Renaissance Art

Italy was the birthplace of one of the most important periods of human history – the Renaissance period. Renaissance stands for the word “rebirth” in French. The art during this time was inspired by the classics of Rome and Greece. The transformation did not only happen in their form of art alone, it also influenced other fields like literature, science, and architecture.

One of the most significant changes that influence the Renaissance period is the transformation of the society’s social structure. Prior to the Renaissance period, the three major levels of society were the nobility, the churchmen, and the peasants. The emergence of the merchant class started during the Renaissance era. These affluent merchants would like to adorn churches and cathedral with artworks, thus they regularly hire artists to accomplish the task. For large and major projects, guilds of craftsmen would often compete for the commission. Most of the time, wealthy aristocratic families supported and sponsored art projects in the community.

Painting on oil canvas was first introduced in the Renaissance period. By studying and applying special techniques like that of the shadow and light, artists were also able to paint three dimensional images for the first time. Most of the themes of Renaissance artworks revolve around mythological subjects and nature scenes. Most of the paintings portray or show different proportions of images base on their distance and size from the subject matter. The two greatest artists during this time were Leonardo DaVinci whose famous work was Mona Lisa and Michelangelo who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel