Art was very significant during the renaissance period till early 1990s. The artists selected in this paper have a common theme in all their paintings. The common theme is fantasy and imagination that all artists showed in their art. Fantasy is described by the mood of a painting. The mood can be tranquil, energetic or dark. The artists selected for this paper are Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), Michelangelo (1475-1564), Raphael (1483-1520), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), and Paul Cezanne (1839-1906). Each artist has been discussed based on the whereabouts of the artist, connection to the main idea, why the artist has been chosen, the working years of the artist, and achievement of artist. Each artist is also discussed based on their best pieces of art.
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)
Leornado’s career was from 1452-1519. He is among the greatest philosophers, thinkers, and artist. He is also among the people who contributed to the European renaissance which led to the invention of new discoveries, ideas, and development of beautiful art (Alexander et al
389). He developed his artistic styles due to the love for nature during his early years. In 1482, he went to the court of Sforzo, Milan where he stayed for 16 years doing art. The reason for selecting this artist is because he used fantasy and imagination in his art.
He also came up with Chiaroscuro which is a technique of defining forms through the use of shadow and light. One of his popular and fine arts is the Mona Lisa whose style and attraction is based on Chiaroscuro and sfumato which enables a connection between colors. There is a contrast between Mona Lisa’s face and the background. The artist creates imagination to create more fashion and transition between several arts. Through the use of different colors and illumination, he gives the audience a clear glimpse and imagination on what the real image could look like (Alexander et al 389). Another reason for selecting this artist is because his style is flexible since he introduced a new theme of drama and movement in art. The following is the Mona Lisa art.
Figure 1: Mona Lisa.
Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci
Dimensions: 77cm by 53cm
Period: renaissance
Created: 1503
Location: Louvre Museum
Medium: oil paint
Michelangelo (1475-1564)
Michelangelo was born in 1475 in Caprese and his interest was in art. His father was a magistrate but he did not want other careers but artistic works only. His talent was recognized by a powerful family in Medici where he was taken to learn more artistic styles. He diversified his skills to Latin and Greek art (Arshad et al 116). He was among the best renaissance artists but he later lost his work after the Medicis lost their power due to political turmoil. Later in 1496, he moved to Rome where he engaged in a long-term relationship with the Popes who were constructing the Basilica pinnacle.
The reason for selecting this artist is because he had a sense of fashion in his pieces of art. Since he was among the renaissance artist, his art evolved from time to time implying a great sense of fantasy and imagination (Arshad et al 118). Another reason for selecting this artist is because he has a different taste from other artist. He majorly focused on religion paintings like the Madonna of the stairs, Pieta, David, and the creation of Adam. He has embraced a lot of imagination and creativity in his art. One of his popular arts is the Doni Tondo shown below.
Figure 2: Doni Tondo
Artist: Michelangelo
Location: Uffizi gallery
Period: renaissance
Created: 1504-1506
Genre: Christian art
Medium: oil paint, Tempera
Raphael (1483-1520)
Raphael is one of the celebrated Italian painters. Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo Da Vinci make up the most critical artists during the renaissance period. The main reason for selecting this artist is because he has the energy and urges to convey beauty, geandeur, and perfection. He was born in Italy and followed his father’s footstep who was also a painter. Even though Raphael was influenced by other artists like Michelangelo and Da Vinci, he played a very important role during the renaissance period due to his artistic finesse. Raphael was praised for his personality and that made him to earn more clients (Thoenes et al 38). He had to hire people to help him complete his arts and focus on new ones.
Raphael worked in Rome for two years where he worked for two popes and was considered the artist of the city beating his counterpart Michelangelo. His first work was the Baronci altarpiece. He was applauded by his society for embracing cultural paintings and religion at the same time (Thoenes et al 61). He was also among the first artists to emphasize on finesse art. From 1504 to 1508, he worked in Northern Italy, Florence where he influenced more artists. One of his popular arts is the Crocefissione. The picture is shown below.
Figure 3: Crocefissione
Artist: Raphael
Location: National portrait gallery, London
Period: High renaissance, Italian renaissance
Created: 1503
Genre: Christian art
Subject: Crucifix
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)
Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881. He developed painting skills at a young age and he later joined the avant-garde art movement. His artistic career comprised of various states. The first stage was the ‘Blue Period.’ During this period, his paintings were dominated by dark blue shades and they were always melancholic (Picasso 19). From 1904-1906, Picasso entered ‘The Rose Period.’ The glumness of the previous period was lost and Picasso embraced clowns and circus people. He later enhanced his career in 1907 by focusing in African paintings. The main reason for selecting this artist his became he never had enough of his glamorous work. He challenged himself and developed his career through different stages and therefore his work was loved by many people (Picasso 34). One of his famous works is the “At the Lapin Agile.” The picture is shown below.
Figure 4: At the Lapin Agile
Artist: Pablo Picasso
Dimensions: 99.1 cm by 100.3 cm
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Period: renaissance
Created: 1901
Paul Cezanne (1839–1906)
Paul cezanne was born in 1839 in southern France. He is known for applying several painting styles which influenced the abstract art in the 20th
century. After quitting college to pursue art, his arts were rejected severally by the establishment until 1895 when he received the first exhibition. The reason for selecting this artist is because he applies all styles to come up with creative and imaginative pieces of art (Buckley 680). He based all his art on nature where he drew landscapes and trees. From 1878-1905, he secluded himself to develop new painting styles. One of his arts is “A view through Trees” whose picture is shown below.
Figure 5: A view through Trees
Conclusion
The renaissance period was the basis of all types of art practiced in the 20th
and 21st century. Veteran artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Pablo Picasso, and Paul Cezanne strived to ensure a systematic development of art from one stage to another. Their art were based on creativity, fantasy and imagination hence attracted a large audience. These artists played a major role in mobilizing the society. The arts were so powerful and some of them are still available in big museums in France, Italy and other nations.
References
Alexander, David E. "Leonardo da vinci (1452–1519)." Environmental Geology. Springer, Dordrecht,1999.388389.Retrievedfrom:https://www.biographyonline.net/scientists/leonar do_da_vinci.html
Arshad, Muhammad, and Michael Fitzgerald. "Did Michelangelo (1475–1564) have high- functioning autism?." Journal of medical biography 12.2 (2004): 115-120. Retrieved from: https://www.biographyonline.net/artists/michelangelo.html
Buckley, Peter J. "Paul Cézanne, 1839–1906." American Journal of Psychiatry 168.7 (2011): 680-680. Retrieved from: https://www.biographyonline.net/artists/paul-cezanne.html
https://www.biographyonline.net/artists/top-10-painters.html
Picasso, Pablo. "Picasso and portraiture: representation and transformation." (2015): 17-38. Retrieved from: https://www.biographyonline.net/artists/pablo-picasso.html
Thoenes, Christof, and Raphael. Raphael, 1483-1520: The Invention of the High Renaissance. Taschen,(2012):3465.Retrievedfrom:https://www.biographyonline.net/artists/raphael.html
