What features distinguish Italian Renaissance painting from Northern Renaissance painting? The art of the Italian Renaissance: main features and stages of development Renaissance painting: briefly about the early period.

Art during the Renaissance was the main type of spiritual activity. It became for the people of the Renaissance what religion was in the Middle Ages, and science and technology in modern times. It is not without reason that the idea was defended that the ideal person should be an artist. There were almost no people indifferent to art. The work of art most fully expressed the ideal of a harmoniously organized world and the place of man in it. All types of art are subordinated to this task to varying degrees.

Main stages and genres of literature The Renaissance is associated with the evolution of humanistic concepts during the Early, High and Late Renaissance. The literature of the early Renaissance is characterized by a short story, especially a comic one (Bocaccio), with an anti-feudal orientation, glorifying an enterprising and free from prejudices personality. The High Renaissance was marked by the dawn of the heroic poem: in Italy - by L. Pulci, F. Berni, in Spain - by L. Camões, the adventurous and knightly plot of which poeticizes the Renaissance idea of ​​a man born for great deeds. Rabelais's work "Gargantua and Pantagruel" was an original epic of the High Renaissance, a comprehensive picture of society and its heroic ideals in folk fairy-tale and philosophical-comic form. In the late Renaissance, characterized by a crisis in the concept of humanism and the creation of the prosaic nature of the emerging bourgeois society, the pastoral genres of novel and drama developed. The highest rise of the late Renaissance was the dramas of Shakespeare and the novels of Cervantes, based on tragic or tragicomic conflicts between a heroic personality and an unworthy system of social life.

The progressive humanistic content of Renaissance culture received vivid expression in theatrical art, which experienced significant influence from ancient drama. It is characterized by an interest in the inner world of a person endowed with the features of a powerful individuality. The distinctive features of the theatrical art of the Renaissance were the development of folk art traditions, life-affirming pathos, a bold combination of tragic and comic, poetic and buffoonish elements. This is the theater of Italy, Spain, England. The highest achievement of Italian theater was the improvisational commedia dell'arte (16th century). The Renaissance theater reached its greatest flowering in the works of Shakespeare.

During the Renaissance, professional music loses the character of purely church art and is influenced by folk music, imbued with a new humanistic worldview. Various genres of secular musical art appeared - frottal and villanelle in Italy, villancico in Spain, ballad in England, madrigal, which originated in Italy but became widespread. Secular humanistic aspirations also penetrate into religious music. New genres of instrumental music are emerging, and national schools of performing the lute and organ are emerging. The Renaissance ends with the emergence of new musical genres - solo songs,

oratorio, opera.

However, the aesthetic and artistic ideal of the Renaissance was expressed most fully architecture, sculpture, painting. Note that in the art system during this period there is a movement

reduction of accents. Architecture has ceased to be the “conductor” of the orchestra of arts. Painting comes to the fore. And this is no coincidence. The art of the Renaissance sought to understand and reflect the real world, its beauty, richness, and diversity. And painting in this regard had more opportunities compared to other arts. Our compatriot, a remarkable expert on the Italian Renaissance P. Muratov wrote about it this way: “Never has humanity been so carefree in relation to the cause of things and never has it been so sensitive to their phenomena. The world is given to man, and since it is a small world, everything in it is precious, every movement of our body, every curl of a grape leaf, every pearl in a woman’s dress. To the eye... of the artist there was nothing small or insignificant in the spectacle of life. Everything was an object of knowledge for him” (Muratov P. Images of Italy. - M., 1994. P.

In other words, the thirst for knowledge, which so distinguished the personality of the Renaissance, first of all resulted in the form of artistic knowledge. But in an effort to most fully reflect all natural forms, the artist turns to scientific knowledge. The close connection between science and art is a characteristic feature of Renaissance culture. While engaged in artistic creativity, artists went through perspective - into the field of optics and physics, through problems of proportions - into anatomy and mathematics, etc. This led the Renaissance masters even to the identification of science and art. Moreover, some of them, such as Leonardo da Vinci, considered art to be the most important science, since art provides the most accurate and flawless depiction of life. The union of science and art has helped art solve many very important visual problems. A new system of artistic vision of the world is being developed, based on trust in human sensory perceptions, primarily visual. To depict as we see is the original principle of Renaissance artists. And we see things not in isolation, but in unity with the environment where they are located. The environment is spatial; objects, located in space, are seen in abbreviations.

Renaissance artists developed principles and discovered the laws of direct linear perspective. The creators of the theory of perspective were Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Alberti, Leonardo da Vinci. When constructed in perspective, the whole picture turns into a window through which we look into the world. The space develops in depth smoothly, imperceptibly flowing from one plane to another. The discovery of perspective was important: it helped to expand the range of depicted phenomena, to include space, landscape, and architecture in painting.

The combination of scientist and artist in one person, in one creative personality was possible during the Renaissance and will become impossible later. Renaissance masters are often called "titan-

mi", meaning their versatility. “This was an era that needed titans and gave birth to strength of thought, passion and character, versatility and learning,” wrote F. Engels (Marx K., EngelsF.-Soch-.T.20. P. 346).

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a painter, sculptor, architect, writer, musician, art theorist, military engineer, inventor, mathematician, anatomist, botanist. He explored almost all areas of natural science and foresaw many things that had not yet been thought of at that time. When his manuscripts and countless drawings began to be sorted out, discoveries of 19th-century mechanics were discovered in them. Vasari wrote with admiration about Leonardo da Vinci: “... He had so much talent... and this talent was such that no matter what difficulties his spirit turned to, he resolved them with ease... His thoughts and aspirations were always regal and generous, and the fame of his name grew so much that he was appreciated not only in his time, but also after his death" (Georgia Vasari. Lives of the most famous painters, sculptors and architects of the Renaissance. - St. Petersburg, 1992.P.197).

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) is another great master of the Renaissance, a versatile, universal person: sculptor, architect, artist, poet. Poetry was the youngest of Michelangelo's muses. Over 200 of them have reached us.

poems.

Raphael Santi (1483-1520) is not only a talented, but also a versatile artist: an architect and monumentalist, a master of portraiture and a master of decoration.

