Renaissance refers to the period from14th century to16th century, which is an important historical period in the history of cultural and artistic development in western and central European countries. It is the second peak in European cultural history after ancient Greece and Rome. The original intention of Renaissance is the revival of art and literature under the influence of classical norms. Its change is based on caring, respecting and people-oriented world outlook. This world outlook was established in the14th century through the rediscovery of ancient literature and art by a series of scientists, thinkers and writers. At that time, people discovered the importance of nature and human body value from ancient literature, which made them make a new evaluation of man and nature. In fact, the Renaissance, as a great turning point in European history, has a much broader significance. The emergence of humanism affirms that man is the creator or master of life. They demand that literature and art should express people's thoughts and feelings, science should benefit life, education should develop people's personality, thoughts, feelings and wisdom should be liberated from the bondage of theocracy, and individual freedom should be advocated against personal attachment. Renaissance art developed on this basis.
2. Early Renaissance in Italy
In the first three quarters of15th century, Italian early Renaissance artists broke away from the norms of the Middle Ages and relied on rationality and scientific knowledge to try to open up a new situation in their artistic creation, so that vivid images and scenes could be reflected in their works of art and become a reproducible art. In the field of painting, they explored and tried their best to make the two-dimensional plane have a three-dimensional sense of space and make the activities of characters three-dimensional, so as to realize the illusion effect pursued by the ancient Greeks and let people regard art as a portrayal of real life and something that can be felt, melted and recognized. This practice began in Florence and gradually spread throughout Italy. It embodies the new spirit, adapts to the requirements of the times, and paves the way for the heyday of the Renaissance.
(1) Florence's Early Renaissance Art
Through the following representative figures and works, we can see the characteristics of Florence's early Renaissance art:
A: ghiberti.
Ghiberti (1378- 1455) is a figure who embodies the transition from Gothic art to Renaissance art. He is brilliant, and his creative activities involve different fields, but his greatest achievement is in the field of sculpture. The masterpiece "The Gate of Heaven" (1424- 1452) is a bronze relief of the gate of Florence Baptistery. Drawing lessons from painting techniques, the shapes and faces of individual characters are finely shaped with bumps of different heights; Use perspective to reproduce the position of characters and the depth of spatial environment. In the handling of character movements and clothing patterns, some beautiful international Gothic styles are still preserved.
B: brunelleschi.
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377- 1446) has made great contributions in opening up new roads and styles. He is a man of many talents. At first, he was engaged in the creation of sculptures and gold and silver handicrafts, and was one of the great representatives of Renaissance architecture. He creatively combined the ancient Roman architectural form with Gothic structure. The church on the drum stand out clearly, solemn, brisk and beautiful, with strong visual appeal. Brunelleschi hopes to build architectural design on the basis of mathematical science, and regards proportion harmony as the essence of classical architecture. He used the vocabulary of classical architecture to obtain a bright, simple, beautiful and harmonious effect, which made the architecture have a rational beauty. He made an inestimable contribution to the development of painting. His research achievements in online perspective provide a scientific basis for new painting creation. Creating the illusion of real space with the help of line perspective is the great ambition and outstanding achievement of Italian Renaissance painters.
C: Donatello
Donatello (1386- 1466) is the first generation of Italian artists in the early Renaissance and the most outstanding sculptor in the15th century. His admiration and reference to classical art can be said to be the same characteristics of Italian artists in the Renaissance. Donatello created a large number of energetic, solemn and calm sculptures in his life. Representative works: David (about 1430- 1432) is the first work to revive the tradition of ancient nude statues. Donatello used the corresponding composition method created by the ancient Greeks to show people the image of a teenager with accurate proportion and structure. This biblical figure is no longer a conceptual symbol, but a vivid life. St George's statue (1415-1417) and Tamera's riding statue (1445- 1450).
Masaccio
Ma Saqiao (Massacio, 140 1- 1428? ) is a key figure with great influence in the development of Renaissance painting. In his creation, he completely got rid of the elegant style and decorative meaning of late Gothic painting and put the creation of real image and real space in the first place.
