Renaissance art
Renaissance art (1350 – 1620[1]) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occurred in philosophy, literature, music, science, and technology.[2] Renaissance art took as its foundation the art of Classical antiquity, perceived as the noblest of ancient traditions, but transformed that tradition by absorbing recent developments in the art of Northern Europe and by applying contemporary scientific knowledge. Along with Renaissance humanist philosophy, it spread throughout Europe, affecting both artists and their patrons with the development of new techniques and new artistic sensibilities. For art historians, Renaissance art marks the transition of Europe from the medieval period to the Early Modern age.
The body of art, including painting, sculpture, architecture, music and literature identified as "Renaissance art" was primarily produced during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries in Europe under the combined influences of an increased awareness of nature, a revival of classical learning, and a more individualistic view of man.[3] Scholars no longer believe that the Renaissance marked an abrupt break with medieval values, as is suggested by the French word renaissance, literally meaning "rebirth". In many parts of Europe, Early Renaissance art was created in parallel with Late Medieval art.
Classical texts, lost to European scholars for centuries, became available. These included documents of philosophy, prose, poetry, drama, science, a thesis on the arts, and early Christian theology.
Europe gained access to advanced mathematics, which had its provenance in the works of Islamic scholars.
The advent of in the 15th century meant that ideas could be disseminated easily, and an increasing number of books were written for a broader public.
movable type printing
The establishment of the and the subsequent trade it generated brought unprecedented wealth to a single Italian city, Florence.
Medici Bank
set a new standard for patronage of the arts, not associated with the church or monarchy.
Cosimo de' Medici
philosophy meant that man's relationship with humanity, the universe and God was no longer the exclusive province of the church.
Humanist
A revived interest in the brought about the first archaeological study of Roman remains by the architect Brunelleschi and sculptor Donatello. The revival of a style of architecture based on classical precedents inspired a corresponding classicism in painting and sculpture, which manifested itself as early as the 1420s in the paintings of Masaccio and Uccello.
Classics
The improvement of and developments in oil-painting technique by Belgian artists such as Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden and Hugo van der Goes led to its adoption in Italy from about 1475 and had ultimately lasting effects on painting practices worldwide.
oil paint
The presence within the region of Florence in the early 15th century of certain individuals of artistic genius, most notably Masaccio, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Piero della Francesca, Donatello and Michelozzo formed an ethos out of which sprang the great masters of the High Renaissance, as well as supporting and encouraging many lesser artists to achieve work of extraordinary quality.[5]
serendipitous
The publication of two treatises by , De pictura ("On Painting") in 1435 and De re aedificatoria ("Ten Books on Architecture") in 1452.
Leone Battista Alberti
Many influences on the development of Renaissance men and women in the early 15th century have been credited with the emergence of Renaissance art; they are the same as those that affected philosophy, literature, architecture, theology, science, government and other aspects of society. The following list presents a summary of changes to social and cultural conditions which have been identified as factors which contributed to the development of Renaissance art. Each is dealt with more fully in the main articles cited above. The scholars of Renaissance period focused on present life and ways improve human life. They did not pay much attention to medieval philosophy or religion. During this period, scholars and humanists like Erasmus, Dante and Petrarch criticized superstitious beliefs and also questioned them. [4] The concept of education also widened its spectrum and focused more on creating 'an ideal man' who would have a fair understanding of arts, music, poetry and literature and would have the ability to appreciate these aspects of life.
The use of – The first major treatment of the painting as a window into space appeared in the work of Giotto di Bondone, at the beginning of the 14th century. True linear perspective was formalized later, by Filippo Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti. In addition to giving a more realistic presentation of art, it moved Renaissance painters into composing more paintings.
proportion
– The term foreshortening refers to the artistic effect of shortening lines in a drawing so as to create an illusion of depth.
Foreshortening
– The term sfumato was coined by Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci and refers to a fine art painting technique of blurring or softening of sharp outlines by subtle and gradual blending of one tone into another through the use of thin glazes to give the illusion of depth or three-dimensionality. This stems from the Italian word sfumare meaning to evaporate or to fade out. The Latin origin is fumare, to smoke.
Sfumato
– The term chiaroscuro refers to the fine art painting modeling effect of using a strong contrast between light and dark to give the illusion of depth or three-dimensionality. This comes from the Italian words meaning light (chiaro) and dark (scuro), a technique which came into wide use in the Baroque period.
Chiaroscuro
(1267–1337)
Giotto di Bondone
(1377–1446)
Filippo Brunelleschi
(c. 1383 – c. 1447)
Masolino
(c. 1386 – 1466)
Donatello
(c. 1395 – c. 1455)
Pisanello
(c. 1395 – 1455)
Fra Angelico
(1397–1475)
Paolo Uccello
(1401–1428)
Masaccio
(1404–1472)
Leone Battista Alberti
(c. 1406 – 1469)
Filippo Lippi
(c. 1410 – 1461)
Domenico Veneziano
(c. 1415 – 1492)
Piero della Francesca
(c. 1421 – 1457)
Andrea del Castagno
(c. 1421 – 1497)
Benozzo Gozzoli
(1425–1499)
Alessio Baldovinetti
(1429–1498)
Antonio del Pollaiuolo
(c. 1430 – 1479)
Antonello da Messina
(c.1430–1516)
Giovanni Bellini
(c. 1431 – 1506)
Andrea Mantegna
(c. 1435 – 1488)
Andrea del Verrocchio
(1435–1494)
Giovanni Santi
(c. 1435 – c. 1495)
Carlo Crivelli
(1444–1514)
Donato Bramante
(c. 1445 – 1510)
Sandro Botticelli
(c. 1445 – 1523)
Luca Signorelli
(1446–1516)
Biagio d'Antonio
(1446–1523)
Pietro Perugino
(1449–1494)
Domenico Ghirlandaio
(1452–1519)
Leonardo da Vinci
(1454–1513)
Pinturicchio
(1457–1504)
Filippino Lippi
(1460–1524)
Andrea Solari
(1462–1522)
Piero di Cosimo
(1465–1526)
Vittore Carpaccio
(1465–1525)
Bernardino de' Conti
(c. 1473–1510)
Giorgione
(1475–1564)
Michelangelo
(1480–1557)
Lorenzo Lotto
(1483–1520)
Raphael
(c. 1486 – c. 1542)
Marco Cardisco
(c. 1488/1490 – 1576)
Titian
(c. 1489 – 1534)
Correggio
(c. 1505 – c. 1565)
Pietro Negroni
(c. 1532 – 1625)
Sofonisba Anguissola
, by Hubert and Jan van Eyck
Ghent Altarpiece
, by Jan van Eyck
The Arnolfini Portrait
by Robert Campin
The Werl Triptych
The , by Hugo van der Goes
Portinari Triptych
, by Rogier van der Weyden
The Descent from the Cross
, by Piero della Francesca
Flagellation of Christ
, by Sandro Botticelli
Spring
, by Mantegna
Lamentation of Christ
, by Leonardo da Vinci
The Last Supper
, by Raphael
The School of Athens
by Michelangelo
Sistine Chapel ceiling
, by Titian
Equestrian Portrait of Charles V
by Matthias Grünewald
Isenheim Altarpiece
, by Albrecht Dürer
Melencolia I
, by Hans Holbein the Younger
The Ambassadors
by Jean Fouquet
Melun Diptych
by Nuno Gonçalves
Saint Vincent Panels
London, UK
National Gallery
Florence, Italy
Uffizi
Paris, France
Louvre
Washington, USA
National Gallery of Art
Germany
Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Amsterdam
Rijksmuseum
New York City, USA
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Belgium, Brussels
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Bruges, Belgium
Groeningemuseum
Bruges, Belgium
Old St. John's Hospital
Florence, Italy
Bargello
(National museum of the Renaissance), Écouen, France
Château d'Écouen
Vatican city
Vatican museums
Milan, Italy
Pinacoteca di Brera
a teaching packet from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.