“Renaissance art is marked by a

gradual shift from the abstract

forms of the medieval period to
the representational forms of the
15th century”

Renaissance Art
Dr. Bootheina Majoul
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Renaissance art
Renaissance art, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and literature produced during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries in Europe
under the combined influences of an increased awareness of nature, a revival of classical learning, and a more individualistic view
of man

High Renaissance art, which flourished for about 35 years, from the early 1490s to 1527, when Rome was sacked by imperial
troops, revolves around three towering figures: Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Michelangelo (1475–1564), and Raphael (1483–
1520). Each of the three embodies an important aspect of the period: Leonardo was the ultimate Renaissance man, a solitary genius
to whom no branch of study was foreign; Michelangelo emanated creative power, conceiving vast projects that drew for inspiration
on the human body as the ultimate vehicle for emotional expression; Raphael created works that perfectly expressed the classical
spirit—harmonious, beautiful, and serene

What are the characteristics of Renaissance art, and how does it differ from the art of the Middle Ages?
® Renaissance art is marked by a gradual shift from the abstract forms of the medieval period to the representational forms
of the 15th century. Subjects grew from mostly biblical scenes to include portraits, episodes from Classical religion, and
events from contemporary life. Human figures are often rendered in dynamic poses, showing expression, using gesture,
and interacting with one another. They are not flat but suggest mass, and they often occupy a realistic landscape, rather
than stand against a gold background as some figures do in the art of the Middle Ages. Renaissance art from Northern
Europe emphasized precise detail as a means of achieving a realistic work.
When and where did Renaissance art start and end?
® Characteristics of Renaissance art, notably naturalism, can be found in 13th-century European art but did not dominate
until the 15th century. Scholars have traditionally described the turn of the 16th century as the culmination of the
Renaissance, when, primarily in Italy, such artists as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael made not only realistic
but complex art. About 1520 the Renaissance gave way to Mannerism, wherein a sense of drama pervaded otherwise
realistic art.
How did humanism and religion affect Renaissance art?
® Interest in humanism, a philosophy that emphasized the individual and the human capacity for fulfillment through reason,
transformed the Renaissance artist from an anonymous craftsman to an individual practicing an intellectual pursuit. Artists
introduced new subjects to their work, which reflected the growing emphasis on the individual, including portraits, scenes
of contemporary life, and historical narratives. Although Renaissance culture was becoming increasingly secular, religion
was still important to daily life, especially in Italy, where the seat of Catholicism was located. A good portion of
Renaissance art depicted scenes from the Bible or was commissioned by the church. Emphasis on naturalism, however,
placed such figures as Christ and the Madonna not on a magnificent gold background, as in the Middle Ages, but in
landscapes from the observable world.
What made Renaissance art revolutionary?
® The developments of the Renaissance period changed the course of art in ways that continue to resonate. Interest in
humanism transformed the artist from an anonymous craftsman to an individual practicing an intellectual pursuit, enabling
several to become the first celebrity artists. A growing mercantile class offered artists new patrons that requested novel
subjects, notably portraits and scenes from contemporary life. Moreover, scientific observations and Classical studies
contributed to some of the most realistic representations of the human figure in art history. Figures have accurate anatomy,
stand naturally through the Classical scheme of contrapposto, and have a sense of mass, an accomplishment made easier
by the flexibility of oil paint, a medium that was gaining popularity. They also occupy believable space—an achievement
based on the development of linear perspective and atmospheric perspective, illusionistic devices to suggest depth on a
two-dimensional surface.
What are some famous Renaissance artworks?
® Two of the most famous artworks in history were painted during the Renaissance: the Mona Lisa (c. 1503–19) and the Last
Supper (c. 1495–98), both executed by Leonardo da Vinci, which show an interest not only in representing the human
figure realistically but also in imbuing it with character through expression, gesture, and posture. Other famous artworks

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 include Michelangelo’s sculpture of David (1501–04) and his paintings for the Sistine Chapel (ceiling, 1508–12; Last
Judgment, 1536–41), in which the artist pushed the accurate representation of human anatomy to challenging extremes
with complicated elegant poses. Raphael’s School of Athens (c. 1508–11) celebrates the intellectual by populating a deep
hall, skillfully executed using the recently codified linear perspective, with notable Western thinkers. Donatello’s David
(early 15th century) recalls Classical sculpture through the use of contrapposto, wherein the figure stands naturally with
the weight on one leg. Albrecht Dürer exemplifies the Northern European interest in meticulous detail in his Self-Portrait
(1500), while Titian’s Venus of Urbino (1538) illustrates the Venetian interest in representing soft light and vibrant colour.

