Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Renaissance Aesthetic

There is no specific style that characterizes the Renaissance; there are so many different contributions to art in this period. Renaissance artists created works of art with an authority that generations of later artists relied on for a sense of guidance. These men were among the artists at this time: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian.

These artists began using geometry in their artwork to give it a sense of symmetry; you can see the use of a triangle in most of da Vinci’s work. The use of atmospheric depth became widely used at this time as well. Even though the church was commissioning most of the artwork at this time, some of the artists were beginning to portray more emotion and expression. Artists were able to paint or draw not only nude women but men as well; and not be punished. There was much more attention to detail, more emotion, expression, geometry, symbolism, and shading than ever before. There was this sense that these artists were trying to depict their subject as realistic as possible. Many artists, like Leonardo, who studied the human anatomy so that their artwork was as life-like and as perfect as possible.

The characteristics and elements of the artwork in the Renaissance are used in one way or another today. These elements have been passed down from Renaissance artists like Michelangelo to Raphael and essentially to artists today. I do like the Renaissance art; precisely because they introduced a new way of thinking and individuality to each piece of art. Today’s artists and artists in the future will always be influenced by Renaissance art. 

No comments: