Renaissance Synthesis

Wylie Period 5 Team 7

Throughout the ages, people learned how religion was not as important anymore so they binded religious asceticism together with secular asceticism to have it relate to daily lives. Thus, Michelangelo was able to paint “The Creation of Adam,” which religiously shows God but yet since he has not given Adam “the touch” yet so it separates the religiousness with the secular aspect. Despite all of the revolutionary beliefs that arose during this era, paintings were considered somewhat sacred. In response, the artists decided to change the definition to appeal to the common man and also fit into the defined word. Thus, Leonardo Da Vinci is able to create Annunciation and keep the holiness with the angel. However the difference from earlier paintings to this one rests in the background. In the 2-D canvas, Leonardo da Vinci is able to create a 3-D image to show the realistic contents of the painting. The secular aesthetics of the painting is pictured in the in the beauty of nature and light as seen in the painting. Another example of a 3-D creation would be Michelangelo’s sculpture, David. In context of the Bible, David is a biblical hero. However, the focus is on all features of the statue. Michelangelo creates David posing differently from all other sculptures that portrayed him before battle. However, the face of David is calm yet fierce as if in a pre battle stance. To separate his sculpture, Michelangelo makes him naked to fit the Greek art syle.

With the changing religions and philosophies, people are beginning to no longer fully rely on godly figures. Instead of depending on Gods for better crop seasons, good fortune, and happiness, these evolved people are beginning to accept the fact that people are able to think for themselves. Thus starts the rise of Secularism, Neo-Platonism, Humanism, and Hermeticism. In addition to that, education and exploration also advances with study of physics, astronomy, and chemistry and the discovery of the Americas.

Dan Qi
Samudra Thio
Kevyn Fox

Renaissance Era Synthesis

Ever since the Renaissance Era, most paintings had always been associated with the life and origin of the Church. Religious arts were considered to be the only form of living art in the old Christian world. According to recent researches, the art of profane painting in Europe dates only back to the past five centuries and took the lead in the early nineteenth century. Researchers concluded that the history of painting linked up to religious paintings. One of the major works by the great artist Michelangelo, the ceiling of Sistine Chapel, consists of over 300 figures, the nine episodes from the Book of Genesis, and the state of Humanity presented by Noah and his family. In addition, Michelangelo also completed arts on ceilings of buildings such as “The Creation of Adam” and “Adam and Eve,” all representing the religion and events of Christianity. Another famous painter from the Renaissance Era, Leonardo da Vinci, painted “The Last Supper.” The painting represented Jesus’ last meal and his shares of disciples before his death and capture. Furthermore, Leonardo da Vinci also painted the “Mona Lisa” in the 1500s. The painting was famous for its amazing drawing of the woman’s smile, which was drawn in a way that people could not determine the exact nature of her smile. By contrast, Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings were magnificent for his style of drawing and his way of dealing with realistic body. Michelangelo expressed his paintings in a form of good body looks and muscles, as opposed to Leonardo da Vinci’s expression of body with realism.

P3 Team2 Synthesis

Artists of the time period, specifically, Da Vinci and Michelangelo, could not overtly include secular ideologies into their art, but subverted pure religious ideology by creating their paintings with incredible realism and a more characteristically “human” approach. Michelangelo, for example, in his work, “The Creation of Adam”, which depicts God giving life to Adam through a touch, would seem to be exclusively religious, but is fact very secular, not only from the humanist style of the painting, but also the subject matter. The style of the painting is more natural is the sense that color and line were no longer exclusively used separately: color was now used to represent line and contour, and gave the painting a much more secular feel. While the creation of Adam is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Bible, and Michelangelo presents it in a very anthropomorphic way, as both God and Adam are outstretched to each other, perhaps symbolizing closeness between man and God that goes beyond mere fear and respect, as the church would have it. Another Michelangelo painting, “The Fall From Grace”, depicts Adam and Eve succumbing to temptation and consequently being banished from the Garden of Eden. The subject matter of the painting is representative of the changing view on religion; “The Fall From Grace” explores one of the most deeply human parts of religion: Adam and Eve made an ethical decision without God’s knowledge, that is to say that God had no effect on their choice, only the consequence. This is very different from the jealous and vengeful God of the Catholic Church, and reflects the changing ideologies of the time period.

