Preview

Visual Art: The Middle Ages And The Renaissance Period

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1125 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Visual Art: The Middle Ages And The Renaissance Period
Visual Art of The Middle Ages and The Renaissance Period
Brenda Davis-Bryant
Western Governors University

I want to discuss the visual arts between The Middle Ages and The Renaissance periods. My research shows these two periods with similarities, as well as, differences when it relates to the visual arts. The visual arts from The Middle Ages still had somewhat of an artistic flare spilling over from the previous period of Classical Art. But my research will show that the visual arts of the Renaissance period took a major leap forward from The Middle Ages as to the artistic innovations that were utilized. I will explain the social relationship as to the visual arts of these two periods. I will also explain the similar
…show more content…
The Middle Ages were considered the “Dark Ages” and the artwork basically came from the religious monastery having little outside influence. For the most part, the only educated people were those in the monastery. The Middle Ages was a period of changing governments and rulers and those outside the monastery were commoners with basic instinct of survival from day to day changes they faced. Therefore, The Middle Ages artistic characteristics varied very little, displayed dull colors, and flat two-dimensional paintings with little expressions (Alchin, n.d.). The Renaissance period showed outside influence from different aspects, especially philosophers and their belief that education was vital for humanistic growth. This humanistic growth and deeper appreciation of beauty brought greater artistic values to the work produced by The Renaissance Period artists. Therefore socially, The Middle Ages demonstrated very little artistic growth due to oppression and the Renaissance Period flourished because of humanistic growth and …show more content…
(n.d.). Medieval Art. Retrieved July 19, 2014, from Medieval Life and Times Home: http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-art/donatello.htm
Arts, A. (2009, September 22). Absolute Arts. Retrieved from Absolute Arts.com: http://www.wwar.com/masters/movements/renaissance.html
History. (2014). Michelangelo - Facts & Summary. Retrieved July 19, 2014, from A&E Television Networks, LLC: http://www.history.com/topics/michelangelo
Middle Ages. (n.d.). Retrieved July 16, 2014, from Lords and Ladies : http://www.lordsandladies.org/middle-ages-art.htm
Staff, H. (2010). Renaissance Art. Retrieved from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/renaissance-art unknown. (2009, Septemeber 22). Renaissance Arts - Artists, Artworks and Biographies. Retrieved July 19, 2014, from WWar.com:

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Middle Ages Dbq

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages

    All of it was 2d, sad, and plain. For instance, in Document A the painting on the left is made by Duccio DI Buoninsegna, it is religious, 2d, and boring. Maybe it was religious to express the depression of that era, with a religious figure, it can lead the way to enlightenment. In the Renaissance, art was more detailed and 3d, "It was the clearest evidence of the break with the medieval culture comes from the visual arts." (Doc A). Perhaps the Renaissance was happier, thus having no more need for a religious figure to guide them. Evidence is demonstrated by Theodore Robb, who wrote the Last Days of the Renaissance and the March to Modernity, art created during the Renaissance." echoes broader movements and interests of the new age."(Doc A). It’s saying that with no more need for religion being the main focus, creativity sparked and caused great works to be made. Another area that was improved was literature being one of the second…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    You've probably heard of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Raphael. They are famous painters from the renaissance, with paintings so incredible that they are still known today. Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, and Giotto di Bondone were amazing artists from the medieval time period. They have many differences, but they also have their similarities. Their differences are things such as the types of art, the purpose for art, and the characteristics of art.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Medieval Art period, or Middle Ages, covers almost 1000 years of human history and art. It began around 400 AD, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and continued until the advent of the Early Renaissance. Medieval art is closely connected with religion and the beliefs that constituted the foundation of European society during this time. The church was the central institution that wielded vast amounts of political and economic power. The church was the main patron of art at this time, and this is reflected in the subject matter of works of this period. There were no notions of real-life techniques and proportion. Figures, which were more prominent, were drawn larger than the others. All figures are motionless, they sit or stand and there are no attempts to depict movement. There is little in the way of nude bodies, erotic scenes and sexual connotations. People were painted with stoic, serious expressions; the lack of emotions was obvious. Pictures were not voluminous; they were flat and stable. The background was painted with one color. Artists used ordinary basic colors. Paintings weren’t very realistic, but the artists did not necessarily want them to be so. The art was treated as the means of connection with God, and the main purpose of it was to foster the spiritual development of the people.…

