. In literature, especially coming-of-age novels, the thought process of romanticism can be found as characters seek to know the answers of the world and, after searching high and low, coming to understand and reconcile with the fact that there are too many questions for all to be answered. Also in today’s literature is the strong presence of individualism.
Works Cited
Kren, E., & Marx, D. (2010, July 11). Web gallery of art. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from http://www.wga.hu
Le déjeuner sur l'herbe. (2010, October 19). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 20, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Renaissance The Renaissance started in Italy in the 14th century. It was referred to as the “rebirth” because it brought back attention to art and science. The Middle Ages were really religion-dominated. The Renaissance turned the attention to individual and worldly experiences; they were the main themes of the Renaissance art movement. Art benefited from the patronage of such influential groups as Medici family of Florence, the Sforza family of Milan and the Popes Julius II and Leo X.
The Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement that had its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries. During these times there was a heightened interest with the classical learning that was brought about in the middle ages. The renaissance first started in Italy and then eventually spread to Western Europe. During this period there was a high interest in the aesthetics of the classical world like architecture. The renaissance focused on the 17th century philosophy which came from the Greeks.
During the Renaissance artists changed the way they painted and sculpted, they learned how to paint in all three dimensions, which brought life and realism to their works. Also, getting away from the religious roots of art created an entirely new type of art that was rich in drama and emotion. This was also the time period when painting with oils was started.
The Renaissance was a time of rebirth, as its name entails. In Italy, more people were becoming literate and more books were being printed. More scientific discoveries were being made and therefore more theories were being published. In this time of intellectual prosperity, art also made a great leap. Perspective was the main change during this time period, and throughout the years, starting around 1400, it became more involved and more intricate. Eventually artists were so adept at using it, that it became the primary way to insert intimacy and feelings of emotion into a painting. This evolution of technique paved the way for later artists to play with new approaches to allow the viewer to experience an image in different ways.
Romanticism was a movement in art and literature in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in revolt against the Neoclassicism of the previous centuries. The romanticism movement in literature consists of a few of the following characteristics: intuition over fact, imagination over fact, and the stretch and alteration of the truth. The death of a protagonist may be prolonged and/or exaggerated, but the main point was to signify the struggle of the individual trying to break free, which was shown in “The Fall of the House Usher” (Prentice Hall Literature 322).
The word renaissance means rebirth in French. Later historians would claim and label era of the renaissance by the rebirth of approach and standards based on in traditional antiquity. The renaissance was from 1420 to 1600 and it was both historical and cultural. Some of the most notable events that occurred during this period was the end of the hundred-year war between England and France, Christopher Columbus heads for the new world, Ottaviano Petrucci publishes the Odhecaton which is the first book of music printed, Henry VIII breaks with Rome, declares himself the head of the church of England, and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. However, there are other countless events that took place this time period.
The dawning of the nineteen century brought with it a change in the political and social climate, the world was ready to usher in a new era of artistic thought. This new awareness was called “Romanticism” and saw its height during the Industrial Revolution. At this time, the Romantic era centered on the ideas of emotion, fantasy and hope. The end of the French Revolution became an important force in propelling a new train of thought. For the first time people were now regarded as individuals, oppression was sympathized and the banner of equality was flying high.
The Italian Renaissance included some of the greatest artists we have ever seen from Leonard Da Vinci, to Michelangelo, and Raphael. The Renaissance took place from the late thirteenth to sixteenth centuries and is know as the ‘rebirth’. The idea that the rebirth of the arts after being asleep for a thousand years is an amazing thing to grasp. This time brought back light to liberal arts, which were on the brink of being extinct. (Murray 2) What is also interesting about art during this time was that most of the art had Christian in its roots, for example, Botticelli’s The Allegory of Spring (Faure 1) is said to have had a Christian interpretation. (Murray) “Every Italian artist, willingly took the title of architect, sculptor, and painter” (Faure 2). At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Italian painters had asked the Flemish painters for their secret techniques because the Italians felt like the language of painting was one that was always meant for them. (Faure 4) The sculptors claimed their inspiration from ancient works. Lastly the Renaissance introduced idea of individualism, which helped the Italians get away from everything that was going on during that time. Art during the Renaissance included painting, sculpting and architecture, all of which were an important part in expressing the idea of individualism and making art what is is today.
The Renaissance period started in Italy and took place between the 1400’s and the 1600’s. In French, the term Renaissance means rebirth, which is an accurate way to describe that period since it was then that many people chose to break away from the stagnation, incertitude, and extreme hardships that occurred during the Middle Ages and plagued most of Europe. The Renaissance period is noted for being a time when the population sought educational reform which increased literacy and many were able to master more than one skill set. This led to an intellectual, economic, and artistic revolution that transformed several European nations such as Italy, France, Spain, and several others. During this time, there were several developments within the Catholic Church, such as scandals and controversy. Because of that, many people were driven away from the traditions of the church and sought more freedom of expression and individualism. As economies improved, there was more wealth and a desire for self improvement which greatly influenced the arts.
Art has gone through many significant developments throughout history. The most important turning point was the renaissance. Art took a huge turn before the 1500’s and even after. The Renaissance has assisted the world of art in breaking away from a classic structure and shaping it to what it is day. Prior to this cultural rebirth, artworks were mostly not made to scale. Paintings were unrealistic and disproportionate. Religious figures seemed to be the focus of many works. The Renaissance changed the old social context of art by introducing humanism, new themes and techniques.
The Renaissance or “rebirth” is a cultural movement that started in Italy during the late 14th century and expanded to the early 17th century. The Renaissance was a bridge that allowed Western Europe to move from the medieval era to the modern era. Renaissance later spread to other parts of Europe. Advances in technology allowed art and architecture to flourish during the Renaissance era. Cities like Florence in Italy saw a spike in artists and architects who have changed from mere paid skilled laborers to professional artists.
The most influential theme in art for centuries was that of religion. There have been many things that have influenced art over the generations. Nothing has had the impact on the art world that religions has. Many of the ancient art works were dedicated to the gods or other religious figures. The statues of the Ancient Egyptians were not just for beauty. Instead, they were representations of the gods and were meant to have significant meaning to the people who saw them. The people of the time knew the meaning of every reed, flower, bird, or animal that was depicted in the art. The same is true of the Greeks and Romans. Most of the art was inspired by the gods and the mythology of the region. Art as a way of imparting a message dominates the art world. For most of history, art had a meaning that was often connected to the religion of the region. This is fitting since art has a sense of permanence that most other mediums do not possess.
Throughout history, these ideologies found in the Renaissance, and those found in the classical period as well, proved to be immense factors in the development of different nations. The term ‘renaissance’, used synonymously with the word ‘rebirth’, not only implies a certain chapter in European history but also denotes a stage of advancements in moral, ethical, educational, and all-around societal thoughts. Other such periods then, can be accredited with the term ‘renaissance’, such as the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, or even the progression of some developed nations to...
Medieval and Renaissance paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries are a great example of how art gradually changes over time. Although the paintings and artists will reiterate certain aspects in later art, they also change many aspects of the same styling. One can notice differences in the hues of color, tone, layout or arrangement of the design & subject matter, perspective, and even the concept and symbolism in the paintings will also change over time.
The word renaissance means “rebirth” or “reconstruction”, The Renaissance era was a time for the revival of learning. The Renaissance took place during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; it was a period in which artistic, social, scientific, and political thought turned in new directions.