Art plays a great role in the cultural development of every country as it alters and improves with the course of time, providing people with an opportunity to develop their worldview and perception. The Italian Baroque and the Italian Renaissance are those periods in the history of art that attract the attention of both artists and representatives of the general public. They are familiar to people from all over the world as well as the names of their main representatives. Even though the works of the Baroque and the Renaissance seem to be similar to each other, they have many distinct features.
The Renaissance started developing in the 15th century in Italy, which is known today as a place that was a home for numerous artists (Watkin 211). Moreover, the change from medieval times to early modern age happened during the Renaissance, which made it a very important historical period. It was followed by the Baroque that started in the 17th century (Watkin 283). It was greatly affected by religious changes and creation of Protestants and Roman Catholics.
As people’s minds were significantly influenced by this transformation, many works of the Renaissance masters were recreated. The Renaissance was positively accepted by its contemporaries and appealed to the majority of the general population while the Baroque was considered to be somehow strange (Mittendorf). As a result, the artists who worked during the first period seemed to be more recognizable even today. To some degree, this fact can be explained by the unwillingness of people who lived in the 17th century to observe those artworks that were familiar to them.
All main differences observed in the works of the Baroque and the Renaissance artists are associated with their styles. For example, perspective was firstly used by the artists who lived in the 15th century (Mittendorf). In this way, they obtained an opportunity to make their works more realistic than their predecessors did. However, obtained depths of artworks made them less emotional and appealing. The Baroque coped with this issue, adding more drama to paintings and sculptures. For example, when focusing on the statue of David made by Michelangelo, viewers saw the emotionless character who was going to fight with Goliath (Mittendorf).
The man looked very calm and stable. Vertical lines of the statue dominated in this work, which was typical for the Renaissance. It seemed that David was not yet engaged in any action. He thought and waited for something. On the contrary, the same work made by Bernini revealed David’s intensity and readiness to head into battle (Mittendorf). David was sculptured in action as he was whipping a stone at the giant.
His face revealed that the man was very concentrated on the object of his attack and determined to defeat him. David was not hesitating and had an expression of exertion. The curvatures of the sculpture showed dynamism as if the character was frozen while doing something. In the framework of architecture, the Renaissance works were also full of clean lines. They could be curved but remained rather simple and ordinary (Watkin 211). In their turn, Baroque masters included ornament details that made their buildings look more luxurious and pompous.
Thus, it can be concluded that the Renaissance works are rather conservative and strict. They are based on clear lines and absence of ornamental details. The works created during the Baroque are more curved and decorated. They seem to be more focused on beauty than on convenience.
Works Cited
Mittendorf, A. J. “Renaissance Art vs. Baroque Art: Understanding the Difference.” Arts Artists Artwork. 2017. Web.
Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. 6th ed., Laurence King Publishing, 2015.