In the 14th down 16th centuries, there was a rebirth of control in the arts and sciences. Other early adopters were architect Filippo Brunelleschi and Milanese painter Tommaso Masaccio, whose frescoes for the Brancacci Chapel betray his fascination and skill in depicting perspective.
Features
2. One of the artist that most exemplifies the technical innovations of the Renaissance is Leonardo da Vinci. Technical achievements of the age include the use of oil paints which, due to their long drying time, allowed artists greater freedom with mixing color, changing composition and adding elements to their work.
Instructions
Invented
1. The Renaissance period began in Italy. The country's location, nearly surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, made it an active port for people and goods traveling between Europe and Eurasia. In addition, the concentration of wealthy, educated people created a pool of willing patrons for creative visionaries. Donatello, or Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi, a Florentine sculptor, was among the earliest of the Renaissance artists, breaking from tradition by using daring elements of realism. European centres underwent a renaissance as aristocrats became patrons of creatives, sponsoring their work. The art of the period is marked by a shift to classical themes, drawing from themes of antiquity and infusing their work with realism. Anatomy and proportion were of great interest, reflective of the era's connection between science and art.
Sister Wendy Beckett, the celebrity nun behind public television's "Sister Wendy's Story of Painting," asserts that "there has never been an artist who was more fittingly, and without qualification, described as a genius." Paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper demonstrate his approach to layering paint and his interests in anatomy and the human form.
Evolution
3. A landmark work of the later Renaissance is The Creation of Adam. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni's fresco from the early 16th century illuminates the vault of the Sistine Chapel's sixth bay. In this dramatic piece, God extends a hand and outstretched finger to Adam, symbolizing the moment he gave life to his son. Ultimately, Michelangelo admitted that he disliked painting, favoring sculpture, yet he continued to spend years of his life lying on a scaffold while painting this series of frescoes that fills 5,800 square feet of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling.
Significance
4. Renaissance art created reverberations throughout society and history. It sparked a reexamination of ancient philosophy, classical literature and the use of empirical research methods in science. Focus on aspects of anatomy, the natural sciences and the physical sciences (in regard to the study of perspective and light) compelled academics and artists to eventually turn to secular themes. By the Late Renaissance, aesthetic tastes had shifted from an appreciation of the accomplishments and techniques of the collective to the celebration of the individual.
Misconceptions
5. One misconception about Renaissance Art is that it marked society's return to studying Plato. In fact, Platonic philosophy underscored Western thought from the fourth century onward. Another myth is that the Middle Ages were a stark contrast to the enlightened values of the Renaissance when, essentially, the periods have much in common. Critic Andrew Graham-Dixon argues that "the Renaissance represented a culmination rather than a complete rejection" of the preceding age.