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) - the founder and largest representative of the German Renaissance, the “northern Leonardo da Vinci”, created several dozen paintings, more than a hundred engravings, about 250 woodcuts, many hundreds of drawings, watercolors. Dürer was also an art theorist, the first in Germany to create a work on perspective and write “Four Books on Proportions.” These examples could be continued. Thus, universality, versatility, and creative talent were characteristic features of the Renaissance masters.

3.1.Italian Renaissance

Renaissance culture originated in Italy. Chronologically, the Italian Renaissance is usually divided into 4 stages: Proto-Renaissance (Pre-Renaissance) - the second half of the 13th-14th centuries; early Renaissance - XV century; High Renaissance - end of the 15th century. - first third of the 16th century; later Renaissance - end of the 16th century.

The Proto-Renaissance was a preparation for the Renaissance; it was closely connected with the Middle Ages, with Romanesque, Gothic, and Byzantine traditions. And even in the work of new artists

It is not easy for them to draw a clear line separating the old from the new. The beginning of a new era is associated with the name of Giotto di Bondone (1266 - 1337). Renaissance artists considered him a reformer of painting. Giotto outlined the path along which its development took place: an increase in realistic aspects, filling religious forms with secular content, a gradual transition from flat images to three-dimensional and relief ones.

The greatest masters of the Early Renaissance - F. Brunelleschi (1377-1446), Donatello (1386-1466), Verrocchio (1436-1488), Masaccio (1401-1428), Mantegna (1431-1506), S. Botticelli (1444-1510) . The painting of this period produces a sculptural impression; the figures in the artists’ paintings resemble statues. And this is no coincidence. The masters of the Early Renaissance sought to restore the objectivity of the world, which had almost disappeared in medieval painting, emphasizing volume, plasticity, and clarity of form. Problems of color receded into the background. Artists of the 15th century discovered the laws of perspective and built complex multi-figure compositions. However, they are limited mainly to linear perspective and hardly notice the aerial environment. And the architectural backgrounds in their paintings are somewhat similar to a drawing.

In the High Renaissance, the geometricism inherent in the Early Renaissance does not end, but even deepens. But something new is added to it: spirituality, psychologism, the desire to convey the inner world of a person, his feelings, moods, states, character, temperament. An aerial perspective is being developed, the materiality of forms is achieved not only by volume and plasticity, but also by chiaroscuro. The art of the High Renaissance is most fully expressed by three artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo. They personify the main values ​​of the Italian Renaissance: Intelligence, Harmony and Power.

The term late Renaissance is usually applied to the Venetian Renaissance. Only Venice during this period (second half of the 16th century) remained independent; the rest of the Italian principalities lost their political independence. The revival of Venice had its own characteristics. She had little interest in scientific research and excavations of ancient antiquities. Its Renaissance had other origins. Venice has long maintained close trade ties with Byzantium, the Arab East, and traded with India. Having reworked both Gothic and oriental traditions, Venice developed its own special style, which is characterized by colorful and romantic painting. For the Venetians, problems of color come to the fore; the materiality of the image is achieved by gradations of color. The largest Venetian masters of the High and Late Renaissance are Giorgione (1477-1510), Titian (1477-1576), Veronese (1528-1588), Tintoretto (1518-1594).

3.2. Northern Renaissance

It had a peculiar character Northern Renaissance(Germany, Netherlands, France). The Northern Renaissance lags behind the Italian by a whole century and begins when Italy enters the highest stage of its development. In the art of the northern Renaissance there is more of a medieval worldview, religious feeling, symbolism; it is more conventional in form, more archaic, and less familiar with antiquity.

The philosophical basis of the northern Renaissance was pantheism. Pantheism, without directly denying the existence of God, dissolves him in nature, endows nature with divine attributes, such as eternity, infinity, and limitlessness. Since pantheists believed that in every particle of the world there is a particle of God, they concluded: every piece of nature is worthy of an image. Such ideas lead to the emergence of landscape as an independent genre. German artists - masters of landscape A. Dürer, A. Altdorfer, L. Cranach depicted the majesty, power, beauty of nature, conveying its spirituality.

The second genre that developed in the art of the Northern Renaissance is portrait. An independent portrait, not associated with a religious cult, arose in Germany in the last third of the 15th century. The era of Dürer (1490-1530) was the time of his remarkable heyday. It should be noted that German portraiture differed from Italian Renaissance portraiture. Italian artists, in their admiration for man, created the ideal of beauty. German artists were indifferent to beauty; for them the main thing was to convey character, to achieve emotional expressiveness of the image, sometimes to the detriment of the ideal, to the detriment of beauty. Perhaps this reveals echoes of the “aesthetics of the ugly” typical of the Middle Ages, where spiritual beauty could be hidden in an ugly appearance. In the Italian Renaissance, the aesthetic side came to the fore, in the northern - the ethical. The greatest masters of portrait painting in Germany are A. Durer, G. Holbein Jr., in the Netherlands - Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, in France - J. Fouquet, J. Clouet, F. Clouet.

The third genre, which arose and developed primarily in the Netherlands, is household picture. The greatest master of genre painting is Pieter Bruegel the Elder. He painted authentic scenes from peasant life, and even placed biblical stories in the rural setting of the Netherlands at that time. Dutch artists were distinguished by their extraordinary virtuosity of writing, where every smallest detail was depicted with extreme care. Such a picture is very fascinating for the viewer: the more you look at it, the more interesting things you find there.

Giving a comparative description of the Italian and Northern Renaissance, one more significant difference between them should be highlighted. The Italian Renaissance is characterized by a desire to restore ancient culture, a desire for emancipation, liberation from church dogma, and secular education. In the Northern Renaissance, the main place was occupied by issues of religious improvement, renewal of the Catholic Church and its teachings. Northern humanism led to the Reformation and Protestantism.

LITERATURE

Batkin L. M. Italian Renaissance in search of individuality. - M., 1989. Bragina L. M. Italian humanism. Ethical teachings of the XIV-XV centuries. - M., 1977. Lazarev V.N. The beginning of the early Renaissance in Italian art. - M., 1970. Erasmus of Rotterdam. Philosophical works. - M., 1986. Aesthetics of the Renaissance. In 2 vols. - M., 1981.

A cultural phenomenon and large-scale trend in the development of art - the Renaissance - was a bright stage in the development of painting, architecture and sculpture in Italy in the 15th century. At the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries, the Renaissance left Italy and began to develop in France and the countries of Northern Europe.

