Renaissance, the Paradise of Art

The Renaissance is one of the most important historical moments regarding the arts and consists of a movement that developed mainly in Italy between 1400 and 1500 and strongly characterized by the development of arts and culture by a generation of artists capable of creating timeless masterpieces and influencing all the other artists over the centuries.

The impact of the Renaissance, which occurred at the end of the Middle Ages and more generally of a tough period for the arts and humanism, was revolutionary and placed man at the center of the universe.

During the Renaissance, all the arts such as painting and sculpture were revolutionized, and the best museums in the world proudly display Renaissance oil paintings, sculptures, and drawings of all the best artists and sculptors of the period, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo or Caravaggio.

 

 

The Renaissance has its roots in Humanism, deepening some of its key themes, in particular, the rediscovery and enhancement of the Greek and Roman classics and the affirmation of man as the creator of his destiny ("Homo Faber ipsius fortunae" - "Man is the architect of his fate").

The same term "Renaissance" highlights the rebirth of the arts, literature, and philosophy after the "dark years" of the Middle Ages. But this is a modern definition that does not do justice to the precious legacy that the medieval world has left us.

In fact, the medieval world was not only a period of intense religious domination but also a profitable period for the arts and for the work of the scribes who allowed many classical works to reach the modern age.

 

The Paradise of Sculptures

During the Renaissance period, the statue became, as in Greek art, utterly independent from architecture, from which it is generally isolated through niches, cornices or pedestals.

The basic characters are:

- the observation of reality and the consequent naturalism;

- the interest in the man and therefore the study of the human figure; in particular the anatomy and the movements of the body are studied. One of the main anatomists of the Renaissance is Leonardo da Vinci.

The sculptors’ training takes place almost always in the goldsmiths' workshops where the young sculptors learn the basics of drawing, modeling, and processing different materials.

The most common subjects are the single human figure, a group, the bust-portrait; the equestrian monument; the portal with sacred scenes in low relief; the tomb with statues; the fountain from the square or the garden.

Among the principal sculptors of the Renaissance, we must mention Donato de 'Bardi, better known as Donatello (Florence, 1386 - 1466): his qualities allow him to have a role of exceptional importance in the history of Western art.

Michelangelo Merisi, known as Michelangelo, brought Renaissance sculpture to its maximum period of splendor with works such as "La Pietà" or "David" which remain works of incredible expressive power.

Despite the undoubted value of the Renaissance works related to sculpture, the other artists despised the sculptors, and Leonardo da Vinci wrote words of derision towards Michelangelo, comparing him to a baker and not to a real artist. Among the most famous works of the Renaissance we can not mention the "David" in the version of Donatello and Michelangelo and the "Moses" by Michelangelo, which was struck by the artist himself because it was too realistic.

The marble with which these sculptures were made comes from the famous marble quarries of Carrara, where the most prestigious marble in the world is extracted. Michelangelo went to the quarries to choose the marble block for each work and found the inspiration for the "Pietà" observing a girl who embraced the corpse of his father, who died in the quarry.

 

The Paradise of Decorative Arts

The decorative arts acquired an unprecedented emphasis in the Renaissance period. Goldsmithing, majolica, glass making and metal working, the glyptic and textile art have their developments but collaborate with each other and with the primary arts, in mutual exchange. Although the sixteenth century is the century during which a discriminating will of the work of art makes its way, the decorative arts are loved, collected and promote the universalization of modern taste in Europe.

In the sixteenth-century artistic panorama, decorative arts play a significant role.

Thanks to their rapid circulation they become decisive in the diffusion of modern taste in Europe. The role of religious and secular clients is fundamental, for which objects of everyday use and luxury objects are produced, which enrich the treasures of many churches and become an integral part of the apparatus in the princely court. New objects are invented to be inserted among the furnishings, new forms are developed, and production techniques are perfected. The relevant is the phenomenon of collecting, which not only leads to the collection of precious antique pieces, but also to the promotion of new manufactures.

In 1514, Raffaello designed cartoons for the ten tapestries for the Sistine Chapel and, in Florence, Pontormo, Bachiacca, Salviati, and Vasari prepare those for the renovated rooms of Palazzo Vecchio, commissioned by Cosimo I de 'Medici.

In 1526, Lorenzo Lotto supplied cartoons for the inlays of the choir stalls of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo, then performed by Giovan Battista Capoferri. There are numerous studies for silverware and furnishings prepared by Giulio Romano for Federico II Gonzaga, and drawings for goldsmiths and jewelers signed by Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein.

Glassmaking mainly developed in Murano, in the Veneto region, another decorative art during the Renaissance period.

 

The Paradise of Paintings

One of the most common techniques of Renaissance art is undoubtedly oil painting. Among the advantages of this technique, there is indeed the possibility of correcting errors and making changes both during the writing of the work, and subsequently: the color tends to dry slowly, so you can work calmly and long on colors without fear that they dry out too soon.

Oil colors are usually more stable than others, that is they do not change over time and with the oil, it is possible to create works of significant effect due to the extreme brightness of colors. The oil color consists of a pigment powder mixed with vegetable oils based on flax or poppy or walnut seeds. The colors are sold in tubes on which the degree of transparency (covering, semi-opaque, semi-transparent) and harmfulness are indicated. The shades on the market are about 90, but to start painting in oil do not need more than a dozen colors in addition to black and the essential white that is used by mixing it with all other colors.

To paint in oil are mainly used the brushes, the stiff-haired brush, consisting of pig bristles, and the soft-haired brush, obtained from marten or synthetic fibers. Another common tools are the spatulas, which can be "knife-like", essential for mixing the paint or scraping it away, or the trowel with which the painting is applied directly on the support.

The principal Artist of the Renaissance is without a doubt Leonardo da Vinci. His oil paintings are masterpieces for technique, significance, and innovation. Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous oil painting in the world, is exhibited at the Louvre and is a portrait of a woman, Lisa del Giocondo, although some critics claim that it is a self-portrait of Leonardo disguised as a woman or a young man assistant. Her enigmatic smile has entered history.

 

 

Among all the artists who gave us the Renaissance, Raphael Sanzio, the genius of Urbino is undoubtedly one of those that meet the favor of the general public. His paintings are beautiful especially the many sweet and lovely Madonnas hosted in museums all over the world.

In part it is because all the genes with a short life. Raphael died at only 37 years - soon enter the myth, becoming icons of their art. But there is something mysterious about Raphael, and that perhaps makes it even more intriguing: his works are so serene and complete, lacking leonardesque ambiguity and Michelangelo's drama, that they appear almost unassailable and divine.

One of his most famous oi paintings is Marriage of the Virgin created in 1504, and that amazes for its harmonies between space, figures, and architecture: everything is already perfectly serene, balanced, in the sign of what will be the whole production of the artist.

Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, Last Judgment by Michelangelo, Assumption of the Virgin by Titian and The Birth of Venus by Botticelli must also be mentioned.