Introduction
The Epoch of Renaissance emerged on the territory of Italy, becoming the true Rebirth of the national cultural life of the people throughout the whole world. The development of Art in the Renaissance period is considered to take a significant place in the world of Art through well-known representatives such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael, and many others. The analysis of the art place within the Renaissance culture gives an opportunity to evaluate the level of the epoch influence on the culture. Art in the Renaissance is considered to cover a broad sphere in the development of architecture, painting, literature, and many others aspects of social-cultural life.
The Nature of the Renaissance Art
The purpose of the Renaissance Art emergence appeared to be the desire to disclose life pleasures and human nature within the culture. It should be noted that this period can be characterized by liveliness and human harmony. The representatives of the Renaissance epoch concentrated their attention on the perspective, learning the differences of the things in their appearance being close or far from each other. Such analysis of the things was thoroughly reflected in the paintings, which differed by the manner of colors usage and style of drawing. The artists tried to do various experiments with paints based on oil predominance and used to mix powdered oil pigments. Great attention was paid to the light usage and perspective in painting and accuracy in backgrounds for architectural projects.
The principal subject matter of Art in the period of Renaissance development was considered to be the biblical theme. The illustration of the mythological characters is related to the Roman and Greek legends and myths. This period can be characterized by the importance of Madonna’s image in Art. Artists of the Renaissance epoch took inspiration from Greek and Roman Art, focusing merely on the human body, to be more exact, the nude. The pictures and architectural works of the Renaissance prove that its representatives strived for the idealization of the human forms and showing human perfection, highlighting the unique personality and expression purity. It is important to state that the line drawn between the artists and the representatives of other cultural spheres such as literature or philosophy was almost broken in the period of the Renaissance. (Dowling, 2000)
The artists of the Renaissance period managed to cover a great variety of themes; they underlined the importance of historical depiction in the painting, mythological and religious ones. The basic characteristics referred to the demonstration of decorative ornament, fresco cycles being involved in the architectural elements and painting works. The impact of the Classical Roman motifs was reflected in major works of the artists of Rebirth. The analysis of the major art aspects related to the Renaissance allowed us to underline the following basic techniques used by its representatives:
- Proportion and Balance. It means that artists tried to stick to the definite sizes in the paintings. They used bright and airy colors; human forms were centralized in major works.
- Foreshortening. This technique was used for the shortening effect of various drawing lines in order to create the depth illusion.
- Contrasting effect (chiaroscuro). The artists of the Renaissance used this technique by showing strong contrast in dark and light colors for the purpose of depth illusion and three-dimensionality. (Gardner, 2005).
Thus, the nature of Renaissance art appeared to cover definite aspects and characteristics, being popular only for this period of art development.
Women and Art in the Renaissance
The role of women in Renaissance Art was deeply analyzed through active female participation in the cultural life of that period. It should be stressed that Art was considered to be a powerful method of strong controlling women by means of social pressures and prohibited visual examples.
One of the most important women’s roles in Renaissance art was devoted to the activities of the artists. The role of female artists faced a lot of restrictions connected with career social unacceptability, drawing nude studies, and economic limitations dominating at that period. Some historical analyses show that women participating in the artists’ activities were very talented; nevertheless, social prohibition restricted female abilities and their expression in the Renaissance epoch. The female career of an artist usually came to an end after the marriage. The Renaissance art shows that the basic theme for the female artists was the depiction of the family members and private human harmony through the portraits and collective pictures.
Women were considered to be active enough as artistic patrons; they commissioned Art having the roles of noble, royal, and religious women. For this, the introduction of special agreements between the woman and the artists took place. Women were completely involved in the art process of the Renaissance period. They tried to buy pictures of famous artists or even order special religious and mythical drawings for themselves. Art was very popular among royalty for the purpose of establishing and strengthening female power. For example, the picture of Eleanor of Toledo and her son helped her to strengthen the nobility and royalty of her children. (Zwanger, 2005).
The Art involved the women’s participation directly; this fact can be proved by the great number of pictures with women featured. The main characteristic of such drawings is abundance. Despite this fact, the image of the women was symbolized through eroticization. The Virgin Eve depiction underlined the dichotomy of the shameful cause of Eden’s expulsion. The depiction of women was characterized by an empty sign allegorizing and symbolizing intangible ideas, vices, and various virtues. Popular Renaissance role models such as Judith and Susanna were utilized for showing female virtues and being eroticized for the purpose of man attraction.
Nevertheless, the number of women’s drawings was limited. They underwent various interpretations proving their limited role in the social culture of the Renaissance period. The pressure and the lack of independence suffered by women restricted their rights in art activities; despite this fact, women managed to express themselves through the majority of pictures and works of architecture. (Murray, 2007).
Art and Love in the Renaissance Epoch
The marriage and establishment of the family appeared to be an important element of Art in the Renaissance period. Many artists devoted their works to the state of marriage and the depiction of an ideal wife. The absence of legal consistency and clear boundaries were the principal characteristics of Renaissance marriage. That is why the illustration of the wedding or family life was free enough in style and manner.
There was no necessity to marry in the church or have an official ceremony, and this point can be seen through the works of the Renaissance artists. The representatives of Renaissance art happened to reflect the life of women within their families, depicting all their duties, taking into account children rising. The marriage illustration was mixed with irony. The woman was presented as the person created for men’s pleasure and family roles fulfillments. The artworks of that period are characterized by the discussion and comparison of lave and pain, the depiction of the feeling of beauty, and its contradiction to the cruelty of human actions. Thus, Titan is famous for his works devoted to the depiction of the face and feel it can express. (Bayer, 2008).
So, one should stress that love and marriage in Renaissance art were characterized by freedom in the family structure and official ceremonies. The absence of official marriage necessity was reflected in the works of the Renaissance period, disclosing the mixture of feelings and human family duties.
Conclusion
So, the development of Art in the Renaissance period managed to cover a lot of various aspects of painting techniques and theme domination. Thus, it became clear that the depiction of religious, mythological, and human nature elements appeared to be the background of rebirth art. The role of the woman appeared to be significant enough though not so vivid and active. The usage of the ancient material in the painting and history of Art made it be individual and unique. The understanding of the epoch of the Renaissance period is a very complicated process; the best way is to analyze definite particular issues related to this period and study the gradual art development through the works of the major artists.
References
Bayer, Andrea. Art and Love in the Renaissance. Timeline of Art History. NY, 2008.
Dowling, Mike. Renaissance Art. 2000. Web.
Gardner, Helen. Renaissance Painting of World Artists. Analytical Scholarly Publishing, 2005.
Zwanger, Meryl. Women and Art in the Renaissance. 2005. Web.
Murray, Linda. High Renaissance. World of Art Book. Columbia, 2007.