Explorations in Art History: The Renaissance Period

Introduction

• Lecture by Arturo Pertore (Art)
• Focus on the Renaissance period
• Transition from medieval values to Renaissance Humanism

Medieval Period vs. Renaissance

• Medieval period rejected classical Greek and Roman thoughts
• Petrarch reconciled Christianity with classical thoughts leading to Renaissance (Rebirth)
• Emergence of Humanism: shift from God-centered to human-centered interests

Key Figures of the Renaissance

Brunelleschi

• A multifaceted renaissance man: goldsmith, architect, engineer, sculptor, mathematician
• Discovered linear perspective for creating 3D illusions in 2D art
• Famous for the dome of the Florence Cathedral, a marvel of construction without scaffolding or flying buttresses

Donatello

• Goldsmith turned sculptor, studied Roman styles
• Created the first freestanding bronze sculpture, "David"
• Applied classical techniques like contrapposto
• Innovated shallow relief sculpture using linear perspective

Leonardo da Vinci

• Embodied the ideal Renaissance man
• Talented in painting, sculpture, science, architecture, and engineering
• Famous works: "Mona Lisa", "The Last Supper"
• Notebooks filled with inventions (e.g., tank, flying machine)
• "The Last Supper" portrayed apostles as real people

Michelangelo

• Created "Pieta" and painted the Sistine Chapel under Pope Julius II
• Sistine Chapel paintings influential to other artists
• Known for classical beauty and naturalism

Raphael

• Influenced by Michelangelo, commissioned to paint in the Vatican
• Masterpiece "The School of Athens" illustrated humanism in the church
• Depicted intellectuals like Plato and Aristotle

The Northern Renaissance

• Renaissance ideas spread to Northern Europe
• Jan van Eyck pioneered oil-based painting techniques
• Albrecht Durer incorporated Italian and Northern ideas, excelled in printmaking

Mannerism

• Post-High Renaissance, artists sought new styles
• Mannerists like Tintoretto and Parmigianino created unbalanced compositions and stylized figures
• Used dramatic light and motion to convey tension

Broader Impacts of the Renaissance

• Period of discovery: New World, printing press, Protestant Reformation, scientific advances
• Lasting influence on Western art without modern technology, driven by ideas and beauty