Art 236 Why We Like Art From the Renaissance

Week One Post: Introduction to Renaissance Art

Looking in the book, the subject matter of Renaissance art is still mainly religious, as in the medieval period, but the human, emotional aspects are more evident.  The figures are often very realistic and dramatically posed with a sophisticated use of light and shadow.   The paintings are especially complex with a lot of interaction between multiple figures.  The development and use of oil paint, with its inherent flexibility, lent a luminous, transparent quality to the representations of subjects. 

I think that our culture likes to focus on the Renaissance because the values of Renaissance culture and preferred subject matter of the works of that time are starting to become closer to our own.  There are lots of religious subjects used and in these times they are the conventional, accepted understanding we have of traditional Christianity.  Portraits are of the wealthy and used to display their wealth and power in the most sumptuous of clothing and settings.  Often the wealthy and powerful are shown combined with the religious subject matter as sponsors and benefactors: not an advertisement exactly, but certainly propaganda.  The rich could show their piety and devotion to the church and their wealth and at the same time gain the support of the powerful hierarchy of the religious community.  A modern person like Bill Gates endows scholarships partly because it’s something he feels strongly about and partly to gain points with the public.  In either case, the people then think of the rich as doing good works.  The art of the Renaissance took the place of TV, newspapers and books for most people, at least until printed materials became widely available.  Subjects, beautifully and realistically painted, that we still can relate to are bound to be popular despite the passage of a few centuries. 

Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael were the stars of their time, and still, of course, are known today.  It’s mainly the work of these artists that the High Renaissance be considered the pinnacle of artistic achievement.  Their works show great technique, conventional subject matter, realistic forms and identifiable human emotions.  These artists painted and sculpted pieces which decorate famous chapels.  They are known and still visited by people from all over the world.   No one wants to go to Rome and Vatican City and fail to see these works.   The names call their masterpieces to mind and vice-versa.  Most of us know who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (Michelangelo), The Last Supper (Leonardo) and The School of Athens (Raphael).  The human figures in these works show the emotions, demeanor and iconography associated with the character of each individual.  These frescoes all tell their stories in ways we still understand and identify with as the traditional stories of our civilization.  In The Last Supper, Judas looks evil, in the creation panel of the Sistine Chapel God appears as the big old man in the sky and Adam as his son.  These works have been critiqued, analyzed and enjoyed by millions of people over the many years that they have existed.  Even if we put our own modern spin on interpreting the meanings and purposes of these works, the art of these masters- those bits of paint on plaster or canvas- continue to record the history of humanity and how we think and feel about our world.