Renaissance Art: Sculpture and Painting Masterpieces
Renaissance Art: Sculpture and Painting
The sculpture of the Renaissance is understood as a process of recovery of the sculpture of classical antiquity. Sculptors found perfect inspiration for their works in the wreckage and discoveries of the time. They were also inspired by nature. In this context, we must consider the exception of the Flemish artists in northern Europe, who, in addition to overcoming the figurative style of Gothic art, promoted a style alien to the Italian Renaissance, especially in painting. [1] The rebirth of antiquity, with the abandonment of the medieval style that Giorgio Vasari said ‘had been his own world of Goths,’ [2] and the recognition of the classics in all its variations and nuances, was a phenomenon almost entirely developed in Italy. Renaissance art was able to interpret nature and translate it freely and with great knowledge into many masterpieces.
Characteristics of Renaissance Sculpture
Renaissance sculpture was based on models and works of classical antiquity and mythology, with a new vision of humanist thinking and the function of sculpture in art. As in Greek sculpture, the representation of the naked human body was sought with a perfected naturalism, thanks to the meticulous study of human anatomy. In Italy, secular and religious themes were equally represented, unlike in other countries like Spain and Germany, where religious themes prevailed. [4] The human body represented absolute beauty, whose mathematical correspondence between the parts was well defined, and contrapposto was used consistently from Donatello to Michelangelo.
At this time, with the practical release of sculpture from the architectural framework, reliefs were made with the rules of perspective and showed the characters with dramatic expressions, leading to the feeling of great terribilitá in sentiments exposed in sculptures by Michelangelo, as in the face of David. [5] A key role was played by patrons, represented by the church and people of the nobility, who gained social prestige and political propaganda through their sponsorship, and covered all topics: religious, mythological, and everyday life, portraits of characters, etc. Glyptics reappeared in the Greco-Roman style.
Renaissance Painting
Renaissance painting covers the period of European art history between medieval art and baroque art. The painting of this period is related to the “rebirth” of classical antiquity, the impact of humanism on artists and their patrons, new techniques and artistic sensibilities, and, in general, the transition between the medieval period and the early modern age.
Distinctive Characteristics of Renaissance Painting
The distinctive character of Renaissance painting, in general and at its height, is:
- Unity of composition.
- Perspective of anatomy and muscular morbidity.
- Physical outward beauty tending to mimic nature with ease.
- Inspiration from classical works of sculpture.
Regarding the issues: the universality of them, giving much input to the mythological, barely covered in the earlier era, and growing singularly in pictures and stories. And while not forgetting the religious pictures, they usually lack the idea and mystical union of the preceding period (especially in the Virgin or Madonna), and even frequently diverted the minds of true piety. Although it is full of religion, every artist seeks his own style, where the portrait and landscape representation are very important.
Regarding the procedure: it differs in the final abandonment of the highlights and golden colors, caring for paintings not on tables, and the almost exclusive adoption of oil painting, except for the decorations murals totempera and fresco. The modern history of painting begins with the contributions of the Renaissance masters. Florence and Rome in the 15th and 16th centuries are the cradle of that movement, established through perspective, proportion, anatomy, and the discovery and use of oil, one way or verismo realistic painting that had not existed before. During the Renaissance in Italy, it gradually spread throughout Europe, with greater or lesser importance depending on the country. Innumerable centers or schools of painting arose, especially in Italy, influencing each other despite their differences. There is no unanimous critical agreement in distinguishing the aforementioned groups of artists or even the style of different teachers, so that schools meet only geographically.