Representative work: Tax Payment (1425- 1428) is a large-scale mural depicting religious themes (mural painting was a very popular painting style in Italy at that time). Different characters and different scenes are very real and full of sense of volume. The expressions and actions of characters are described from the perspective of showing their different relationships and psychological States. In those buildings and natural environments that conform to the law of linear perspective, people are in their places, just like real scenes in life. There is no international Gothic painting that emphasizes the decorative arrangement of the picture and pursues the shadow of beautiful lines and colors. A plump figure may be a bit clumsy, but it's real. The linear modeling rhythm strengthens the memorial of murals. True and spectacular, this is the characteristic of Ma Saqiao's art.
Alberty
Leon Batista Alberti (1404- 1472), a famous humanist, is a typical knowledgeable generalist. He attaches great importance to the role of mathematics in art. Caring about theoretical problems and not treating art as a pure skill, but as a manifestation of wisdom, is the general attitude of artists in the Renaissance. He wrote works on painting, sculpture and architecture. Ten architectural books published in 1485 had a considerable impact on the development of Renaissance architecture. The preference for geometric shapes such as squares and circles can be said to be the characteristics of this era and his own art.
② Early Renaissance art in other parts of Italy.
Florence plays an undeniable role in the development of new art, but some outstanding artists have emerged in other cities in central and northern Italy, and they have also made great contributions to expanding the achievements and influence of new art.
Francesca
Francesca (14 16? -1492) is the most famous figure engaged in creative activities in central Italy. This exploratory painter also attaches great importance to perspective and regards it as the basis of painting. He once wrote Perspective in Painting (1482). In his series of religious paintings, geometric figures stay quietly in the architecture and natural environment that strictly conforms to the perspective law, and bright colors create a solemn light atmosphere.
Representative works: Legend of the True Cross (1452- 1464) and Whipping Christ (about 1456-57).
B: Giovanni Bei Lini.
Giovanni bellini (about 1429- 15 16) was the most outstanding painter in Venice in the 5th century. The famous Venetian school in the history of art can be said to have started from him. Unlike Florentine painters who emphasized line modeling and composition management, and unlike Mantania, Giovanni Beligni is a painter who is good at using colors.
Representative works: The ecstasy of Ge San Ji Fang (about 1485) The scenery occupies most of the picture, everything is bathed in the sun, and the wonderful colors seem to glow. Rendering the atmosphere with natural scenery later became one of the basic characteristics of Venetian painters.
C: Messina
Messina (about 1430- 1479). He made a great contribution to portrait painting. Portraits of the early Renaissance are often regarded as full-sided, but he changed the object of expression to three-quarters of the side, making the characters in the painting stare at the audience. This more natural and friendly way became the most popular portrait painting mode later. Messina's works are soft in brushwork, bright in color and quiet in artistic conception.
Representative works: martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (about 1475- 1477).
3. Italian Renaissance art in its heyday
/kloc-Italy in the first quarter of the 0/6th century was a period of political tension and almost constant war. It was in this extremely turbulent stage that the thriving Renaissance art was formed. This is a clear and noble concept, great and restrained art, in short, a kind of classical balanced art. Three outstanding artists in the Renaissance-Da Vinci (1452- 15 19) and Michelangelo (1475-/kloc). Each of them is an outstanding individualist. Although there is a spark of inspiration between them, they have never formed a group. All three of them have achieved extraordinary technical attainments and perfect coordination of heart, eyes and hands. It didn't take much effort to solve the problems of early artists. The artistic form of their works always shows the rational content beautifully. In the heyday of the Renaissance, a group of artists, represented by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, further perfected the Italian exploration in the15th century, which made rationality and emotion, reality and ideal perfectly unified in works of art, and the relationship between form and space was highly harmonious, thus setting a classic style for reproducible art and providing the best example for future generations. In the development of western art in the future, I feel its powerful influence all the time. Praise or denial is all due to the awareness of its existence. Through the introduction and works of these artists, we can see the heyday of Italian Renaissance art.
