Artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci made many works of art that embody the progressive sensibility of the Renaissance. The artists of the Renaissance showed the appreciation for the human form people had during that time by painting it in its most realistic form. In Michelangelo’s painting “The Creation of Adam” he sought to display the body’s physical realism and an accurate perspective. Another perspective that artists showed in their works included placing humans in natural backgrounds. Leonardo Da Vinci showed this technique in his painting “The Mona Lisa.” Both Michelangelo and Da Vinci’s paintings show the synthesis of religious asceticism and secular aestheticism. Martin Luther, a very influential religious leader during the Renaissance, argued against reason and focused on the importance of faith that cannot be explained by reasoning. In addition to the changes in religious ideologies, there was a change in philosophical ideologies. The unique elements that make up Renaissance philosophy include the “rebirth” of classical civilization and learning which includes the renewal of ideas put forth by Plato. Both the change in religious practice and the change in philosophical ideas contributed to the shift from religious asceticism to secular aestheticism. Art works, such as those done by Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, and many other artists of the time period emphasized these changes. The paintings of the realism of human bodies showed the movement from traditional paintings to those of freedom, power, uniqueness, and individuality. Those things all play a part in the sensibility of the Renaissance, which is humanism.
Team 3:
Lauren Broder
Laura Lussier
Justine Turrietta
It’s incredibly interesting how much artists can reflect in their work. For Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, their work transcended the limits of given themes and ideas, and instead, brought in their own personal affinities and preferences. In “The Creation of Adam,” Michelangelo shows a fascination with the idea of perspective and a body’s true physical characteristics. Leonardo Da Vinci did the same in his painting, “The Mona Lisa.” Despite the fact that both were heavily limited because both pieces of artwork were commissioned, it is quite amazing that both pieces of artwork have come to represent both respective artists so well. However, what I don’t necessarily agree with is the idea that the movement from traditionally commissioned Catholic paintings to paintings dominated by aesthetic appeal represents a movement of “uniqueness” and “individuality.” The main reason the Catholic Church had artwork commissioned is so people who were heavily involved in the Catholic Church could gaze at the pieces of artwork and identify with the story that each piece came to represent. Is that not the very essence of individuality? People were able to identify with the story that each piece of art told, finding their own variations and morals from the layers of paint and pastel. Artwork that is dominated by the idea of pure beauty does not tell much of a story and cannot, in essence, define a person’s beliefs – a lack of passion and meaning behind a piece of artwork reflects in the respective artwork not having much to say. Although the paradigm shift of artwork being heavily religious to artwork being heavily aesthetically-pleasing based does represent a shift in mindset of many people, it is not necessarily more “unique.”
ReplyDelete