The Renaissance Art Essays - Renaissance Painters, Free Essays

The Renaissance Art Essays - Renaissance Painters, Free Essays The Renaissance Art Ms. McSharry Humanities 26 September 2014 The Renaissance Art During the Renaissance, the way people saw the world was different from the way people in nowadays do. Renaissance was the time of reformation. The value of money started to increase, and many philosophers, artists, and scientists came up with new ideas about religion and humankind. Not only the Renaissance was a time of cultural movement and innovation, but also it was a time of political turmoil, religious conflict and chaos. People became more materialistic and individualistic. They often displayed their ideas and the ways of their lives through philosophy, literature, and especially art. Many artists, including the most famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, put their intentions and messages in their works, and many works of Renaissance art had similar styles of drawing and were usually depicted in religious images. The humanities, the significances, and the lives during the time were all shown in the Renaissance art. In European society during the Renaissance, capitalism and money became popular and significant. Even though the people still praised for God, at the time, they praised more for money. Their ultimate goal was gaining more money. Their loving money was also depicted in Renaissance art. Quentin Matsys The Money Lender and His Wife depicts how important the money was. In the drawing, a man who is counting his money and his wife who is reading her Bible are sitting together. However, the wifes focus is only on the money, not on her Bible. She is distracted from reading her Bible because all her intention and interest are concentrated on the money her husband has. The man and his wife are both fascinated and are fully focused on their money. The aspect of their action shows that the money became more interesting than religion. However, religion was still vital to the Renaissance period, and many artworks were depicted in religious images. Most of the artists used similar styles and common topics in their religious drawings. They normally drew Jesus at the center, Mary next to Jesus, and the twelve disciples beside him. In those religious drawings, Jesus and Mary were always dressed in red and blue clothes because the colors were only used for important figures. Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper is a typical religious picture created in the early Renaissance. In his painting, Jesus is sitting at the center of the table. He is also wearing blue and red clothes, and next to him, Mary is also wearing blue and red clothes. The twelve disciples divided into two groups of six are sitting on each of Jesus left and right sides. In this picture, there are also three windows behind Jesus which points out the Trinity. His drawing also has a story in itself. This is the moment of the twelve disciples focusing on Jesus, and Jesus making a statement: One of you shall betray me (John 13:21). It is easily detected that only one guy among the twelve disciples is putting his elbow down on the table, hinting that he is going to betray Jesus. Like da Vincis painting does, every religious painting has its own message or story and the common painting style of Renaissance art. Many other artists also used similar methods and skills that da Vinci used. In Michelangelos The Last Judgment, the God and Mary wearing red and blue clothes are at the center of the painting. This paintings story is about heaven and hell. People sent to the hell in the bottom part of the painting all look distressed and angry. Even the colors and moods used in the upper and bottom part are notably different. In the upper part, people are wearing clothes, and the mood is brighter, but in bottom part, people are not dressed, and the mood is also gloomy. This painting is not only depicting the religious aspect, but also depicting the aspect of life and humanity. The importance of philosophy was also often shown in the Renaissance art. Raphael who was an active proponent of philosophy displayed his philosophical ideal in his painting School of Athens. In his painting, Plato and Aristotle, the most famous philosopher and scientist, are