(l): Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci (1452- 15 19) was born in Da Vinci Town. Perhaps there has never been a man with all-round development like Leonardo da Vinci in human history. Incredibly, he set foot in a wide range of fields and achieved great success. Art is just one of his ways of understanding the world. It didn't occupy all his time and energy, but he made amazing achievements in this field. Introducing natural science knowledge into fine arts is a great contribution of Italians in the15th century. Leonardo da Vinci inherited this tradition and greatly improved it.
Representative work: The Last Supper (about 1495- 1498) is famous for its perfect composition, harmonious modeling and space, rich psychological description and profound humanity, which shows the classical beauty. Mona Lisa (about 1503- 1506) Leonardo da Vinci spent several years painting this bust. He treats the merchant's wife in a way that his hands naturally cross and his body and head turn sideways to varying degrees, which not only overcomes monotony but also appears calm. The Mona Lisa's flesh-and-blood and mysterious smile, coupled with the remote background like mountains and rivers in China, left an infinite space for reverie, allowing future generations to make different interpretations. This feeling, as complex and rich as real life, is the unique quality of the greatest literary works, which sets up a bust portrait model for future generations.
(2): Michelangelo
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475- 1564) is the greatest sculptor in the west. While he devoted himself to understanding the achievements of the ancients, he also devoted himself to dissecting the human body and studying its structure and movement, which made him one of the artists who gave full play to the expressive force of the human body. Different from Leonardo da Vinci's art full of profound wisdom, Michelangelo's works are famous for their strength and momentum, and have a magnificent heroism. Perhaps, he is the artist closest to Beethoven's realm. In his sculptures and paintings, the magnificent image of the giant stands still, and even the female image he created is brave, as if it were the mythical Amazon woman.
Representative works: The statue of David (150 1- 1504) is the most familiar immortal masterpiece in the history of art, and it is also the most vivid work that shows the characteristics of Italian art in the heyday of the Renaissance. When carving the image of David with a long-abandoned gem, he really realized the ideal of releasing life from the stone, and carved this perfect hero colossus with superb skills and strong confidence.
(3) Raphael
Raphael Sanzio (1483- 1520) has always been regarded as the most perfect embodiment of the spirit of classical art, and Angel called him the god of painting. Raphael is the master who is best at shaping the image of the Virgin Mary in the history of western art. His series of statues of the Virgin Mary harmoniously unify the perceptual beauty and spiritual beauty, thus conveying the beautiful wishes and eternal feelings of mankind. Approachability and affability are the greatest characteristics of Raphael's works. In his works, profound knowledge and meticulous scrutiny are all dissolved in the relaxed artistic world composed of smooth lines, and everything seems to be a natural expression and a natural voice. Pure and beautiful, solemn and natural, bright and clear, harmonious and concise, these most important qualities of classical art have been most vividly reflected in Raphael. So those artists who admire classical fashion regard him as an ideal model, just as Reynolds said: He himself has become a model for all later painters.
Representative work: The Beautiful Gardener (about 1606), Raphael harmoniously blended the beautiful images of the Virgin, Jesus and St. John with smooth lines, creating a world full of human breath and kind God. This world is far from the spirit of the Middle Ages, and its pure, clear, simple and natural charm is closer to the spirit of Greece.
(4): Titian and the outstanding representatives of Venice School.
Florence and Rome played an extremely important role in the development of Italian Renaissance art./kloc-Most artists in the 5th century lived in these two cities. Other cities, such as Venice in northern Italy, used to be the center of East-West trade. Its * * * and political system, as well as its business atmosphere, make its social life full of strong secular colors and happy emotions. In this unique situation, Venice art also presents a unique look different from Florence and Rome. His paintings give full play to the expressive force of colors full of sensory charm, which is very different from Florence and Rome paintings that attach importance to lines and sketches.