The art of each country of this period has characteristic features. The Renaissance became the starting point for the development of society and spiritual awakening. There are 2 paths of transformation: humanistic ideology and religious renewal. The second path was followed by artists from the northern countries of Europe.

History of the term

The most striking and recognizable form of development of Renaissance art was the painting of the northern countries. The Northern Renaissance originated in Germany and Holland. The main centers of development were Amsterdam, Augsburg, Halle, and Nuremberg.

Futurism as a style in painting

The term "Renaissance" is difficult to apply to the art of the Nordic countries. The original meaning of the term is a return to the ancient tradition, but this is not relevant for Germany and the Netherlands. In the context of these countries, we are talking about religious transformations.

Common features for the Italian and Northern Renaissance are:

• Attraction to humanistic ideas;
• Concentration of attention on a person’s personality, his self-awareness - paintings reflect the inner world, emotions of the individual;
• Refusal of the feudal worldview.

Expressive style features

The main features and reasons for the difference between the Northern Renaissance and other varieties are explained by the specific conditions of the historical and cultural development of the countries. In Germany and the Netherlands

The revival began 100 years late and had its own characteristics. Goals and main features of ideology:

We are painting a copy of Vincent Van Gogh's painting "Starry Night"

There are several fundamental differences that make it possible to distinguish a picture that represents the Northern Renaissance:

• In the works of artists, the influence of Gothic rather than ancient art is more noticeable.
• Almost no attention is paid to the anatomical details of a person.
• There is no connection with the ancient tradition or it is minimal.
• Letter details.
• Strong influence on the Reformation and the birth of Protestantism.

The basis for the development of art was the court painting of Burgundy and the Ars Nova method of recording notes.

The most famous painters

At the end of the 15th century, artists of the Northern Renaissance of Germany began to develop the portrait genre. The peculiarity of the works is the lack of interest in the beauty and harmony of appearance, in contrast to Italian painting. The main thing in the works of German creators is the conveyance of emotionality, liveliness, and individuality. This speaks of the dominant ethical component of the art of the Northern Renaissance. The works of Dutch artists are distinguished by their penchant for detailed writing. In this, painters achieved perfection.

Rococo painting style

Jan van Eyck

Founder of the Renaissance in Holland. His main creation is the polyptych of the Ghent Altarpiece. The work fully reflects the ideas of the cultural era: humanistic orientation, detailing of nature, emotional transmission of images.

It is believed that it was van Eyck who first used oil painting to create altar scenes.

Hieronymus Bosch is a Dutch painter with a special style and conveyance of reality. The main feature of creativity is allegory. Bosch criticized the vices of society, demonstrating negative episodes of life, and was a moralizing artist. Evil is portrayed in different guises.

Pieter Bruegel

Painter from the Netherlands, graphic artist. The main themes of his works were: the confrontation between good and evil, displaying the hidden meaning of phenomena, madness and the meaninglessness of human existence. Religious stories are intertwined with everyday ones.

Abstractionism as a style in painting

Albrecht Durer

German artist, founder of the Renaissance in Germany. He managed to subtly and skillfully convey the spirit of the era through the prism of humanization and religiosity. Dürer's work reflected the influence of Italian art. Features of the work: detail, realistic rendering of images, integrity of composition, harmony. The theme is mainly religious. Also, Dürer created many engravings, the most famous: “Melancholy”, “Horseman, Death and the Devil”.

Lucas Cranach the Elder

German artist representing a wide variety of subjects in painting. The influence of ancient tradition is present.

Renaissance in Europe.

Periodization and characteristic features of the Renaissance.

Renaissance (Renaissance) is an era in the history of European culture of the 13th-16th centuries, which marked the advent of the New Age.

As an era in European history, it was marked by many significant milestones - including the strengthening of the economic and social liberties of cities, spiritual ferment, which ultimately led to the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the Peasants' War in Germany, the formation of an absolutist monarchy (the largest in France), the beginning of the era of the Great Geographies discoveries, the invention of European printing, the discovery of the heliocentric system in cosmology, etc. However, its first sign, as it seemed to contemporaries, was the “flourishing of the arts” after long centuries of medieval “decline,” a flourishing that “revived” ancient artistic wisdom, precisely in this sense for the first time in the 16th century. The word rinascita (from which the French Renaissance and all its European analogues come) is used by the Italian artist and art critic Giorgio Vasari.

The periodization of the Renaissance is determined by the supreme role of art in its culture.

The stages of art history in Italy - the birthplace of the Renaissance - have long served as the main point of reference. Specially distinguished:

1. Proto-Renaissance, (“the era of Dante and Giotto”, ca. 1260-1320) - (from proto... and Renaissance), a period in the history of Italian art (13th - early 14th centuries), marked by the growth of secular realistic trends, an appeal to the ancient tradition . The earliest stage in the development of Renaissance art. The art of the Proto-Renaissance first manifested itself in sculpture, and then in painting. It has a particularly noticeable secular element, attention to historical themes, portraiture, everyday life and landscape genres. The work of the poet Dante, the architect Arnolfo di Cambio, the sculptor Niccolo Pisano, the painters Pietro Cavallini and especially Giotto largely paved the way for the art of the Renaissance. Within the framework of the proto-Renaissance there are:

Ducento(Italian ducento, lit. - two hundred, - Italian name of the 13th century) characterized by the growth of realistic trends within medieval art, the awakening of interest in the real world and ancient heritage.

trecento(Italian trecento, lit. - three hundred - Italian name of the 14th century) - a period of intensive development of humanism in Italian culture; Trecento art, along with the growth of Gothic features, is marked by the development of realistic quests

2. Early Renaissance or quattrocento(Italian quattrocento, lit. - four hundred - Italian name of the 15th century). became a time of experimental searches, when new trends actively interacted with the Gothic, overcoming and creatively transforming it. If in the Proto-Renaissance the artist worked based on intuition, then the Early Renaissance brought to the fore precise scientific knowledge. Art began to play the role of universal knowledge of the surrounding world. In the 15th century A number of scientific treatises on art appeared. The first theorist in the field of painting and architecture was Leon Battista Alberti. He developed the theory of linear perspective, a truthful depiction of the depth of space in a picture. In the practical use of linear perspective, the work of the artist Paolo Uccello is of great interest.

