In the Renaissance era, religious asceticism and secular aestheticism had a synergistic effect on artists’ paintings. The practice of religious asceticism means to abstain from worldly pleasures, while secular aestheticism at the time focused in on the realistic and beauteous qualities of things. Specifically, the combination of these two aspects had influence on the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, and Michelangelo.
In Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Benois Madonna,” it depicts the Virgin Mary with a baby Jesus in her lap. The depiction of the Virgin Mary, one who has abstained, yet given birth, is a key example. The combination of a very lifelike depiction and two highly regarded religious symbols is a prime example of the blending of asceticism and aestheticism.
Furthermore, in Michelangelo’s ceiling of the Sistine chapel, it only expands upon this concept. Michelangelo depicts nine different scenes in his mural. Specifically in his depiction of the creation of Adam and Eve, he shows their expulsion from the garden because they succumbed to the temptation of eating an apple from the forbidden tree. In this painting, it shows the consequences from giving in to worldly pleasures. Yet, the aesthetic values of the time played a key role into the style of the painting. Upon looking at the depiction of Adam and Eve, one can tell that it is particularly realistic even though there were no living witnesses at the event.
During the renaissance period, philosophical ideologies began to change and emerge. At the same time, science began to flourish. Galileo, for example, presented the idea of heliocentrism, where the earth rotated around the sun. It is accurate to describe this era as a period of time in which people sought to discover truths. Like Galileo sought to discover the secrets of astronomy, artists depicted age-old religious characters with strong and vivid details. Rather than leaving religious symbols vague and open to interpretation, artists reflected the philosophical ideologies of the time by depicting people like the Virgin Mary, and Adam with a great deal of specificity.
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ReplyDeleteYour group has made accurate descriptions and relation of the philosophy behind the arts to the ideals of the artists. It answers the questions regards to religious asceticism and secular aestheticism of the artists Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo with specific details with their art pieces reflecting the image of Virgin Mary and Adam & Eve. Your group also brought up Galileo and the idea of heliocentrism to demonstrate the emergence of science during the Renaissance era. This synthesis is well written and greatly reflected the time period.
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