The transition from the Middle Ages to the early Renaissance is a fascinating part of history that developed mainly in the fourteenth century.Changes in beliefs and thinking are directly reflected in the visual arts. Knowing what ideals were valued in the Renaissance and being able to identify several fundamental technical developments is key to identifying the art of the time.
The church and Christianity were at the center of Medieval thought, and this is directly observable in the art of The time. The Renaissance began to put more emphasis on the independence of man. Consequently, the works of this period were less religious. The Renaissance beliefs focused on human qualities, and these were placed in a position comparable to religious principles. The Sistine Chapel of Michelangelo is the perfect example, since it represents God and Adam on a level of parallel height.
In the art of the Middle Ages human figures are observed below the celestial ones. In the Renaissance several technical advances were made in the visual arts, one of which was the use of three dimensions. Medieval art tends to use two dimensions and look more flat. In the attempts of multidimensional representation of the art of this epoch the elements are related upwards and downwards: the religious figures, and to a lesser degree the royalty, appear on the earth, while the common characters are located below.
