Renaissance Art PDF

Art of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods Lesson 1: The Birth of Art Are you familiar with the characters shown in the pictures on the lower side? Identify them. with the persons shown in the picture on the upper side? Are you familiar Identify them. Why do you think the Teenage Mutant Ninja Tur...

Art of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods Lesson 1: The Birth of Art Are you familiar with the characters shown in the pictures on the lower side? Identify them. with the persons shown in the picture on the upper side? Are you familiar Identify them. Why do you think the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were named after these four persons?  Profound interest in classical thought and artistry of the ancient Greeks and Romans were evident once again during the Renaissance. This period came after the Middle Ages, and it brought about the development of new technologies such as the printing press amidst a politically stable and prosperous Europe. Also, philosophy, literature, and art flourished around this time due to a growing passion to discover and to explore new things. Among the many European states, Italy played a pivotal role in the emergence of the Renaissance style of visual and decorative art in the last part of the 14 th century. The style reached its peak during the 15th and early 16th centuries and was evident in the masterpieces of Italian artists such as Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), and Raffaello “Raphael” Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520). Characteristics of Renaissance Art Renaissance art became a major inspiration for the Grand Tour (traditional trip to European countries; often done by wealthy European men and women when they come of age), and it was a dominant style until Pablo Picasso and the Cubist movement A particularchallenged its dominance. interest in Renaissance began when Italian artists and thinkers sought for a new set of artistic values to respond to the international Gothic style.  These artists in the early 14th century found inspiration in Greco-Roman artistic ideas and forms. The artists and thinkers wanted to form an art that was universal and noble, and one that resonated the mood of the times. Renaissance art was hinged on the budding notion of aa humanist philosophy that founded many of the milestones of the Pagan ancient Greece. Humanism had less interest in religious and secular dogma, and it celebrated the core value of dignity and individual worth. Renaissance Periods Proto-Renaissance Art (c.1200-1400) o The early forms of Renaissance art evident in the late 13th and early 14th centuries were called “Pro-Renaissance.” o During this time, the classical Roman culture was celebrated by the likes of Italian writers Petrarch (1304-1374) and Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375); both of these writers had high regard for languages, values, and intellectual traditions that went stagnant long after the Roman empire fell in the 16th century.  Giotto di Bondone (1266/67 – 1337) A painter from Florence, was the most noteworthy Proto- Renaissance artist. for his advanced techniques and realistic He became famous representations of the human body. The cathedrals at Assisi, Rome, Padua, Florence, and Naples were said to be adorned with he frescoes, but such claims of Giotto having made these frescoes remain to be unverified up to this day. Early Renaissance Art (1401-1490s) During the end of the 14th century, the plague and war have slowly diminished Proto-Renaissance art. But all was not lost because there was a resurgence of Renaissance art in the early years of the 15 th century. Florence became the site of a renewed interest for philosophy, religion, and art reminiscent of ancient Greece and Rome. Florentine artists and intellectuals were very much interested in classical antiquity of the Greek and Roman art, which they regarded to exude an absolute standard of artistic worth.  Notable artists in the early Renaissance include Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455) – a sculptor with his prize winning set of bronze doors in 1401. Ghiberti won over his contemporaries Filippo Brunelleschi (1377- 1446) and the young Donato di Niccolo “Donatello” di Betto Bardi (1386-1466) in a competition on designing a new set of doors for the baptistery of the Cathedral of Florence. Brunelleschi and Donatello eventually became the masters of early Renaissance sculpture. The Painter Tommaso di Ser Giovanni “Masaccio” di Simoni (1401-1428) was also a renowned early renaissance artist. He became famous for his frescoes of a church and a chapel in florencee – Holy Trinity in the church of Santa Maria Novella and the Brancacci Chapel of the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. The influence of Masaccio during the early Renaissance was at its peak even with barely six years of painting pieces, which displayed high intellect and high degree of naturalism. High Renaissance Art (c. 1490-1527) In the latter part of the 15th century, Florence was slowly losing its position as the principal center of Renaissance art in Italy. Rome, headed by Pope Leo X, had become the new center. Historically, Florence was home to the early Renaissance, and the influential Medici family funded and largely paid for art pieces. The powerful popes made Rome the center for High Renaissance, and they paid for the creation of artworks, which became a reason for the near bankruptcy of the city. The likes of Leonardo da Vinci (known for his mastery of oil painting), Michelangelo (a famed sculptor and fresco painter), and Raphael (probably the finest painter of the High Renaissance) were the most notable masters during the peak of Renaissance Up to this day, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Michelangelo’s art. ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, and Raphael’s famous Madonna pieces are still sights to behold because of the naturalism observable in these works of art. Da Vinci, Mona Lisa (1503-1506) Michelangelo, ceiling frescoes of the Raphael, The Madonna of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512) Pinks (1506-1507) Famous sculptures by Donatello  Also famous for his contributions during the High Renaissance is the painter Antonio da Correggio (1489-1534), who is known for his illusionistic Assumption of the Virgin (1530) at the Parma Cathedral Another significant name in High Renaissance art is Donato Bramante who was the leading architect during this period. Also, Luca Signorelli made a name for himself for his murals found at some portions of the Sistine Chapel and for his frescoes at the Orvieto Cathedral. During the High Renaissance years, Renaissance Art reached its pinnacle as this Correggio, Assumption of the Virgin (1526-1 was a time when the ideals of classical humanism were strictly adhered to by the artists evident in their paintings and their This was also when these artists had mastered the techniques of linear perspective, sculptures. shading, and all other methods of Realism. Mannerism (c. 1530-1600) Mannerism became widespread in the late 1500s. This artistic style focused on artificiality, as opposed to the idealized naturalism of High Renaissance art. Vivid and often brash colors, overrefined elegance, uncommon perspective or lighting, elongated figures, and emotionalism characterized Mannerist art. Mannerism spread across Florence and Rome until it had become the dominant style in most of Europe. Despite the mannerist style having more popular, Renaissance art still remained. As of 16th century Florentine artist and art historian Giorgio Vasari had written in 1550 in his seminal work Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, High Renaissance was “the culmination of all Italian art, a process that began with Giotto in the late 13th century.” Vasari considered the Mannerist style as merely “a bridge between the idealized style of Renaissance art and the dramatic theatricality of the Baroque. Renaissance Painting Paintings in the Renaissance period are known to display perspective, whereby artists add three-dimensional depth and space to their piece. These artists played around the ideas of linear perspective, horizon line, and vanishing point. 1. Linear perspective. The effect that is achieved through linear perspective can be likened by looking through a window and painting what you see on the window pane exactly how you see it. Similar to the idea of a foreground and a background, those objects you see far from you are painted smaller and those closer are painted larger. This depicts a certain naturalism based on the illusion of proximity. 2. Horizon line. This may be understood as the line representing the viewer’s eye level. It is the same as the line where the sky seemingly meets the edge of the land. Horizon line 3. Vanishing point. This refers to the point at which parallel lines appear to converge far in the distance, often on the horizon line. Another tribute of Renaissance painting is the manipulation of shadows and light without regard to color (chiaroscuro) The play of light hitting the objects, thus creating shadows is used to draw the viewer’s eye to a particular point in a Renaissance painting. Renaissance painters such as Da Vinci also mastered the technique of fine shading, or sfumato, which created soft and almost unnoticeable transitions between tones and colors. Renaissance Sculpture Similar to Renaissance painters, the sculptors in this period also strived tom achieve realism by studying the human body and trying to represent it in all its naturalness and individuality. These artist aimed for harmony, balance, restraint, and realism in their sculptures. As an artform, sculpture reached its peak during the Renaissance with the likes of Donatello, Ghiberti, and Michelangelo being masters of the form. Few of the most notable works were Donatello’s bronze David, Ghiberti Doors to the Baptistery in Florence, and Michelangelo’s marble David and Pieta. Renaissance sculptors made the limbs of their subjects and their muscles more defined – a clear play on subordinate to complex design, elegance and ostentatious style. Michelangelo, David (1501- 1504), marble Renaissance Architecture Architecture during the Renaissance went into a different route as opposed to the Gothic architecture that preceded it. Ancient Greek and Roman forms were revived. These architectural forms included the column and round arch, the tunnel vault, and the dome. Symmetry (the concept of balanced proportions) was observable in architectural forms and specific shapes, and styles were used that characterized the period. Building types that displayed Renaissance architecture were churches, palazzos (urban mansions), and villas (country mansions) Aside from symmetry, another attribute of Renaissance architecture was order, inspired by the Classical architecture displayed by the ruins of ancient buildings and by the writings of Vitruvius. Reminiscent of the Classical period, proportion was a primary indicator of beauty, as Renaissance architects valued harmony between human proportions and the structures they built. Renaissance architecture displayed a stark contrast from the Gothic style. Lesson 2: The Transcendence of Art (Pages 117-120)– We will skip this - - - - - - - Lesson 3: Beyond the Frames Notable Renaissance Artists  Brunelleschi (1377-1446) Renaissance architecture owes most of its ideas from the Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi. He led and inspired young Renaissance artists to create new artforms and breakaway from the artistic ideas of the distant past. He has been enamored by the Roman architectural ruins that he had seen. He is known for having built the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence (1420-1436), which was made possible with the use of machines that Brunelleschi himself invented for the project.  Donatello (1386-1466) Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi, more popularly known as Donatello, was a Florentine sculptor who earned a reputation for creating realist pieces in contrast to the stiff and unlifelike sculpture of the Middle Ages. He is known for his depiction of Saint Mark for a church in Florence. The work was completed in 1413 and can still be seen up to this day.  Van Eyck (1395-1441) Jan van Eyck was considered one of the most renowned Northern European painters active in Bruges, Belgium in the 15th century. His approach to oil in painting was revolutionary, such that stories went around that van Eyck had invented oil painting. Historical records show that van Eyck was regarded as a revolutionary master and that his works inspired many artists to cope and reproduce some of his works He is known for his motto “ALS IK KAN” (or “AS I CAN”), which was first seen in his painting title “Portrait of a Man in a Turban” (1433). The painting was thought to be a portrait of himself.  Botticelli (1445-1510) Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, popularly known as Sandro Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance who was under the Florentine school patronized by Lorenzo According de’toMedici. Giorgio Vasari in his Vita of Botticelli, Botticelli belonged to a “golden age” of Renaissance art. Botticelli is best known for The Birth of Venus (1485) and Primavera (1482)  Da Vinci (1452-1519) Perhaps the most well-known among the artists of the Renaissance is Leonardo da Vinci, who is considered a great Renaissance art master. He is credited for famous works such as Mona Lisa (1503-1517) and The Last Supper (1495-1498). Da Vinci was an artist of many talents – an inventor, a scientist, an architect, and an engineer among others. Being the classic “Renaissance man,” da Vinci brought into the art world innovations such as layering of paints; detailed attention to light, shadow, and human form; and a keen eye for expression and gesture.  Michelangelo (1475-1564) Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, commonly known as Michelangelo, was perhaps the closest greatest Renaissance artist that rivaled his contemporary Leonardo da Vinci. Younger by 13 years than da Vinci, Michelangelo was an accomplished artist, poet, architect, and engineer, which clearly indicated the inspiration he derived from Dafamous Michelangelo’s Vinci’s work greatness. is the sculpture David, which he completed in the early 16th century. This sculpture is approximately 4.6 meters (15 feet) tall and depicts the biblical figure of David. Michelangelo is also known for the statue Pieta and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.  Raphael (1483-1520) Raphael is perhaps one of the three great master artists of Renaissance in Italy, together with Da Vinci and Michelangelo. He had produced many pieces, which had proven to be very influential during that period. He was born in 1483, and he died at the age of 37. But those were productive years of his life, for he was able to create many works as paintings, frescoes, prints, and others, which were products of his ingenuity. He is famous for his works The School of Athens (1509-1511), a classic example of Renaissance art and culture in general.  Correggio (1489-1534) Antonio Allegri da Correggio, popularly known as Correggio, had been a key figure in the Parma school of the Italian Renaissance. He created vigorous and sensuous works during the latter part of the 16th century. He achieved an effect of illusionistic perspective and dramatic foreshortening in his works because of his masterful use of dynamic Correggiocomposition. anticipated the flourishing of the Rococo art in the 18 th century. He is known for mastering the chiaroscuro technique.  