Art in the Middle Ages and The Renaissance and Its Effect in Society

The Medieval period also referred to as the Middle Ages was the period of time between the demise of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance era; this was the period from the 5th century to the 17th century in Europe. During this time, society conformed to the feudal system which was based on the hierarchy approach which upper class had control over the lower class. Included in this class structure were kings, lords, neighboring kings, peasants and church leaders.

In the Middle Ages, art evolves as humans continue addressing the traditional and the new, including Biblical subjects, Christian dogma, and Classical mythology (Introduction to the History of Medieval Art. n.d.). Most of the art produced during this time was heavily focused on religion and depicted symbols of Christian ideals and principles for the purpose of educating the illiterate about religion. Paintings, sculptures and stained glass were all art forms of this time period. Many of these forms of art contained images or pictures that were deliberately created disproportionally, having some images larger than others to show the image importance. Also the art of the middle age period did not have a sense of movement or life and did not incorporate much style if compared to the art that was created in the Renaissance time period. Unlike the Renaissance times, the medieval period depicted images fully clothed with little or else no facial expression or emotion in their art.

However, arts had a hard time staying relevant during the Middle Ages because of the numerous territorial conflicts that Europe had experienced throughout the entire Middle Age time period, such as the hundred year war between England and France. People had to focus on the bare essentials f...

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... background is vibrant and full of color with lots of natural detail.

Numerous artists in the Renaissance era had an enormous impact on society. For example, the White House was based on a design by another well-known artist of the renaissance period, Michelangelo. Prior to the Renaissance, writers tend to focus only on issues of a religious nature, however the Renaissance brought about power to new writers who sought to steer away from this tradition and bring forth a more realistic account of life. Because of this change, several authors from the Renaissance era had a considerable effect and influence on modern American society we see today. Especially in terms of political thought. By establishing a fresh look at society, they allowed the common person to have a voice and opinion which has continued in today’s society and will continue in future societies.