Humanism’s Affect on Renaissance Art
By Connor Powell
The demise of the feudal system led to a “rebirth” of society in Italy. This time is often referred to as the Renaissance. One area where the Renaissance’s influence is particularly prevalent was in the visual arts. The concept of humanism revolutionized the way that art was created. The characteristics of the art was drastically different due to a few fundamental changes such as a focus on the individual and his or her potential, a more secular/ pagan focus, and artists returning to techniques employed by the ancient Roman and Greek artists.
Throughout the Middle Ages art never focused on the potential of an individual other than the potential of Christ. A painting that reflects this change is the Birth of Venus painted by Sandro Botticelli. The Birth of Venus, unlike most Middle Ages paintings, does not depict Christ. Instead the Birth of Venus depicts a bare breasted woman, the Roman goddess Venus front and center showing off the beauty of the human figure. The beauty of the human figure was a key part of the humanist concept. Michelangelo incorporated the technique of focusing on the individual in his painting of the Sistine Chapel. Even though the painting of the Sistine Chapel clearly emphasizes a focus on religion Michelangelo still managed to use a Renaissance technique on his work. Michelangelo gave each one of the people in the paintings a unique face and features, something that had rarely if ever been done in prior religious paintings. This shows that everyone was different and special in his or her own way really embodied the humanist philosophy. Another movement in the visual arts during the Renaissance was the movement away from only creating art with religious meaning.
Art prior to the renaissance had been about religion and hardly anything else. Due to humanism artists started creating art focusing more on individuals and their beauty completely leaving out any religious message hidden in the paintings. A great example of this is the most famous painting in the world: the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. There is no suggestion of religion seen anywhere in this painting; as a matter of fact this painting seems to be just a portrait of a woman although some may dispute that it is a woman. The absence of religion is just something you would never see in a middle age work of art and a portrait of someone other than Jesus or a king was just never heard of. The move away from religion was a part of the fundamentals of the humanist movement. Many artists also returned back to the methods used by ancient Greek and Roman artists.
Renaissance Italy was being strongly influenced by ancient Greek and Roman traditions and many Italians wanted to model their respective city-state after that of Greek and Rome. Many artists honored ancient Greek and Rome through their panting’s or through adopting techniques used by the artists of that time. Raphael’s School Of Athens is a perfect example of this. In this painting Raphael depicts the greatest minds of the world including some from Renaissance Italy gathering in a school. Some of the people seen in the painting include Plato, Aristotle, and Raphael himself. Raphael also incorporated a technique from ancient Greek painting and that was the use of Visual Perspective. Another example of a Renaissance artist paying homage to the ancient Greeks and Romans is the statue Perseus with the head of Medusa. This statue was built to show the Medici family’s control over the people of Florence. This statue shows a famous Greek story of the Olympian Perseus slaying the evil Medusa. Ancient Greek and Rome were built on humanism so its only fitting that there art techniques would reflect this as well. Greek and Roman history had a major influence on Renaissance Italy art.
Art underwent a extreme facelift during the Renaissance the focus of art shifted from religion to a focus on the individual, the omission of religion from lots of art, and a greater influence from Greek and Roman history. Paintings such as the Birth of Venus and the roof of the Sistine chapel showcased a focus on the individual in there own unique way. The Mona Lisa is the perfect example of a painting that was completely secular and illustrated the beauty of a portrait. Many artists paid homage to Greek and Roman history by creating art, which either depicted famous Greeks/Romans or by using techniques popularized by them. Even today Renaissance art is still widely recognized as some of the best created due to the fundamental changes that the art underwent during these times.
By Connor Powell
The demise of the feudal system led to a “rebirth” of society in Italy. This time is often referred to as the Renaissance. One area where the Renaissance’s influence is particularly prevalent was in the visual arts. The concept of humanism revolutionized the way that art was created. The characteristics of the art was drastically different due to a few fundamental changes such as a focus on the individual and his or her potential, a more secular/ pagan focus, and artists returning to techniques employed by the ancient Roman and Greek artists.
Throughout the Middle Ages art never focused on the potential of an individual other than the potential of Christ. A painting that reflects this change is the Birth of Venus painted by Sandro Botticelli. The Birth of Venus, unlike most Middle Ages paintings, does not depict Christ. Instead the Birth of Venus depicts a bare breasted woman, the Roman goddess Venus front and center showing off the beauty of the human figure. The beauty of the human figure was a key part of the humanist concept. Michelangelo incorporated the technique of focusing on the individual in his painting of the Sistine Chapel. Even though the painting of the Sistine Chapel clearly emphasizes a focus on religion Michelangelo still managed to use a Renaissance technique on his work. Michelangelo gave each one of the people in the paintings a unique face and features, something that had rarely if ever been done in prior religious paintings. This shows that everyone was different and special in his or her own way really embodied the humanist philosophy. Another movement in the visual arts during the Renaissance was the movement away from only creating art with religious meaning.
Art prior to the renaissance had been about religion and hardly anything else. Due to humanism artists started creating art focusing more on individuals and their beauty completely leaving out any religious message hidden in the paintings. A great example of this is the most famous painting in the world: the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. There is no suggestion of religion seen anywhere in this painting; as a matter of fact this painting seems to be just a portrait of a woman although some may dispute that it is a woman. The absence of religion is just something you would never see in a middle age work of art and a portrait of someone other than Jesus or a king was just never heard of. The move away from religion was a part of the fundamentals of the humanist movement. Many artists also returned back to the methods used by ancient Greek and Roman artists.
Renaissance Italy was being strongly influenced by ancient Greek and Roman traditions and many Italians wanted to model their respective city-state after that of Greek and Rome. Many artists honored ancient Greek and Rome through their panting’s or through adopting techniques used by the artists of that time. Raphael’s School Of Athens is a perfect example of this. In this painting Raphael depicts the greatest minds of the world including some from Renaissance Italy gathering in a school. Some of the people seen in the painting include Plato, Aristotle, and Raphael himself. Raphael also incorporated a technique from ancient Greek painting and that was the use of Visual Perspective. Another example of a Renaissance artist paying homage to the ancient Greeks and Romans is the statue Perseus with the head of Medusa. This statue was built to show the Medici family’s control over the people of Florence. This statue shows a famous Greek story of the Olympian Perseus slaying the evil Medusa. Ancient Greek and Rome were built on humanism so its only fitting that there art techniques would reflect this as well. Greek and Roman history had a major influence on Renaissance Italy art.
Art underwent a extreme facelift during the Renaissance the focus of art shifted from religion to a focus on the individual, the omission of religion from lots of art, and a greater influence from Greek and Roman history. Paintings such as the Birth of Venus and the roof of the Sistine chapel showcased a focus on the individual in there own unique way. The Mona Lisa is the perfect example of a painting that was completely secular and illustrated the beauty of a portrait. Many artists paid homage to Greek and Roman history by creating art, which either depicted famous Greeks/Romans or by using techniques popularized by them. Even today Renaissance art is still widely recognized as some of the best created due to the fundamental changes that the art underwent during these times.