9
9. The early modern age. Humanism and the Renaissance
181
ITALIAN RENAISSANCE PAINTING AND SCULPTURE
In the search for a true representation of reality, Renaissance
artists introduced a revolutionary new technique:
perspective
.
This enabled them to give
depth
and
volume
to scenes, objects
and figures.
In sculpture, perspective was achieved by creating reliefs with
various depth, which can be seen in this detail from
The Gates of
Paradise
by Lorenzo
Ghiberti
.
Many features of Renaissance art can be seen in
The Birth of Venus.
The
patron who commissioned this work was a member of the powerful Medici
family. It was painted by the Florentine Sandro Botticelli at the end of the 15th
century, using the tempera technique.
The artist took his inspiration from classical mythology to depict the birth of
Venus (the Roman goddess of love, beauty and marriage).
There is a clear symmetry to the composition and it contains a striking image:
the nude, which had disappeared from Western art during the Middle Ages.
Perspective was achieved in
painting
by placing the figures in different planes
and putting landscapes or architectural features in the most distant one (the
background). They also used
linear perspective
, which consists of arranging
the elements on imaginary lines which converge at a
vanishing point
at the
back. This can be seen in the fresco
The School of Athens
by
Raphael Sanzio
.
Other methods which are used to create depth are
aerial perspective
,
blurring
8
the background so it appears further away; and using contrasts of
light and shadow (chiaroscuo) to create volume.
Understand
26.
Make a conceptual map of the main features of Italian
Renaissance painting and sculpture.
Analyse
27.
Analyse each of the works on this double page. Explain
what type of work they are, the theme and the style.
28.
Look at the
Paintings in the Sistine Chapel.
Make a fact
file about this work and a short biography of the artist
who painted it.
29.
Make a list of the painters and sculptors on these
pages. Then research their main works and the
features of their style. Include them in alphabetical
order to make a biographical dictionary.
Evaluate
30.
Choose the work that you like most from the ones
on these pages. Find one or various pictures and
make a fact file about it, stating why you chose it
and what aspect of it you find most attractive.
