Humanities Art

Be able to identify features that distinguish Renaissance art from the art of the Middle Ages and Baroque periods.

The Renaissance marked a revival of interest in the natural world and the human form. Artists sought to depict the world realistically, based on observation and an understanding of anatomy, perspective, and light. Medieval art often prioritized religious symbolism over naturalistic depiction. Figures were often elongated and stylized. Baroque art, while focusing on realism and dramatic detail, was also marked by emotional intensity and the use of dramatic lighting (chiaroscuro) rather than the calm, measured proportions and harmony of Renaissance art.

Be familiar with the different versions of "The David" that we viewed and discussed in class. Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini. What makes them different from one another?

The "David" sculptures by Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini differ primarily in the moment of the story they depict: Donatello shows David after his victory, standing on Goliath's head, while Michelangelo portrays David just before the battle, contemplating his foe, and Bernini captures the intense action of the fight itself, with a dynamic pose signifying David's active engagement with Goliath.

How does the painting of the Rococo period reflect the sentiment of those who commissioned the work?

those who commissioned Rococo paintings wanted their artworks to be visual escapes

How is the imagery and technique of the Neoclassical period a reaction to the Rococo period?

While Rococo art embodied ornamentation, playfulness, and sensuality, Neoclassicism embraced simplicity, symmetry, and heroic themes inspired by classical antiquity.

Medieval

religious focus, symbolism, and functional role in society, 476 CE (the fall of the Western Roman Empire) to the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th-15th century.

Renaissance

(c. 1300-1600), Renaissance art is often seen as a bridge between the Medieval and Modern worlds, characterized by a new focus on humanism, naturalism, and the individual.

Baroque

Baroque art refers to the art movement that emerged in the early 17th century (around 1600) and flourished through the mid-18th century. It is characterized by its dramatic expression, intense emotion, rich ornamentation, and a deep sense of movement and tension.

Rococo

(around 1715-1770), It is characterized by its ornate, playful, and lighthearted qualities.

Neo-classical

Neo-classical art emerged in the mid-18th century and coincided with a growing interest in reason, order, and moral virtue—values that were seen as central to classical antiquity.

Romantic

(roughly 1800-1850), fanciful, impractical, unrealistic; dominated by idealism

Realism

A 19th-century artistic movement in which writers and painters sought to show life as it is rather than life as it should be

Sfumato

the technique of allowing tones and colors to shade gradually into one another, producing softened outlines or hazy forms.

Chiaroscuro

The treatment of light and shade in a work of art, especially to give an illusion of depth.

Absolutism art

the correlative nature between an aesthetic object and objective beauty exists in one, static state.