A: Titian
Titian (1488/90- 1576) became a master of Venice painting with his rich creation in his long life. In practice, he created a style full of joy, vitality and grandeur. Together with Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, he became the main representative of the brilliant achievements of Italian art in the heyday of the Renaissance.
The representative work Christ wearing a crown of thorns (about 1570), the Venetian painters are famous for their good use of color, and the main factor that constitutes the charm of their works is color. This is the difference between Florence artists and Venice artists. This difference can often make later oil painters get technical inspiration from the works of Venice painters such as Titian. Oil painting, a form that can express light and color, was perfected by Titian and others in Italy. In Titian's works in his later years, the characteristics of oil painting language have been fully exerted. When creating, he painted different colors with broad and bold strokes, and used them to shape the body and render the momentum. There are no clear shapes and lines here, and there is no clear and cheerful atmosphere in his works in the past. Rich and dignified color configuration has become a powerful weapon to express strong tragic emotions. In this painting showing Titian's exquisite oil painting skills, we can see the development and changes of his spirit and language.
(5) Artists from other regions
A: Sartor
The real name of Sartor (1486- 1530) is Andrea Dagner de Frances. After three Renaissance masters left Florence, Sartor became the most famous local painter. Sartor is a painter who is good at modeling and using light. His superb skills earned him the title of perfect painter.
The representative work is the altar painting The Holy Mother of Habib (15 17). The solemn classical composition and elegant image all have the characteristics of the heyday of Renaissance art, but they have different meanings in the treatment of light.
4. Stylistic art
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael created a lot of brilliant works of art, which set a perfect example. In people's eyes, they are the most ideal and perfect embodiment, and later artists can't help but feel the vicissitudes of life in the face of them. Inspired by Michelangelo and Raphael, some young Italian artists tried to imitate and develop their styles regardless of the inner spirit of their works. Others who are more talented and ambitious are committed to the change and innovation of formal language and pay attention to showing their own characteristics in their works. Generally speaking, their works deviated from the ideals and basic principles in the heyday of Renaissance art and abandoned their natural, harmonious and simple artistic style. They pursue a style with unique visual effect and strong sense of form. The works produced by them often have the flavor of deliberate carving, indifference and alienation, and are quite subjective and imaginative. But for people with unique tastes, it is quite attractive. This artistic phenomenon was popular after the Renaissance, but before the Baroque era, historians called it Stylistic Art ... China people also translated it into Stylistic or artificial art according to western languages. Florence is the birthplace and the most important center of stylistic art. Under Sartor's door, early representatives of Stylism appeared, Pontomo and Russell.
(1) Pan Dormeau
Pandol Mo (1494- 1557), whose real name is Jacob Carrucci, has a distinctive personal style and his works show more new factors.
The representative work The Cross of Christ (about 1526- 1528) shows that the characters full of pictures are almost flat in the foreground. These light-colored and fluent figures seem to float in the void, without the real sense of space like clouds. They lack a sense of volume and weight, just like thin paper-cuts. The whole picture is filled with a dreamy feeling and an unrealistic meaning.
(2) Russell
Giovanni Battista Rosso Florentino (1495- 1540) is a talented and unique painter. Russell once worked in France at the invitation of French King Francois I, who loved Italian art, thus leaving his stylism in Fontainebleau, which influenced the face of French art.
The representative work Cross of Christ (152 1) has the same theme as Pandol Mo's masterpiece mentioned above, but it has its own characteristics. Geometric crosses, ladders and angular bluntness constitute a stagnant painting world. All the characters in the picture stand there as if they were enchanted, giving people a strange and frightened feeling, thus strengthening the tragic meaning of the work.
(3) Blonkino
Florence painter agnolo bronzino (1503- 1572) is a representative figure in the heyday of stylism. He formed his own style under the guidance of Pandor Mo. His works are famous for their delicate brushwork, indifferent feelings and harsh colors.
