Art of the Harlem Renaissance was more than just an art and literary movement and more than just a social revolt against racial discrimination. It had acclaimed the unique and wonderful culture of the African-Americans which redefined their own expression.

Aaron Douglas was the Harlem Renaissance Artist whose works best epitomized the New Negro Philosophy. His works were Arts of the Harlem Renaissance. He painted the four-panel series of the Aspects of Negro Life which traces the journey of African-Americans from liberation in Africa to enslavement in the United States and from freedom after the Civil War to modern city life. His work Song of the Towers also represents the African-American struggle from slavery to self-emancipation in American cities. Most of his paintings depicted the importance of the African culture spirit.

Lois Jones works were also considered as Harlem Renaissance Art. She entered the School of the Museum of Fine Art in a time were racism and discrimination are the features of American life. She continued her art career in spite of these barriers. Her famous works include Negro Shack I, Fishing Smacks, Les Pommes Vertes and Jennie.

Other Harlem Renaissance artists were Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and William Johnson.

Harlem Renaissance Art is the result of the African-American Cultural Revolution. African-American made this as a way to uplift their spirit and give importance on their life. This serves as their means to voice out and express the real state of their lives as they add sophistication and mirth in their lifestyle. It created a lasting legacy of African-American writings, paintings and music that was realized into their mainstream culture.

Harlem Renaissance Art is presented with the works of William H. Johnson in his Self Portrait with Bandana and Lois Mailou Jones in her Les Fetiches. On the other hand Aaron Douglas was considered as the “Father of African-American Art) through his works such as Idylls of the Deep South and Into Bondage. Other prominent Harlem Renaissance artists are Sir Jacob Epstein (Portrait Bust of Paul Robeson), Jacob Lawrence (Dust to Dust), Ronald Moody (Midonz) and Archibald Motley Jr. (Blues). Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith’s music also comprises the rich artistic legacy of the Harlem Renaissance Period.

The icons of the Renaissance Period were Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. Their works portray the zenith of artistry that was to be much emulated by other artists as well. Other remarkable artists who made significant contributions in the Renaissance period were Sandro Boticceli, Donatello and Titian.

The technique of using oil paint and canvas during Renaissance was introduced by Netherlands’ artistic culture. The style of using Naturalism as a theme also came from the artworks of two painters from Netherlands namely Hugo van der Goes and Jan van Eyck. Everyday life also influenced the theme of art during the Renaissance period. A more realistic portrayal of human figure is also one of the major themes of art during the Renaissance period.

The system of perspective in the Renaissance period pioneered the development of the mathematical and the geometrical representation of space. The inspiration of these revivals in the artistic world was invigorated by the passion to portray the beauty of nature and to expose the principle of aesthetics. Art during the Renaissance period unraveled life and society in the truest image.

Early Renaissance Art was innovated by frescoes (art created on damp plaster), oil paints, chiaroscuro (use of shadows to show the balance of light and dark), science, linear perspective which allowed artist to represent objects in relative sizes and realistic portrayal of human nature.

Works of Filippo Bruneleschi, Masaccio, Pierro della Francesca, Donatello and Andrea Mantegna comprised the Early Renaissance Art. Examples of their works were the View of an Ideal City, Holy Trinity and the statue of David. Bruneleschi depicted the three-dimensional space in the arts, Masaccio was one of first artists who applied the new method of linear perspective as well as Pierro della Francesca and Donatello used new sense of naturalism including Mantegna which characterized all of the innovations of the Early Renaissance Period.

Most of the Early Renaissance Art were affected by the works of Dante Alighieri and Francis Petrarch. Dante was born in Florence while Petrarch was born in Arezzo. Artists influenced by Dante were Giotto, Michelangelo and Salvadore Dali including authors like Shelley, Byron, Yeats and T.S. Elliot. On the other hand, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Sir Thomas Wyatt poems were greatly influenced by Petrarch.

In the early Italian Renaissance Period, studying and translating classic works from Latin and Greek were the main focus. Authors tried to incorporate their own works to the ancient works of Cicero, Salust, Horace and Aristotle and Plato.

Italian Renaissance Art was greatly influenced by the developing science and emerging philosophy. Writer such as Francisco Petrarch wrote poetry in Latin but is well known for his works written in the Italian language. Such works are the Vernacular, Canzoniere and many more sonnets he published in his time.

Another artist that depicts the Italian Renaissance Art is Donatello. He was known for his sculptures. His study leads to the development of classicizing positions and subject matter. He had also influenced one of the greatest artists in time, Michelangelo.

