The Renaissance of Art originated in Italy, starting in the 1300s to the late 1600s and it re routed the strict religious values of the medieval and gothic period. It became all about classical Greek and Roman art, inspired by their culture of education, science, realism and glorification. This period is a major stepping-stone for art in Europe in the middle ages. There are three major characteristics that stand out in the Italian renaissance art, that, to me, really identify the art of that period. Linear perspective was used at a time when the science of architecture hadn’t been discovered yet. Chiaroscuro is a technique using highlights, tones shades and shadows to give the illusion of three dimensions on a 2 dimensional surface. And the way that the artists portrayed the human body, with elegance, detail and sensuality was something unheard of and a very bold move on their part. Linear perspective, to give a technical definition, is when all parallel lines and surface edges converge on one, two or three vantage points, located with reference to the eye level of the viewer and associated objects are rendered smaller the farther away they become to the viewer, giving the picture depth. One example is Giotto’s “Lamentation of Christ”. In this picture he uses the linear perspective and also uses increased volume of his characters, giving them life like size, and also real human emotion. Another example is “The Holy Trinity” by Massaccio.
Jan Van Eyck was one of the many artist in this period. Some of his works were Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfin and Jean Cenami, and Ghent Altarpiece. Another famous artist was Simone Martini. Some of his art was the Annunciation. Another artist was Botticelli. He made the Birth of Venus. Primavera da Vinci made Adoration of the Magi and Annunciation, and Michelangelo made the Tondo Family (hisfirst Renaissance