SEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF RENAISSANCE ART Since the time of the Edict of Constantine in 313 A.D., which legalized and
endorsed the Christian faith, almost all artwork had a religious subject. During the Byzantine and Medieval periods, this art
consisted mainly of religious icons painted on church screens and altars. A common medium was the triptych, which consisted of a
three-panel screen placed behind the altar. Pre-renaissance art was flat, with lifeless expressions on the faces of the characters. The
pictures were there to facilitate prayer, and to communicate the theological perspective that God was basically unapproachable. In
the Roman church, the cult of female/child (from paganism) so infused the church that most of the pictures dealt with Madonna and
child. Renaissance art represented a "rebirth" in thinking from some, but not all, of these trends. These are not exhaustive, but here
are several characteristics of Renaissance art that describe it:
1) The Renaissance was a rebirth of the value of the individual
Byzantine and Medieval paintings portrayed people as stiff and expressionless. With the renewed emphasis on the individual,
Renaissance artists began to portray the individual characters with real expressions on their faces. Instead of having blank eyes
staring out into nowhere, the figures now had furrowed brows or pursed lips. The characters themselves were now in the story as
individuals, not simply as decorations.
Figure 1 is an example of a typical Medieval
painting of Jesus. His expression and
countenance are dull and lifeless. Compare that
with the image of Jesus painted by Antonello da
Messina (fig. 2) as he portrays Jesus in "Christ at
the Column." Jesus looks like a real person. I
personally like this image of Jesus because
Messina has depicted Jesus as a man of strength.
(2) The Renaissance also saw the rebirth of
naturalism
For instance, there was a greater emphasis on
anatomically correct human bodies. Leonardo Da
Vinci was considered to be a scientist as well as
an artist. Both he and Michelangelo observed
cadavers being dissected to study how human
muscles lay underneath the skin. To the Medieval
mind, the human body was sinful, smelly, and
disgusting. It should be covered at all times. The
Renaissance thinkers considered the human body
to be a beautiful thing - even a model for God's
universe. In Da Vinci's 1487 drawing "Vitruvian
Man," (fig. 3) meaning "universal man" he
reveals how a spread-eagle human body fits into
a perfect circle, and with its arms stretched out
into a perfect square.
figure 1. A Medieval
representation of Jesus
Christ
figure 2. "Christ at the
Column" by Antonello da
Messina
Michelangelo's nude statue, "the David" is a
prime example of the Renaissance fascination
with the human body as the apex of God's
creation. Michelangelo painted so many nude
characters in his "Last Judgement" (fig. 4) on the
wall of the Sistine Chapel that the Vatican hired
another painter to paint modesty clothes to cover
many of them.
(3) Renaissance artists added the perspective of
depth to their art
Medieval art was two dimensional–height and
width. Renaissance artists employed "tricks" to
add depth to their works by including things like a
tile floor, with the tiles getting smaller toward the
back of the room. Or they would create a
"vanishing point" in the background of the picture
with amazing detail in the distance. A perfect
example of this is da Vinci's "Last Supper." The
linear perspective can be seen in the walls, ceiling
and in the three windows behind the head of
Christ. This depth perspective represented a
dramatic change from the flat scenes of
figure 3. Leonardo da Vinci's
"Vitruvian Man"
Byzantine icons.
(4) Renaissance artists portrayed non religious
themes
Medieval Art was exclusively religious in nature.
Most people believed the world would end in the
year 1,000 A.D., so any other art subject was
considered inappropriate. While Renaissance art
still focused on religious subjects and Bible
characters, there began to be a trend toward
painting scenes that were not religious. One of
the earliest Renaissance examples of a nonreligious theme was van Eyck's revolutionary
"Arnolfini Marriage." (fig. 5) Jan van Eyck
employs the art of depth and reflection by adding
a mirror on the back wall. The people viewing the
picture seem to be seeing their own reflection as
van Eyck invites the viewer into the scene.
With the renewed interest in Classical Roman
culture, Renaissance art often portrayed scenes
from Greek and Roman mythology. Botticelli's
"Primavera" (1477, fig. 6) is a perfect example of
this subject.
figure 4. Michelangelo's "Last
Judgement"
(5) Renaissance art was often privately owned
In Medieval times, the Church was the main
source of funding for art. Before the Renaissance,
art was created by the Church to decorate the
church buildings. However, with the rise of the
Italian banking families (the Medici family is the
best known) individuals started commissioning
art for private ownership. One unique
characteristic was that the painter would
sometimes insert members of the patron's family
right into the Biblical scene. An extreme example
of this is Veronese's "Supper at Emmaus." (fig. 7)
Veronese painted Jesus seated at a table with the
two disciples in Emmaus, and he included the
entire family of the patron including children and
family pets. Jesus and the two disciples are
depicted wearing clothes from Bible times, but
the patron's family is decked out in their finest
15th century attire!
figure 5. Jan van Eyck's "Arnolfini
Marriage"
(6) Renaissance art expanded into sculpture and
architecture
Part of the rebirth of the Greek and Roman
culture was the revival of sculpture. In classical
times, the important cities were filled with
statues and sculptures. During the Renaissance,
there was an increased interest in archeology to
rediscover the Classical culture. Michelangelo was
present when the Laocoon, (fig. 8) carved in the
1st century, was discovered in Rome. He
probably used the Laocoon as the model for his
famous sculpture of Moses. (fig. 9)
Michelangelo (fig. 11) was not only a painter and
sculptor of great talent, he also served as the
architect of the Dome for St. Peter's Basilica (fig.
10) in Rome, which claims to be the largest
church building on earth.
(7) Renaissance artists became as famous as
figure 6. Sandro Botticelli's "Primavera"
their works
Medieval artists were considered to be simple
craftsmen. That's why the names of many of
them are lost. However, many Renaissance
artists became celebrities in their lifetimes. They
enjoyed the special perks of their celebrity status.
Most art historians consider the two most famous
artists of the Renaissance to be Michelangelo and
Leonardo da Vinci. These men knew each other
and there was even a sense of competition and
jealousy among them. In their lifetime, they
became more notable than their art.
Leonardo Da Vinci's self-portrait (fig. 12) is
almost as famous as his masterpieces.
figure 7. Paolo Veronese's "Supper at Emmaus"
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figure 8. Laocoon and His
Sons circa First Century
figure 9. "Moses" by
Michelangelo
figure 10. St. Peter's Basilica
figure 11. Michelangelo
Buonarroti
figure 12. Leonardo da Vinci,
self-portrait