What was the Renaissance about?

“It has something to do with art…

Doesn’t it?”

Middle Ages to “Rebirth”

The Renaissance was the time in European history that followed the Middle Ages, and by French to English translation means “rebirth.” Rebirth is the exactly what it was; it was a time of change in their whole outlook on life, their daily life, and how they could express themselves in art and other forms.

How did things change from the Middle Ages?

During the Middle Ages art and learning were centered on the church and religion. But at the start of the 14th century, people became less interested in thinking about God, heaven and the saints, and more interested in thinking about themselves, their surroundings and their everyday lives.

Humanism

The values and ideals popular during the European Renaissance can be described by the term secular humanism: secular, meaning not religious and humanism, meaning placing the study and progress of human nature at the center of interests

Hieratic Scale in the Middle Ages

The rise of Humanism can be seen in paintings created by Renaissance artists. During the Middle Ages, saints in paintings wore halos (a ring or circle of light) around their heads. Artists also used hieratic scale in paintings during the Middle Ages, making saints or members of the family of God larger in scale than ordinary or less important figures. Jacopa di Cione

Madonna and Child in Glory1360/65

Tempera and gold on panel

Popularity of HumanismAs Humanism became more popular during the Renaissance, ordinary people grew to be the same size as saints in paintings and saints began to look more like ordinary people. For example, halos became fainter and eventually disappeared during the Renaissance. Saints occupied the same landscape as ordinary people in Renaissance paintings and the landscape was earth instead of heaven.

Giovanni Agostino da LodiAdoration of the Shepherds

1510Oil on panel

Early Perspective

During the Renaissance, the use mathematical perspective to represent space in paintings was invented. Earlier attempts at representing space often resulted in furniture or buildings that look just a little "off."

Franconia SchoolMiraculous Mass of St. Martin of Tours

about 1440Tempera and gold on canvas on panel

Perspective

Perspective is a technique for representing three-dimensional space on a flat surface. Many artists around the world have employed various techniques for portraying depth. However, it wasn't until the Renaissance that artists invented a mathematical system to show depth logically and consistently.

Holy Trinity - Masaccio

Linear perspectiveLinear perspective is based on the way the human eye sees the world—objects which are closer appear larger, and more distant objects appear smaller. To create this illusion of space, the artist establishes a vanishing point on the horizon line. Objects are drawn using orthogonal lines which lead to the vanishing point(s).

School of Athens - Raphael

Well known Renaissance “Artists”

Peter Laird & Kevin Eastman Creators

“We both had studied art history, so we picked Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo and Michelangelo."

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa 1503-1506, oil on wood panel

“The Last Supper”

Study of proportions

Michelangelo

Creation of man (detail)1511frescoSistine Chapel

“Moses”

“Pieta”

“David”

Donatello

Raphael

The Humanists of the Renaissance and their exploration of the belief that human beings can live full and happy lives before they go to heaven is still with us. Many aspects of the lives we lead, including the way school is taught and the subjects that we study, began in the Renaissance and continue to influence the way we live today.