Ideological Realities of Renaissance Art
The Renaissance was the rebirth of Western Europe, influencing the cities of Florence, Rome, and Venice. “The educated men and women of Italy hoped to bring back to life the classical culture of Greece and Rome” (Reading 4). The people of the Renaissance forged a new outlook on their world and themselves. This “rebirth” of society allowed for intellectual and artistic creativity, leading toward a more comprehensive civilization. The new fashion of writing, art, and thought started in Italy, and eventually spread northward to the Netherlands, France, Germany, and England. Through visual representation, art allowed for artists to portray visions of the time period which were emphasized by Mirandola in …show more content…
Mirandola sheds light on how the point of humanity is to appreciate God’s work of creating us and the world we live in. In his oration, Mirandola said, “There is nothing to be seen more beautiful than man.” (Reading 7). He is referring to how the sole purpose of the Renaissance is to allow humans to focus on being reborn and look at themselves as unique individuals. Mirandola also said, “man is the most fortunate of creatures and consequently worthy of all admiration…Thou shalt have the power, out of soul’s judgement, to be reborn into the higher forms, which are divine.” (Reading 7). Here, Mirandola refers to how humans are the most powerful, and that humans have the power to do what they choose. This humanistic philosophy was the baseline for the goal of the Renaissance. Particularly, through the art of the Renaissance, humanism was successfully conveyed. (Reading …show more content…
Titian’s Venus of Urbino is a perfect example. Similar to humanism, this piece of art emphasizes physical beauty. In this painting, Venus, a goddess lacks characteristics that a goddess would typically possess. For instance, in this painting one can notice her seductive expression on her face, which would be seen as risqué in the Middle Ages. In addition, Titian was successful in using perspective when crafting this painting. As you can see, the young girl in the background, possibly Venus’ daughter looks much smaller due to perspective. Also, Venus is nude in this painting, which was a new concept that was introduced in the Renaissance. Humanists aspired to show their appreciation for the human body’s beauty. In this painting, Venus is aware of her nudity and clearly feels as though there is nothing to hide. Titian clearly created this painting to represent confidence and attraction. Similarly, in his bronze sculpture of David, Donatello portrayed individualism. This sculpture was the first Renaissance free-standing nude since Ancient Roman and Greek times. Donatello sculpted David with a mysterious smile, standing proud after defeating the giant, with his foot on Goliath’s severed head. The stance which David is sculpted shows that he is self-reliant, proud, and confident, although he is
The Renaissance was the rebirth of Western Europe, influencing the cities of Florence, Rome, and Venice. “The educated men and women of Italy hoped to bring back to life the classical culture of Greece and Rome” (Reading 4). The people of the Renaissance forged a new outlook on their world and themselves. This “rebirth” of society allowed for intellectual and artistic creativity, leading toward a more comprehensive civilization. The new fashion of writing, art, and thought started in Italy, and eventually spread northward to the Netherlands, France, Germany, and England. Through visual representation, art allowed for artists to portray visions of the time period which were emphasized by Mirandola in …show more content…
Mirandola sheds light on how the point of humanity is to appreciate God’s work of creating us and the world we live in. In his oration, Mirandola said, “There is nothing to be seen more beautiful than man.” (Reading 7). He is referring to how the sole purpose of the Renaissance is to allow humans to focus on being reborn and look at themselves as unique individuals. Mirandola also said, “man is the most fortunate of creatures and consequently worthy of all admiration…Thou shalt have the power, out of soul’s judgement, to be reborn into the higher forms, which are divine.” (Reading 7). Here, Mirandola refers to how humans are the most powerful, and that humans have the power to do what they choose. This humanistic philosophy was the baseline for the goal of the Renaissance. Particularly, through the art of the Renaissance, humanism was successfully conveyed. (Reading …show more content…
Titian’s Venus of Urbino is a perfect example. Similar to humanism, this piece of art emphasizes physical beauty. In this painting, Venus, a goddess lacks characteristics that a goddess would typically possess. For instance, in this painting one can notice her seductive expression on her face, which would be seen as risqué in the Middle Ages. In addition, Titian was successful in using perspective when crafting this painting. As you can see, the young girl in the background, possibly Venus’ daughter looks much smaller due to perspective. Also, Venus is nude in this painting, which was a new concept that was introduced in the Renaissance. Humanists aspired to show their appreciation for the human body’s beauty. In this painting, Venus is aware of her nudity and clearly feels as though there is nothing to hide. Titian clearly created this painting to represent confidence and attraction. Similarly, in his bronze sculpture of David, Donatello portrayed individualism. This sculpture was the first Renaissance free-standing nude since Ancient Roman and Greek times. Donatello sculpted David with a mysterious smile, standing proud after defeating the giant, with his foot on Goliath’s severed head. The stance which David is sculpted shows that he is self-reliant, proud, and confident, although he is