Renaissance synthesis ash.p3.t4.

During the Renaissance and Middle ages religion played a big part in the way society viewed the world. For example, many people believed that God made the Earth and men the middle of the universe. The way society viewed religion was highly reflected in artwork during the Renaissance. Some of the most famous artists during this time were Michelagnelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. Though each of these artists had a distinct art style, there were common ideas and themes that were reflected in their art pieces—the strongest theme being religion.

Leonardo Da Vinci is famous for many pieces of art, but one in particular reflects how he viewed society—the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Many view the ceiling as a work by the Gods, but in fact Da Vinci painted the ceiling to reflect the disorder among humans. During the Renaissance humanitarianism was becoming important to the people of the time, but Da Vinci went against this common view held by people. His artwork, though incorporating the need for Jesus and God, reflected the opposite of humanitarianism. This shifting in the messages conveyed by artists during the Renaissances is directly related with the scientific break throughs that were occurring during the era. During this time science was disproving claims made by the church. For example, Galileo and his telescope proved that the Earth was not the center of the universe. As people began the question the authority of the church the views of the people changed, and so did the messages that the artists communicated within their art, such as in the case of Da Vinci.
Though Da Vinci went against the common view of the world in some of his artworks, the theme of religion was strong in his work as well as in the work of Michelangelo. Both of these artists created art that reflected humans; a bit of humanitarianism is seen through this strong theme of human life captured in art. The humans reflected in the art were usually naked—a symbol of purity. Humans in the art were often times seen wearing angel wings creating a strong bond between humans on earth and those who have passed on to heaven.
Much of the beauty reflected in both Da Vinci and Michelangelo’s work was in the detail put into drawing the human body. Michelangelo specifically took a great interest in the aesthetics of the human body. He would take dead bodies and dissect them as to perfect the structure of specific muscles he was drawing in his artwork.
Artwork during the Renaissances was highly influenced by religion and discoveries. Religion was the theme most commonly seen in artwork. Religion was incorporated in the message of the artwork as well as the appearance of the humans in the artwork. Art, along with new philosophical ideas, helped progress the evolution of knowledge and thoughts during the Renaissances period.

Renaissance synthesis ash.p2.t2.

During Renaissance, religion and science often came into conflict. The clash initiated with the corrupt within Catholic Church that significantly weakened the trust people had in their religion. Newly developed scientific method encouraged people to think logically with their own senses rather than blindly agreeing with dishonest authority for unreasonable reasons. At the same time, the invention of printing press gave easier access to this new knowledge to all. As more were educated to be able to express their thoughts eloquently, new scientific philosophical ideologies became prevalent in the society: constantly growing and improving humanism and sensibility. With these, society at large gradually evolved and change was reflected in the paintings of artists during the time period. Although majority accepted this transition, Catholic Church still believed that the subjects of paintings had to be sacred. This led artists to secretly embed their aesthetic sensibilities and synthesize religious and secular aestheticism in their art work. One famous painting that exemplified the sensibility of the era is ‘The Mona Lisa’ by Leonardo da Vinci. A remarkably realistic painting of a woman with warm smile, ‘The Mona Lisa’ symbolizes the sensibility through its careful understanding of human proportions. Not only does the painting reflect profound mystery, but it also emphasizes its religious values. Another worldly renowned artist Michelangelo depicted sensibility through sculpture ‘David’, who is a biblical character. Through portrayal of courageous David before the battle with goliath, Michelangelo shares his view towards past and religion and reveals the Renaissance era’s emphasis on moral values.

