Characteristics of Renaissance Art - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The majority of the high Renaissance period artists grew up during the early Renaissance learning the latest developments in art. They were supported financially by wealthy patrons for them to travel around Italy searching for commissions for their masterpieces.
Characteristics of Renaissance Art
The Renaissance cultural movement started in Italy and later spread to the rest of Europe in the late 16th century. It had a great influence on art, literature, religion, philosophy, and science. The major characteristic of the artists in this period is that they searched for human emotion and realism in art through the use of the human method (Edgerton 150).

(Painting of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci)

Renaissance Art was different from medieval art which was formulaic and abstract. This art was mainly concerned with communicating human emotions and observing the natural world. The artists of this period had several technical skills that allowed them to produce magnificent pieces of work with ease. They used shading to enhance the naturalness of a painting to make it more realistic. Figures were also adjusted to give the viewers a better view through rationalization.

Influential Figures
The most influential figure of this period was Leonardo da Vinci as he produced the most outstanding pieces of work. He was very multi-skilled and diverse in the manner in which he handled his pieces of work. This is why he is still regarded as one of the best painters of all time. Using his talent as a painter and sculptor, he was able to come up with magnificent pieces of artwork. He had a lot of interest in science and produced pieces of unprecedented work during his time. He sold a lyre that he had fashioned to Lorenzo de Medici that was in the shape of the skull of a horse. It was supposed to be sent to Ludovico Sforza of Milan (Worldly Goods 564). Instead of giving the piece of artwork to Lorenzo de Medici to deliver it, he decided to do it by himself. He was then persuaded to remain in Milan by his host and this is where he painted the famous mural The Last Supper on the wall of the monastery.

(Painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci)

His work of Raphael was preferred by Pope Leo X and earned him the position of court painter in France. His greatest piece of work was the painting of the Mona Lisa, which remains outstanding up to date.

Michaelangelo Buonarroti at the age of 23 carved the pieta which brought him to fame instantly. This was first followed by the sculptor of King David who was equally a success. This made him become the symbol of all the prospering artists in Florence. His ceiling paintings also remain to be one of the greatest undertakings of all time. Raphael was the leading painter of the Renaissance period and is credited with painting The School of Athens which depicted an imaginary meeting of all the famous philosophers. This piece of work earned him the chance to paint for papal commissions which he did for the rest of his life (Guido 360). The last of the greatest artists of the Renaissance period was Titian who distinguished himself from the other artists through the use of new techniques that imbued the bright colors with greater depth and subtlety.

Conclusion
The artists of the high Renaissance period picked their commissions and didn’t have to wander from one city to the other in search of commissions like their predecessors. Their work was more refined and was highly demanded thus earning them many contracts. They changed the order of things as they shifted away from traditional art and came up with their philosophy on how things should be done. Their paintings remain significant and up to date owing to their unique nature and stylistic devices employed. They gave art a whole different humanistic approach that completely changed how artists carried out their business. ...Download file to see next pages Read More