Leonardo Da Vinci
Although Leonardo was recognized in his own time as a great artist, his restless researches into anatomy, the nature of flight, and
the structure of plant and animal life left him little time to paint. His fame rests mainly on a few completed paintings; among them
are the Mona Lisa (1503–05, Louvre), The Virgin of the Rocks (1483–86, Louvre), and the sadly deteriorated fresco The Last
Supper (1495–98; restored 1978–99; Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan).

Michelangelo
Michelangelo’s early sculpture, such as the Pietà (1499; St. Peter’s, Rome) and the David (1501–04; Accademia, Florence), reveals
a breathtaking technical ability in concert with a disposition to bend rules of anatomy and proportion in the service of greater
expressive power. Although Michelangelo thought of himself first as a sculptor, his best known work is the giant ceiling fresco of
the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Rome. It was completed in four years, from 1508 to 1512, and presents an incredibly complex but
philosophically unified composition that fuses traditional Christian theology with Neoplatonic thought.

Selected Works by Early/High Renaissance Artists (1400-1550)

Ghiberti’s Doors

The doors consist of 10 richly decorated, sculptural panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament, including God’s creation of
Adam and Eve, Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac, and Moses on the mountain, receiving God’s commandments. Surrounding the
panels is an intricate, gilt framework of foliage and fruit that contains many statuettes of prophets and 24 busts. Ghiberti’s original
doors can be found inside the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore.2

Filippo Brunelleschi’s Architecture

Sacrifice of Isaac, gilded bronze door panels, 1401

Known as the father of Renaissance architecture, Filippo Brunelleschi is responsible for the magnificent of Florence. He is most
famous for his construction of Florence’s impressive Duomo. Brunelleschi’s seminal work led to the revival of Classical principles
in architecture, and helped to re-shape the changing landscape of Renaissance Europe.3

2
Retrieved from : https://nelson-atkins.org/gates-of-paradise/
3
Retrieved from : https://www.thecollector.com/filippo-brunelleschi-the-father-of-renaissance-architecture/
Donatello’s Sculptures

One of his earliest relief works, the Feast of Herod was produced in 1423-1427
and is a bronze relief sculpture. The sculpture depicts an image of an executioner
presenting the head of John the Baptist after Salome asked the king for his head
on a plate as a marriage gift.

Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, better known as Donatello, was primarily a sculptor and much of his works departed from the
Gothic art styles, known for curved lines and lack of expressions on faces prevalent during his day and age. His works moved more
towards and focused more on the Classical art style, marked by obvious expressions and realism.

Sandro Botticelli’s Paintings5

Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi is one of the greatest painters of the Florentine Renaissance. His The Birth of Venus (c. 1484–1486)
and Primavera (late 1470s or early 1480s/ "one of the most written about, and most controversial paintings in the world", and also
"one of the most popular paintings in Western art") are often said to epitomize for modern viewers the spirit of the Renaissance.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Art6

The Last Supper (c. 1495 -1498). A tempera and oil mural on plaster; also
known as The Cenacle, this work measures about 15 by 29 feet and is the
artist’s only surviving fresco. It depicts the Passover dinner during which
Jesus Christ addresses the Apostles and says, “One of you shall betray
me.”

