Renaissance Art Characteristics

Art works of the Renaissance period are exemplary of the creative genius that existed during that era. These works have had numerous interpretations over the centuries and continue to be a mystery for art historians and art critics even today. This article is an attempt to identify the Renaissance art characteristics which make this art so intriguing.

Renaissance means 're-birth'. It was a period of revival for Europe, which started in Florence, Italy, and later spread to other European nations like France and Germany. During the 15th and the 16th centuries, business flourished in Italy and people gained wealth. These rich families started patronizing the artists. With the new found financial support and freedom, there was a drastic change in the behavior and thinking of the artists. They outrightly rejected the medieval art emphasis on religion and after life, thus starting a revolution in the field of art, which we today know as Renaissance.

Evolution of Renaissance art took place in three stages, namely, Early Renaissance (1400-1475 AD), High Renaissance (1475-1525 AD) and Late Renaissance or Mannerism (1525-1600 AD). A lot of Renaissance art changes were observed during these time periods. Here are the characteristics of Renaissance art, peculiar to each of these art eras.

Early Renaissance Art Characteristics

"There is no must in art because the art is free," stated Wassily Kandinsky. The artists of the early renaissance period believed that the art can't remain static, it should develop and move forward. For this, Roman and Greek classical styles in art, literature and architecture were studied. The artists of early renaissance examined the light, color and space techniques used by the ancient Greek and Roman artists. They used the successful creative processes of the ancient period artists to create a new and modern art form.

Unlike the artists of the medieval period, who painted heavenly creatures, the focus of the artists shifted to the human body. Realistic expressions were given to the human figures, be it in painting, architecture or sculpture, and the concept came to be known as Realism. Painters like the famous Masaccio still painted religious themes, but the saints in the paintings wore common people's clothes and had natural expressions. The artworks of early Renaissance depicted people carrying on with their everyday activities like eating, dancing, etc.

Architect Filippo Brunelleschi introduced the concept of linear perspective. This is by far one of the most innovative of the early renaissance art characteristics. By utilizing this, the artists were able to create the illusion of space and distance on a level surface. "Statue of Brunelleschi" by Filippo Brunelleschi, "Trinity" painted by Masaccio,"St. James before Herod Agrippa" by Andreas Mantegna and "Metal Recto" by Alberti utilized linear perspective beautifully.

Modern ideas were embraced, and the focus was slowly shifting from other worldly things as advocated by the church to the present and now. The modern artists of this era started questioning the church. People's belief in religion was also reducing. The same was reflected in the artists' works. "The Arnolfini Portrait" by Jan van Eyck shows a couple being married in a room instead of a church. Although, the room has a chandelier on which a candle is placed representing Christ. Another peculiarity of the painting is that the woman is shown pregnant even before marriage. Such ideas were unheard of during the medieval period. Another example is the dome of the Florence Cathedral. Filippo Brunelleschi built round arches for it instead of the Gothic style preferred by the church.

High Renaissance Art Characteristics

Michelangelo once said, "If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all". The same spirit can be observed in the other High Renaissance artists who achieved perfect harmony and balance in all aspects of painting, i.e. use of color and light, perspective, technical precision, imagination and composition. Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" paintings, Michelangelo and Raphael's Vatican City paintings are the epitome of creativity that existed in this era.

There was a focus on painting human anatomy. When Michelangelo carved the statue of Moses, he included veins and muscles in the arms and legs. Another example is the "Vitruvian Man" painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, which studies the ideal proportions of a male figure. High Renaissance art focused on portraying the humans in their most natural form. Nudes were painted beautifully and aesthetically. Artists perfected the art of facial expressions. Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" and the "Last Supper" are a good example of this.

The artists advocated the philosophy of Humanism through their art works. Humanists believed that humanity is unparalleled as it connects the mortal world with the spiritual world. Human welfare and human values like secularism were heavily promoted. People began to focus on self improvement and started doing things according to their likings. The Renaissance paintings depicted people studying Philosophy and Mathematics rather than worshiping, as was the trend in the medieval art.

Late Renaissance Art Characteristics

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art", remarked Leonardo da Vinci. Mannerism, from 1525 to 1600, concentrated more on style or manner and less on the substance. There was no newness in the Italian art as the artists of this period only wanted to outdo the artists of the high renaissance period. Mannerists used loud colors and strange themes. They depicted humans with unnaturally long limbs. The sack of Rome, then a part of Papal states, by the troops of Charles V in 1527 is believed to have caused a major impact on the painters. Painting anguished people became one of strangest Italian renaissance art characteristics. Even the Nudes were painted in such positions that they seemed very ungraceful. Prominent artists of this period included Giorgio Vasari and Giovanni da Bologna. Michelangelo was the artist of high Renaissance who continued painting during this period.

These were the characteristics of Renaissance art. Renaissance didn't remain concentrated to Italy though, it spread to other European nations as well. Northern Renaissance art characteristics included the use of Gothic style as against the Roman style of the Renaissance in Italy. Even the human figures depicted in Northern Renaissance art, although very realistic, were unlike the ones used in the Italian art. Symbolism i.e. objects used to denote an altogether different meaning, was widely used. Prints i.e. use of woodcut to create images was also a very prominent feature of the northern Renaissance art. The artists used to make drawings on wood. The untouched part of the wood was then cut off. The raised portions were inked and pressed against a paper or fabric to create paintings.

Renaissance Art Compared to Medieval Art
In Renaissance art, human emotions were depicted liberally. Medieval art made lesser use of emotions.
Humans in Renaissance art were very natural and lifelike. They had realistic expressions unlike the humans depicted in medieval art.
In the Medieval period, the art was simple and mono dimensional. The Renaissance paintings, on the other hand, were complicated and had more depth due to the use of linear perspective. The artists liked to show how things looked different from far and near.
During medieval period, the artworks had religious themes and were inspired by the Gothic culture. Religion and supernatural was rejected by Renaissance art and artists. There was a great influence of Rome and Greek ancient art works on the Renaissance artists and they preferred to paint Greek gods, Greek goddesses and Greek philosophers. Even the architects built Roman style round arches which was considered against the Church ideals. Such architecture was unthinkable during the medieval period.
Renaissance art characteristics show the kind of intellectual development that took place during those golden years of art. Even today, the artists of contemporary art use the Renaissance art information available, to enhance their paintings. These artworks teach us human values which have been long lost in today's world. As Thomas Merton puts it, "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."