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Historical Renaissance and Neoclassical arts

The Renaissance is a cultural movement that began in Europe in the early 14th to 17th century or a period between the classical and modern eras. More than its cultural essence, the Renaissance period was known for its developments in art, painting, philosophy, architecture, and other intellectual aspects. It was an era that witnessed the greatest growth and development in Western Europe.

A1. Renaissance art took its form from the social conditions that existed at the time that shaped the political structure of Europe. Italy’s cultural oddity existed, as there was no political form during the early modern period that would result in artistic and scholarly advancements. This freedom opened doors to trade throughout the world which brought wealth to Italy by commissioning artwork from her.

Renaissance artists sought human emotion and realism in art. They focused on making human representations with a natural background. They took the approach of Humanism, putting more emphasis on man than on God, which was reflected in their sculptures and paintings. The Early Renaissance period focused more on creating sculpture based on personality and behavior, while the High Renaissance focused more on balance and drama. Renaissance artists drew heavily from Roman and Greek art that used nude human bodies with personality in their art. His quest for perfection in the human arts for expression, personality, and emotion lowered social hierarchies in people’s status, resulting in everyone wanting to learn and share their ideas and skills.

A2. Neoclassicism was a predominant movement in the mid-18th and late 19th centuries in European art and architecture. He focused on the Western classical art forms of ancient Greece and Rome. It was partly a movement that had started as a reaction to the Baroque and Rococo styles. It became a predominant part of academic art that continued into the 19th century to become visible as museums of neoclassical architecture.

Neoclassical art aimed to revive the European Age of Enlightenment which was the classical Greek and Roman art forms. His aim was to contain the “purity” of Roman arts and he criticized the Baroque and Rococo styles. Neoclassicism gained importance in France and England, spreading to Sweden. He made use of the classical essence related to courage and nationalism.

Neoclassicism aimed to revive classical styles through the use of sharp colors and classical themes. They avoided light, soft colors in their paintings that represented calm and grandeur. The Neoclassicists revived Greek painting styles through the use of mosaics, columns, engravings, and other ornamental elements in their work.

A3. The Renaissance signified the revival of the arts, science, and medicine and was an era responsible for most of the radical developments and movements in Europe. So much so, that it is also used to describe other great cultural and historical moments. The Classical Renaissance gave rise to the Baroque style which was more dramatic and direct. Therefore, neoclassicism was nothing more than a reaction to the baroque style in order to preserve the purity of ancient Roman arts. In addition, neoclassicism remained one of the most prominent in the academic arts.

A3a.

  • The Renaissance period was known for its humanistic approach to art, while neoclassical art focused on more classical and pure style elements;
  • The Renaissance period brought radical developments in the arts, philosophy, and medicine, while neoclassical art was most prominent in the academic arts;
  • Renaissance artists believed in more natural and expressive nude art sculptures, while neoclassical artists incorporated ornamental elements into their work;
  • The Renaissance period opened doors to new ideas and developments, while the Neoclassicism period focused on retaining the Age of Enlightenment.

A3b. The Renaissance era was one of the most influential and flourishing periods during the 15th and 16th centuries and led to significant cultural developments for nearly three centuries. Renaissance art was born out of an evolving civilization whose pursuit of realism and scientific perfection resulted in some of the greatest works and achievements in the arts, science, architecture, and philosophy. The distinctive feature of Renaissance art is its dedication to the classical arts with a renewed interest in Roman styles that included unlandscaped nude human sculpture in a natural setting. It was an important era that brought wealth to Europe and its artistic freedom allowed skilled craftsmen to flourish.

A3b1. Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) was one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance. Also known as the ‘Renaissance Man’, he was born in Italy and was a renowned painter who became a scholar in many fields such as music, science, mathematics and botany. He is considered to be one of the most diversely talented people he has ever lived. Mona Lisa is one of the most renowned works of its time that was highly appreciated. The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait of a 16th century oil painting of a seated woman.

Andrea Appiani (1754-1817) Born in Milan, he was an Italian neoclassical painter. He trained with Carlo Maria Giudici and learned painting by copying sculptures. His best works are in the church of San Maria presso San Celso and the royal palace in Milan. Some of his oil paintings include Venus and Love, and Rinaldo in the Garden of Armida.

A3b2. Madame Hamelin (1776-1851) was one of the works by neoclassical painter Andrea Appiani that bears a similar resemblance to Leonardo Da Vinci’s Monal Lisa. Both are half-length oil portraits of half-seated women reflecting natural facial expressions in which their hands are folders with values ​​and artistic styles similar to each other.

A3c. Neoclassicism reached its period of greatest influence on the arts during the 1780s to 1850s. New discoveries and archaeological sites paved the way for classical themes that also resulted from the reaction of Rococo styles. Neoclassicism retained its classical antiquity and coexisted with its opposite form of romantic art. The artists of the neoclassical era replaced religious and mythological objects with realistic, simple and bold objects. IN the 1830s, the era of neoclassicism was replaced by romanticism.

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