The Renaissance was an era of beautiful artwork and structures
which flourished all over western Europe. Although it began in Italy where there was always a residue of classical-styled architecture, it might have been expected to appear first in Rome. During the
14th and early 15th centuries, however, Rome's political situation was very unfavorable for
artistic endeavor, unlike that of Florence.
From Florence, the early Renaissance style spread gradually
over Italy. It is noticeable that in the architecture of northern Italy, there
was a greater interest in the depictions of pattern and colour. Colour was
emphasized by the use of diverse marble inlays, as in the facade
of the church of the Certosa di Pavia or in most Venetian architecture.
The most popular building material of northern Italy was brick with
terra-cotta trim and decoration, a combination of a pattern of light and dark, which was
created over an entire building. When stone was used, the blocks were
cut with facets forming a diamond pattern on the facade. This
was actually a decorative treatment of rustication. Even the
classical orders were affected by this decorative approach.
Classical pilasters often had panels of candelabra and arabesque
decoration in delicate relief on the surfaces of their shafts; the
lower third of a column was frequently carved with relief
sculpture. After the creation of several impressive Roman structures, the early
Renaissance was on its way to newer heights. The artists began to be more
expressive and creative in their designs.
The early Renaissance in Rome was rapidly approaching the simplicity,
monumentality, and massiveness of the High Renaissance of the early 16th
century. It renounced the exploits of the Medieval master-mansions, and defined
beauty as fidelity at the expense of all other considerations. Some of the most noted artists, architects, and sculptors of the High Renaissance include Donato Bramante, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and
Raphael.
In essence, the Renaissance was a time period in which stunning
sculptures, buildings, and artwork flourished all over western Europe.
It was one of the high points of humanism and the expression of creativity
and beauty of life.
Contents
Significant Figures Information about various people who helped
contribute to both the Early and the High Renaissance.
Arts Images of beautiful paintings and sculptures.
Literature Books and illustrations about the Renaissance.
Significant Figures
Bellini, Giovanni Founder of the Venetian school of painting, Giovanni Bellini raised Venice to a
center of Renaissance art that rivaled Florence and Rome.
Botticelli, Sandro Florentine early Renaissance painter whose Birth of Venus and Primavera
are often said to epitomize, for modern viewers, the spirit of the Renaissance. His ecclesiastical commissions
included work for all the major churches of Florence and for the Sistine Chapel in Rome. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica.)
Leonardo Da Vinci Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal.
Michelangelo Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet who
exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art.
Raphael Master painter and architect of the Italian High Renaissance. Raphael is best
known for his Madonnas and for his large figure compositions in the Vatican in Rome.
Titian One of the greatest painters of the Venetian school.
Architecture of the Italian Renaissance - "Informed in content and concise in style . . . a perfect introduction to the architecture
of the Italian Renaissance." - Richard Stapleford, Cooper Union School of Architecture. A
classic guide to one of the most pivotal periods in art and architectural history, The
Architecture of the Italian Renaissance remains the most lucid and comprehensive volume
available. From Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Palladio, and Brunelleschi to St. Peter's in
Rome, the palaces of Venice, and the Medici Chapel in Florence, Peter Murray's lavishly
illustrated book tells readers everything they need to know about the architectural life of Italy
from the thirteenth through the sixteenth centuries.
Art and Life in Renaissance Venice - What was Venice like during the Renaissance, at the height of its power? How did the city
look, and how did its citizens live? And just who were the people of this most cosmopolitan
republic, a leading port city of Europe and gateway to Byzantium and the Muslim Levant?
How did its splendid art differ from that of mainland Italy, and why? Through close
examination of Renaissance paintings, drawings, book illustrations, and other art works,
Patricia Fortini Brown brings this world alive, revealing a culture of high beauty, artifice, and
craftsmanship.
Art in Renaissance Italy - A glance at the pages of Art in Renaissance Italy shows at once its freshness and breadth of
approach, which includes: How and why works at art, buildings, prints, and other kinds of art
came to be; how men and women of the Renaissance regarded art and artists; and why works
of Renaissance art look the way they do, and what this means to us. Unlike other books on the
subject, this one covers not only Florence and Rome. Here too are Venice and the Veneto,
Assisi, Siena, Milan, Pavia, Padua, Mantua, Verona, Ferrara, Urbino, and Naples - each
governed in a distinctly different manner, every one with its own political and social structures
that inevitably affected artistic styles.
History of the Italian Renaissance Art - Focuses on works of art, their creators, and the circumstances affecting their creation. This book is considered to be one of the most comprehensive and richly detailed pieces of literature about the Renaissance.
Leonardo: The Artist and the Man - First published in France, Serge Bramly's acclaimed biography reveals Leonardo to be as
complicated, seductive, and profoundly sympathetic as the figures he painted. Bramly spent
five years gathering evidence to reconstruct the artist's life - from his early years as an
illegitimate child to his death in the arms of the King of France. Four pages of color
photographs; 75 B&W photos.
Renaissance Self-Fashioning - By Stephen Jay Greenblatt, this book is about
the culture of the Renaissance from "More to Shakespeare."
Three Worlds of Michelangelo - Few artists in the history of the world have attained the mythic status of Michelangelo - painter of the heavenly Sistine Chapel and sculptor of the nearly divine David. And it is his towering
presence that makes it so difficult to imagine the artist as a man. Art historian James Beck
helps unlock the mystery of Michelangelo by opening the doors of the three very different
worlds to which he belonged. Michelangelo's father, his famous and influential patron
Lorenzo de Medici, and Pope Julius II who, according to Beck, forced the Sistine Chapel
commission onto its now-famous painter, divided the rule of these worlds between them and
held powerful sway over the artist.