Masterpiece: Giovanni de Medici, a son of Toledo (about 1550) is a perfect example of his painting style. The dark blue background sets off the well-dressed still figures, and the lady depicted very finely is indifferent, just like a porcelain man, with a cool and elegant style.
5. Renaissance art outside Italy
The Renaissance in Europe originated in Italy, and under its influence, the Renaissance also sprouted in western European countries. Due to the differences in geography, history, folk traditions and other factors, the fine arts in these countries are all influenced by the medieval Gothic art tradition and have a strong religious atmosphere. Renaissance spirit is more reflected in the description of secular customs here. Compared with Italy at the same time, their works of art lack the unique majestic momentum of Italian Renaissance art, but the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and other departments have made their own contributions to the development of European Renaissance art.
(1) Dutch Renaissance Art
The word Holland means low-lying land, and the areas it refers to generally include Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and northeast France. Art activities in the Netherlands were initially closely related to France. In the14th century, many artists from Holland were employed by the French court. They not only brought Dutch artistic style to France, but also accepted the influence of Italian artistic style popular in France. After the Hundred Years' War (1337- 1453), the capital of Blantyre moved to Flanders, and the Dutch Renaissance art began to develop in the process of transforming and developing the late Gothic art. Flanders was the main activity area of Dutch artists in the14th century. There, they decorated churches, palaces and municipal buildings with paintings and sculptures, but most of these works were destroyed and few remained. At the end of 14, the famous sculptor Slote appeared in the Netherlands (about135/1360-1405). His life and early artistic activities cannot be verified, but his exquisite sculpture "The Well of Moses" for the Dijon Monastery is praised by later generations for its superb realistic skills. The well of Moses is written between 1395- 1403. It was originally the base of a huge cross, hexagonal, and each side was decorated with a statue of a prophet bigger than the real person. Among them were Moses who kept the commandments, David who was tall and solemn, and Isaiah who was bald. These figures and statues have distinct personalities, and their artistic techniques are concise and realistic. The plump and robust figure and smooth and elegant lines make it a masterpiece in Dutch sculpture art and have a strong influence on painting art. The original founders of the Dutch Renaissance art were the Van Ecker brothers. Their painting "Ghent Altar Painting" (14 15- 1433) is a famous masterpiece of Dutch early Renaissance art.
② German Renaissance art
German Renaissance art originated in the15th century, which lagged behind Italian and Dutch art in the same period. This is mainly because Germany was still in a feudal state, and the weak monarchy could not give strong protection to these extremely scattered cities, and Gothic art still occupied the main position. From 1420 to 1540, the Renaissance appeared in Germany, and some economically developed cities became the centers of local art schools. The paintings and sculptures in the early German Renaissance were influenced by some factors in the later Gothic art, and the religious altar paintings were more developed. A single or multiple altar paintings painted on a wooden board are placed in a solemn church to increase the solemn atmosphere. /kloc-Since the middle of the 0/5th century, German artists have shown concern for people's living environment, like to describe the natural environment, and emphasize realism in character modeling. The painter KonradWitz (about 14 14- 1446) is a representative of this. His "Christ Treading on the Sea" (also known as "The Miracle of Fishing") depicts the real scenery of Boden Lake. Although it is a traditional religious theme, the picture is very vivid and natural. There were also famous artists in this period, such as Martin Schon Gore (1445/1450-1491), who was regarded as the pioneer of German Renaissance art. It should be said that the most outstanding achievement of German Renaissance art was printmaking, which had a positive impact on the art of Europe as a whole. Among the early famous painters, Schengel's copperplate prints are in the leading position. His successor, the German Renaissance master Diu Lei, further developed and perfected the copperplate prints. The most outstanding painter of the second generation of German Renaissance was Hansel Byrne Jr. (about 1497- 1543). He studied art with his father in his early years and had extensive contacts with humanists. Holbein's artistic style is famous for being calm and objective. A large number of his portraits accurately recorded the appearance and psychological characteristics of various figures in the16th century. Erasmus statue in Louvre (about 1523) is a masterpiece of his portraits. The author carefully deals with the relationship between light and shade of the picture, focusing on the faces, hands and manuscripts of the characters in the picture, revealing the elegance of a wise humanist. Holbein's sketch is also excellent, with simple and perfect lines. Although there is almost no shading, it can fully express the volume and texture. After 1532, the painter settled in London and became the court painter of King Henry VIII of England, making contributions to the development of English painting.
