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HUM 102: Intro to the Humanities II
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Introduction
Throughout time the humanities have evolved and proof of this evolution is seen in each of the different concepts that humanities cover. There are several time capsules that are rumored to contain pieces of some of the most influential art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. To find these capsules would be to travel back in time and hold in one's hands the true measure of what the humanities has accomplished during its evolution.
Art The Renaissance was perceived as a rebirth of ancient traditions. It breathed new life into the artists of its time with the development of new techniques and new artistic sensibilities. The art created during the Renaissance marks the transition of the world's evolution from the Medieval Period into the Early Modern Age.
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most well-known Renaissance artists. It is rumored that the Art Time Capsule contains one of his most famous works entitled, "Mona Lisa." This world’s best known piece was created circa 1503-1505 and is composed of oil on panel. It depicts a female figure (suspected to be the wife of the Florentine banker Francesco del Giocondo) sitting in front of a landscape of rugged mountains. In this painting, da Vinci used soft, smoky gradations of light and shade to place a soft blur over the landscape as well as the sitter. The blurring effect makes the facial expression of the sitter (and its gender according to some) almost impossible to determine. The Art Time Capsule also contains an example from the Baroque Period. The Baroque Age (which flourished between 1600 and 1750) preceded the Renaissance and brought about a heightened naturalism and emotionalism to Western art. The artists of the Baroque period worked to use dramatic expressiveness to make viewers feel as though they were part of the scene.
Artists used their talents to depict events that
References: Fiero, Gloria K. (2011). The Humanistic Tradition, Book 3: The European Renaissance, the Reformation, and Global Encounter (6th Ed). New York: McGraw Hill. Fiero, Gloria K. (2011). The Humanistic Tradition, Book 4: Faith, Reason, and Power in the Early Modern World (6th Ed). New York: McGraw Hill.