Italian Renaissance (1400-1527)

The Renaissance duration is a time in European history that began in Italy in the 14th century. The length was marked by the rebirth of art, literature and philosophy. Also reffered to “seconda generazione”, Early Renaissance artists such as Andrea del Castagno, Paolo Uccello, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi and Leone Battista Alberti reigned. Andrea del Castagno used to be an influential Italian painter that reigned in Early Renaissance and his arts were renowned for their naturalistic elements and emotional captivity. His most famous works was the “Cruxification.”. On the different hand, Paolo Uccello (1397-1475) was a Florence artist who depicted distinctive fashion in his art. His style moved away from the flat decorative forms to a more naturalistic style. His obsession of clear colors subjected to animal and bird paintings made him famous. His masterpiece includes “The Battle of San Romano” which was captured by Lorenzo de Medici. Domenico Veneziano was inspired by Masaccio, Paulo and Castagno. He valued color and atmospheric light leading to his creation of glowing and delicate paintings. Leon Battista Alberti is among the initiators of Renaissance art theory (Harris 11). His works, as a painter, mapmaker, astronomer, builder and other socially cultivated ventures reflected his civic humanism. Alberti was a protagonist who guarded the cultural life of Italy. He struck the balance between theory and practice and influenced artists such as Piero della Fransesca. Other artists during this early renaissance include Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi who travelled widely and were responsible for sketching some of the greatest drawings of the time that depicted technical knowledge and skill in religious arts. Piero della Fransesca, passionate of art and geometry was highly influenced by early renaissance artists. He travelled widely across Italy and brought a wide range of innovations to Ubrino, Rumini and other centers (Harris 18). His work that depicted serene humanism intertwined with religious piety. His wide travel unraveled workings on royal courts of Ferrarra and other cities. These artistic works were boosted by the support of Cosimo de’Medici that assured artists of commission and treated them as friends. Cosimo, the ruler of Florence bought sculptures Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello and paintings of Andrea del Castagno and Fra Angelico among others. Early Renaissance II “Terza Generazione” c. 1464-92This is the period whereby art spread beyond the boundaries of Florence. The leadership in Florence shifted in 1464 as Cosimo’s reign ended. Piero de’ Medici intermediary rule took lead till Lorenzo’s period of leadership began in 1469. Piero, the son of Cosimo was not so popular but he undertook and cultivated artistic life. With the leadership of Lorenzo, the son of Piero, a moderate approach was established towards art. Poets, philosophers, scholars, and artists were invited to the ruler’s court in Florence. Terza generazione artists mastered creation of volumetric figures in space. Through this, the language of art was sophisticated, allegorical and needed interpretation (Clogan 13). This concept, also referred as Neo-Platonism influenced artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Rosseli, Verrocho, and Leornado da Vinci. Leornado da Vinci’s career rose in fame during this time as he attempted to relate man to nature. His famous arts include Mona Lisa and The Last Supper which infused Neo-Platonism by interconnecting nature and science. Botticelli, created his iconic works in the early 1480s.Botticelli’s masterpiece includes “The Birth of Venus” which infused Neo-Platonism in art. Andrea del Verrocchio, the teacher of Leornado and Perugino among other artists, successfully reigned in the sculpturing and painting industry (Esaak 1). His students turned out to successful artists as well. Cosimo Rosseli was active in painting the sidewalls of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Along with Sandro Botticelli and Leornado da Vinci, Cosimo was able to receive large commissions due to his active participation in Florence. The technique applied by these prominent artists has influenced the renaissance period as skills, techniques, ideals and principles of art were infused by artists that reigned afterwards. High Renaissance c. 1495-1527The death of Lorenzo ushered in the period of High Renaissance. This period saw apogee of the visual arts. Renaissance at this time was happening all over Europe with centers being Florence, Venice and Rome. Artists were gaining consciousness of high value due to the support of wealthy patrons (Esaak 1). The super stars of this time are Michelangelo Bounarroti, Leornado da Vinci, Raffaello, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and Tiziano (Clogan 13). Styles such as mannerism, dynamism and naturalism were used by artists. Leornado da Vinci is credited for creating the first “High Renaissance” picture. Leonardo, best known for the sfumato technique and the style of naturalism was a perfect painter and a sculptor. Michelangelo’s works composed of the style of mannerism and dynamism which was complicated as it induced excessive interest in movement. Raffaello had unique skill of merging the techniques used by Leornado and Michelangelo (Harris 40). His works brought out dramatic, pictorially rich and sculpturally solid features. A feature of calmness, composition and affection could be depicted in his art. Tiziano on the other hand used bright colors and a technique that subjected the coloring to subtlety and depth. He became the painter of Urbino, Muntua, Ferrara and of the Holy Roman Emperor. High Renaissance removed the initial extraneous detail depicted during the early renaissance period and brought out forms, proportion, colors, lighting, composition, anatomy, and harmonious handling of art work (Harris 21). Masterpieces of High Renaissance include Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Frescoes, Virgin of the Rocks by Leornado and Raphael’s Sistine Madonna. The Adaptation of the Renaissance style by later painters evolved to a style commonly referred as mannerism. High Renaissance period influenced a lot of artists to the present day as it depicted a perfect mastery of technique and style.Works CitedClogan, Paul M. The Early Renaissance. Totowa, N.J: Rowman & Littlefield, 1987. Print.Esaak Shelley. The High Renaissance in Italy. ThoughtCo.2017.https://www.thoughtco.com/the-high-renaissance-in-italy-182383Harris, Nathaniel. Renaissance Art. , 1994. Print.