The Art of the Renaissance

Art of the Renaissance

Many of the new ideas and attitudes that marked the Renaissance times were portrayed in art. A new idea called humanism put a focus on human interests, needs, and abilities. This new idea changed how artists painted their subjects as well as the choice of subjects they painted.

Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo

Renaissance art is often divided up into two periods:

Early Renaissance (1400-1479) - Artists learned by trying to emulate classical artists focusing on symmetry and creating the perfect form. This era featured such artists as Giotto, Masaccio, and Donatello.

High Renaissance (1475-1525) - A rising interest in perspective and space gave the art even more realism. Great artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Rafael flourished during this period.

Change of Subjects

In the Middle Ages the subject of almost all European art was religion, specifically Christianity and the Catholic Church. Although Renaissance artists continued to paint religious paintings, they also branched out to other subjects including Greek and Roman mythology, historical subjects, and portraits of individuals. They also focused on the details of everyday life.

School of Athens by Raphael

featured philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates

Realism

One of the big changes in art was to paint and sculpt subjects realistically. This is called realism and involves a number of techniques that make the subjects and background look like they would in real life. This also meant giving the subjects more emotional qualities.

New Techniques and Styles

Many new techniques were introduced during the Renaissance. These techniques helped to enhance the quality and realism of the art.

Perspective

perspective is drawing or painting a picture such that it looks like there are three dimensions. It gives the illusion that some objects in the painting are further away than others.

Balance and Proportion

Drawing subjects such that they are the correct size when compared to each other.

Use of Light and Dark

Many artists starting using light and shadows in their works to add drama, perspective, and timing to their art.

The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio

Caravaggio used light and shadow to create drama

Sfumato

This was a technique used by Leonardo da Vinci to add additional perspective and dimension to paintings. It was a way of blurring the lines between subjects. This technique was used in Leonardo's Mona Lisa.

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci used the sfumato technique

Foreshortening

Another technique that added perspective and depth to paintings, foreshortening is a way of shortening lines to give the illusion of depth.

Quiz

1. Before the Renaissance, what was the primary subject of paintings during the Middle Ages?

a. Animals

b. Kings and Queens

c. Landscapes

d. Christianity

e. Greek Mythology

2. What period of Renaissance art featured artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo?

a. Proto period

b. Early period

c. High period

d. French period

e. Northern period

3. What were the characteristics of paintings and art during the Early Renaissance Period?

a. Symmetry and perfect form

b. Abstract and flat

c. Symbolism and lack of perspective

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

4. What does realism mean when referring to paintings and art?

a. That the painting is flat with little perspective

b. That the subjects and background appear as they would in real life

c. That the paintings are landscapes of nature with no people

d. That the subjects are only people

e. All of the above

5. What artistic technique makes some objects in a picture look further away than others?

a. Shadows

b. Balance

c. Proportion

d. Flattening

e. Perspective

6. True or False: Artists from the Renaissance refused to paint pictures on the subject of religion or Christianity.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

7. What artistic technique that blurred the lines between subjects was used by Leonardo da Vinci in the Mona Lisa?

a. Perspective

b. Balance

c. Sfumato

d. Foreshortening

e. Proportion

8. What was foreshortening?

a. When artists painted people shorter than they really were

b. A way of making people look taller than they really were

c. When artists used shadow and light to make things appear more dramatic

d. A technique where artists shortened lines in their paintings to give the illusion of depth

e. An ingredient used when baking

9. Which artist below did NOT work during the High Renaissance period?

a. Giotto

b. Michelangelo

c. Da Vinci

d. Rafael

e. All of the above

10. What was the idea or philosophy that changed the way people thought and, therefore, influenced art during the Renaissance?

a. Confucianism

b. Humanism

c. Dadaism

d. Stoicism

e. Communism

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