Italian Renaissance is a period of great Cultural Revolution in Europe. It marks the transition from Medieval and Early Modern Europe. It was one of the most rewarding periods in art’s history in major fields like sculpture, painting and architecture. It had been known for its cultural achievements. It helped starts the Renaissance Period through its Italian literary revolution. Writers started using their native language, the Italian language, in writing their novels and poetry.

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.

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

Renaissance Period is the period when new ideas on art and humanities were revived and renewed. It was a cultural movement that spanned from Italy and spreads out to the rest of Europe. With this rebirth, greater interest emerged for the Ancient Greek and Roman culture. It was the time of a new way of life and culture characterized by the ideas of humanism which gave importance to the goodness of mankind focusing in human beauty and life’s pleasures.

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.

The word Renaissance means “rebirth”. It is the period from the early 1300’s to approximately 1600 when interest in literature, history and art were renewed. It is the time when study of ancient Greece and Rome was renewed. It was also considered the time when Europe recovered its economy.

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 happened in the mid-19^th century when most American masterpieces were made and produced. Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Melville’s Moby-Dick and Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter are some examples of the American Renaissance Art.

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.

This major cultural rebirth and revival began in Italy during the 1300’s and spread throughout Europe until around 1650.

Here are a few of the historical milestones during this period of great change.

Lorenzo de Medici (MED-uh-chee) (1449-1492) was a prominent ruler of Florence, Italy who was also a strong patron of many great artists of that era:

Sandro Botticelli created the well know painting: “The Birth of Venus”.

Leonardo Da Vinci created the paintings: “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper”.

Michelangelo sculpted “David” and “Pieta”. He designed the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica and painted the Sistine Chapel frescoes.

As a young man, Michelangelo lived with the Medici family in Florence for a period.

In 1492, Columbus was credited for the discovery of America which was named after the ships navigator, Americus Vaspucci.

The Reformation of the 1500’s was a religious movement which opposed the sale of “Indulgences” by the Roman Catholic Church. Church authorities would absolve and pronounce someone free of guilt for a specific monetary price. The reformation movement opposed the sale of these “Indulgences” and this set the foundations for the Protestant churches. Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox were leaders in this movement. Henry VIII declared himself head of the Christian Church in England.

During the Renaissance, the arts, architecture, literature and science received a new breath of life and relief from the relatively bleaker periods of the dark and middle ages.

Lamps, paintings, furniture, architecture and home decor items of all kinds will forever be influenced by RENAISSANCE ART period. A lamp, painting or sculpture showing two people touching hands brings a vision of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and “The Creation of Adam”.

- Jim Hoyle