Renaissance Art Notes
Renaissance characteristics
• Secularism
• Humanism
• Dealing with non-religious subject
• Studying topics related to humans,
matter.
their accomplishments, and their
potential.
• The philosophy, literature, and art
of the Renaissance began to
• Among the most important topics
include non-religious themes.
in this return to classical education
were history, literature, and
• Shakespeare, for example, wrote
philosophy. All of these are very
plays that investigated very human
“human” topics.
topics like jealousy, love, revenge,
and political power.
• Together, we refer to these topics
today as the “humanities.”
RENAISSANCE CHARACTERISTICS
• Individualism
• Classicism
• Belief in the unique and valuable
• Having an interest in the art and
qualities of each person in
learning of the Greeks and
society.
Romans.
• This idea emphasized the worth
• Renaissance artists borrowed the
of all people and celebrated the
Greek and Roman styles of
things that made them different
sculpture and architecture.
from others, including their
People also began studying longphysical appearance,
forgotten books written during
personalities, talents, and skills
the classical age.
• This borrowing from the past
helped shape the Renaissance
view of what was important
The heart of the Italian Renaissance was
humanism.
• Although most Renaissance humanists were devoutly
religious, they focused on worldly issues
rather than religion.
• They believed education should stimulate creativity.
• They emphasized study of the humanities, such as
grammar, rhetoric, poetry, and history.
Humanists studied the works of Greece and
Rome to learn about their own culture.
Artists continued
to portray
religious themes,
but they did so
against classic
Greek and Roman
backgrounds.
• Donatello
created a life-size
soldier on horseback, the first
sculpture of this size since
ancient times.
• In
The School of Athens,
Raphael painted a gathering
of Greek and Roman scholars
that included the faces of
Michelangelo, Leonardo, and
himself.
How was Art and Science in the Renaissance
different from the Middle Ages?
• Middle Ages: Art and learning focused on the church and
religion
• Renaissance: People became less interested in thinking
about God, heaven and the saints, and more interested in
thinking about themselves, their surroundings and their
everyday lives.
Humanism can be seen in paintings created by Renaissance artists.
We will be learning how to tell the difference between paintings from
the Renaissance and earlier works of art, just by looking for evidence
in the paintings themselves.
Works of art created in the Renaissance are primary sources of
information about how people lived in Renaissance Europe. We will
be looking for specific clues to make judgments about whether a
painting is a Renaissance painting or not.
Jacopa di Cione, Madonna and Child in Glory
1360-1365, Tempera and gold on panel
This a very early example of Renaissance
painting, containing many of the
characteristics of paintings from the Middle
Ages.
Halos- shows that they are residents of
heaven.
Hieratic scale- making the most important
figures in a work of art larger than less
important figures.
Franconian School, Miraculous Mass of St. Martin of Tours
About 1440, Tempera and gold on canvas on panel
Compare the background of this painting with the one
we just looked at.
In the Middle Ages, it was common for artists to use gold
backgrounds to symbolize the holy atmosphere of
heaven.
Renaissance artists were less interested in heaven and
much more interested in what the world around them
looked like.
Does St. Martin of Tours wear a halo?
Does this artist use hieratic scale? Where? Why?
Where are the figures in this painting?
Do their surroundings look true to life? Why or why not?
Guiliano Bugiardini. Madonna and Child with St. John
1523-1525, Oil on panel
Do these figures wear halos?
How do they differ from the halos in the first painting?
What is the landscape around these figures like? Is it
heavenly or earthly?
Landscape- as Renaissance interests changed from
studying religion to studying natural sciences and
human nature, the paintings created during the
Renaissance changed too.
In this painting, the holy family of the Madonna and
baby Jesus with St. John live in the same world as
ordinary people.
Oil paint- invented during the
Renaissance.
Oil paint allowed artists to build up layers
of paint that light could shine through,
and allowed artists to represent light in a
more believable way.
How do the paintings differ in how the
artist painted faces, folds of cloth, and
hair?
