The Black Plague: The Impact Of Renaissance Art
Will Leggett
Mrs. McDonald
AP Euro
12 April 2016
The Impact of Renaissance Art
Humans have always sought to pursue glory and aesthetic beauty. This truth is made evident by studying the various cultures of history, such as Rome, Egypt, and Greece. All of these civilizations, in their own way and with their own perspective, have used art, literature, and oration as a means to depict their standards of beauty, opulence, and humanity. The Greeks and Romans glorified the human body using sculptures. The Renaissance was no different than these time periods. Renaissance art reflected a return to images that emphasized physical beauty/strength, classical styles, and a profound admiration of the human body.
In order to understand why there was such a radical shift in artistic styles during the Renaissance, one must consider what that time period exactly was. The Renaissance was a period of European history that lasted roughly from 1300-1600. It largely occurred as a result of the Black Plague, as many people died and the remainder saw the shortness of life and had the courage to try something new. Some of the characteristics of it include a desire for scientific progress, the pursuit …show more content…
(1499) This painting depicts the Virgin Mary, holding a deceased Jesus in her arms after the crucifixion. Like many works of art then, biblical scenes were critically emphasised, as faith was at the center of life. Similar to his David statue, Michelangelo emphasises natural beauty and naturalism. This was rather unheard of at the time of the release of the painting, since religious scenes were rather restrained and muted. Despite this, it is to be noted that contemporary artists, as well as the people of the period, were still extremely Christian. Still, people began to think that the individual form was to be celebrated as the work of God, not to be seen as sinful and indecent, as it had been for hundreds of years
Mrs. McDonald
AP Euro
12 April 2016
The Impact of Renaissance Art
Humans have always sought to pursue glory and aesthetic beauty. This truth is made evident by studying the various cultures of history, such as Rome, Egypt, and Greece. All of these civilizations, in their own way and with their own perspective, have used art, literature, and oration as a means to depict their standards of beauty, opulence, and humanity. The Greeks and Romans glorified the human body using sculptures. The Renaissance was no different than these time periods. Renaissance art reflected a return to images that emphasized physical beauty/strength, classical styles, and a profound admiration of the human body.
In order to understand why there was such a radical shift in artistic styles during the Renaissance, one must consider what that time period exactly was. The Renaissance was a period of European history that lasted roughly from 1300-1600. It largely occurred as a result of the Black Plague, as many people died and the remainder saw the shortness of life and had the courage to try something new. Some of the characteristics of it include a desire for scientific progress, the pursuit …show more content…
(1499) This painting depicts the Virgin Mary, holding a deceased Jesus in her arms after the crucifixion. Like many works of art then, biblical scenes were critically emphasised, as faith was at the center of life. Similar to his David statue, Michelangelo emphasises natural beauty and naturalism. This was rather unheard of at the time of the release of the painting, since religious scenes were rather restrained and muted. Despite this, it is to be noted that contemporary artists, as well as the people of the period, were still extremely Christian. Still, people began to think that the individual form was to be celebrated as the work of God, not to be seen as sinful and indecent, as it had been for hundreds of years