The Renaissance was the rebirth of artwork and ideals of Roman time. This period bought techniques that revolutionized art and bought to way to express yourself. Things like; linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, vanishing point, orthogonal. Although they did use things from Roman time, they also created new systems/techniques that made their art/architect so genius. New mathematical systems of perspective developed and architects began using mathematical design principles in their buildings.
Have you ever looked back to history with admiration, excitement, or nostalgia? Many people do, which is probably why history-themed TV shows and books continue to attract people’s attention in the world today. We might think that those who came before us lived in more interesting times, or maybe that they lived in cultures which were superior to our modern culture. During the Renaissance, people also looked to their past with a sense of admiration and in search of guidance. They did not look to the previous century, but instead to the ancient Greeks and Romans, whose civilizations existed more than a thousand years earlier. Patrons, scholars, artists, and engineers of the Renaissance looked back to their ancient ancestors in order to help them craft their world in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is really not surprising that this started in Italy, since many of the old ruins still standing in the Renaissance period would still have been considered engineering marvels – the products of some advanced people who once occupied the land. While the challenges that each generation faces differ from those faced by previous generations, many of the same basic issues persist. How do we approach issues that we face today, whether they be political, economic, or social? Do we think that coming up with some new and “enlightened” solution to problems is always the best, or do we stop and consider how similar problems were addressed at different times in history? The Renaissance teaches us the power of looking to the past for insights and inspiration in dealing with today’s issues. By looking to the past for guidance today, not only can we find potential sources of answers, but also ways to address current challenges that previous societies have faced. It shows us the importance of continual innovationWhile the Renaissance is mostly considered in light of the historical thinking that went on in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, leaders of that time could be very forward-thinking in their approaches. The Scientific Revolution was still centuries away, but we can still find in the Renaissance a push towards using new means to address problems. In the world of art, principles of perspective were explored which allowed for the creation of more and more realistic illusions in painted and sculpted images.
Engraving showing workers transporting an obelisk near St. Peter’s Basilica in 1586.In the world of engineering, we find challenges being overcome through the use of forward-looking innovation. One of the most famous examples of this is when Filippo Brunelleschi designed and executed the dome which covered the transept of the Florence cathedral. When the church was built in the fourteenth century, a large hole was left in the ceiling because no one knew how to cover it with a dome. It was not until Brunelleschi used an original approach in the early 1400s that the problem was solved. In the late sixteenth century, we find another remarkable example of engineering innovation in Domenico Fontana’s transport and installation of a large obelisk in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. In painting, we see a tremendous change in the realism of portrayed figures and spaces thanks to new developments in perspective and painterly technique. Innovation is something that we have a lot of today, but much of it rests on the shoulders of previous generations that engaged in much trial and error. We can better appreciate what we have today by recognizing the groundwork that was laid in the past. This holds true not only for the technology itself, but also for the willingness to try experimental means of overcoming challenges. In the Renaissance, there was a prevailing humanist belief in the ability of the human person to rise to challenges of the day, and this belief gives us a model for courage in doing what no one has done before.
Before photography and film, portraits provided a way to record a person's image. Rembrandt's self-portrait, or portrait of the painter himself, is a painting. It is a realist, frontal self-portrait, that relies strong contrasts between light and dark to show detail and emphasize the artists face. Each part is proportionate, so that no one feature is embellished, but instead compliment one another.Waves in their natural form, are not necessarily art, however Katsushika Hokusai has captured the fierceness of the waves and the glory of the ocean by painting a frozen image of a large wave just before it is about to crash down on the sea below. The artist used proportion to show the large wave as most prominent, displaying its power over the waves below. The artist created balance for the large wave on the left, by creating height in the sky, which is more likely clouds on the right. The white caps are emphasized by the artist's use of contrast between their light, and the darkness of rest of the sea. This makes the white caps appear claw-like, reaching out for the sea below with intention and strength. The artist's main inspiration was nature, specifically the sea.
The scream is an example of German Expressionism. The painter of The Scream, Edvard Munch, is usually credited with beginning the expressionist movement that spread throughout Germany. Most of Edvard Munch's work relates to themes of sickness, isolation, fear, and death. Hope this helps c:
