Humanism High Renaissance Essay Example For Students

Humanism: High Renaissance Essay Humanism is a philosophy that was born during the Renaissance, beginning in Florence in the last decades of the 14th century. The theory introduced new ways of thinking that allowed people to question and interpret the Bible anyway they wish. Prior to Humanism, people lived their lives under the impression that it was all to serve god. It wasnt until people began taking an interest in the work of Greek philosophers that true appreciation of human life became apparent. Humanism inspired people to believe that their life was meaningful and that they were capable of more than Just working to please God. The key principle of the theory was that human beings are not subject to God or any divine agency. They have no obligation to love, fear or obey any such supernatural agent. (Victor A. Gunrunners) When the importance of human life prevailed, there was no longer a strained religious perception of earth and society and this is when the freedom of art and self- expression truly took form. Art was no longer a way of glorifying God, but a way of showing individualism and creativity within ones self. The origins of Humanism can be found in the Golden Age of Greek Philosophy. Xenophobes (580 BCC) said, If cattle had hands and drew pictures of Gods, Gods would look like cows making it patent that Gods are of our own making. When Propagators (450 BCC) wrote, Man is the measure of all things, of things that are that they are, and of things that are not that they are not. he was accused of impiety and was banished for creating such freethinking sentiments that would be considered thoroughly unorthodox for his time. His words are metaphorical of us knowing the world by our own proportion, from our point of view. He crafted the idealistic principle of human perception that shaped the humanism philosophy we know today. Humanism was not limited to mental thoughts and ideas on the value of human life, but shown physically through a spectrum of art mediums. The theory shaped various aspects of Renaissance art including the content, style and subject matter of all art forms. During the middle ages, well before Humanism took form, art was notable for glorifying and praising God. During this time, all art was assigned from the church and so the subject matter consisted of mainly biblical themes, stories and characters. Within these paintings, man wasnt portrayed with anatomical accurateness, but as a mall, off scale and minor element next to a much larger religious figure. Within almost all of Middle Age artworks, biblical figures were seen is the most powerful and most important; and so they were made to look exceedingly larger than people or children, who were painted on a much smaller scale. The importance of these religious figures was also shown through height and placement within the picture. They were often painted higher than other figures, adding to the overall impersonal religious, people werent able to connect and view art for the purpose of enjoyment, but for worshiping a higher presence. Take the Assassination Madonna (1310) for example. The painter, Ghetto, depicts Mary and her son with saints surrounding them. Theyre portrayed as very large, while everyone else in the painting is very small. Neither of the two are life size nor are they anatomically accurate. However the most obvious aspect within the painting is the overstated size of the two most important biblical figures, Mary and Jesus. This was the conventional style of Middle Age art. The value of human life was never considered, nor was it illustrated through paintings or sculpture. During the late 14th century, Artists began looking at natural depictions of the world and ancient pagan culture. The notion of human form that characterized medieval art was supplanted with the concept of full anatomical accuracy. With the celebration of human life, precision of the human body within paintings and sculptures became a crucial part of depicting the realistic perception within art, one that was not justified by any singular religious context but ones desire for perfection. People began painting secular subjects and portraying man with the same importance that was used for religious figures within the Middle Ages. When the prominence of human life prevailed, people began taking an interest in the accurate portrayal of human characters. This provoked a range of pictorials to be created in parallel with the human form, reflecting the balanced and symmetrical form of the human body in art. Artists began creating precise proportions or the golden mean in order to establish symmetrical and harmonious composition within a varied spectrum of art mediums. The Golden Mean is the desirable middle between two extremes and is given the number Phi(= 1. 618033988749895 Commonly known as the divine proportion to Renaissance artists, the Golden Mean was used for atheistic appeal and balance within architecture, but was often used effectively for other visual art forms, such as nettings or sculptures. Collective to the Greek mentality, the golden mean was considered an attribute of beauty that included symmetry, proportion and harmony. The Golden Mean can be derived with a number of geometric constructions, ea ch of which divides a line segment at the unique point where: the ratio of the whole line (A) to the large segment (B) is the same as the ratio of the large segment (B) to the small segment (C). (http://www. Goldenberg. Net/golden-section/) Paintings, buildings and sculptures adapted and drew inspiration from classical roman trustees (a time when the Golden Mean was recognized To Greeks as dividing a line in the extreme and mean ratio) during the High Renaissance period in order to interlace the crucial ascetic appeal that was desired when Humanism was at great interest. High Renaissance style architecture conventionally begins with Donate Aberrant (1444-1514) who built the Temperate at S. Pitter in Monitor, Rome in 1510. The Temperate ;is an attempt at reconciling Christian and humanist ideals. With no David in (1501) is a perfect example of its boundless effect on accurately conveying the human body with precise proportions and measurements. Other works relating to Humanism included The Birth of Venus (1485), by Poetical. Prior to Humanism, the majority of art appeared two dimensional or flat. These artists were one of the first to begin adding vast details and highlighting the illusion of space, form and dimension in all art mediums. Combining these and taking into mind perspective (the notable technique of all Renaissance artworks) they ultimately crafted the image of humanist art; molding the backbone of the High Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci and Renaissance