Italian Renaissance Art was not only portrayed in writings and sculptures but as well in music. It corresponded with the activity in the other fields. It increased emphasis on styles and forms, secular sources, spreading of culture and development of new techniques. The musical style was labeled Italian ars nova with the principal forms of Trecento madrigal, ballata and caccia.

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

The work of art on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of Michelangelo’s greatest masterpieces. He painted the entire ceiling while lying on his back for four years. He built a strong wooden scaffold in order to be near to the ceiling and paint it.

Through this art project, children will be able to come across the difficulty of Michelangelo while painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. They can do this by fastening a large piece of paper under the table and lying down to paint any scene.

Materials:

• large piece of butcher or poster paper
• masking tape
• school table at child’s height
• paints and brushes
• newspaper to serve as covering for the floor under the table
• old clothes and bandana as costume
• cleaning materials like rags, paper towels, or sponges

Process:

1. The sheets of paper must be first taped to the underside of the table. The student artist must be able to lie on his back and conveniently stroke on the paper fastened to the table.

2. The floor of under the table must be covered with newspaper in order to easily clean the work area.

3. Paints should be arranged in jars or cans. There should be one brush for each color of paint. Make sure that the paints can be reached comfortably.

4. Lie down underneath the table in a relax position.

5. Start painting any topic or theme that comes into mind. It is important to keep in mind that trickles from the ceiling of the tables are just natural part of the process.

If finished, you can leave the artwork under the table for hours to dry. You can remove the dry ceiling painting and tape it on the ceiling of your room.

Unlike the Middle Ages Art, the Renaissance Art is much fuller of life. Moreover, the arts that were made seemed to have depth. Giotto was one of the first who used the new style of the Renaissance Period. His works shows great depth and emotion. Thus, he was acclaimed Father of Renaissance.

The Renaissance Art put great emphasis on the significance of the Madonna in art. Attention to shadows showing the balance of light and dark became an important factor to the Renaissance Art. Interests in the human body particularly the nude were also given great importance.

Highly realistic perspective was also one of the distinguished features of Renaissance Art. This perspective as an artistic technique was formalized with the writings of Leon Battista Alberti and Filippo Brunelleschi. This became part in the realistic approach in the arts. Renaissance artists include Leonardo da Vinci who focused in human anatomy and Raphael and Michelangelo who depicted the beauty of nature. Other distinguished artists of this period were Donatello, Sandro Boticceli and Titian.

Before the Renaissance, literary production was limited. It was characterized by large collection of church hymns, sermons, didactic poems of relative importance, legends of various saints, theological treatises, historical chronicles beginning with Creation and fables. Important original books that time were Exameron by St. Ambrose, Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius and City of God and the Confessions by St. Augustine.

When humanism arises, Art of the Renaissance was born. The ideal of which focused on the world of mankind and concern for the hereafter. Thus, it focused on the goodness of mankind. The Art of the Renaissance touched by the birth of humanism began in Florence, Italy, in an ideal setting with wealthy patrons. It involved the modern discovery of fields like moral and political philosophy, history, poetry, rhetoric, grammar, literature and linguistic study and interpretation. It can be considered as the deliberate revival or renascence of the arts and humanities.

Giotto’s works were considered Arts of the Renaissance. For his works, he was acclaimed to be the Father of the Renaissance. He was known to be the most significant artist on Renaissance painting. His dignified figures seemed to displace space which stands upon the ground with real substance and weight. The figures he made appear to extend both forward towards the spectator’s space and backward into the picture.

American Renaissance Art is more eclectic and unique compared to the old Hudson River School Arts. Arts during those times were expressed in various styles and subjects due to the restlessness and uncertainty during those periods. When Cosmopolitanism took over the American cultural view, global artistic achievement became a concern which displaced the spirit of nationalism. American artists divert their art academics to the universities of Munich and Paris to learn about the latest styles and techniques. Eventually, America’s art expanded and increased vigor due to new and broader knowledge gained by American artists.

In Paris, Exposition Universelle of 1867 served as the venue for the expansion of American Renaissance Art. Works of notable painters such as Frederick Edwin Church, John Kensett and Albert Bierstadt quite impressed the people who attended the said exposition. Moreover, the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia also provided an equally important crossroads for the American art. The art display included thousands paintings and sculptures making it the biggest single exhibition in America. This became a great opportunity for Americans to be more aware of the significant role of art in the development of their culture. Concurrently, Americans realized that their native American art lacked variety which made them decide to continuously train in Europe for further improvement of their art and culture. Consequently, Americans learned the informal and intimate view of nature improved by subtle and evocative light effects as well as soft and muted tones.