Renaissance

Renaissance means "Rebirth." It was an enlightenment period, when so many things were happening to Europe. The invention of the printing press brought language and the written word around to different countries and spread knowledge, so people could actually start thinking for themselves and question authority, which at the time was the Church. Another prominent part of the Renaissance was the use of optics and lenses in paintings of the time. Perspective in pieces became exceptional. They started to look like real life situations and like photographs, even though photography was not invented yet, but the camera obscura was used. I think this time period is still celebrated because of what was accomplished, and the fact that if it did not happen, we could possibly still, the human race, be stuck in the medievel era mind set. Scary. My opinion of the Renaissance artistic expression is that it is elegant, whimsical, alot of curved lines. Hellenistic style was used in alot of Michelangelo's sculptures, as well as alot of classical artistic styles. I remember the first time that I saw a nude figure of a Renaissance women painted in a piece, and I remember that it made a huge impression on me, because that's what I saw "women" as. I find it aesthetically appealing. i think this style is dominant because it was so important for the world and the future of the human race.