Introduction to Renaissance
Mankind since the beginning has displayed an aptitude for art and culture. Since the days of the cave man till the 21st century; art and culture has served man as a vast river of creativity to exercise his talent in a give and take relationship. At the closing of the medieval Era or middle ages in most parts of the world, there existed acknowledged forms of art, architecture, literature, languages, economics etc. Yet a sudden change came up at the dawn of the 14th century in Europe, it served as a new ray of light! a distinct source of inspiration for mankind, revolutionizing major previous trends of arts and culture. This period extended till the 16th century and is broadly acknowledged as the Period of Renaissance today. The world prior to renaissance was driven with the philosophy of after life, yet in renaissance period new artists and intellectuals focused at present and presented an idea of a more secular world, this resulted in promotion of beauty, emotion, and linkage of sense of passion with artistic expression in all major art forms.
Major variations in the Renaissance era affected the following purpose of art, politics, society, religion and education. However with respect to arts in particular it brought about the following new innovations:-
- Artists started becoming more realistic in their creations by studying into human anatomy, geometry and precision measurements. As a result human body sculpturing was done with both precision and expressional intend both physical and emotional.
- A revolutionary concept of three dimensional perspective of painting was introduced.
- The theme of new work was more secular based, and focused on the glory of individuals and their achievements.
- The classic work of Greek/Roman origin was more replicated and promoted in comparison of the previous medieval era work.
- A distinct feature of the renaissance era was the use of oil-based paints, mixing powdered pigments with linseed oil. Owing to the better understanding of the drying nature of the substance medium the artists were able to edit and reshape their work for several months even.
- Artists rendered more attention to scenic perspective, light variation and accuracy of the drawing architecture that was possible by better understanding of the scientific phenomena behind these metaphors.
When we go over a classic chronological of the Renaissance two works of art stand out with respect to their fame and level of excellence. These were:
- Making of Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci (1503 to 1506)
- Painting of the Ceiling of Sistine Chapel by Michael Angelo
Both of these individuals have their roots linked with Florence the centre hub of rising of the renaissance. They along with other well famed works of art like Giotto, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, El Greco, Albrecht Durer, Frans Hals, Rembrandt and Raphael simply revolutionized the focal view of art and culture for times to come.
A major contribution of the renaissance era that needs to be acknowledged is that the gap between experts of arts like poets, painters, sculpture and scientists and mathematicians started reducing, instead in the forms of Leonardo they went on to fuse together to bring up some widely praised masterpieces.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci stands up (1452 - 1519) among all the artists of the renaissance era for his perfection and diversity. He was n individual, who was acknowledged as a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, inventor, town planner, writer and a musician. An over view of his life and dedication for the quest of knowledge leads one to shun out the nag that arts and science cannot be in harmony. Yet his blend of engineering and scientific knowledge and its application in this work of paint and sculpturing greatly showed the undeniable link between them based on precision. The spectrum of Leonardo's work was elaborated by Leonardo himself in his famous statement ,"Among all the studies and reasoning, Light chiefly delights the beholder; and among the great features of mathematics the certainty of its demonstrations is what preeminently tends to elevate the mind of the investigator. Perspective therefore must be preferred to all the discourses and systems of human learning."
In the field of arts Leonardo introduced the following new perspectives:-
- The light seen is only reflected light.
- Shadows of an object are its contemporary colors.
- Why objects seem hazy at a distance and thus leading to creation of same effect in his work with glazes (sfumato)
- Introduction of Contra-posto technique in sculpturing. With the hips and legs turned in different direction with respect to the shoulder and the head. More or less twisting of a sculpture on its own vertical axis.
- Using vanishing point and perspective in paintings.
- Creation of a geometrical perspective in his painting, mostly of pyramid or triangular construction.
Following are some of the great works of Leonardo that stand up as a proof of his glory.
- Virgin of Rocks, Louvre (1505-1508).
- Painting of 'The Last Supper' (1498) -Convent of Sta. Maria delle Grazie, Milan Italy.
- Painting of 'Mona Lisa' or la Gioconda (1503-1505/07) Louvre, Paris France.
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564) was another master artist of the Renaissance Era. He was known as painter, sculptor, architect, poet and engineer. He also studied anatomy. His work in sculpture and drawings were considered almost unmatchable. His work of excellence comprises of the following creations:
- Several pieces of Medieval Tombs
- Making of Statue of Pieta, a depiction of the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother (1499)
- Making of Statue of David (1504)
- Work on the tomb of Juslius II and the Sistine Chapel (1508 to 1512)
- Making of Statue of Moses
- Designing of the architect of St. Peter's Basilica Rome. Italy.
The most distinct feature of Michal Angelo's sculptures was the imprint of his study of human anatomy. A close view of his sculpture shows the realism of the physical contours till the emotional glare on the face of his creations. Michal Angelo once said,' I saw an angel in the stone and carved until I set him free'. The greatest work of Michal Angelo was his painting of the Sistine Chapel. His paints Creation of Adam, Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, the Great Flood, the Prophet Isaiah and the Cumaean Sibyl show a very unique depiction of religion in the form of paintings yet they give a three dimension effect. Said work is unmatched with respect to its idea and perfection.
Conclusion
The Renaissance Era opened a door of revolution for mankind setting the human mind free, to unleash its potential beyond the contemporary boundaries of religion and bifurcation of disciplines like arts and science. People like Leonardo and Michael Angelo through their work proved to that blending both art and science together can bring us more close to perfection.