3. Cinquecento(Italian cinquecento, lit. - five hundred - Italian name of the 16th century) - the heyday of the culture of the High and Late Renaissance and the spread of mannerism.

High (Medium) Revival- period of the history of Italian art (late 15th - 1st quarter of the 16th centuries) - the classical phase of the artistic culture of the Renaissance. In the architecture, painting and sculpture of the High Renaissance (Bramante, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Giorgione, Titian), Renaissance realism and humanism, heroic ideals received a generalized expression full of titanic power; The art of the High Renaissance is characterized by monumental grandeur, a combination of sublime ideality, harmony with the depth and vital brightness of images.

Late Renaissance(until the end of the 16th century), the continuation of the traditions of the High Renaissance, a special phase of which was Mannerism.

The main features of the Renaissance culture:

Anthropocentrism is the view according to which man is the center of the Universe and the ultimate goal of the entire universe, i.e. the existing world was created for man.

Humanism is recognition of the value of man as an individual.

Reformation of the medieval Christian tradition.

Revival of ancient monuments of art and ancient philosophy

Formation of a new attitude towards the world.

The task of educating a “new man” is recognized as the main task of the era. The Greek word (“education”) is the clearest analogue of the Latin humanitas (where “humanism” comes from).

Humanitas in the Renaissance concept implies not only the mastery of ancient wisdom, to which great importance was attached, but also self-knowledge and self-improvement. Humanitarian-scientific and human, learning and everyday experience must be united in a state of ideal virtu (in Italian, both “virtue” and “valor” - thanks to which the word carries a medieval knightly connotation). Reflecting these ideals in a natural way, the art of the Renaissance gives the educational aspirations of the era convincing and sensual clarity. Antiquity (that is, the ancient heritage), the Middle Ages (with their religiosity, as well as their secular code of honor) and Modern times (which placed the human mind and its creative energy at the center of its interests) are here in a state of sensitive and continuous dialogue.

It is natural that the time, which attached central importance to “divine” human creativity, brought forward personalities in art who, with all the abundance of talents of that time, became the personification of entire eras of national culture (personal “titans,” as they were romantically called later). Giotto became the personification of the Proto-Renaissance; the opposite aspects of the Quattrocento - constructive severity and soulful lyricism - were respectively expressed by Masaccio, Angelico and Botticelli. The "Titans" of the Middle (or "High") Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo are artists - symbols of the great turn of the New Age as such. The most important stages of Italian Renaissance architecture - early, middle and late - are monumentally embodied in the works of F. Brunelleschi, D. Bramante and A. Palladio.

Italian Renaissance

Early Renaissance in Italy.

14-15th century for Italy it is a time of rapid economic development. Italian cities had a fairly developed industry in the form of manufactories and were large trading centers connecting Italy with the countries of Europe and the East. In the cities there were banks that conducted operations of international importance. With the advent of a new attitude to trade and the emergence of banking houses, cities revived and flourished: Pisa, Milan, Genoa, Venice, Naples, Florence.

The industrial, commercial and usurious bourgeoisie of Italian cities needed the development of the exact sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics for their economic activities. At the same time, amassing huge fortunes, she sought to create comfortable living conditions for herself and decorate her palaces with works of art. The bourgeoisie and rulers (kings, popes, republican lords) needed educated officials, notaries, doctors, teachers - and in general, people of mental labor who could conduct trade and credit affairs within the country and abroad.

Thus, along with the emerging bourgeoisie, an intelligentsia appeared in Italian cities: writers, philosophers, historians, poets, musicians, architects, artists, engineers, doctors, etc., who had a decisive influence on the formation of the new ideology.

One of the most important features of the new ideology was individualism. The emerging bourgeoisie, strong and rich, now argued that it was not nobility and birth, but the personal qualities of an individual Man: his intelligence, dexterity, courage, enterprise and energy that ensure success in life. The worldview of the figures of the new culture, which was expressed in their philosophical, political, scientific and literary views, is usually designated by the term “humanism”. Because a person was now viewed as the smith of his own happiness, the creator of all values, moving forward in defiance of fate and achieving success through the power of his mind, fortitude, activity, and optimism. A person should enjoy nature, love, art, science. Representatives of the new ideology were alien to the idea of ​​the sinfulness of man, in particular his body; on the contrary, the harmony of the human soul and body becomes recognized.

Italian society aroused a deep interest in ancient civilization and culture, where even the gods were endowed with a human appearance and human character. Hence the attempt to resurrect a bygone culture and place it on a pedestal.

Cultural figures tried in their works to imitate the style of Latin writers of the “golden age” of Roman literature, especially Cicero. There was an interest in Greek literature and the Greek language. Florence and Venice became the spiritual centers of the Italian Renaissance.

The Early Renaissance is inextricably linked with the names of Francesco Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio.

The founder of humanism in Italy is considered to be Francesco Petrarch(1304-1374). He was a collector of ancient manuscripts and monuments, a historian, and a promoter of ancient Roman culture (he tried to write the history of Rome in biographies (“On Famous Men” contains 21 biographies of great Romans from Romulus to Caesar)). All of Petrarch’s works can be divided into two unequal parts: Italian poetry (“Canzoniere”) and various works written in Latin. “Canzoniere” (“Book of Songs”) includes sonnets, canzones, ballads, madrigals dedicated to Petrarch’s love for Laura during her life and after her death; several poems of political and religious content; and the allegorical picture of the poet's love - Triumphs, which depicts the victory of love over man, chastity over love, death over chastity, glory over death, time over glory and eternity over time. "Canzoniere", which survived until the beginning of the 17th century. OK. 200 editions and commented by a whole mass of scientists and poets determine the significance of Petrarch in the history of Italian and world literature. He created a truly artistic form for Italian lyric poetry: poetry for the first time is for him the inner history of individual feeling. This interest in the inner life of man runs like a red thread through the Latin works of Petrarch, which determine his significance as a humanist.

Petrarch's contemporary Giavanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) became famous thanks to the Decameron written in Italian - a collection of short stories on themes of Florentine city life, which emphasizes the human right to happiness, to sensual joys, to love that knows no social barriers. The collection contains folk humor and freethinking, criticism of the ignorance and hypocrisy of the Catholic clergy. Boccaccio's "Decameron" became a model of perfection of language and style for Italian authors, a classic of world literature. The Decameron presents one hundred stories told on behalf of noble Florentine ladies and young men; The narrative takes place against the backdrop of a plague epidemic (“Black Death”), from which noble society is hiding in a country estate, and is full of subtle psychologism and unexpected collisions.

