Artwork changed as time progressed through the Middle Ages and beyond. Historically, Europe suffered from the damage left by the Dark Ages. Those who survived wanted to live life in a new way. As a result, the church was questioned. To prevent a religious revolt, the church taught the restless citizens that if they endured suffering, they would receive a heavenly reward in return. As more individuals became educated, many medieval values were rejected, including the traditional styles of art. With this, a new period was born. This period was known as the Renaissance, meaning rebirth. An artist named Giotto di Bondone helped to pave the way for the new era of the Middle Ages. He introduced new ways to paint realistically. New art styles commenced and a booming increase in new colors took place. Perspective was starting to become a crucial part of the art created. A piece of artwork from the early Renaissance uses perspective to establish an emotional story with the viewer. This is Holy Trinity by the artist Masaccio. This painting provides perspective stretching from the stone slab in the forefront of the piece. When Masaccio sketched the lines required to portray perspective, he inserted a nail in the bottom half of the cross and attached strings radiating from it. The panels on the ceiling appear to recede from the distance. At the low viewpoint that Masaccio placed the viewer at one can see the vanishing point on the ledge that the donors kneel upon. The viewer also appears to be looking up at Christ, which altered the traditional aspects of art.
The Renaissance was a period of history from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. Due to its high population and wealth, the Italian city of Florence became the birthplace of this movement. It was created in response to the rise in appreciation for the classical past. This can be seen in architecture created during this time. Society took inspiration from the ancient areas of the world, such as Greece and Rome. In addition to searching for pleasure, Renaissance popes helped brighten the Italian cities by becoming patrons and spending large amounts of money on the arts. This included religious art for the church. Other wealthy figures also commissioned artists to paint self-portraits. The powerful Medici family supported the arts financially. Many of the family member’s portraits can be viewed today. One of the most famous instances of commissioning was when Pope Julius II chose Michelangelo Buonarroti to paint the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
Unlike the Middle Ages, art created during the Renaissance focused on humanism, concentrating on human achievement and potential. The humanities were studied and pondered. Humanists influenced numerous artists to carry on the classical traditions from the past through art. Renaissance art began to focus on individuals rather than groups and worldly changes. Religion was still a theme in artwork. Paintings and sculptures were the most customary forms of art. Frescoes, which are oil or tempera paintings on wet plaster, were a common technique when painting. Many paintings used this, including The School of Athens by Raphael. Countless paintings were also created on wood using variations of paint.
Vellum and parchment, which consisted of animal skin, were paper-like surfaces used within the Middle Ages. Paper made of new materials was beginning to be used to design and plan for finalized works of art. Artists explored new ideas and studied the world with sketches. A prominent example of paper being used is a drawing by Giovan Rustici titled Woman Standing with Child in her Arms (front) and Man Begging (reverse), which details Rustici’s artistic plans.
Altarpieces were another common art form, particularly found in church altars, depicting religious scenes or individuals. The type of altarpiece was determined by the number of panels. An altarpiece’s structure can be seen in The Demidoff Altarpiece by Carlo Crivelli. Renaissance art became three-dimensional and held stronger messages. The backgrounds behind medieval pieces were plain, while the backgrounds of Renaissance artworks were detailed with realistic environments. Frames around art differed between the periods. In Medieval art, frames weren’t as prominent as they were in the Renaissance. In the event a piece of artwork did have a frame, artists would use different wood like poplar. Madonna and Child by Duccio di Buoninsegna is an example where poplar was used to create framing. In the Renaissance, other wood, such as basswood, was used because of its ability to be carved and detailed. Walnut was also utilized, but it was expensive and rare. Cassettas, or box frames, were extremely popular. In cassettas, some artists used colorful panels, while others used plain colored wood. As opposed to Buoninsegna’s frame, Giovanni Bellini’s Madonna and Child uses a cassetta with blue painted panels. Artists also used additional materials to construct frames.
There were also contradicting themes in the artwork from both periods when compared. Medieval art held heavenly themes, whereas the Renaissance held earthly themes. After the Middle Ages, artists had ownership rights to their work because they signed it. Medieval artwork held stoic expressions, whereas Renaissance art held more emotion than ever before. During the Renaissance, art studied the human physique. The influence of this focus derived from Roman and Greek art, which was focused on the body and nature. Therefore, an abundance of the artwork created during this time appeared nude. Artists believed the best way to learn about the human body was through the dissection of cadavers. Da Vinci and Buonarroti were among the most famous. Using cadavers was thought to make the artists’ works more naturalistic.
When comparing Medieval and Renaissance art, similar pieces, and their techniques must be analyzed. Two paintings establishing this are Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci and Annunciation (With St. Margaret and St. Ansanus) by Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi. Angels were a common theme in the Middle Ages and continued to grow in the
Renaissance. The Annunciation shows the moment when the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that she will bear God’s son. Painted one hundred thirty-nine years apart, both pieces express the same message. Da Vinci created his masterpiece in 1472. Above the mountains, he included perspective and a vanishing center point. He emphasized the figures in his artwork to draw attention to detail and to show weight. He did this to both Gabriel’s and Mary’s elbows. Da Vinci added many details, including Gabriel’s shadow. He also added lightly browned and green trees paired with bladed three-dimensional grass. Martini and Memmi’s piece was created in 1333. It is a segment of a larger altarpiece. They didn’t add background detail, but rather a gold gilt. There are no vanishing points or shadows present, but there are details. Both saints’ clothing appears ruffled, and Gabriel’s wings are pointed up and spread. His clothing looks rippled by one last wind gust. This gives the impression that he recently flew in. The piece is placed in a flat perspective and there is little weight present in the bodies. This gives the appearance that the figures are floating because there is no anchor. Overall, Martini and Memmi’s piece expresses the ways that artists of the Middle Ages created artwork, while Da Vinci provides an insight into how the Renaissance built off the artistic abilities of the past’s great artists.
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