    • 1174 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Did you know that most likely the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa, was painted in the time of the Renaissance? The oil painting of the straight faced woman (or man), painted by the famous Leonardo De Vinci, is said to be painted between 1503 to 1506. No one knows who the person in the painting is. No one even knows whether or not it is De Vinci himself, a relative or even a man or a woman! The English name "Mona Lisa", came from a description by Renaissance Art historian "Giorgio Vasari". There were many exquisite paintings done in the time period of the Renaissance. I 'm going to briefly tell you what happened in the time of the Renaissance and what styles or cultural aspects influenced these talented artists. Also, how their faith reflected the artwork they made.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Medieval art covers a large scope of time. The period covered over 1000 years of art in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The period was characterized by major art movements based on national art and regional art. There was also the aspect of revivals and artists crafts. Art historians have been successful in classifying medieval art into major periods and styles. This is often characterized with significant difficulty. The major periods of art in medieval period include, the early Christian art, the migration period art, the insular art, the Pre Romanesque art, and lastly the Romanesque art. Gothic art was also a prominent period on medieval art. In addition to these periods, each region which later became nations had its own distinct artistic style. Medieval art was basically produced in a large array of media (Veronica, 2008). The works have remained significant and large in number. They include illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, sculptures and mosaics. Paintings were also a common occurrence during this period.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essentially, the period of Renaissance art was about the revival or the rebirth of classical Greek and Roman learning. The key difference is that while the Greeks were more inclined to idealism, the Renaissance people gravitated towards ideas of Humanism, making use of human based ideals, which resulted in greater realism in art. Humanism places emphasis on individual potential and the expansion on human knowledge as compared to the middle Ages, where art and learning was very much based on religion and the church . It was also during the Renaissance that Filippo Brunelleschi rediscovered linear perspective, which had a significant impact especially on art and architecture. This is evident from how it was passionately pursued by the Renaissance…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    2) Compare and contrast art work from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. (Print out the pictures and discuss in a short essay the…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Art has gone through many phases throughout history. As times have changed, so have the manner and style of artists and their art. During the Middle Ages, Europe suffered a widespread horrific disease called the Black Death which killed one-fourth to one-third of the population. After the Middle Ages came a period of change called the Renaissance, which means the "rebirth", came to life in Florence and eventually spread throughout the rest of Europe. The Renaissance was reforming many things such as art in general, literature, science, drama, and many more areas of expression. During this period, European citizens turned to artwork as relief from the horrible past experiences such as the Black Death. Symbolic representation in paintings became a thing of the past, as many artists moved to realistic representation. This change in art was caused by a move of scientific worldview of reason, and scientific exploration of the human body. Along with that, many other artistic concepts were introduced such as: chiaroscuro, proportions, pyramid configuration, oil paints, and linear perspective. "The Lamentation" by Lucas Cranach the Elder, and "The Crucifixion and Last Judgment" by JanVan Eyck, both embody many of the new Renaissance art styles which reflect the changing sentiments of European culture.…

    • 2172 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Art was a very important piece to the Renaissance period, and the ability to producewonderful art was even better! People began having more joy in living their lives and theywanted to show that through their paintings and their artwork. Artists studied how to make thepaintings different when the viewers are too far or too close. They studied different techniquesand the different perspectives of a painting. Many famous artists, still known to this day, usedthose techniques. The types of artwork that was created was very different from The MiddleAges, which was Gothic. The Renaissance focused on showing realism in their paintings, theywanted to give clues to all who were seeing their paintings about the time they were living in.There were many…

    • 170 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Medieval Art

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the art world, the medieval periods were traditionally though to be the unproductive phase of Europe between the decline of Rome and the Renaissance. Our modern feelings toward medieval art are far more appreciative. The main intent of Medieval art was to express Christianity which was also a common bond between a wide spread and diverse Europe. For this reason most of the art found from medieval times originated in monasteries and churches. European art during the Middle Ages can be divided into four periods. These four periods include Celto-Germanic art which ranged from 400 to 800 A.D. and was important in metal work. Carolingian art ranged from 750 to 987 A.D. overlapping 50 years of the Celto-Germanic period. The period of Romanesque art spanned mainly the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and was an important period for medieval architecture. Gothic art, the final period of the Middle Age art began in the Romanesque period around the twelfth century and went on until the sixteenth century. Artwork form these four periods all consist of distinct styles setting them apart from one another.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Renaissance period -- that spanned roughly from the 14th century to the 17th century -- was a time for change and movement in society. The word Renaissance is derived from the Italian word “Rinascimento” meaning born again. During the Renaissance the arts went through a revolutionary change. This was depicted in their paintings and sculptures, the architecture of buildings and structures, and in their theatrical shows and music. These revolutionary changes continue to have impact on our society and modern art today.…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Italian Renaissance Art

    • 2537 Words
    • 11 Pages

    What is Italian Renaissance art? Before attempting to answer the question it is important to consider what we mean by ‘early Italian Renaissance. Unlike many periods in history the Renaissance has no obvious start and end dates, for the purposes of this assignment I will define the approximate period within which to look as about 1390 to about 1520. The time around 1520 represents when Raphael died this was followed closely by the death of Pope Leo X, the second High Renaissance pope. It is after their deaths that the creative and optimistic mood in Italy began to fade. The decade ending 1520 saw Leonardo DaVinci leaving for France and then dieing there in 1519. In the beginnings of the Renaissance painting was seen very much as a craft performed by members of the artisan class and not a ‘liberal art '. In fact the term artist was not used, as it is today, as a general term meaning painter and sculptor. ‘Artista ' was a term already in use by Dante, but it was used in reference to a University level graduate of the ‘liberal arts ', it is not until the beginning of the sixteenth century that it is used in a context resembling today 's usage. The lower status of painting at the beginning of the Renaissance is reflected in the fact that members of the aristocracy or learned class did not generally practice it. A member of the Milanese aristocracy, Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio 's epitaph stressed that although he was a painter, he was an amateur, because if it were thought that he made his living from painting it would significantly lower his social status. It is for this reason that few people in the early Renaissance would see painting as a method of social advancement or to demonstrate intellectual ability. This did not however stop many painters having aspirations for higher social and intellectual status, despite their background and education rarely supporting this aspiration.…

    • 2537 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    For while, the only type of art made in the medieval ages was called pietistic and was strictly limited to religious artworks for churches and cathedrals. In the Romanesque age though, many new and different styles of art were introduced as many others faded and disappeared (Linda Alchin). For example, people started to use metals, such as gold and silver, to create jewelry. They also began to make tapestries using embroidery. One big difference between these new arts and the other pietistic styles is that the new styles are not limited to churches. People made decorations for themselves and for their homes. There was a single similarity between the two though. All of the color in such works were very dulled. Mostly, they only used dark or plain colors such as dark green, dark blue, tan, and brown. If they did use any other…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays