Renaissance Art

  Between the two centuries of 1400 and 1600, Europe witnessed revival of drawing, fine art painting, sculpture and architecture centered on Italy, which we now refer to as the Renaissance, it was given this name (French for 'rebirth') as a result of La Renaissance. Italian Renaissance re-established Western art according to the principles of classical Greek art, especially Greek sculpture and painting, which provided much of the basis for the Grand Tour. There was a desire and longing for inspiration that Italian artists and thinkers lacked, in their search for a new set of artistic expression and in response to the courtly International Gothic style, Italian artists and thinkers became inspired by the ideas and forms of ancient Greece and Rome. This was perfectly in sync with their desire to create a universal, form of art which could express the new and more confident mood of the times.  

   Above all, Renaissance art was driven by the new notion of "Humanism," a philosophy which had been the foundation for many of the achievements (ex. democracy) of pagan ancient Greece. Humanism downplayed religion, instead embodied the greatest importance to the dignity and worth of the individual. The growing idea of individualism reflected that man, not God or fate controlled the destiny of humans and was a key reason why "history painting", that is, pictures with uplifting 'messages' became regarded as the highest form of painting. As a result of this rebirth there were negative affects but also there were positive ones. The church did weaken for a brief moment in time losing its influence with many people, but many countries like Italy and countries in Northern Europe gained wealth with the rise of the Renaissance.