Mona Lisa (c.1503- 1506), the woman depicted—especially because

of her mysterious slight smile—has been the subject of speculation for
centuries. In the past she was often thought to be Mona Lisa Gherardini,
a courtesan, but current scholarship indicates that she was Lisa del
Giocondo, wife of Florentine merchant Francisco del Giocondo.
Today, the portrait—the only da Vinci portrait from this period that
survives—is housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, where it
attracts millions of visitors each year.
Leonardo was a painter, engineer, architect, inventor, and student of all things scientific. His natural genius crossed so many
disciplines that he epitomized the term “Renaissance man.” Today he remains best known for two of his paintings, "Mona Lisa" and
"The Last Supper." Largely self-educated, he filled dozens of secret notebooks with inventions, observations and theories about
pursuits from aeronautics to human anatomy. His combination of intellect and imagination allowed him to create, at least on paper,
such inventions as the bicycle, the helicopter and an airplane based on the physiology and flying ability of a bat.

Michelangelo’s Artworks

The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel Pietà (1498-99)

at the Vatican Museums, Rome.

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Find out more on Donetello’s works: https://www.theartist.me/art/10-most-famous-works-by-donatello/
5
Retrieved from : https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sandro-Botticelli
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Retrieved from : https://www.history.com/topics/renaissance/leonardo-da-vinci
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni is an Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet who exerted an
unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. He worked in marble sculpture all his life and in the other arts only during
certain periods. His artworks are characterized by psychological intensity and emotional realism

Raphael’s Paintings & Frescos7

Madonna and Child The School of Athens (1511) is one of four wall frescoes in the
with Saint John the Stanza della Segnatura. Each wall represents one of the four
Baptist or La Belle branches of knowledge during the Renaissance—theology,
Jardinière (1507) literature, justice, and philosophy.
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is a master painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance. Raphael is best known for his Madonnas
and for his large figure compositions in the Vatican. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its
visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur.

Selected Works by Venetian/Northern Renaissance Artists (1430-1550)

Bellini’s Paintings8

Sacred Allegory, 1485–1488, Giovanni Bellini.

Tempera (?) and oil on wood panel.
Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali /
Art Resource, NY

Giovanni Bellini is Italian painter who, in his work, reflected the increasing interest of the Venetian artistic milieu in the stylistic
innovations and concerns of the Renaissance. Although the paintings for the hall of the Great Council in Venice, considered his
greatest works, were destroyed by fire in 1577, a large number of altarpieces (such as that in the church of Saints Giovanni e Paolo
in Venice) and other extant works show a steady evolution from purely religious, narrative emphasis to a new naturalism of setting
and landscape.

Giorgione’s Paintings9

Landscape (detail), Giorgione, The

Tempest, c. 1505-1508, oil with traces
of tempera on canvas, 82 x 73 cm
(Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice)

Giorgio da Castelfranco, (born c. 1477/78, Castelfranco Veneto, Republic of Venice [Italy]—died before November 7, 1510,
Venice), extremely influential Italian painter who was one of the initiators of a High Renaissance style in Venetian art. His qualities
of mood and mystery were epitomized in The Tempest (c. 1505), an evocative pastoral scene, which was among the first of its genre
in Venetian painting.
Find out more about his paintings:
https://www.arthistoryproject.com/artists/giorgione/
https://smarthistory.org/giorgione-the-tempest/

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Retrieved from : https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raphael-Italian-painter-and-architect
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Retrieved from : https://www.getty.edu/visit/cal/events/ev_1887.html
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Retrieved from : https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giorgione
Titian’s Paintings10
The Rape of Europa is a magnificent example of the master's late "manner, loose in its
painterly fabric yet satisfyingly finished in appearance; the subtlety and audacity of its
suggestive brushwork offer a perfect correlative to the grave sensuality of its narration.
Foreground objects are rendered with a thick impasto, strokes varied according to their
different mimetic functions, while background forms, painted quite thinly, partake of the
very texture of the canvas weave, which helps create a veil of atmospheric distance. On one
level the picture is a demonstration of Titian's full painterly power, and yet art somehow
seems no longer to compete with art but rather to challenge nature herself, re-creating her
models and informing them with a superabundance of her own organic stuff and energy.

