Italian Renaissance Art Analysis

North of Italy, painting was less influenced by the Greco-Roman revival that it had been in Italy. However, in the north, there were a number of technical innovations that revolutionized painting. In the Netherlands much of this art was not produced on canvas or church walls like that of Italy, but instead produced on wood panels. These could be alter pieces for churches, but portable. The Dutch mastered humanism and showed their virtuosity in minute details such as backgrounds, clothing details, jewelry worn by subjects, etc. Jan Van Eyck was particularly good at this. Dutch artists were also able to use oil based paints that offered brighter colors, easier touch ups, and techniques such as transparency. Oil based paints weren't available …show more content…
Albrecht Durer was a master at this technique. His work was reproduced in books spreading this technique across Europe. At this time, northern Europeans also created innovative music techniques. Prior to the Renaissance music was monophonic. Northern Europeans began to use polyphony which allowed for much more complexity in music. The New Devotion, extended from German Gerard Groote, was an attempt at spiritual reform whose followers became known as the Brethren of the Common Life. Eventually the Brethren would open schools which were partly inspired by the classical revival taking place in Italy. The most significant student to emerge from the Brethren was Desiderius Erasmus, who devoted his life to connecting classical learning to Christina truth. Erasmus believed that a careful reading of the Bible would lead to a simplified version of Christianity accessible to all Christians. He particularly wanted to make these truths apparent to all, not just priests. He showed how far Christianity had strayed from the religion of Christ in Praise of Folly. Thomas More, a friend of Erasmus, created Utopia, which criticized English