... ... middle of paper ... ...litical scientist" (Rhu 326). The Renaissance is perceived as a time of intellectual and creative growth, and, indeed, the arts and architectural accomplishments of the era bear out this perception. The two centuries denoted as the Renaissance in Italy are also known as a period of growth in the sciences, with such known personages as Leonardo de Vinci making strides into mathematics, anatomy and other sciences that would open the door for the empirical investigations of later centuries. The greatest of the Italian Renaissance writers, Niccolo Machiavelli, mirrors one of the least known attributes of the time, the social relegation of females. Although it is a time where the role of women is enlarged to some degree, it continues to place strictures on the place and meaning of women that were forged in the writings of the ancient Greeks, such as Aristotle.
"The Renaissance was a rebirth that led to new ways of thinking in the sciences, philosophy, and architecture, as well as painting and sculpture" (Spence 6). This period of European history, beginning in the fourteenth-century, saw a renewed interest in the arts. It has been characterized by many as the birth of modern humanity and consciousness after a long period of decay, the Middle Ages. Until the revolutionary thinkers of the Renaissance, much of Europe was dormant and stagnant, immersed in the "Dark Ages" where the Christian God was viewed as a punishing and distant force. During the Middle Ages, Christian historians broke history into three divisions: the creation, the incarnation of Jesus Christ and the anticipated last judgement.
Michelangelo’s early sculptures expose a spectacular technical ability to bend the rules of anatomy and proportion in the service of greater power. “The Pietà” and ‘the David” shows Michelangelo’s technical abilities. Michelangelo was considered a sculptor but his best-known work is the giant ceiling fresco of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Rome. This work is an integrated composition that connects traditional Christian theology with Neoplatonic beliefs. In Perspective Renaissance authors stated that “Incandescent work created by Raphael with unequalled grace and composure was introduced during the Renaissance.
“In barely twenty-five years, from shortly before 1500 to about 1520, some of the most celebrated works of Western art were produced" (Getlin 372). Two well-known artists were from this period; Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Leonardo is often known as a “Renaissance man” as he was good at many things. Study of Human Proportions is a well-known investigation of his, in which he related the human body to a square and circle to establish ideal proportions of the body. (Getlin 372) In Living With Art it states “Leonardo’s interest in mathematics is also evident from his careful rendering of perspective.” Michelangelo first had a reputation of being a sculptor.
The reason for this piece is to attempt a comparison between two architectural examples that employ classical design from different stylistic eras of architectural history. The two styles I've chosen to discuss are the Renaissance and Baroque periods. An understanding of classical architecture needs to be made, as it is the fundamental style of any period that developed architecturally “Classical” is not necessarily a style of Architecture; however modern dialect people often believe it to be. Classical is rather a way of designing that would reflect balance, harmony and symmetry. Scale, mass and proportion are also key elements of classical design.
For the thinkers and also scholars of that age it was a time for the revival of classical learning and wisdom following an extended period of cultural decline and also inactivity. By the 16th century, already having been spread to the rest of Europe, the Renaissance had already touched and changed the themes of literature, philosophy, art, music, politics, science, religion, and also other themes to do with the human’s inquiry. Scholars from this ... ... middle of paper ... ...of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Renaissance (European History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
All of which were competing for civic pride, trade and wealth. Politically, Italy was differe... ... middle of paper ... ... human potential, art, and society changed for the better. Almost simultaneously, a huge social and political change erupted in northern Europe, with the Protestant Reformation. Peasants revolted, the Catholic Church was questioned, and the power of the Holy Roman Empire was greatly weakened. With the growth of intellect and an interest in furthering human potential came the Age of Exploration.
The word Renaissance in French implies the notion of “rebirth” or “reformation “ This period within the context of history was characterized as the period of European Civilization immediately following the era of the middle ages. This period mostly relates to a large extent, the growth and propagative phenomena of artistic and intellectual erudition, presently used by artistic scholars and philosophers decipher and recover ancient learning as well as standards of Greece and Rome. The Renaissance era to many transcended beyond a period of simply intellectual movement, it was to them equally a period of cultural rediscovery which imparted some sort of deeper understanding making it one of the most significant eras in universal history. Believed to have been restricted to Italy, the Renaissance era occurred during the late 15th century, this great movement made an advanced and significant difference in the world we have come to know today as well as the world of the past. The Renaissance era is significant not just simply because it is one of the world’s most known events, but because it is a movement that has benefited and contributed intellectual developments to today’s notion of western civilization.
The Gothic Art movement was not just a style of art but an extremely influential period containing its own complex history. The term is used to describe buildings and objects whose forms are based upon a range of characteristics from the middle of the 12th to the end of the 15th century. Gothic style was a development of the Romanesque yet it was Renaissance humanists who first used it as a disparaging term to describe what they saw as the barbaric architecture. With Gothic art being viewed through so many different perspectives it is deemed quite difficult to appropriately define what Gothic means in postmodern society today. It provided a new focus for the representation of nature and one major area within Gothic Art that distinguishes it from the ordinary is the symbolic elements used to create the art and in particular their infamous architecture.
The change between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is best shown through the art and architecture, demonstrated specifically through an emphasis on religion and classical antiquity, both suggesting a clear cultural change. The culture of both of these eras was greatly shaped by the studies of humanism and theology. The transformation of cultural studies from theology to philology greatly impacted art and is shown through many paintings from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, there was a big focus change from religious figures to the human life (Class Notes). This is shown through many paintings, like the Crucifixion of St Peter by Michelangelo.