Renaissance and a Humanist Approach to Fine Arts
The Shift towards Human-centered Focus in Architecture and Painting
Dec 31, 2008
Some of the greatest and most enduring accomplishments and advances of the Renaissance were in architecture and the fine arts. The main emphasis of these areas was on humanity and human nature and as a result it was a conscious turn away from the otherworldly concerns of the Middle Ages.
Renaissance Replacement of Gothic Style Architecture
In architecture the Renaissance churches and buildings replaced the lofty and complex Gothic style of the Middle Ages with a more personal touch of rich and sensuous Renaissance architecture. The Gothic style had been characterized by an emphasis on “height” with the aim to create majestic buildings, such as the Notre Dame de Paris or the Cologne Cathedral. These churches were intended to signify and demonstrate the power of God and of such religious institutions leading people to worship the glory of God.
However, the focus of Renaissance architecture was on geometry and symmetry. This new approach to architecture was largely inspired and propelled by a return to humanist values of ancient Greek and Roman thought and philosophy, an era the Renaissance considered the “Golden Age”. It started in Italy in the 15th century and later spread to the rest of Europe facilitated and greatly benefited by the invention of the printing press.
The Influence of the Renaissance on Sculpture and Painting
The natural forms and beauty of the human body redefined and revolutionized the style of Renaissance painting and sculpture by famous sculptors like Michelangelo, Donatello and Verrocchio.
Both in sculpture and painting the artists’ eye for naturalistic details of human anatomy and attempts to create “lifelike” people, animals, and nature was opposed to the otherworldly point of view of the Middle Ages, where natural accuracy was not seen as relevant; instead religious symbolism and spiritual aspects were regarded as the predominant force and inspiration of medieval painting and art.
In fact, during the Renaissance the body came to be seen as an operating machine, which is, for example, reflected in the drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci. This new approach was also a by-product of renewed medical and research and dissection, which was relevant for the growing concern of accurate portrayal of the human body.
Consequently, during the Renaissance, the human anatomy became an object of close scrutiny and study influencing various other parts of human life and art and later leading to systematic empirical research and the dawning of science.
 |
 |
 |
 |
