by Christina Yang, Jane Lu, Calvin Chan, Brianna Loo (Period 2, Team 1)
During the Renaissance period, the Catholic Church required that artists could only paint sacred subjects. However, the personal beliefs of artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, frequently differed from the views of the Catholic Church. In order to reconcile the difference in ideologies, artists often expressed their beliefs in their seemingly religious paintings. Leonardo da Vinci was an atheist, whose paintings reveal his ideologies. For example, he avoided vibrant colors like gold and azure, and presented Mary and the angels in fairly plain costumes. In “The Virgin of the Rocks,” Leonardo revealed the sacredness of Mary, but did not portray the subject as a perfect woman. He also painted her using darker colors. The painting reflected both Leonardo’s own portrayal of Mary as well as the “official” representation of the Virgin.
On the other hand, Michelangelo was a Catholic, who often contrasted the holiness of heaven to the horror of hell. In “The Creation of Adam,” Since Adam’s finger and God’s finger are not touching, it is thus observed that man is still not yet the perfect creature that God created. Furthermore, Adam is sitting on a cliff while God is floating in the air. This could reveal Michelangelo’s belief that man is not nearly as powerful as God.
Both paintings of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci reflect their beliefs. They reveal that the artists were beginning to express their ideologies, not just accepting the ones of the Catholic Church. The changing ideologies within the artists and the society could foreshadow the formation of the Protestant church as well as the decreasing power of the Catholic Church.
Your response is very insightful. Your group analyzed the aspects of each artist's notable features and techniques. This insight is very helpful to understand the ideologies during the Renaissance and how it was portrayed to the public. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci are perfect examples to contrast the values and ideologies that were present during the Renaissance. Great response!
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