(3) the French Renaissance art.
After the Hundred Years' War, France regained the territory occupied by Britain, forming a unified situation and creating conditions for the development of national culture. The Loire Valley is the birthplace of French court architecture. King Charles VIII of France, Louis XII of France I of France and Francois I all built a large number of noble houses and hunting grounds there. Among them, Chenon Suofu and Chambord Palace are famous. These luxurious buildings are the product of a combination of new styles and ancient traditions. Since 1930s, Italian artists have come to France to participate in the construction of Fontainebleau, which has brought the French Renaissance architecture into a new stage of development. 1530, the Italian stylist painter Russell came to Fontainebleau to do decoration work. In order to adapt to the taste of the French court, Rosso's painting style has changed, still stretching the human body, and the picture is particularly exquisite and beautiful. Local sculptors and painters decorated Fontainebleau Palace under the leadership of him and other Italian stylist painters, and gradually formed Fontainebleau School. This school created a new decorative effect of combining plaster high relief with painting, and pursued elegance and charm. Take the famous Francois I promenade as an example, the high relief figures around the painting seem to jump out of the wall. In addition, the decorative patterns wrapped around the frame like leather were also initiated by them and later became very popular throughout Europe. Painting and sculpture in the French Renaissance started late. Jean Fouquet (about 1420- 1477), 15 century famous French painter, was the pride of early French painting and had a great influence on the later development of French art. Fukai is a versatile artist. His works include oil paintings, fine surfaces, enamel products and some sketches. The Virgin Son (about 1450) in Two Sides of Mullen is his important work. /kloc-French portraits in the 0 th and 6 th centuries occupy a prominent position, and famous painters include Chloe and his son. Jean clouet (about 1485/90—— about 1540/4 1) was a court painter and courtier of Francois I, who described many dignitaries and celebrities at that time. The Statue of Francois I (about 1525-30) is his successful work. His son Fran? ois Cloel (about 15 10- 1572) is also a portrait painter who is very popular with the court. The Portrait of Elizabeth in Austria (157 1) is his best work. From the works of Chloe and her son, we can see that they are skilled in painting techniques, and they are good at capturing characters' expressions and expressing their personalities, which is also the strength of French portrait painters. The main representatives of sculpture are Gu Rong and Pilong (about 1525- 1590). Gu Rong's masterpiece is his six reliefs "Goddess Shui Ze in the Forest" (1549) for the Jie Zhen Spring in Paris. The works are based on ancient Greek mythology, and Gu Rong depicts the light posture of God with exquisite skills. The characters are full of vitality, and although the composition space is narrow, there is no sense of restraint. The sculptor's treatment of clothing lines is very natural and smooth, which perfectly shows the charm of women, and the whole relief is full of fresh classical atmosphere.
(4) Spanish Renaissance art.
Spanish Renaissance art first appeared in Catalonia and Valencia. /kloc-in the 0/5th century, the seeds of capitalism appeared earlier in these two regions, and they had close artistic exchanges with Italy and the Netherlands. But it is the famous painter El Greco (1541-1614) who truly represents the highest peak of Spanish Renaissance art. Such as Sancta familia and the birth of Christ. Greer is a controversial painter. He uses color and light as the main means of expression. The elongated characters are neurotic and uneasy, which reflects the melancholy mentality of the declining aristocrats. His greatness also lies in revealing social contradictions and gaining insight into the crisis in Spain with the sharp eyes of a philosopher. Greco's art has not been recognized by art historians for a long time. Until the beginning of this century, people began to re-study this master, and more and more found the charm of his unique painting style, and regarded him as the greatest representative of stylism.