Renaissance Vs Baroque Essay

The term "Baroque" was initially used as a disparaging term to call attention to its use of irregular forms, myriad of fine detailing, and exuberance of spirituality which was considered to be extremely different from the finesse of Renaissance classicism. Heinrich Wölfflin, Vasari, and many others praised the period of rebirth while somewhat denouncing the work of Baroque artists. The Renaissance tended to be more rational stylistically while the Baroque has often been described as irrational with its undefined lines and images ruled by emotion. The question still remains, is one period superior to the other? If so, is an intellectual response more valuable than an emotive one? The answer is highly subjective, picking a better art movement
The artworks created during these two periods share many similarities yet still have enough differences to incite debates over which artists produced better art. The easiest way to tackle the debate at hand is to discuss the relative periods in greater depth highlighting both their strengths and weaknesses. The exact beginning of the Renaissance is a little blurry with many stating it started in Italy with Giotto during the 1300’s lasting until the 1700’s therefore overlapping with the Baroque. Others may say that it began later, in the 1400’s and ended with the beginning of the Baroque in the mid 1600’s. Either way, this period was long lasting and was considered the most important era in European history up until that point as it marked the development from medieval times into the early modern age. We see these issues of culture transfer and hybridization and a move towards humanity and humanism rather than a god-centric society. It was a time of great turmoil in terms of the church vs the individual. There is a movement towards new patterns of thought (i.e. secularism, humanism, skepticism, and individualism) as European people began to explore the world and expand their