Renaissance

TheRenaissancewasaperiodinEuropeanhistory,fromthe14thtothe17thcentury,regardedastheculturalbridgebetweentheMiddleAgesandmodernhistory.TheFrenchwordRenaissancemeans“rebirth.”ThemovementwhichbeganinItaly,describestherevivalofinterestintheartisticachievementsoftheClassicalworld(GreekandRoman).

Renaissance

•  InitiallyinaliteraryrevivalRenaissancewasdeterminedtomoveawayfromthereligion-dominatedMiddleAgesandtoturnitsattentiontotheplightoftheindividualmaninsociety.

•  ItwasatimewhenindividualexpressionandworldlyexperiencebecametwoofthemainthemesofRenaissanceart.

TheItalianRenaissanceofART

•  AreverentrevivalofClassicalGreekandRomanartformsandstyles.

•  AnemphasisonthenobilityofMan(partofHumanism)

•  Masteryoflinearperspective(Thedepthinapainting).

•  Thenaturalisticrealismoffacesandfigures

Realism

•  Realismintheartsistheattempttorepresentsubjectmattertruthfully,withoutartificialityandavoidingartisticconventions,implausible,exoticandsupernaturalelements.

LeonardoDaVinci

•  AnItalianpolymathwhoseareasofinterestincludedinvention,painting,sculpting,architecture,science,music,mathematics,engineering,literature,anatomy,geology,astronomy,botany,writing,history,andcartography.Hehasbeenvariouslycalledthefatherofpalaeontology,ichnology,andarchitecture,andiswidelyconsideredoneofthegreatestpaintersofalltime.

Polymaths

•  Apolymathisapersonwhoexcelsacrossadiverserangeofareas.

•  Alsoknownas“renaissancemen”,thetermwasusedtorefertothenumerousgreatthinkersthatlivedduringthattimeperiodandboastedachievementsinintellectual,social,artisticandphysicalpursuits.

•  NotableexamplesincludeBenjaminFranklin(writer,politician,inventor,scientist),Imhotep(chancellor,architect,physician)andLeonardodaVinci(scientist,artist,philosopher,writer,inventor)

WhatisaFresco?

•  Fresco(pluralfrescosorfrescoes)isatechniqueofmuralpaintingexecuteduponfreshly-laid,orwetlimeplaster.Waterisusedasthevehicleforthepigmenttomergewiththeplaster,andwiththesettingoftheplaster,thepaintingbecomesanintegralpartofthewall.

LeonardoDaVinci

•  LeonardodaVinci(1452-1519)wasapainter,architect,inventor,andstudentofallthingsscientific.Hisnaturalgeniuscrossedsomanydisciplinesthatheepitomizedtheterm“Renaissanceman.”

•  Heisreferredtoasa“Polymath”(apersonofwide-rangingknowledgeorlearning)

•  Hepossessedacombinationofintellectandimaginationthatallowedhimtocreate,atleastonpaper,suchinventionsasthebicycle,thehelicopterandanairplanebasedonthephysiologyandflyingcapabilityofabat.

DaVincicontributestotheRenaissance

•  ArtisansfromtheperiodsuchasLeonardoDaVinci,gaveadeepinsightintothemechanicaltechnologythenknownandapplied.

•  TheRenaissancespawnedthescientificrevolution,whichmeans,acycleofmutualadvancementinscienceandtechnologybegan.

Michelangelo

•  MichelangelowasanItaliansculptor,painter,architect,andpoetoftheHighRenaissancewhoexertedanunparalleledinfluenceonthedevelopmentofWesternart.

•  widelyconsideredtobeoneofthegreatestartistsoftheItalianRenaissanceperiod—andarguablyofalltime.

Michelangelo

•  Michelangeloreceivedcommissionsfromsomeofthemostwealthyandpowerfulmenofhisday,includingpopesandothersaffiliatedwiththeCatholicChurch.

•  Hisresultingwork,mostnotablyhisPietàandDavidsculpturesandSistineChapelceilingpaintings,hasbeencarefullytendedandpreserved.