The Renaissance:
The Renaissance is arguably the most revolutionary art period, one that changed things and set an example for future movements/time periods. Artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael influenced many others through their works and set an example for other artists. By setting its main priorities on individualism, humanism, and secularism, the Renaissance completely changed the art world and brought a new perspective to art that focused more on people and their accomplishments.
The first Renaissance artist to discuss is Leonardo da Vinci, who was a man of many talents and excelled in just about anything. Da Vinci was born on April 14, 1452, and passed away on May 2, 1519. He was born in the town of Vinci, in the Republic of Florence, with his parents being Piero da Vinci and his wife Caterina. He learned under the Italian painter Andrea del Verrocchio, and spent his early years working under Ludovico Moro in Milan. Da Vinci also worked in other places such Rome, Bologna, and Venice later on in his lifetime. He is mostly known for his great and insightful contributions, which include flying machines, solar power, double hulls, and armoured vehicles. He also made significant advances in areas such as anatomy, geology, engineering, and hydrodynamics. Da Vinci was considered by many in his time to be the pinnacle of the Renaissance as a genius who was extremely talented. Some of his greatest works include the “Mona Lisa”, the “Last Supper”, and the “Virgin of the Rocks”. One of the recurring themes we see in his paintings include biblical stories and the lessons we learn, such as the “Last Supper” of Christ with his Disciples. Da Vinci is able to capture the full entirety of the story in this detailed painting, and ended up creating one of the greatest masterpieces ever made. In all, Da Vinci was one of the great pioneers of the Renaissance who helped make advances in numerous areas and possessed knowledge ahead of his time, and created some of the greatest works that the world had ever seen.
The second Renaissance artist to discuss is Michaelangelo, one of the greatest Renaissance artists during this time. Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, and passed away on February 18, 1564. He was born in the Republic of Florence years later after his contemporary Leonardo Da Vinci, with his parents being Ludovico di Leonardo and his wife Francesca. Michelangelo learned under the wing of Domenico Ghirlandaio, and worked in a variety of places such as Bologna and Rome. He is mostly known for his brilliance in painting and architecture, as many of his works are considered to be some of the most famed works in existence. As such, his influence on Renaissance art was so great that he is considered a rival to Leonardo Da Vinci for the title of the ideal Renaissance man, and is arguably one of the greatest artists during his time. Some of Michaelangelo’s greatest works include the “Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel”,“The Last Judgment”, along with his “Pieta” and “David” sculptures. Similar to Da Vinci, one of the recurring themes found in Michaelangelo’s works are biblical lessons and stories, one example being “The Last Judgment”. He is able to accurately portray the resurrection of Christ as he comes to judge the souls of everyone, with the deceased either being sent to heaven or hell. As such, Michaelangelo became one of the greatest Renaissance artists to ever live and have such an enormous impact for generations to come, while firmly establishing his place in history with several famous works.
The third Renaissance artist to discuss is Raphael, an artist considered to be on par with Michaelangelo and Da Vinci as the great trio of the Renaissance. Raphael was born on March 28, 1483, and passed away on April 6, 1520. He was born in Urbino, a city found in the Marche area, to his parents Federico and Magia. Raphael learned under Pietro Perugino and implemented many of his teachings into his works, as their styles were rather similar. He is mostly known for his works standing out from the rest, as they possessed great clarity, ease, and stunning visuals. Raphael was also very productive during his lifetime, such that even though he lived for only 37 years, he left behind a great number of works which have helped him become a huge influence. Some of Raphael’s greatest works include “The School of Athens”, “Transfiguration”, and “The Sistine Madonna”. One of the more recurring themes we see within Raphael’s works is individualism, as seen in one of his portraits named “Portrait of Castiglione”. In portraits such as this one, he consistently shows the concept that humans are capable of achieving great things through paying extreme attention to the detail of the paintings and its realism. Eventually, Raphael reached the status of being of the greatest Renaissance artists to ever live, having such a profound impact with a slightly different style when compared to his fellow contemporaries.
