Real Love For Renaissance Art example essay topic

I have a real love for Renaissance art. The reason I chose this topic is because I took a class on art a freshman, and really enjoyed it. The book I read was 'The Art of the Renaissance. ' After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in about the 5th century A.D., Europe remained poor and in poverty until the 11th century.

By then, Europe began to grow and flourish. While surrounding countries of Italy, such as France, Spain, and England were powerful centralized nations, Italy was still full of city-sized states. Italy was now the center of trade and manufacturing. Noble courts and wealthy people criticized artists and scholars as they saw them as non-equals. Most Italian artists and sculptors modeled what the ancient Romans did in the way of art, and literature.

Florence was the place where art had a 'rebirth', following the masterpieces of Giotto in the 13th century. In the 15th century, a man by the name of Filippo Brunelleschi had turned his idea of art into architecture. New buildings and Cathedrals were being built in Florence, and Brunelleschi's amazing sense of contrast of light, classical proportions, and spatial effects made him one of the best. Later in the 1400's there was a painter by the name of Masaccio. This amazing artist had a special was of creating 3 dimensions in all of his paintings. As time went on, more talented artists, architects, and sculptors had found themselves as part of a special time in Italy.

Masaccio life was short, and because of that he was not able to teach many people his skills. But his talent of light, color, contrast, and perspective didn't go unnoticed. Artists now used what Masaccio had discovered in all of the paintings and drawings. And now the importance of lines was emphasized. Outlines in paintings made a huge difference in proportion and weight. In the following years, new artists learned from those of the past, and all kinds of art was now more detailed than ever.

Hands in sculptures had the likeness of real life hands. Proportions of the human body were lifelike. Cathedrals were now more than just buildings, they were artwork themselves. The Sistine Chapel is a great example of a building that is now more than a building, but a great piece of artwork. It took Michelangelo an amazing four years to complete.

The author of this book, Lucia Cor rain, has a real love for Renaissance art. Her viewpoint of this art is that we would not have the same love and appreciation for art without this wonderful time in history. Although Italy and surrounding areas had troublesome times before, the period of Renaissance art was vital to today's desire and love for art. Since art at this time was modeled after the ancient Roman's she emphasizes how important that period in time was. She outlines the history of art in detail, and kept my attention by not rambling on about meaningless facts. I enjoyed reading this book.

I also have a hidden love for Renaissance art. I am amazed at artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Donatello. I love to look at their work, and wonder what they were thinking at the exact time they were painting or sculpting. Take the Mona Lisa for example. What was Leonardo thinking while painting it? What was he trying to make her think?

We know that no matter what angle you are looking at the painting she is looking at you, but was he really trying to do that? It seems so cool how you can move 180 degrees around the picture, and she is still looking at you. Michelangelo's David is another example. What is David thinking?

He's standing there all alone, and naked. The great detail, and proportion in his face and hands are outstanding. Also take into account these men were not really appreciated in their time. Their work is some of the greatest in history. I wish some of them were still around today. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book, and the feeling it gave me when I finished reading it.

Looking at these paintings and sculptures always leaves me with questions. I truly appreciate Renaissance art.