Through works of art created by Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, we are able to see how static aspects of religion intertwined with the changing beliefs of the Renaissance era. Leonardo Da Vinci showed how religious qualities and new-found scientific beliefs combined to create beautiful works of art. In his painting Adoration of the Magi, Da Vinci paints a picture of religious ideology. In this painting, we see magi, - wise men held in high-esteem - kneeling to the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. This exemplifies how religion continued to hold power over everything else even into the Renaissance. The paintings that Michelangelo created throughout the Sistine Chapel further illustrate this point. The ceilings and walls are covered with paintings showing biblical scenes. The aesthetic beauty of and the sheer number of these religious depictions show the reverence people had for religion. The Sistine Chapel also features The Creation of Adam, which shows how changing scientific beliefs were making an impact on society. The Creation of Adam at first glance may only appear to be two dudes gingerly brushing the tips of their fingers, is actually a great anatomical representation of the body. It even incorporates an accurate outline of the human brain; God’s robe and the positioning of the angels around him show the different layers and parts of the brain. Da Vinci also shows how science was becoming more influential. In a sketch known as the Vitruvian Man, it depicts a perfectly proportioned man, which shows how a grown man should look. This differs from the Middle Ages, as medieval paintings showed ignorance of human anatomy, while Da Vinci and Michelangelo made great efforts to portray the human form as accurately as possible. These works of art show us that, while religion still affected daily life as it had in the medieval era, scientific beliefs were beginning to take hold in all aspects of life.
By Adrian Little, Max White, Seth Moore, James Kawakami
This post represents two famous artists of the renaissance era in pure brilliance. They represent work from each artist and represent how they related very well to society. They relayed the idea of how the artists work conveyed and bridged a sense of life and religion together in their works. They combined the meaning of God to simple relatable traits such as human anatomy. Of course they do mention how the two artists strived to capture the human form in art, they weren't successful in all areas as to portraying religion, science and morals.
ReplyDeletePossible extension of how one artists work portrayed more could have been written instead of having two overly vague one at times.