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Painters of the Italian Renaissance
The Greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance
The Greatest Artists of the Italian Renaissance
Michelangelo
Italian, 1573-1610 High
Renaissance
Titian
Italian, 1490-1564 High
Renaissance
Leonardo Da Vinci
Italian,
1452-1519
High Renaissance
Raphael
Italian, 1483 - 1520
High Renaissance
Paolo Veronese
Italian, 1528-1588
High Renaissance
Jacob Tintoretto
Italian, 1518-1594 High Renaissance
Giotto Bondone
Italian, 1267-1337
Andrea del Verrocchio
Italian, 1435-1488
Sandro Botticelli
Italian,
1445-1510
Sano di Pietro
Italian, 1406-1481
Donatello Italian
1386-1466
Mantegna
1431-1506
Piero della Francesca,
1418- 1492
Origins and History of the
Italian Renaissance
Until the
Middle Ages
men regarded themselves
as following the
Good
Shepherd, and
art consequently did not
recognize the individual
in particular. In the
structure and position
of the figures, as
in their expression, a
general and uniform type
of beauty prevailed. The
early Renaissance marks
the victory of
individualism and the
uncompromising
prominence of he
individual.
Renaissance historian
Jacob Burckhardt
asserted "Freed
from the countless bonds
which elsewhere in
Europe checked progress,
having reached a high
degree of individual
development and been
schooled by the
teachings of antiquity,
the Italian mind now
turned to the discovery
of the outward universe,
and to the
representation of it in
speech and form."
Artist were elevated in social standing and their art was looked upon not as
simple crafts, but as divinely inspired creations. The spirit of an era
awoke, revitalized with knowledge and creativity. Paintings of the High
Renaissance are intensely dramatic and sumptuously dazzling. The
highly valued synthesis of science, art, geometry and the natural world.
The techniques used by painters of the High Renaissance were quite
innovative in themselves. Their use of luminous colors used in
combination with
newly developed oil mediums gave a unique vividness to their paintings.
Michelangelo
and
Leonardo Da Vinci
would not hesitate to
directly sketch a reeking, decomposing human corpse for the purpose of
making detailed
realistic studies.
According to Richard
Muther" An abundance
of sharply outlined
characters suddenly
appears, robust,
clear-cut personalities;
lawless nature belonging
just as much in the
gallery of criminals as
in that of great men.
Character,
individuality, power and
energy are the passwords
of the Renaissance age.
This new humanity, all
these rugged and manly
figures which the age
had created, had also to
appear in painting. In
contrast to the former
preference for beauty of
an angelic and tender
type, the problem now
was to depict energetic
and powerful beings; and
to replace shy and
feminine, though
bearded, men in the
pictures of the older
masters by angular,
harsh determined and
daring types. The
figures which has
formerly hovered like
spirits above the earth
had now to stand firmly
upon their own feet and
become part of their
earthly home." --