· web viewarchitecture italian architects of the renaissance prowled around the ruins of ancient...

Renaissance Art Descriptions Aesthetics Italian Renaissance art exhibits the qualities of balance, repose and rational precision. Art from this period celebrates the beauty of the human form and frequently depicts nude subjects. It strives for realistic proportion and accurate depiction of the natural world. The colors are often vivid and eye-catching. Biblical and mythological subjects prevail. Painting Techniques Painters in Renaissance Italy developed a variety of techniques for creating the illusion of reality. Linear perspective, in which parallel lines converge to a vanishing point, lends a sense of depth to a scene. Similarly, atmospheric or aerial perspective, in which distant objects become hazy and washed-out, gives a sense of far-off vistas. Volumetric shading involves the careful application of shadows and highlights. Chiaroscuro creates a dramatic contrast between light and dark areas in the painting. Painting Media Artists painted directly on plaster to adorn the walls and ceilings of the hundreds of churches and palaces around Italy. Such art works are known as frescoes. When artists painted on wooden panels (to make altarpieces, for example), they often employed tempera, a type of paint with an egg mixture as the base. By contrast, oil paint used linseed oil for its base. Oil on canvas was a frequent choice for detailed portraits and landscapes. Sculpture The many marble and bronze sculptures left over from ancient Greece and Rome served as important models for Italian Renaissance sculptors, who strove to depict human figures with a high degree of anatomical accuracy. The sculptures from this time often feature a relaxed,

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Page 1: · Web viewArchitecture Italian architects of the Renaissance prowled around the ruins of ancient Rome looking for ideas. They replaced the busy, highly ornate style of Gothic architecture

Renaissance Art Descriptions

Aesthetics

Italian Renaissance art exhibits the qualities of balance, repose and rational precision. Art from this period celebrates the beauty of the human form and frequently depicts nude subjects. It strives for realistic proportion and accurate depiction of the natural world. The colors are often vivid and eye-catching. Biblical and mythological subjects prevail.

Painting Techniques

Painters in Renaissance Italy developed a variety of techniques for creating the illusion of reality. Linear perspective, in which parallel lines converge to a vanishing point, lends a sense of depth to a scene. Similarly, atmospheric or aerial perspective, in which distant objects become hazy and washed-out, gives a sense of far-off vistas. Volumetric shading involves the careful application of shadows and highlights. Chiaroscuro creates a dramatic contrast between light and dark areas in the painting.

Painting Media

Artists painted directly on plaster to adorn the walls and ceilings of the hundreds of churches and palaces around Italy. Such art works are known as frescoes. When artists painted on wooden panels (to make altarpieces, for example), they often employed tempera, a type of paint with an egg mixture as the base. By contrast, oil paint used linseed oil for its base. Oil on canvas was a frequent choice for detailed portraits and landscapes.

Sculpture

The many marble and bronze sculptures left over from ancient Greece and Rome served as important models for Italian Renaissance sculptors, who strove to depict human figures with a high degree of anatomical accuracy. The sculptures from this time often feature a relaxed, natural stance and a gentle S-curve to the body, known as contrapposto.

Architecture

Italian architects of the Renaissance prowled around the ruins of ancient Rome looking for ideas. They replaced the busy, highly ornate style of Gothic architecture with simpler geometry and balanced proportions. These designers resurrected the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns from ancient temples and also began to use the temples' distinctive pediment shape as a decorative motif.