Tintoretto (1518-1594) The Venetian painter Jacopo Comin, popularly known as Tintoretto, was a key personality in Renaissance art. He was tagged as “II Furioso” because of the observed energy in his paintings. His artworks displayed muscular figures, pronounced gestures, and passionate use of the mannerist style, all of which maintained the color and light associated with the Venetian school He has produced the paintings Vulcan Surprising Venus and Mars (1679) and The Supper of San Gregorio Maggiore (1594), which probably his greatest work. Notable Baroque Artists  El Greco (1541-1614) Domenikos Theotokopoulos, also known as El Greco, was Spanish Renaissance painter, sculptor, and architect whose trademark was the intricate elongated figures and impressive pigmentation. This was evident in the intermingling of Byzantine traditions with those of Western painting. His contemporaries were puzzled by his dramatic and expressionistic style. But were later on appreciative El Greco of EltoGreco’s is thought be the work. forerunner of both Expressionism and Cubism. Hi is famous for the paintings The Opening of the Fifth Seal (1608-1614) and Cleansing of the Temple (1584-1594)  Caravaggio (1571-1640) Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio was considered by many as “the one who almost single handedly to have created the Baroque style.” One can easily detect a work to be Caravaggio’s because of the use of realism as well as his emphasis Distinctiveon in coextensive paintings of space. Caravaggio is his use of intense chiaroscuro or tenebrism – a technique of dramatically contrasting an intensely dark and somber background with the manipulated effects of light. He is famous for his painting that include Bacchus (1593), Judith and Holifernes (1598), and  Rubens (1577-1640) Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens displayed in his works the dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance of a Baroque painting. Among the themes of his paintings are portraits, landscapes, and religious and mythological compositions. He promoted a wide array of decorative programs He was energetic andby supervising versatile in hishis studio. artistic inventions and was a proponent of a Baroque style that accentuated movement, color, and sensuality.  Bernini (1598-1680) Gian Lorenzo Bernini enriched Baroque sculpture and architecture as a consequence of his extensive career experience in Rome. He created the 17th century masterpieces such as The Rape of Proserpina (1612-1622), Apollo and Daphne (1622-1625), and some of the fountains in Rome. His works are known for their texture, drama, vitality, and tension. Bernini was a masterful artist when it comes to portraying soft and smooth skin, wrinkled fabric, or curling hair in his sculptures. He also mastered the effective use of light and shadow in his works.  Velazquez (1599-1660) In Spain, the key figure in Baroque art is Diego Velazquez, who was a lead artist in the court of King Philip IV. He is known for his portrait art and for his mastery of history painting and genre- painting Velazquez (orcompleted bodegons).20 portraits of the King of Spain, together with other members of the Royal Family and his friends. He created the paintings Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1650), Las Meninas (1656), and The tapestry Weavers (1659).  Rembrandt (1606-1669) Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn mastered many genres of painting such as landscape, history and genre painting, and portraiture. His pieces displayed a Dutch dark Baroque art – a style popularized by Caravaggio. Observable in this variant of baroque art are lush brushwork, rich color, and use of chiaroscuro, as seen in his painting titled The Night Watch (1642). Rembrandt’s portraiture showed the “unique ability to penetrate the human character.” Rembrandt’s paintings that employed restrained emotions were less superficially dramatic than Rubens.  Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) Jan (or Johannes) Vermeer was an expert in genre painting and informal portrait art, as can be seen in most of the domestic interiors withtoone He is known or two treat lightfigures. with the use of the pointille method. Pointillism involves using layers of granular paint to give a transparent The effects ofend effect. color, light, and reflected light were used by Vermeer in his paintings. He used natural light that flooded space or the shimmering reflections cast in metal vessels/surfaces, or fabric. Vermeer is famous for his pieces titled Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665) and The Milkmaid (1658) Big Idea Artists during the Renaissance and the Baroque periods did not only focus on art; they also studied science, math, and even engineering. Being open to learn different topics and aspects of life led them to new discoveries that made an impact not only in the arts but also in society. So, this openness made them notable artists. The End