Characteristics Of The Northern Renaissance And The Southern Renaissance

The Renaissance is among the most prominent and influential historical time periods in all of art history. Derived the from the French term for “rebirth,” the Renaissance was a renewed interest in the ideas, culture, forms and perspectives of the ancient civilizations of Greek and Rome. As the Renaissance flourished in different regions of Europe, the social, political, and cultural factors of the regions culminated in discrete styles. Although there were similar overarching principles, there were characteristics of the art of the Northern Renaissance and the Southern Renaissance that were unique to each area.
Among these principles were the ideas of visual realism and naturalism. The Southern
Renaissance monumental style was characterized as a return to visual realism. This style was reminiscent of ancient Roman Pompeian styles of mural painting, especially the second style which was an exploration of illusionistic images. The Northern Renaissance ventured more into naturalism. Naturalism is defined as “a detailed observation of nature”.
The Northern Renaissance arose in Flanders, Germany, and France and England. The Southern Renaissance …show more content…
Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride by Jan Van Eyck (1434) is an example of Northern Renaissance attention to detail. The minute details are especially needed because of the symbolism shown in the piece. Not only are there many symbolic references, but the passion of christ is also displayed in intricate detail on a miniature scale.
The Renaissance in the North and South both strived for a sense of realism, but in differing ways. The South aimed to depict anatomically realistic figures but are less focused on the realism and more on beauty or the overall aesthetic. Italians were more focused on physical form than on surface detail. The north was consumed with details being hyperrealistic and any imperfection in a human figure had to be copied