EssayThe picture has a decorative quality to it; not only does it showcase the substantial change in art during the High Renaissance, but its symbolic of a rich classical history, reinvention and an earthly world view. It is through The Birth of Venus, and many other High Renaissance paintings, where the true impact of Humanism is made clear. Artists would incorporate Greek and Roman mythology as apposed to writing and painting about biblical texts. This was because humanists turned to the classics for inspiration, and so these were often the themes of High Renaissance art. The inspiration of Greek Philosophers inspired those within this period to strive less for divinity. This painting is one of the many to depict Roman or Greek deities, other famous works include Mars and Venus and The School of Athens. One of the most outstanding changes during the High Renaissance period was Architecture. The statement that man is the measure of all things is mirrored within different art mediums, showing a great point of difference within humanist and non- humanist architecture. Humanism meant that architects built not only churches, but palaces and buildings exposing ideals of classical styles. Humanism gave people a chance to look for inspiration from ancient Greeks and thus buildings took influence from the Ancient Classic period. One of the highlights in High Renaissance Architecture is the Temperate, built in 1502 by Donate Aberrant. The building marks the crucifixion site of SST Peter and follows selected traditions from the Christian building the Martyr while employing classical principles that create a geometric ideal. Both ancient Greeks and ancient Romans employed the circular plan that governs the perception of the Temperate. The devotion to symmetrical perfection makes it clear of Brakemans conscious decision to recreate this in a way that is not only true to the humanist theory, but one that depicts the thoughts of the ancient roman writer Vitrifies, who studied and wrote about architecture and correct proportions within it. Aberrant is really following this line of thought with the Temperate. Hes created a radial building with a round structure that is very dissimilar to the traditional crucifix form of church, which is based on the ancient basilica. His work is considered almost nothing short of architectural brilliance, due to his innovative techniques at changing the orthodox designs of churches and buildings. The building is the perfect example of the relationship between ideal ancient geometry and the divine. Geometry was thought by the ancient Greeks and again later in the Renaissance to be a vehicle in which we can imagine the perfection of even. The Temperate is a building that truly celebrates Humanism. Its believed to show how man can produce exemplars on earth of the perfection of the heavenly, using correct geometrical structures and symmetrical portrayals. This is similar to that of the golden mean, while relating to the work of Michelangelo and Poetical, where Humanism was celebrated through the accurate portrayal of the human form. He drew inspiration from classical traditions while making his own original decisions to enhance the symmetrical nature of the Temperate. His work is similar to that of lassie origins, but he allowed for variation. Greek and Romans would not put pilaster that pairs with the columns of the building, however Aberrant did. By aligning the true columns with the false columns, he was able to maximize the radial quality and overall centrifugal theme of the building. The Temperate shows a rhythm, one that was definitely inspired by classical antiquity, the Doric Order in particular. The columns of the Temperate are a roman variant of the first level of the Coliseum. Depicting the styles of the Doric Order, there are triptychs and mottoes above the columns. Mitchell Bagley was literal when he wrote; The emphasis here is on the harmony of proportions, the simplicity of volumes (cylinder, hemisphere) and the sobriety of the Doric Order. The circular plan symbolizes divine perfection. Inspired by ancient temples, the Temperate is both a homage to antiquity and a Christian memorial. Humanism affect on architecture was one of the largest. Despite differing in architectural elements, different styles of columns were explored throughout all High Renaissance architecture, utilizing techniques that show proportion and highlighting themes of classical tradition. Nearly all buildings constructed after Humanism follow these principles and show a vivid influence of ancient Greek and Roman cultures. The Humanist movement allowed architects to make changes in what they were creating. They drew inspiration from classical architecture, traditions and even philosophies and refrigerated it within new architectural masterpieces that shaped the Humanist theory in many inconceivable ways. Alberta and Brutishnesss were a crucial aspect in the innovation of humanist architecture. They were no Greek philosophers, however they employed the idea of symmetrical excellence and inspired the creations of many renowned and prominent buildings including the Temperate itself. Many great architects of the high renaissance period such as Aberrant and Michelangelo were captivated by this idea and were thus able to shape traditions and techniques to produce the conventional high renaissance architecture style that were accustomed to today. Inclusive to classical traditions, architects began taking the beauty of human proportions and reflecting it through architecture, similar to the way humanist painters and sculptors depicted the human form with symmetrical perfection. Humanism was noted for 3 things. The revival of classical Greek/Roman art forms and styles, faith in the nobility of man as apposed to pure worship of religious or god-like figures; and finally the appreciation of the human body, that influenced almost all artists and architects of the era to portray this accurately in their work. Humanism shaped the art of the High Renaissance period through a change in architectural style and content; subject matter of paintings and sculptors; and a difference in the anatomical structure and proportions of man. People became important and an appreciation for human life fell apparent through a range of art where human history and perspective was no longer considered sinful, but was explored multiple mythological traditions. Paintings began to depict Roman or Greek deities. Biblical figures no longer subjugated artworks with height and proportion, but became equal to man. Sculptors began creating humanist characters that were strong and noble, architects began referring to classical and ancient antiquity for new innovation towards humanist architecture The freedom of thought and self expression was at its highest.