Giovanni Agostino da Lodi, Adoration of the Shepherds
1510
This painting was created a little later than the
others. It shows the holy family of Mary,
Joseph and baby Jesus, with shepherds on
each side of the painting and an angel playing
a lute at the center.
Did this artist use hieratic scale? Why or why
not?
Can you see any halos?
Do you think this painting is made with
tempera paint or oil paint? How can you tell?
Look at the buildings in the
background very carefully. Do
they look true to life? Why or
why not?
Perspective- mathematical
formulas that allowed artists to
represent space in paintings in a
very believable way were
invented during the
Renaissance.
The Kress Monnogrammist, The Adoration of the Magi.
About 1550/1560, Oil on oak panel
Compare the perspective in this
painting with the perspective
from the second painting.
Which looks more true to life?
Why?
Can you find any halos in
the Adoration of the
Magi painting?
Is there any hieratic scale at work?
Where is there landscape in this
painting?
Did the artist use oil paint or
tempera?
Can you tell which figures are
ordinary people in this painting
and which are saints?
Renaissance artists represented the interests in the culture they worked in and the saints, heaven and the church
began to be a part of everyday life, quite literally as this painting shows.
This painting was made later in the
Renaissance than any of the others we
have seen.
While religious subjects remained
popular during the Renaissance, for the
first time in art history ordinary people
also became worthy subjects for works of
art.
Annibale Carracci, The Bean Eater
1582-1583, Oil on canvas
Can you tell if the man in the painting is a
saint?
Is this painting an oil painting? How can
you tell?
The revival of trade in Europe helped bring an end to the Middle
Ages & gave rise to the Renaissance
The rise of cities brought
artists together which led
to new techniques &
styles of art
Increased trade gave rise to
Italian city-states &
a wealthy middle class
of bankers & merchants
Wealthy bankers & merchants
wanted to show off their new
status by commissioning art
The most important Italian city-state was Florence;
In this wealthy trade city, the Renaissance began
The Medici used their
wealth to commission
art for themselves &
to beautify Florence
Florence was home to
the Medici family, the
wealthiest & most
powerful bankers in
Europe
The Medici family of merchants and bankers controlled
Florence after 1434.
• Lorenzo de' Medici invited poets, philosophers,
and artists to the city.
• Florence became a leader, with numerous gifted
artists, poets, architects, and scientists.
Ordinary people began to appreciate art
outside of the Church.
Renaissance
artists
used new
techniques,
leading to
greater
realism.
They returned
from the
stylized
forms of the
medieval
period to the
realism of
classic Greece
and Rome.
They
used new
techniques
to represent
both humans
and
landscapes.
Perspective allowed
for more realistic art.
Distant objects
appeared smaller.
One new technique was
perspective, credited to
Filippo Brunelleschi.
Artists also used new oil paints that reflected light, and used
shading techniques to make objects look more real.
• Objects were portrayed in a three-dimensional fashion.
• Painters studied human anatomy and drew from observing
models, resulting in more accuracy.
Leonardo da Vinci was an artist and
inventor.
He studied botany, optics, anatomy,
architecture, and engineering.
The mysterious smile of
the woman in his painting
Mona Lisa has intrigued
viewers for centuries.
His sketchbooks are full of
ideas for inventions, such
as flying machines and
submarines.
Michelangelo Buonarroti was a
sculptor, engineer, painter,
architect, and poet.
• He is best known for
sculptures such as David and
for painting the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel.
• He also designed the dome
for St. Peter’s Cathedral in
Rome.
Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince was a guide for
rulers to gain and maintain power.
• Rather than discuss high ideals, he stressed that the
ends justify the means.
• The term Machiavellian has come to refer to the use
of deceit in politics.
• Critics saw Machiavelli as cynical, but others said he
was simply providing a realistic look at politics.
Writing Practice- 1 paragraph
Which piece of art from the gallery walk is the most clear
example of Renaissance art?