Free Renaissance Aesthetics and Classical Ideas Essay Sample
The renaissance is described as a period in history that is considered by historians as the bridge that culturally connects the modern world to the medieval period. The cultural practice started in Italy before spreading to Europe and playing a significant role in the cultural practices of the early modern age. Renaissance began as a Greek philosophy that tried to explain humanism. The new line of thinking that was expressed using philosophy, art, literature, and politics. Art aesthetics changed over the Renaissance period and people viewed art as something that they could feel as compared to the connection between divinity and the individual mind. This paper looks at various art forms including Birth of Venus by Botticelli, Sistine Madonna by Raphael, and The Hunter in the Snow by Bruegel to join Renaissance aesthetics with classical ideas.
The Birth of Venus is a classical and yet a mythological painting that its aesthetics differ between different people mainly because of its controversial nature as it was the first nude painting to be recorded in history. Individuals who have an artistic eye can identify the classical nature of the painting and its setting in the medieval period. The aesthetics payoff of art shifted during the Renaissance period, and the painting is a combination of the traditional aesthetics and those that evolved around the time that the painting was done. The painting was a depiction of Venus, who was a goddess, who had just emerged from the sea and was standing on land. There is the classic idea of the painting that is held by many traditional forms of expressions including books that mermaids were referred to as divine beings. Thus, the painting creates a feeling of divine harmony, and it gives the viewer the sense of higher consciousness. The painting thus creates a perfect relationship between the Renaissance aesthetics and the classical ideas that people have on classic art and literature. The expression of Venus as a goddess further highlights the painting about Renaissance aesthetics a deep analysis of a keen viewer creates a union between the divine mind and the individual mind. The artwork is also a typical form of classical Renaissance art as it is against the medieval scholasticism due to the depiction of a goddess. Before the Renaissance period, most artistic works were based on Aristotelian logic and thus most forms of arts could not appeal to an individual’s divine mind. Most classical ideas were used to mark cultural changes over time and so does the Birth of Venus Painting. The element of doing the first nude painting that was meant to be a goddess shows that Europe was experiencing a period of cultural change to a culture with more neo-Platonic elements. The Birth of Venus thus creates an excellent representation of the joining of Renaissance aesthetics with classical ideas.
The Sistine Madonna is a classic work of art with a religious theme, and it was done by Raphael. The painting also further expresses the setting of the age in which it was made, which is the Renaissance period. Many people widely accepted the painting and religious leaders further confirming the fact that there was a change in aesthetics of artistic works before and during the Renaissance period. The painting’s aesthetics are shifted to the expression of beauty through divine harmony which is evident from the representation of religious characters. The painting was also done at a time when ancient, and classical Christianity books were being written. Religion was also included in some classical literature that was not intended to serve the purpose of spreading Christianity. The trend thus shows that the Renaissance period had an impact on the artistic expressions of not only paintings but also classical literature. Medieval artists are known to mostly seek divine inspiration in doing their artistic works and Raphael is no different. Most creatives of the time in the review are known to apply the same line of thinking in developing their various forms of art, which further shows the relationship between Renaissance and classical ideas. The painting creates a perfect balance between practiced illusion and what can be termed to as church rhetoric. The painting shows Madonna holding a child while Saint Sixtus is looking at her while pointing the finger at the church’s congregation. Saint Barbara is also in the picture, and she is used to symbolizing the mediator between the heavenly Christ and human beings. The neo-Platonic nature of the arts done using Renaissance aesthetics again is shown where artists express their perceptions and those that are communicated to them by the society. In the picture, the depiction of mediators who exist to create a link between divine beings and humans is evident. It was not proven that the mediators existed and so Raphael used his perception that could have been influenced by what the religious society had communicated to him. The philosophy of aesthetics became individualistic with time in the Renaissance period, and more people were interested in understanding the allegorical meaning of various artworks, including paintings. Raphael’s painting of The Sistine Madonna is a perfect form of art that can be used to deduce metaphorical meaning. The use of allegory by the artist also excellently shows the joining of Renaissance aesthetics with classical ideas.
The Hunters in the Snow by Bruegel is a somehow different form of art as compared to the two previously analyzed works. The difference is mainly because this kind of art is a landscape painting as compared to most paintings of the Renaissance era that were based on religions and beliefs. The painting is one among twelve other paintings that were used to signify the twelve months in a year. The classical idea of the painting is evident just from looking at it, and thus it considered to be the most popular image on Christmas cards around the world. One of the features of a classical work of art is its ability to stand the test of time, and the painting has proved that it was indeed a classic. The picture has a depiction of travelers moving down a hill, which can be used to signify the transition between months in a year. However much the painting seems plain to many, it still has a form of divine inspiration, which is usual for Renaissance aesthetics. Some art experts explain the painting that the men in the snow could be used to signify the powerless entity of man and also to show that man is always at the mercy of the seasons of the year. It thus shows that the faith in a supreme being who is the creator is the only assured comfort we can get. Allegory is again used to show the form of God, just like in most classic forms of art. The Hunters in the Snow thus also expresses the joining of Renaissance aesthetics with classical ideas.
The three art forms thus excellently express the joining of Renaissance aesthetics with classical ideas through the way that they express their ideas by use of higher consciousness to interact with people’s divine and individual art. The art forms have been in existence for years, and they are still appealing and are still used to express Renaissance aesthetics. Following the painting’s depiction of religion and various humanity traits, the artistic works also acted as models of ancient culture.