Renaissance Synthesis, Period 3, Team 3

The Renaissance was an imperative era in human history which brought about the revival of science and the return of logic and reasoning. It marked the end of the Medieval era, the end to the suppression of science, an end to the strict limitation on art, and the beginning of a period which flourished in advent-garde ideas, philosophies, and techniques. It brought about the revolution of religion and its practice. It was an era of rebirth, specifically the rebirth of classical Greek and Roman influences. The sensibilities of the era could be seen through the works of the famed Michelangelo and the innovative Leonardo Da Vinci. Perhaps the most famous painting in the world today, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa embodies the attitude of the Renaissance era. The most respected forms of Greek art were panel paintings that “depicted figural scenes, including portraits”. Mona Lisa is exactly that: a portrait panel painting. This piece by Leonardo Da Vinci portrays the return of humanism by reintroducing the motif that art doesn’t have to strictly be of religion. During the Medieval era, art was strictly limited by religion, and were mostly created for religious purposes. This reintroduction of humanism opened up the gateway for artists and craftsmen to freely express themselves with their skills. Then there was Michelangelo’s David, a depiction of the Biblical hero David standing nude, a rebirth of a very common Greek style: the young, nude male. This sculpture, along with his paintings such as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the Creation of Adam, and his Last Supper painting, signified the return of religion from the stars down to the earth. It was the repatriation of the old ways and ideas, when the heavens were one with earth. This eliminated the fear of God and the unknown from society, allowing for a great deal of social change and growth. Their work from this era also reflected scientific rediscovery and growth, such as Leonardo Da Vinci’s Anatomy of Man. The Renaissance era brought about the return of classic humanism, a radical change on the view of religion, and new advancements in science, progressing the human civilization forward into the Enlightenment Era; an era of insight and visions.

Jimmy Don, Haseeb Khan, Yerin Kong, Erik Seetao, Christina Yang

Asher Period 3 Team 6

The Early Renaissance period was a period of blossoming for art works, especially the elevated style of painting that reflected the society's fervent attachment to the religious ideals of the time. As the church gradually ascended to power, their influence towards the Renaissance painters became more evident. However, the actual philosophies of the time reflected quite the opposite type of sentiments, the thinkers of the time dealt with discovering the value of the individual, the more personal approach towards god, and his connections with rest of the society: humanity. The church was no longer on the highest part of the “social pyramid,” and the connection towards God became much of an unique experience, different among ever individual.

Despite all this revolutionary beliefs, the Catholic church of the era demanded that each painting be sacred, to portray the unreachable divinity of the church and god. The artists, in return, decided to break new grounds regarding the word “sacred.” Although the paintings themselves would portray holy and symbolic scenes – referenced usually from the Bible – the “sacredness” would lie within the innovative and creative techniques and approaches they applied to the art itself. The contrast of light and shade, the depth of facial expressions, or the magical proportion between people and the background were some of the key characteristics found within these paintings. One of the more famous , to say the least, artist of the era, Leonardo Da Vinci expresses his “sacred” and innovative approach in the painting Annunciation. The painting portrays an angel delivering an evangelical message to the fair lady of the scripture, thus the painting can rightfully be defined as being sacred. However, when taken a look at from the perspective of the art itself, the contrast of light to emphasize the holiness of the lady and the Bible, the scenery that effectively distorts the proportion of the objects to represent distance within a two-dimensional painting is remarkable. Also Michelangelo's paintings of The Last Judgment: Saint Bartholomew shows the intricate details of the human body, while at the same time featuring a sacred topic to please the church, while demonstrating a scared technique to please the social and aesthetic perspective of the time.

The paintings, though they featured divine characters and beings, were starting to cave in on the necessity and the importance of humanity in society. The connection of a single human towards his or her god, and the effects he or she can have on the society were often the topic of discussion to the philosophers of the time period. The details outlined within the human body, and the attention they received is something beyond what the history has seen up to that point. Thus the evolving society reflected the “rebirth of the human kind and his values” thus giving the era a title of “Renaissance.”