Renaissance Art

The term renaissance, describing the period of European history from the early 14th to the late 16th century, is derived from the French word rebirth . This period is described as the revival of the classical forms originally developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and an intensified concern with the secular life--interest in humanism and assertion of the importance of the individual. The renaissance period in art history corresponds to the beginning of the great western age of discovery and exploration, when a general desire developed to examine all aspects of nature and the world. Art, during this period, became valued -- not merely as a vehicle for religious and social identity, but even more as a mode of personal, aesthetic expression.

The term early renaissance characterizes virtually all the art of the 15th century. Early renaissance artist sought to create art forms consistent with the appearance of the natural world and with their experience of human personality and behavior. These artists made an effort to go beyond straightforward transcription of nature, to instill the work of art with ideal, intangible qualities, endowing it with a beauty and significance greater and more permanent than that actually found in nature. Artists such as Donatello in sculpture, Masaccio in painting and Fillipo Brunelleschi in architecture were part of this period. Masaccio for instance gave figures the illusion of live beings when characters and reactions were individualized. He also made use of perspective by exploring linear (a vanishing point), and atmospheric perspective (effects produced from a single light source). He also made use of gradations or light and darkness (Chiaroscuro) to give illusions of weight, substance and bulk to the bodies.

The art of high renaissance, however sought a general, unified effect or pictorial representation or architectural composition, increasing the dramatic force and physical presence of a work or art. Also, the culmination and fulfillment of the previous period when the problems of perspective, light and shade, foreshortening, space composition, painting in oil, texture and movement were solved. A few artist of genius, among them Leonardo da Vinci, Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian created this period. Their works revealed mastery of the techniques and their goal to transcend nature. Leonardo da Vinci for instance was considered to be the paragon of Renaissance thinkers, engaged as he was in experiments of all kinds and having brought to his art a spirit of restless inquiry that sought to discover the laws governing diverse natural phenomena. Michelangelo, in a different way presented his universal talents in separate fields from sculpture, painting to architecture. Raphael, a man of very different temperament, known for his paintings of Madonnas and frescoes. And Titian, an artist who represented the transition from the Renaissance to Baroque due to his long creative career focusing on genres.

Most significant about the artist of the renaissance is that they were disciples of nature. Their desire to re-create the forms and styles of classical art inspired the development of new artistic techniques. They emerged as creators, sought after and respected for their erudition and imagination. Their works did not merely copy nature but instead transcended it. Renaissance artists placed human concerns and feelings at the center of their works. Such optimism combined with intellectual curiosity and increasing worldliness made it possible for art to be valued.