Transcript renaissance

What is…
the Renaissance?
Renaissance literally means “rebirth.”
“The Renaissance is a period of European
history between the 14th and 17th centuries
when there was a new interest in science and in
ancient art and literature especially in Italy.”
Source: Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary
The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy around the
year 1400 (i.e. the Early Italian Renaissance).
From there the Renaissance, or “rebirth”, of culture
spread to Rome and Venice (i.e. the High Renaissance).
By the year 1500, it spread to the rest of Europe: the
Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, and England
(i.e. Northern Renaissance).
Source: Strickland, Carol. The Annotated Mona Lisa (2nd Edition). Andrew McMeel
Publishing, Missouri. 2007. pg. 32.
Renaissance Ideas:
• GREEK & ROMAN
INFLUENCE
• HUMANISM
• NEOPLATONISM
• DIVINE
PROPORTION
• ARTIST MASTERS
Greek & Roman Influence
• Writings and artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome were
being uncovered and studied at this time.
Humanism
The concept that “Man is
the measure of all things”
was part of Greek
philosophy was rediscovered and affected all
aspects of society during
the Renaissance.
Example: architecture
based on human
proportions (influenced by
the writings of Vitruvius)
Neoplatonism
The idea that ancient
philosophy is compatible
with Christian beliefs.
Divine Proportion
The Golden Mean or the Golden
Ratio (1:1.6) is one example of
how math was recognized as
having a spiritual / symbolic
quality because of its presence in
nature.
Artists, Masters, & Renaissance Men
• Skilled tradesman beginning to be
viewed as “artists”
• Highly skilled artists begin to be
viewed as geniuses and “Masters”
and the idea of the “masterpiece”
was created
• A broad education – including
philosophy, Latin / Greek language,
math, science, art, etc. – for middle
and upper class individuals gives rise
to well-rounded “Renaissance Men”
(and sometimes women).
Early Italian Renaissance
Key Features:
• Linear Perspective
• Fresco
• Contrapposto
• Ideal Proportions
• Use of Allegory
Linear Perspective
Linear perspective is a mathematical system for creating the
illusion of space and distance on a flat surface.
The system originated in
Florence, Italy in the early
1400s. The artist and
architect Brunelleschi
demonstrated its
principles, but another
architect and writer, Leon
Battista Alberti was first
to write down rules of
linear perspective for
artists to follow.
Fresco
Fresco (plural frescos or frescoes) is a technique of mural
painting executed upon freshly-laid, or wet lime plaster.
Contrapposto
Contrapposto is a
sculptural scheme,
originated by the ancient
Greeks, in which the
standing human figure is
poised such that the
weight rests on one leg
(called the engaged leg),
freeing the other leg,
which is bent at the knee.
Allegory
Allegory: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to
reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
High Renaissance
Key Features:
• continued use of Early Italian Renaissance features,
plus…
• Atmospheric Perspective
• Golden Mean
• Sfumato
• Chiaroscuro
• Pyramid Composition
• Oil Paint (borrowed from the Northern countries)
Atmospheric Perspective
Atmospheric perspective (or aerial perspective) is a method
of creating the illusion of depth, or recession, in a painting or
drawing by changing colours to simulate changes effected by
the atmosphere on the colours of things seen at a distance.
Sfumato
Sfumato, (from Italian sfumare, “to
tone down” or “to evaporate like
smoke”), in painting or drawing, the
fine shading that produces soft,
imperceptible transitions between
colours and tones.
Chiaroscuro
The term chiaroscuro (from the Italian words chiaro, meaning
"light," and scuro, meaning "dark") refers to the use of light
and shade in a work of art to define three-dimensional objects.
Pyramid Composition
The pattern is balanced
and symmetrical, making
it easy for the human eye
to follow. During the
Renaissance, artists
became more aware of
composition, and that is
when pyramid
composition became
common. Pyramid
compositions are often
found in nature.
Oil Paint
•
The oil painting technique was to
become dominant in the 15th and 16th
centuries. Oil provided a versatile
medium in which the artist was allowed
the freedom to change the composition
of his painting.
•
Because the colour saturation of the
paint was enhanced by the use of oil,
no other medium could reproduce it's
range of both transparency and opacity.
During the early renaissance period oil
painting was used first by the
Netherlandish painters and was eventually
taken up by their counterparts in Italy.
Northern Renaissance
Key Features:
• Oil Paints
• Symbolism
• Realistic Details
• Inaccurate Depth (some exceptions later)
Oil Paint
Oil paint was
created at this
time (1400’s) in
the North and
spread into Italy
later. Oil allow
for richer
colours, more
contrast (lights &
darks) and
details.
Symbolism
Northern artists used everyday objects as symbols. For
example: the Lily = Virgin Mary, Candle = presence of God.
Realistic Details
People are
depicted very
realistically
even if in an
unflattering
manner.
Objects are
portrayed with
very fine
details.
Inaccurate Depth
Depth is
simulated
through
overlapping
but often often
can appear
cramped or
distorted
because no set
rules (such as
perspective)
are typically
followed.