Renaissance Art

The Renaissance popularity of Humanism and classical readings, combined with the availability of literature such as Dante's Divine Comedy, led to an interest in mythology, pagan and secular themes. Humanism emphasized the importance of education and knowledge, as well as the potential of the individual and civic responsibility. So in the Renaissance, we might see a civic mural like Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Peaceful City, a secular mural like Raphael's School of Athens with its themes of philosophy and science, or Boticelli's lyrical, mythological Birth of Venus. Formally, Renaissance art is characterized by naturalism, the use of expressive gesture, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, and chiaroscuro. In painting, figures are placed in a three-dimensional, believable space, and their posture and gesture is part of a complex formal arrangement. Compare, for example, Leonardo's Madonna of the Rocks, 1483 to Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned, ca. 1280-1290. The gestures of Cimabue's figures are varied and angled to make a pleasing formal arrangement and to lead the eye to the Madonna and child, but they are not naturalistic. There is the beginning of perspective in the work, but not is a sense that makes the space look real. 

The Renaissance, translated as "rebirth," was a time that is considered by many scholars to be the beginning of modern history. It was in this era that European artists started becoming interested in the world around them as well as more aware of their surroundings. Consequently, much of the art created at this time became affected by this new "realistic" style. Whether it's in sculptures, paintings, or even architecture, the art became more focused on a real life feel that centered the spotlight on nature as well as depicting people's feelings. As a cultural movement, it encompassed a revival of learning based on classical sources, the development of linear perspective in painting, and gradual but widespread educational reform. Traditionally, this intellectual transformation has resulted in the Renaissance being viewed as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Modern era. Renaissance scholars employed the humanist method in study, and searched for realism and human emotion in art.

The Renaissance came into being through the humanists and their ideas.
The impact of humanism on the arts was enormous. The subject matter of painting prior to the Renaissance was primarily religious: it was concerned not with the naturalistic portrayal of human life, but primarily with provoking a religious reaction in the viewer. Painters were not interested in making a picture "realistic" they did not use perspective. The more important figures in the painting were frequently made larger than all the others, and often the element of landscape was omitted completely.
During the Renaissance, all that changed. The period was characterized by a renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman design and included an emphasis on human beings and the environment. The feature of Italian Renaissance that distinguishes it from preceding eras is the extent and depth of its devotion to Classical Antiquity. Renaissance art demonstrates how the search for the idealization of form itself can be a spiritual exercise, summoning up for the viewer a sense of the perfection of God via the perfection of the idealized human figure or the proportions of a building. The rediscovery of classical art that glorified human beauty and emphasized individual differences had a profound effect on painters of the Renaissance.