How did the characteristics of Italian Art change throughout the Renaissance?: 3D Gallery

Primavera- Sandro Botticelli

Early Renaissance

C. 1477- 1482

202 cm × 314 cm

Tempera Painting

Italian Renaissance art started and flourished in Florence, the city where incidentally Botticelli was from. This painting, translated as Spring from Italian, features several mythical beings in a garden, a good representation for the love of classical period, which eventually formed the classicism period in art.

The Birth Of Venus- Sandro Botticelli

Early Renaissance

C. 1484-1486

172.5 cm × 278.9 cm

Canvas Painting

This famous depiction of the birth of the goddess of love and beauty, Venus in Roman culture and Aphrodite in Greek culture, by Botticelli is a beautiful example of classicism and realism in Italian Renaissance art. He has chosen to portray a beautiful goddess from an elegant time period and these characteristics have been included in her depiction. Nude subjects were also highly popular during the Italian Renaissance, so this may be why Botticelli chose to depict her nude.

Vitruvian Man- Leonardo Da Vinci

High Renaissance

C. 1490

34.6 cm × 25.5 cm

Ink Drawing

Vitruvian Man by Da Vinci marks the beginning of the high Renaissance, but is unique to most Italian art at the time. This piece of work is only an ink drawing made to accompany notes by a roman architect Vitruvius, hence the name Vitruvian Man. The drawing is meant to represent the ideal proportions of the human body. While the choice of medium was unusual, the sketch did reflect another theme found commonly in Italian Renaissance art, Humanism. Humanism looked at people simply as they were, which is what this image does.

Battle of the Centaurs- Michaelangelo

High Renaissance

C. 1492

84.5 cm × 90.5 cm

Marble Sculpture

This marble sculpture by Renaissance artist Michaelangelo, consists of several mythical beings at war with a group of humans. These creatures are called centaurs, half man and half horse. Michaelangelo recreated this popular myth in an artwork for himself. He uses a lot of depth and obscures several of the centaurs, making it difficult to see what they really are. Many claim this was Michelangelo's representation of the civilized Greeks vs. the savage Barbarians.

The Last Supper- Leonardo Da Vinci

High Renaissance

C. 1495- 1498

460 cm × 880 cm

Mural Painting

Da Vinci’s portrayal is of the last meal Jesus has before he was crucified. The main feature in this painting is the arrangement of the figures and the linear placement and depth. The centre of the lines is called the vanishing point and this is exactly where Da Vinci chose to place Jesus, the main figure in the image as to attract attention.

Bacchus- Michaelangelo

High Renaissance

C. 1496- 1497

203 cm

Marble Sculpture

Another portrayal of the mythological theme but instead in the form of a marble sculpture. This sculpture represents the Roman god Bacchus (in Greek; Dionysus), the god of wine and festivity. This may be why Michaelangelo has chosen to display him as drunk, staggering onto a side (not to be considered contrapposto as this is not a posture of prominence), holding a glass of wine in his hand. He’s taken the Renaissance love of classical mythology but made it into a more revolting artwork.

The School of Athens- Raphael

High Renaissance

C. 1509- 1511

500 cm × 770 cm

Fresco

This mural painting by Raphael is the perfect depiction of what the Renaissance was striving to be. It takes all the culture and knowledge of the Ancient Greek times, once again classicism, which flourished once again creating the Renaissance. Raphael includes several prestigious Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle. Socrates and Plato. In fact using techniques learnt from Da Vinci, Raphael placed Plato at the vanishing point in this painting, in order to bring attention to him.

The Creation of Adam- Michaelangelo

High Renaissance

C.1512

280 cm × 570 cm

Fresco

Another fresco painting, perhaps the most famous of all time, illustrates a biblical scene, one where god creates Adam, the first man to live. This is part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, alongside many other paintings. Adam is presented as fully nude and almost perfectly proportioned, the theme popular in Renaissance Italy. However this interpretation of the scene is quite unique in many ways. Michaelangelo was said to have hidden many anatomical things in the painting, the human brain structure, number of ribs and the act of birth.

The Feast of the Gods- Bellini/Titian

High/Late Renaissance

C. 1514 (redone 1529)

170 cm × 188 cm

Oil on Canvas

This oil painting was originally done by Giovanni Bellini, but later extended by Titian. All together it portrays several Roman gods, nymphs and other mythical creatures. Bellini introduced the mythological theme to the painting by painting the figures, but many claim Titian later improved the painting by changing parts of the landscape. Landscape was also a popular focus point for Renaissance painters, with the aspect of linear perspective and light.

The Wedding at Cana- Paolo Veronese

Late Renaissance

C. 1563

677 cm × 994 cm

Oil on Canvas Painting

Perhaps the most overlooked painting of all time is The Wedding at Cana by Veronese. This late Italian Renaissance painting is today found opposite the Mona Lisa, leading to many people missing it. But this grand depiction of a biblical wedding scene is not to be ignored. The painting features a grand banquet symbolizing wealth and power, a characteristic relating to even 16th century Venetian society. It was quite different to other Renaissance work as it indoctrinated the art style of Mannerism, which was a much more exaggerated form of painting and this period eventually led to Baroque after the Renaissance.

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How did the characteristics of Italian Art change throughout the Renaissance?

Primavera- Sandro Botticelli

The Birth Of Venus- Sandro Botticelli

Vitruvian Man- Leonardo Da Vinci

Battle of the Centaurs- Michaelangelo

The Last Supper- Leonardo Da Vinci

Bacchus- Michaelangelo

The School of Athens- Raphael

The Creation of Adam- Michaelangelo

The Feast of the Gods- Bellini/Titian

The Wedding at Cana- Paolo Veronese

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