Tiziano Vecellio or Tiziano Vecelli was the greatest Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. In his portraits he searched
and penetrated human character and recorded it in canvases of pictorial brilliance. His religious compositions cover the full range
of emotion from the charm of his youthful Madonnas to the tragic depths of the late Crucifixion and the Entombment. In his
mythological pictures he captured the gaiety and abandon of the pagan world of antiquity, and in his paintings of the nude Venus
(Venus and Adonis) and the Danae (Danae with Nursemaid) he set a standard for physical beauty and often sumptuous eroticism
that has never been surpassed.
Find out more about his paintings:
https://www.titian.org/
Watch Titian Painting Collections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlI0ucXMjdk

Duer’s Prints11

Dürer felt it was important to produce artistic allegories for new conceptions of the human. For example, his famous series of prints, (1513), St.
Jerome in His Study (1514), and Melencolia I (1514), represent the three spheres of human activity: the active, contemplative, and intellectual.

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) was a German artist of the Renaissance period; a brilliant painter, draftsman, and writer. Three of his
most famous series of woodcuts on religious subjects: The Apocalypse (1498; 19.73.209, 18.65.8), the Large Woodcut Passion cycle
(ca. 1497–1500), and the Life of the Virgin (begun 1500).
Until the 1500s, the art of Renaissance Italy (focused on proportion, perspective and representations of 'man' in his environment)
had remained almost entirely independent from late medieval art in the north of Europe (focused on naturalistic studies). Dürer
combined these two modes of art making, and was the first non-Italian artist to apply contemporary philosophy, medical, and
theological ideas to his paintings.12

Bruegel’s Paintings13

Peasant Dance The Tower of Babel

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525-1569) the greatest Flemish painter of the 16th century, whose landscapes and vigorous, often
witty scenes of peasant life are particularly renowned. His works exhibit a striking affinity with Italian artists.

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Retrieved from : https://www.britannica.com/biography/Titian
11
Retrieved from : https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/durr/hd_durr.htm
12
Retrieved from : https://www.theartstory.org/artist/durer-albrecht/
13
Retrieved from : https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pieter-Bruegel-the-Elder
Bosch’s Artworks14

Bosch was one of the first artists to represent abstract

concepts in his work, often through the narrational device
of the triptych. Critics and historians have uncovered any
number of contemporary themes in his narratives -
ecological, social, political - but his most recognizable
works, including his greatest masterpiece, The Garden of
Earthly Delights (1490-1510), are most dense with
religious symbolism and the overarching theme of
mankind's timeless moral struggle between imprudence
and virtue

Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516) a Dutch painter and perhaps the most brilliantly original and morally complex of all northern
European religious painters, Bosch is most immediately associated with works with a disturbingly vivid, dream-like quality. The
nightmarish iconography in his paintings is instantly recognizable as "Boschian" and has become a staple of the genre of the
grotesque. But while his status as an iconoclast is beyond doubt, some historians have suggested that the artist was a deeply
conservative figure who, rather than being of distressed mind, proved equally capable of being subtle and complemented his
grotesque images with fine decorative and devotional pieces that embodied his strongly-held Christian principles.

Discover more:
https://www.artspace.com/magazine/interviews_features/lists/the-10-worst-ways-to-die-in-a-hieronymous-bosch-painting-53872
https://www.hieronymus-bosch.org/

Jan van Eyck’s Paintings15

The Arnolfini Portrait (1434) Portrait of a Man in Red Turban (1433)

Jan van Eyck (1395-1441) Netherlandish painter who perfected the newly developed technique of oil painting. His naturalistic panel
paintings, mostly portraits and religious subjects, made extensive use of disguised religious symbols. He is credited with originating
a style of painting characterised by minutely realistic depictions of surface effects and natural light.
Discover his paintings: https://www.articonog.com/2020/06/the-arnolfini-portrait-jan-van-eyck.html

Rogier van der Weyden’s Paintings16

St Luke painting the Virgin The Descent from the Cross

Rogier van der Weyden, original name Rogier de la Pasture, (c. 1399/1400-1464), Northern Renaissance painter who was the most
influential northern European artist of his time. Though most of his work was religious, he produced secular paintings (now lost)
and some sensitive portraits. He was much influenced by Eyck’s art.

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15
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/jan-van-eyck

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https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rogier-van-der-Weyden