Together with Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio are the creators of the literary Italian language. Their works in the 15th century. were translated into many European languages ​​and took pride of place in world literature.

The art of the early Renaissance was represented by new painting, sculpture and architecture.

An outstanding master of the early Renaissance, who continued the realistic tradition of Giotto, was the Florentine artist Masaccio(real name Tommaso di Giovanni di Simone Cassai) (1401-1428). He painted on church and religious subjects (mainly wall paintings inside churches), but gave them realistic features with the help of chiaroscuro, plastic physicality, three-dimensionality, compositional linkage with the landscape, and transferred the action of religious subjects to the streets of Florence. For the first time in wall painting (the fresco “Trinity” in the Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence) he creates a centrally perspective structure, giving the composition majesty and at the same time proportionality to human scale. His work became a model for the work of subsequent generations of artists.

Artist Sandro Botticelli was close to the Medici court and the humanist circles of Florence. He wrote works on religious and mythological themes (“Spring”, “Birth of Venus”, around 1483-1484), although his images are flat, they are marked by spiritual poetry, the play of linear rhythms, subtle color, and a mood of sadness. But the sadness of Venus and the condescending smile of Spring are addressed to the audience, to his world, and not to the heavenly transparency as in the icons.

The largest sculptor of the early Renaissance - Florentine Donatello- reflecting on the experience of ancient art, for the first time he created classical forms and types of Renaissance sculpture: a new type of round statue and sculptural group (“St. George”, “David”, “Judith and Holofernes”), a monumental equestrian monument (statue of the condottiere Gattamelata in Padua - the first equestrian monument of the Renaissance), a picturesque relief (the altar of the Church of Sant'Antonio in Padua), a sculptural portrait, a majestic tombstone (the tomb of Antipope John XXIII in the Florentine Baptistery - a classic example for all later Renaissance tombs). His sculpture "David" is the first completely nude figure created during the Renaissance. The forms of Donatello's sculptures acquire plastic clarity, the volumes become solid, the typical expression of faces is replaced by portraiture, the folds of clothes naturally envelop the body and echo its curves and movement. He tried to give his sculptures the features of real people: Christ looks like a peasant, and Florentine citizens are depicted as evangelists and prophets. In creating sculptures, Donatello aims to reproduce the new ideal of the era - the individual heroic personality.

Architecture achieved great success in the early Renaissance. If the beginning of the Renaissance was marked by the construction of the symbol of the city community - the cathedral, then by the end of the 15th century. The ruler's palace becomes the center of the city. The square turned from a place of public assembly into a front yard.

A type of secular palace (palazzo) is formed: quadrangular in plan, closed around a courtyard, which then becomes open on one side or is separated only by a portico. The memory of medieval fortress architecture was preserved in the use of masonry made of rough stone blocks, which later became a common decorative element (“rust”), mainly when laying the lower ground floors.

Free development is being replaced by planned development. The new architecture of the Renaissance - huge buildings, high domes, grandiose colonnade, required strict mathematical calculations. Thanks to the improvement of construction technology, the construction of large buildings, cathedrals and palaces began to be carried out in a shorter period than in the Middle Ages, sometimes within several years.

Major architects who created the Renaissance style of architecture were Fillippo Brunulleschi and Leon Battista Alberti.

Three cities became the main centers of new art in Northern Italy: Padua, Ferrara, and Venice.

Padua was one of the oldest university cities in Europe. The University of Padua, founded in 1222, attracted many students from different countries. The heritage of antiquity was intensively studied here. A circle of humanists, experts and lovers of antiquity was created at the university. Here they collected manuscripts of ancient authors and collected works of art. Dante and Petrarch visited Padua. Giotto and Donatello came here to work and had a strong influence on local artists.

In Ferrara, the center of humanistic culture became the court of local rulers - the Dukes of Este.

Venice is a republic of merchants who trade with the whole world and concentrate in their hands most of the trade turnover between East and West. The Venetians borrow everything beautiful from the Muslim East, decrepit Byzantium, and “barbarian” Germany, and try to turn their city into the most brilliant and magnificent in the world. And financial well-being allows them not to skimp in the implementation of their plans.

High Renaissance.

At the turn of the 15th – 16th centuries. The Italian Renaissance entered a new phase of development. At the end of the 15th - first decade of the 16th century. marks the highest rise of art. This stage was called the High Renaissance.

In the first decade of the 16th century. The center of Italian artistic life moves to Rome. Back at the end of the 15th century. The Papal States began to play an important role among the largest Italian states. Less developed economically than Florence or Venice, it had high international importance (as a center of Catholicism). Dreaming of uniting all of Italy under the rule of Rome, the popes tried to turn it into a leading political and cultural center. This was facilitated by the patronage policy of the popes, which attracted the best artists to Rome. And the historical past of the “eternal city” perfectly suited its new role. The memory of the greatness of the Roman Empire, which did not die throughout the Middle Ages, now acquired special significance. In this regard, at the beginning of the 16th century. interest in ancient history and culture revived. It was in Rome, with its numerous monuments that always attracted artists, that the classical heritage was perceived fully and deeply.

The art of the High Renaissance absorbed the ideas of humanism; it was imbued with faith in the creative powers of man, in the unlimited possibilities of his capabilities, in the rational structure of the world. At the same time, the naive narrative and everydayism common in Quattrocento art is being replaced by the problem of civic duty and heroic deed. The leitmotif of culture becomes the image of a beautiful, harmoniously developed, strong in body and spirit person, rising above the level of everyday routine.

At the beginning of the 16th century. a new type of synthesis of arts reaches harmonious unity, which, unlike the medieval one (when all types of art are subordinated to architecture), assumes the equality of painting and sculpture in relation to architecture. The liberation of painting and sculpture from strict subordination to architecture leads to the isolation and development of new genres of art: portraiture, landscape and historical painting.

