Renaissance paintings. Creativity of Italian artists of the Renaissance

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Renaissance means "rebirth". This is a special period in European civilization. During the Renaissance, many changes and discoveries take place. New continents are explored, trade develops, important things are invented, such as paper, a marine compass, gunpowder and many others. Changes in painting were also of great importance. Renaissance paintings gained immense popularity.

Main styles and directions in the works of masters

The period of the Italian Renaissance was one of the most fruitful in the history of art. Masterpieces of a huge number of outstanding masters can be found today in various art centers. Innovators appeared in Florence in the first half of the fifteenth century. Their Renaissance paintings marked the beginning of a new era in art history.

At this time, science and art become very closely linked. Artists scientists sought to master the physical world. Painters tried to use more accurate ideas about the human body. Many artists have aspired torealism. The High Renaissance style begins with Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, which he painted over the course of almost four years.

One of the most famous works

"The Last Supper" was painted in 1490 for the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The canvas represents the last meal of Jesus with his disciples before he was captured and killed. Contemporaries watching the artist's work during this period noted how he could paint from morning to evening without even stopping to eat. And then he could abandon his painting for several days and not approach it at all.

The artist was very worried about the image of Christ himself and the traitor Judas. When the picture was finally completed, it was rightfully recognized as a masterpiece. "The Last Supper" is one of the most popular to this day. Renaissance art reproductions have always been in high demand, but this masterpiece has been marked by countless copies.

A recognized masterpiece, or the mysterious smile of a woman

Among the works created by Leonardo in the sixteenth century, there is a portrait called "Mona Lisa", or "La Gioconda". In the modern era, this is perhaps the most famous painting in the world. She became popular mainly because of the elusive smile on the face of the woman depicted on the canvas. What led to such a mystery? Skillful work of the master, the ability to shade the corners of the eyes and mouth so skillfully? Accuratethe nature of this smile cannot yet be determined.

Out of competition and other details of this picture. It is worth paying attention to the hands and eyes of a woman: with what accuracy the artist reacted to the smallest details of the canvas when writing it. No less interesting is the dramatic landscape in the background of the picture, a world in which everything seems to be in a state of flux.

Another famous representative of painting

No less famous representative of the Renaissance - Sandro Botticelli. This is a great Italian painter. His Renaissance paintings are also hugely popular with a wide range of audiences. "Adoration of the Magi", "Madonna and Child Enthroned", "Annunciation" - these works by Botticelli, dedicated to religious themes, have become the artist's great achievements.

Another well-known work of the master - "Madonna Magnificat". She became famous during the years of Sandro's life, as evidenced by numerous reproductions. Such canvases in the form of a circle were quite in demand in fifteenth century Florence.

A new turn in the work of the painter

Starting from 1490, Sandro changes his style. It becomes more ascetic, the combination of colors is now much more restrained, dark tones often prevail. The new approach of the creator to writing his works is perfectly noticeable in the "Coronation of Mary", "Lamentation of Christ" and other canvases, on whichMadonna and Child are depicted.

Masterpieces painted by Sandro Botticelli at that time, for example, the portrait of Dante, are devoid of landscape and interior backgrounds. One of the artist's no less significant creations is "Mystical Christmas". The picture was painted under the influence of the troubles that took place at the end of 1500 in Italy. Many paintings by Renaissance artists not only gained popularity, they became an example for the next generation of painters.

The artist whose canvases are surrounded by a halo of admiration

Rafael Santi da Urbino was not only an Italian artist, but also an architect. His Renaissance paintings are admired for their clarity of form, simplicity of composition, and visual achievement of the ideal of human greatness. Along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he is one of the traditional trinity of the greatest masters of this period.

He lived a relatively short life, only 37 years old. But during this time he created a huge number of his masterpieces. Some of his works are in the Vatican Palace in Rome. Not all viewers can see with their own eyes the paintings of Renaissance artists. Photos of these masterpieces are available to everyone (some of them are presented in this article).

The most famous works of Raphael

From 1504 to 1507, Raphael created a whole series of Madonnas. The paintings are distinguished by bewitching beauty, wisdom and at the same time a kind of enlightened sadness. His most famous painting was the Sistine Madonna. She isdepicted soaring in the sky and smoothly descending to the people with the Baby in her arms. It was this movement that the artist was able to depict very skillfully.

This work has been highly acclaimed by many well-known critics, and they all came to the same conclusion that it is indeed rare and unusual. All Renaissance paintings have a long history. But the "Sistine Madonna" has become most popular due to its endless wanderings since its inception. After going through numerous trials, she finally took her rightful place among the expositions of the Dresden Museum.

Renaissance paintings. Photos of famous paintings

And another famous Italian painter, sculptor, and architect who had a huge impact on the development of Western art is Michelangelo di Simoni. Despite the fact that he is known mainly as a sculptor, there are also beautiful works of his painting. And the most significant of them is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

This work was carried out for four years. The space covers about five hundred square meters and contains more than three hundred figures. In the very center are nine episodes from the book of Genesis, divided into several groups. The creation of the earth, the creation of man and his fall. Among the most famous paintings on the ceiling are "The Creation of Adam" and "Adam and Eve".

No less famous of his work - "The Last Judgment". It was made on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. The fresco depicts the secondcoming of Jesus Christ. Here Michelangelo ignores standard artistic conventions in writing Jesus. He portrayed him with a massive muscular body structure, young and beardless.

The Meaning of Religion, or Renaissance Art

Italian Renaissance paintings became the basis for the development of Western art. Many of the popular works of this generation of creators have a huge impact on artists that continues to this day. The great artists of the period focused on religious themes, often commissioned by we althy patrons, including the Pope himself.

Religion literally penetrated into the daily life of the people of this era, deeply embedded in the minds of artists. Almost all religious canvases are in museums and art repositories, but reproductions of paintings from the Renaissance, related not only to this subject, can be found in many institutions and even ordinary homes. People will endlessly admire the works of famous masters of that period.