‘Renaissance’ is literally defined as ‘rebirth,’ as the era reclassified literature, painting, architecture, and even religion. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo reveal the synthesis of religious asceticism and secular aestheticism through their light-intensified paintings. Leonardo da Vinci saw life in various lights and reproduce them in his paintings; using different contrasts in light and creating emphasis on what was physically light and dark. The painting of the “Virgin on the Rocks” (or “Madonna of the Rocks”), for instance, illustrates the concept of light perfectly (Michelangelo). He also introduces ties with religious asceticism as it showcases faces of Madonna and baby Jesus, both of which are accented with a glow while the two different pathways behind them are either extremely bright or extremely dark. These pathways are painted with the unique coloring to symbolize heaven and hell. Another form of art that was reborn was sculpting, especially nude sculptures because of the confidence and pride of the body. Michelangelo created many statues that are quite famous today; the “Statue of David,” the biblical hero in David and Goliath, for example, symbolizes freedom and is completely nude (Michelangelo). “The Last Judgment” is a fresco painting by Michelangelo that illustrated the second coming of Jesus Christ and the apocalypse. In the painting, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary were naked, and though the Renaissance Era celebrated the nude, it was considered sacrilegious and was later censored (Michelangelo). The synthesis between the contradictory asceticism’s reflect the changing religious and philosophical ideologies by rebirthing emphasizing classical antiquity, which resembles God-like qualities from Greek culture.
Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_the_Rocks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo#Statue_of_David
It is very interesting that you pointed out the contrast of light and darkness in the "Virgin on the Rocks" painting. The light was definitely intended to create a sense of holiness and to also emphasize certain aspects of the piece of art. The Greeks valued the human body in its most natural form: nude, thus the numerous sculptures depicting the strength and natural beauty of the human body. Good job analyzing these pieces of Renaissance art and the changing religious and philosophical ideologies.
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