The formation of High Renaissance art began at the end of the 15th century. – his cradle was Florence, where such great masters as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo came from. The traditions of the Florentine school and early Quattrocento were the basis of 16th century art.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Rome took the leading position in the development of architecture, painting and sculpture. The architecture of gardens, parks and country residences of the nobility is being developed. Utopian city projects are emerging. The distinctive qualities of High Renaissance architecture are: monumentality, impressive grandeur inspired by ancient Rome and grandeur of plans. This was most clearly manifested in the reconstruction of the Vatican and the construction of St. Peter's Cathedral, the architect of which was Donato D'Angelo Bramante(1444-1514), who with his creativity determined the development of architecture in the 16th century. The small chapel of Temppietto, built by Bramante, is one of the best works of architecture of the mature Renaissance; it is distinguished by the integrity of its composition, the sophistication of its proportions, and the depiction of details. Bramante planned to make the main cathedral of Rome (St. Peter's Cathedral) also according to a centric plan, and he was guided not by practical considerations (convenience during worship), but by the concept of centric composition, favorite during this period, striving for balance, stability and completeness. But the construction of the cathedral began in 1506, so Bramante did not have time to complete the cathedral and the following were successively involved in the construction: Raphael, Peruzzi, Antonio da Sangalo the Younger, Michelangelo.

Many cultural figures were the embodiment of “homo universale” - a universal person, gifted in all spheres of creative and scientific activity, creating masterpieces of painting, sculpture, architecture, writing treatises on various scientific topics.

Leonardo da Vinci(1452-1519) - the greatest painter, sculptor, architect, scientist and engineer. Leonardo left few paintings, as scientific interests consumed a lot of time and energy.

Already in his first paintings, the main features of Leonardo’s art are present: interest in psychological solutions, laconicism, emphasis on spatial arrangement and three-dimensionality of forms.

Combining the development of new means of artistic language with theoretical communications, Leonardo created a harmonious image of a person that meets humanistic ideals; Thus, he summed up the experience of the Quattrocento and laid the foundations of the art of the High Renaissance.

In the service of the ruler of Milan, Lodovico Moro, Leonardo da Vinci acts as a military engineer, hydraulic engineer, and organizer of court extravaganzas. The creative flowering of Leonardo the painter also occurred during this same period. In “Madonna of the Rocks,” the master’s favorite subtle chiaroscuro (“sfumato”) appears as a new halo that replaces the medieval halos: this is equally a divine-human and natural mystery, where the rocky grotto, reflecting Leonardo’s geological observations, plays less dramatic role than the figures of saints in the foreground. In addition, Leonardo introduces a new motif into Italian painting - the image of the Virgin Mary with children in a landscape.

In the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Leonardo creates the painting “The Last Supper”. In “The Last Supper”, psychological conflict and mathematical calculation are introduced into art in the construction of composition. The high religious and ethical content of the image, which represents the stormy, contradictory reaction of Christ’s disciples to his words about the impending betrayal, is expressed in clear mathematical laws of the composition, powerfully subjugating not only the painted, but also the real architectural space. The clear stage logic of facial expressions and gestures, the combination of strict rationality with an inexplicable mystery made “The Last Supper” one of the most significant works in the history of world art. Also involved in architecture, Leonardo develops various versions of the “ideal city” and the central-domed temple.

In the portrait of Mona Lisa (“La Gioconda”), the image of a wealthy city dweller appears as the embodiment of a sublime ideal of femininity, without losing its intimate human charm; An important element of the composition is the cosmically vast landscape, melting into a cold haze. “La Gioconda” forms the basis for all subsequent Italian portraiture.

Among the late works of Leonardo da Vinci is “Saint Anne with Mary and the Child Christ,” which completes the master’s search in the field of light-air perspective and harmonious pyramidal composition. Leonardo's last painting, “Saint John the Baptist,” is full of erotic ambiguity: the young Forerunner here looks not like a holy ascetic, but like a tempter full of sensual charm.

The most important source for studying the views of Leonardo da Vinci are his notebooks and manuscripts (about 7 thousand sheets). These notes were systematized after the artist’s death by his student F. Melzi in his “Treatise on Painting.” This work had a huge influence on European artistic practice and theoretical thought.

A tireless experimental scientist and a brilliant artist, Leonardo da Vinci remained in the tradition as a personality-symbol of the era.

Rafael Santi(1483-1520) - artist of synthesis and harmony. His art is distinguished by the features of balance of mind and feelings, reality and ideals, impeccable clarity of composition and forms; he is the classic embodiment of the High Renaissance. Already in his early paintings (“Madonna Conestabile”, “The Dream of a Knight”, “The Three Graces”, “The Betrothal of Mary”), Raphael’s inherent harmonious talent was evident, his ability to find an impeccable harmony of forms, rhythms, colors, movements, gestures.

He glorified the earthly existence of man, the harmony of spiritual and physical forces in the paintings of stanzas (ceremonial chambers) of the Vatican, achieving an impeccable sense of proportion, rhythm, proportions, euphony of color, unity of figures and majestic architectural backgrounds. In the majestic multi-figure compositions on the walls (uniting from 40 to 60 characters) “Disputa” (“Dispute about Communion”), “School of Athens”, “Parnassus”, without repeating a single figure or pose, not a single movement, Raphael weaves them together flexible, free, natural rhythm, flowing from figure to figure, from one group to another. In “The Miraculous Escape of the Apostle Peter from Prison,” Raphael, with a pictorial subtlety unusual for an artist of Central Italy, conveys the complex effects of night lighting - the dazzling radiance surrounding the angel, the cold light of the moon, the reddish flame of torches and their reflections on the armor of the guards.

Among the best works of Raphael the monumentalist are also the paintings of the vaults of the Chigi Chapel in Rome and the fresco “The Triumph of Galatea” (Villa Farnesina, Rome) full of pagan cheerfulness.

One of the main themes of Raphael's painting was the Madonna and Child. In his works “Madonna with the Goldfinch”, “Madonna in the Greens”, “The Beautiful Gardener”, he uses the same motif - he depicts a young mother and small children playing at her feet - Christ and John the Baptist - against the backdrop of an idyllic landscape; he unites figures with a stable, harmoniously balanced rhythm of the compositional pyramid, beloved by the Renaissance masters. A new, polyphonically complex interpretation of the image of the Madonna found its most complete expression in one of Raphael’s most perfect creations - the Sistine Madonna altarpiece.

