The Visual Arts of the Early Renaissance Period Research Paper

Introduction

Early European history is divided into three parts i.e. antiquity, the middle ages, and the modern era. According to Erwin, Panovsky (1994). The modern era brought in the renaissance period, Which was later brought up by Jules Mitchelete of Paris and Jacob Burckhardt of Basle and they go on to describe this period as the discovery of man”. Visual arts include cognition which is the part that deals with the way a man thinks. Visual arts are very essential in our lives since they affect everything around us. It’s the cornea part of the eye that perceives an image within a range of 180 degrees then it sends a message to the brain. After this, it’s when one makes either a positive or negative judgment about something.

What does the term renaissance mean?

The word renaissance refers to mindful and artistic changes that change with time as a result of mere discoveries. Italy, in the 14^th century that reached a climax in the 16^th century after spreading for some time in other regions of Europe. The middle ages were of silence and not much was put into the history of the visual arts. Artists were held in high esteem for their works during the renaissance period depending on their different works. Till up to the 20thy century works of art that still were widely uploaded was that Vasari Giotto led the rise of art after along silence. Renaissance is a word that applies to other fields of study such as cultural revivals, Christianity, music, literature, humanism, self-reliance, science, and art.

Examples of Outstanding Artists and their Works

According to Britannicca Concise Encyclopedia, “Lorenzo Valla rejected medieval scholastics in favor of human-centered forms of philosophy and Literature. François Rabelais and William Shakespeare produced works that emphasized the intricacies of human character.

According to history, a new invention or thought tends to erase the previous one. Visual arts can be displayed through drawing, photographs, and even engravings which can be done on any surface. According to Roelof van Starten iconography is the study of themes, objects, and subjects in visual art.

Given Darer is believed to be one who commenced the renaissance act and was one of the most known artists in Europe. According to john Dillenberger (1999), ” he is the representative for both renaissance arts and renaissance humanist thinking”. Durer became known from his wood cuttings on the apocalypse and this was based on reasons such as the work was done on a large sheet and this interests people in the 16^th century as this was encouraging for the new century. Durer also made paintings and did etching in addition to wood cuttings.

Brunelleschi made his arts which in linear perspective but according to Irish Arts New Stories, ” earliest surviving use of linear perspective, however, is in Donatello’s St George and the dragon relief.” Also, it’s believed Donatello knew so much of class in the way he produced his works when it comes to visual arts this earned him a name during the era of his existence.

The time between 1600 to 1650 period is referred to as a period of the high renaissance because artists of this era had many classic works of their own and hence Mark Hardens Artchive termed them as “classically based intelligence which imposed visual harmony and commotional balance while eliminating gratuitous detail”. For the Florentine era, some of the best artists according to Mark Hardens Artchive are, ” Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael”.

The Visual Arts of the Early Renaissance Period

According to A paper in early renaissance art history, written in (2004), it states that” the work of Dominica Ghilandaio as only? nominally religious and is typified by portrait and set pieces in the form of religious within more naturalistic and humanistic dimensions than in the devotional pictures of the previous century”.

The Italian Renaissance Period

This era had so many artists. These periods had very many artists who were considered to be of class. The best portrait of the renaissance period is believed to be one of Mona Lisa’s portraits done by Leonardo da Vinci. According to Irish art news stories 2008 the author describes, it as an era for ” struggle for classical Greek antiquity, a faith in the nobility of man (humanism), the mastery of linear perspective and overriding respect for naturalistic and this works are evident in the works of people like Donnatello; the sad-faced heroine in the birth of Venus by Botticelli; and one by Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci”. The best jewels are considered to be those of Michelangos’s compelling faces in his religious frescoes genesis and last judgment on the ceiling of roof and wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome which are considered to be the best according to Irish art news stories. The Italian renaissance periods saw much use of motifs from different sources and were used on different materials.

Other good portraits according to Irish art news stories are: “Piero Della Francesca; St. Sebastian by Pietro Perugino; Ecce Homo by Andrea Mantegna and Doge Bellini Sistine Madonna and Pope Leo by Raphael and portraits of a man and Venus by Urbino by Titian.

The Northern Renaissance Period

According to the Irish art news stories guide, it’s believed that the number of painters increased in the North renaissance period during this renaissance period. They based on principles like the discovery of oil painting which eased their work and made them produce good works which in return made them and also the discovery of linear perspective.

Conclusion of the Visual Arts of the Early Renaissance Period

In conclusion, visual arts are important and have to be developed from time to time since they enable people to realize other people’s thoughts, feelings, and views about certain things in nature. The study of visual arts should be publicized and encouraged as study subjects in both public and private institutions. Those excelling in those fields should be encouraged through financial support to keep visual arts alive. Also, this can be done through the organization of exhibitions which can help in the advertisement of different artists’ work. Alternatively, this can be a nice way through which the government can use in the creation of jobs for the many jobless citizens.

References

1. Laurie Schneider Adams, Art across time (Third Edition) Volume II The fourteenth Century to the Present.
2. Erwin Panofsky (1994) Kenyon Collage.
3. John Dillerberger (1999) Images and Relics.
4. Roelof Van Straiten An introduction to Iconography.
5. Irish New Stories (2008).