ARTS 9
DECEMBER 5,2022
Lesson 2:
Reimagining
Renaissance
Painting
Renaissance shows remarkable advancement
in different fields like scientific innovations,
deeper philosophical understanding of the
human character, as well as self-expression.
Renaissance art is a valuable testament to the
effect of this ‘rebirth’ that happened to Europe
during this time.
Learning Targets
In this lesson, you should be able to:
● analyze art elements and principles in the production of work
following a specific art style;
● use artworks to derive the traditions/history of an art period;
● create artworks guided by techniques and styles of the
Renaissance period; and
● apply different media techniques and processes to communicate
ideas, experiences, and stories showing the characteristics of the
Renaissance Period `(e.g., Fresco, Sfumato, etc.).
How well do you know Mona
Lisa?
Answer the following questions:
1. Who made Mona Lisa?
2. Who is the model of the
Mona Lisa?
3. Can you describe how it was
made?
4. What is the medium used in
making Mona Lisa?
Learn about It!
Renaissance means rebirth in French and during this
period a lot of technological innovations were introduced
that influenced the arts and the humanities in many ways.
One of these is the emergence of the printing press
through the invention of the Gutenberg printing press in
1450 which significantly contributed to the flow of
information in Europe and helped artists and scholars to
propagate their crafts and knowledge.
The printing press contributed greatly to new forms of
pictorial art along with the development of woodcut
illustrations and copper engraving techniques. It also helped
in the flourishing of the performance arts through the
printing of manuals in dance and music. Renaissance art is
characterized by humanism and realism. Though religious
art still comprises a big part, the Renaissance saw the
promotion of depicting people and objects realistically.
Techniques such as linear perspective, experimentation on
shadows and light to add depth, and portraying emotions
are some of the fields explored by artists during this period.
Painting in Renaissance also introduced the technique of
oils that allow for a broader range of color. It also provided
the artist with a medium that is more adaptable when it
comes to expressing expressive brushwork than the true
tempera techniques used in the Middle Ages and early
Renaissance.
Fresco
Fresco is a technique that flourished in Italy since ancient
times. It is derived from the Italian word meaning “fresh.”
In this technique, an artist prepares a wall with a layer of
rough plaster where he sketches a mockup of the final
composition of the artwork. Each day, the artist will add a
finish coat of plaster to a section of the wall and paint that
portion while the surface is still wet. In this way, the colors
will be permanently fused into the wall.
Sfumato
Sfumato was coined by Leonardo da Vinci, and this
refers to a painting technique of blurring
sharp outlines by subtle and gradual blending through
thin glazes to give a 3D illusion. The word sfumato
stems from the Italian word sfumare that means to
evaporate or fade out. It is also characterized as an
atmospheric painting.
A famous artwork that portrays this technique is
Pietro Perugino’s Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter.
This is a fresco painted for the Sistine Chapel in
Rome where it shows a scene of Christ granting
power over the church to St. Peter. With a symbolic
landscape of a domed church and a figure of Peter
kneeling to accept the keys, the background of the
painting that features a wide courtyard with hills seen
through a filmy atmosphere.
Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro is a technique that makes use of strong
contrast between light and dark that affects the
composition of an artwork. The rendering of light and
dark shading produces an effect of three-dimensionality on
objects and figures. It is characterized by giving solidity and
weight on pictures through the painting of light and shade.
This technique was developed by Leonardo da Vinci,
Caravaggio, and Rembrandt.
Cangiante
According to the art historian Marcia B. Hall,
there are four canonical modes of painting
colors exhibited by the Italian painters of the
Renaissance. These are sfumato, chiaroscuro,
Cangiante, and Unione. Cangiante is from the
Italian word cangiare which means “to change.”
Cangiante paintings are characterized by a
change in color to render shadows. Due to the
original color’s limitation to emphasize lightness
to darkness or vice versa, another color will be
used to give a shadow with a more dramatic
effect. This can be observed in the works of
Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel or Giotto’s in
the Arena Chapel.
Unione
Unione is also another mode of painting available to
Italian painters during the Renaissance. It
is somehow similar to sfumato in a way that it
emphasizes the smooth transformation of colors
without leaving traces of hard lines. However, the
intensity could be seen in the depth of colors that
leans near the characteristic of chiaroscuro.