Raphael left a noticeable mark on Italian architecture. He participated in the construction of the Cathedral of St. Peter's in Rome. Among his buildings is the small church of San Eligio degli Orefici with its austere interior, the Chigi Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, the interior of which is an example of a unity of architectural design and decoration developed by Raphael, rare even for the Renaissance, - paintings, mosaics, sculptures.

Michelangelo Buonarotti(1475-1564) - sculptor, painter, architect, poet. Michelangelo far outlived his illustrious contemporaries (Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael) and witnessed the humiliation of Italy and the collapse of all ideals and hopes. Therefore, with the greatest force he expressed the deeply human ideals of the High Renaissance, full of heroic pathos, as well as the tragic feeling of the crisis of the humanistic worldview during the Late Renaissance.

The spiritual awakening of Europe, which began in the 12th century, was a consequence of the rise of medieval urban culture and was expressed in new forms of activity - intellectual and cultural. In particular, the flourishing of scholastic science, the awakening of interest in antiquity, the manifestation of individual self-awareness in the religious and secular spheres, and in art - the Gothic style.

This process of spiritual awakening followed two paths (due to socio-economic, national and cultural characteristics):

· development of elements of a secular humanistic worldview

· development of ideas of religious “renewal”

Both of these currents often came into contact and merged, but in essence they still acted as antagonists. Italy followed the first path, Northern Europe followed the second, still with the forms of mature Gothic, with its general spiritualistic mood and naturalism of details.

The Italian Renaissance had little influence on other countries until 1450. After 1500 the style spread across the continent, but many late Gothic influences persisted even into the Baroque era.

Main differences: greater influence of Gothic art, less attention to the study of anatomy and ancient heritage, careful and detailed writing technique.

In addition, the Reformation was an important ideological component.

Conclusion

So, Renaissance, or Renaissance- an era in the life of mankind, marked by a colossal rise in art and science.

The art of the Renaissance, which arose on the basis of humanism - a movement of social thought that proclaimed man as the highest value of life. In art, the main theme was a beautiful, harmoniously developed person with unlimited spiritual and creative potential. The art of the Renaissance laid the foundations of European culture of the New Age and radically changed all major types of art. Creatively revised principles of the ancient order system were established in architecture, and new types of public buildings emerged. Painting was enriched by linear and aerial perspective, knowledge of the anatomy and proportions of the human body. Earthly content penetrated into the traditional religious themes of works of art. Interest in ancient mythology, history, everyday scenes, landscapes, and portraits increased. Along with monumental wall paintings decorating architectural structures, painting appeared and oil painting arose. The creative individuality of the artist, as a rule, a universally gifted person, came to the fore in art.

In the art of the Renaissance, the paths of scientific and artistic were closely intertwined.

comprehension of the world and man. Its cognitive meaning was inextricably linked with sublime poetic beauty; in its desire for naturalness, it did not stoop to petty everyday life. Art has become a universal spiritual

need. Of course, the Renaissance is one of the most beautiful eras in human history.

Unlike Italy, the Renaissance came to France, Germany and the Netherlands later. Medieval traditions reluctantly gave way to the new, therefore, in the art of the Northern Renaissance, limited to the first third of the 15th-16th centuries, the mystical worldview and Gothic style were combined with the classicist trends of modern times.

In the works of Northern Renaissance artists, interest in the human personality and its environment was more acute than in the paintings of the Italians. The idea of ​​Divine harmony was also expressed very clearly in them; religiosity is noticeable even in the smallest details of the paintings of French, German and Dutch masters: it seems that they deify every leaf on the tree and every blade of grass on the ground.

One of the characteristic features of Northern Renaissance painting is naturalism. Emphasizing individual features, artists give biblical characters a resemblance to their sitters. This is characteristic of the works of H. Baldung Green, J. van Eyck and A. Dürer, who sought to combine Gothic naturalism and expressiveness with the idealization of classicism. In the works of many artists, naturalism sometimes took on crude and even repulsive forms.

Another feature of the art of this period is expressiveness. The human figures in the paintings are very dynamic, often their proportions are deformed. Expression and tension are also characteristic of the landscape, draperies, and clothes surrounding the characters. The mysticism and detachment inherent in the paintings of Northern European masters are combined with elements of specificity: the artists dress the characters in modern clothes, carefully detailing their details.

The founders of the Northern Renaissance are rightfully considered to be the Dutch painters brothers Jan van Eyck and Hubert van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling, who worked in the 15th century. In its stylistics, Northern Renaissance painting is heterogeneous: in the Netherlands it was distinguished by the features of pantheism and naturalism, in Germany it was characterized by mystical spiritualism, and in France - sensualism.

Renaissance (Renaissance). Italy. XV-XVI centuries. Early capitalism. The country is ruled by rich bankers. They are interested in art and science.

The rich and powerful gather around them the talented and wise. Poets, philosophers, artists and sculptors have daily conversations with their patrons. At some point, it seemed that people were ruled by wise men, as Plato wanted.

We remembered the ancient Romans and Greeks. They also built a society of free citizens, where the main value is people (not counting slaves, of course).

Renaissance is not just copying the art of ancient civilizations. This is a mixture. Mythology and Christianity. Realism of nature and sincerity of images. Beauty physical and spiritual.

It was just a flash. The High Renaissance period is approximately 30 years! From the 1490s to 1527 From the beginning of the heyday of Leonardo's creativity. Before the sack of Rome.

The mirage of an ideal world quickly faded. Italy turned out to be too fragile. She was soon enslaved by another dictator.

However, these 30 years determined the main features of European painting for 500 years to come! Up to .

Realism of the image. Anthropocentrism (when the center of the world is Man). Linear perspective. Oil paints. Portrait. Scenery…

Incredibly, during these 30 years several brilliant masters worked at once. At other times they are born once every 1000 years.

Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian are the titans of the Renaissance. But we cannot fail to mention their two predecessors: Giotto and Masaccio. Without which there would be no Renaissance.

1. Giotto (1267-1337)

XIV century. Proto-Renaissance. Its main character is Giotto. This is a master who single-handedly revolutionized art. 200 years before the High Renaissance. If it were not for him, the era of which humanity is so proud would hardly have come.

Before Giotto there were icons and frescoes. They were created according to Byzantine canons. Faces instead of faces. Flat figures. Failure to comply with proportions. Instead of a landscape there is a golden background. Like, for example, on this icon.

And suddenly frescoes by Giotto appear. They have voluminous figures. Faces of noble people. Old and young. Sad. Mournful. Surprised. Different.

Frescoes by Giotto in the Church of Scrovegni in Padua (1302-1305). Left: Lamentation of Christ. Middle: Kiss of Judas (fragment). Right: Annunciation of St. Anne (Mother Mary), fragment.

Giotto's main work is the cycle of his frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. When this church opened to parishioners, crowds of people poured into it. They had never seen anything like this.

After all, Giotto did something unprecedented. He translated biblical stories into simple, understandable language. And they have become much more accessible to ordinary people.

This is precisely what will be characteristic of many masters of the Renaissance. Laconic images. Lively emotions of the characters. Realism.

Read more about the master's frescoes in the article.

Giotto was admired. But his innovation was not developed further. The fashion for international gothic came to Italy.

Only after 100 years will a worthy successor to Giotto appear.

2. Masaccio (1401-1428)

Beginning of the 15th century. The so-called Early Renaissance. Another innovator is entering the scene.

Masaccio was the first artist to use linear perspective. It was designed by his friend, the architect Brunelleschi. Now the depicted world has become similar to the real one. Toy architecture is a thing of the past.

He adopted Giotto's realism. However, unlike his predecessor, he already knew anatomy well.

Instead of blocky characters, Giotto has beautifully built people. Just like the ancient Greeks.

Masaccio lived a short life. He died, like his father, unexpectedly. At 27 years old.

However, he had many followers. Masters of subsequent generations went to the Brancacci Chapel to study from his frescoes.

Thus, Masaccio’s innovation was taken up by all the great artists of the High Renaissance.

3. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the titans of the Renaissance. He had a tremendous influence on the development of painting.

It was da Vinci who raised the status of the artist himself. Thanks to him, representatives of this profession are no longer just artisans. These are creators and aristocrats of the spirit.

Leonardo made a breakthrough primarily in portraiture.

He believed that nothing should distract from the main image. The gaze should not wander from one detail to another. This is how his famous portraits appeared. Laconic. Harmonious.

Leonardo's main innovation is that he found a way to make images... alive.

Before him, characters in portraits looked like mannequins. The lines were clear. All details are carefully drawn. The painted drawing could not possibly be alive.

Leonardo invented the sfumato method. He shaded the lines. Made the transition from light to shadow very soft. His characters seem to be covered with a barely perceptible haze. The characters came to life.

Sfumato will be included in the active vocabulary of all great artists of the future.

There is often an opinion that Leonardo, of course, is a genius, but did not know how to complete anything. And I often didn’t finish paintings. And many of his projects remained on paper (in 24 volumes, by the way). And in general he was thrown either into medicine or into music. At one time I was even interested in the art of serving.

However, think for yourself. 19 paintings - and he is the greatest artist of all time. And someone doesn’t even come close in terms of greatness, yet he painted 6,000 canvases in his life. It is obvious who has the higher efficiency.

Read about the master's most famous painting in the article.

4. Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor. But he was a universal master. Like his other Renaissance colleagues. Therefore, his pictorial heritage is no less grandiose.

He is recognizable primarily by his physically developed characters. He portrayed a perfect man in whom physical beauty means spiritual beauty.

That’s why all his heroes are so muscular and resilient. Even women and old people.

Michelangelo. Fragments of the fresco “The Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican.

Michelangelo often painted the character naked. And then he added clothes on top. So that the body is as sculpted as possible.

He painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel alone. Although these are several hundred figures! He didn’t even allow anyone to rub paint. Yes, he was unsociable. He had a tough and quarrelsome character. But most of all he was dissatisfied with... himself.

Michelangelo lived a long life. Survived the decline of the Renaissance. For him it was a personal tragedy. His later works are full of sadness and sorrow.

In general, Michelangelo’s creative path is unique. His early works are a celebration of the human hero. Free and courageous. In the best traditions of Ancient Greece. What's his name David?

In the last years of life these are tragic images. Intentionally rough-hewn stone. It’s as if we are looking at monuments to the victims of 20th century fascism. Look at his Pietà.

Michelangelo's sculptures at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. Left: David. 1504 Right: Palestrina's Pietà. 1555

How is this possible? One artist in one life went through all stages of art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. What should subsequent generations do? Go your own way. Realizing that the bar is set very high.

5. Raphael (1483-1520)

Raphael was never forgotten. His genius was always recognized: both during life and after death.

His characters are endowed with sensual, lyrical beauty. It is his who is rightfully considered the most beautiful female images ever created. External beauty also reflects the spiritual beauty of the heroines. Their meekness. Their sacrifice.

Fyodor Dostoevsky said the famous words “Beauty will save the world” about. This was his favorite painting.

However, sensual images are not Raphael’s only strong point. He thought through the compositions of his paintings very carefully. He was an unsurpassed architect in painting. Moreover, he always found the simplest and most harmonious solution in organizing space. It seems that it cannot be any other way.

Raphael lived only 37 years. He died suddenly. From a caught cold and medical error. But his legacy is difficult to overestimate. Many artists idolized this master. And they multiplied his sensual images in thousands of their canvases..

Titian was an unsurpassed colorist. He also experimented a lot with composition. In general, he was a daring innovator.

Everyone loved him for such brilliance of his talent. Called “the king of painters and the painter of kings.”

Speaking about Titian, I want to put an exclamation point after every sentence. After all, it was he who brought dynamics to painting. Pathos. Enthusiasm. Bright color. Shine of colors.

Towards the end of his life he developed an unusual writing technique. The strokes are fast and thick. I applied the paint either with a brush or with my fingers. This makes the images even more alive and breathing. And the plots are even more dynamic and dramatic.

Does this remind you of anything? Of course, this is technology. And the technique of 19th century artists: Barbizonians and. Titian, like Michelangelo, would go through 500 years of painting in one lifetime. That's why he's a genius.

Read about the master's famous masterpiece in the article.

Renaissance artists are the owners of great knowledge. To leave such a legacy, there was a lot to learn. In the field of history, astrology, physics and so on.

Therefore, every image of them makes us think. Why is this depicted? What is the encrypted message here?

They were almost never wrong. Because they thoroughly thought through their future work. We used all our knowledge.

They were more than artists. They were philosophers. They explained the world to us through painting.

That is why they will always be deeply interesting to us.