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Guia de navegació > GiH 3 ESO > ABP. LEONARDO > The Renaissance: a break with the past or a return to it?
The Renaissance was a new artistic movement that flourished during the first two centuries of the early modern period (the 15th and the 16th). It was closely linked to humanism. Like Renaissance humanists, artists of the time saw themselves as successors of the classical masters. They were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman works of art. Did Renaissance artists simply copy the classical art they admired, or did their interpretation of those works create a new style?
The Renaissance was a new artistic movement that flourished during the first two centuries of the early modern period (the 15th and the 16th). It was closely linked to humanism. Like Renaissance humanists, artists of the time saw themselves as successors of the classical masters. They were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman works of art. Did Renaissance artists simply copy the classical art they admired, or did their interpretation of those works create a new style?
A. Classical models
A. Classical models
Following humanist ideals, Renaissance artists discovered ancient Greek and Roman art:
Architects were inspired by archaeological remains and adapted the classical style by incorporating Greek and Roman features into their work. Technological advances allowed them to reinterpret and perfect classical architecture.
Painters and sculptors were inspired by Greek and Roman mythology. They focused on the beauty of the human body and adapted classical canons.
They improved on some techniques, such as frescoes, and invented others, such as oil painting and perspective. Thanks to their growing knowledge of anatomy, they were able to perfect the representation of the human body.
Andrea Palladio: Villa Capra or La Rotonda (Vicenza, Italy), 1567. The building is symmetrical with a square floor plan and four identical porticoes.
B. Art centered around the human figure
B. Art centered around the human figure
Following humanist philosophy, artists became interested primarily in the human figure.
Religious themes continued to be their main source of inspiration. However, subjects looked like ordinary people and were placed in landscapes and buildings of the Renaissance.
The nobility and the bourgeoisie became interested in art. This led artists to create scenes reflecting the everyday life of royals and nobility in the court.
A renewed appreciation for the individual resulted in the proliferation of portraits. Princes, nobles and the bourgeoisie wanted to preserve their image for posterity.
Filippo Lippi: Madonna with Child and Scenes from the Life of St. Anne, 1452.
C. The artist's new role
C. The artist's new role
Renaissance artists did not limit themselves to one art form. They wrote treatises on architecture, painting and sculpture.
Michelangelo was an architect, painter and sculptor. Leonardo da Vinci, in addition to painting, devised inventions and machines that were not made until centuries later.
Unlike medieval artists, Renaissance artists signed their works to show off their originality and gain recognition.
For this reason, art became a commercial product. Patrons commissioned works from their favourite artists.
Self-portrait of the German painter Dürer, 1498.
Primavera
Primavera
Inspired by the work of the Latin poet Ovid, this painting shows a scene from classical mythology.
The nymph Chloris, who exhaled flowers, was abducted by Zephyrus, the god of the wind. He repented, transformed her into Flora and gave her a garden of eternal spring.
In the centre, Venus and Cupid represent love. Cupid is aiming his arrow at the Three Graces. One of them is looking at Mercury, the god of understanding. Using reason, Mercury turns the human mind towards the divine.
Beauty perishes in life, but in a work of art is made immortal.
Beauty perishes in life, but in a work of art is made immortal.
Font: G&H3. Geography & History (3D class)
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