The Change In Art During The Middle Ages

Art during the Middle Ages was mainly centralised around religion and symbolism rather than realism. Examples of scenes depicted in these paintings include the birth of Jesus. The idea behind these paintings were to make God seem great and powerful as opposed to being admired for their work of art and sheer brilliancy. The Renaissance was a period of time in Europe where social and cultural changes began to emerge. They began to break away from a conformist society which led to the characterisation of innovation, imagination and creativity. In the 14th century, the Renaissance began in Italy and eventually spread out to other parts of Europe. Art during the Renaissance was no longer centralised on one thing but a variety of things. Other techniques
During the Middle Ages, art had one major idea that ran throughout their paintings which was God. These paintings were suppose to reflect the idea of God and not “...to be admired for their own sake.” The paintings showed major biblical events such as the birth of Jesus. Even people who did not read the Bible could understand the story behind the painting. During the Renaissance, this thought was still present but was not the main focus. Instead of making the paintings to make God seem great and powerful, the artists wanted them to show their technique and skill. The main mentality behind these paintings changed during the Renaissance as opposed to the Middle Ages where it was focussed on religious scenes and
Chiaroscuro was the name used to describe the contrast between light and dark during the Renaissance period. It was similar to perspective but instead of doing it by making objects further away from the viewer’s eyes smaller, it used the illusion of colour to do it instead. It creates weight and volume in paintings and pictures. Leonardo Da Vinci showcased his talent in this when painting his famous works of art such as the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.” This technique is still used today in photography and other artwork. Another technique used throughout the Renaissance was Sfumato. Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” high reflects on this technique too. The painting style of Sfumato used in it made it have a “smoky, hazy look without visible edges or lines.” This highly opposed the techniques used in the paintings in the Middle Ages as they had outlines around all objects. Since things in reality do not have an outline, the techniques of Chiaroscuro and Sfumato strongly supported realism and shows that art from the Middle Ages did change during the