Renaissance Art and Culture

Renaissance Period

• The revival of interest in classical learning and values of ancient Greece and Rome occurred during the Renaissance period.

Characteristics of Renaissance Art

• A key characteristic of Renaissance art was its emphasis on representing the human body realistically.

Notable Artists and Figures

• Leonardo da Vinci was a key Italian master who worked in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
• Giotto was a painter who made enormous advances in the technique of representing the human body realistically during the proto-Renaissance.
• Masaccio is known for his murals of the Trinity in the Church of Santa Maria Novella and in the Brancacci Chapel of the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine.
• Lorenzo de' Medici presided over a golden age for the city of Florence from 1434 until 1492.
• Leonardo da Vinci is considered the ultimate 'Renaissance man' for practicing all the visual arts and studying a wide range of topics.
• Leonardo da Vinci is known for his formidable reputation based on relatively few completed paintings, including 'Mona Lisa,' 'The Virgin of the Rocks,' and 'The Last Supper'.

Key Developments and Events

• A key development accompanying the revival of interest in classical learning and values during the Renaissance was the emergence of the style of painting, sculpture, and decorative arts in Italy.
• In 1401, Lorenzo Ghiberti won a major competition to design a new set of bronze doors for the Baptistery of the cathedral of Florence.
• During the Renaissance, wealthy merchants and bankers were increasingly commissioning works of art apart from the Catholic Church.
• The period known as the 'proto-Renaissance' was characterized by a renewed interest in classical learning and values.