Paintings During The Renaissance

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The Renaissance was a turning point for art. Many new styles and techniques emerged from this time period. Compared with the paintings of the Middle Ages, during the Renaissance, paintings became more realistic and more attention was directed to the detail of each person. Perspective and a sense of depth and space were included in the paintings. We can examine these features in the 15th century paintings of the Annunciation by Botticelli and Campin.
The Annunciation was where the Angel Gabriel was sent to tell Mary that she will give birth to Jesus Christ. This sequence of events is recorded in the Gospel according to Luke in the New Testament. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus (Revised Standard Version, Luke 1.31). The angel told Mary that conception was from the Holy Spirit and her son would be called the Son of God. For Christians, this event is very important because it is the first news of the Messiah coming to Earth (besides the prophecies in the Old Testament). Many Christians around the world celebrate the Annunciation every March.

Allessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, or better known as Botticelli was a Florentine painter during the Renaissance (Sandro Boticelli). His painting of the Annunciation was called The Cestello Annunciation. It is a painting on wood with a fast drying, egg based paint called tempera (Cestello Annunciation). The use of perspective and how the painting converges into a vanishing point. The rows of tiles aren't parallel and they get smaller the further back they go. Also, the size of the tree and buildings hint at how Botticelli gave the painting a sense of depth as the landscape rolls endlessly further away from the location of the sce...

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...ore masculine and less gentle. Campin used more detail around the room compared to Boticelli. Boticelli's painting had simple walls and floors with most of the detail focused on the angel and Mary. A lot of detail was also included in the landscape, something the Campin did not use. Botticelli used haloes but Campin did not. Campin used the more advance oil paints whereas Botticelli used egg based paints.

These paintings are examples of two different styles of painting from the Renaissance, Florentine and Netherlandish. Both are beautiful pieces of art that show the Annunciation, a big day for many Christians that is still celebrated more than two millennia later. These two beautiful paintings done by two great painters are great examples of early Renaissance styles and techniques. Even today, we can marvel at the beauty of these paintings hundreds of years later.

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