Renaissance Arts & Artists -English 2 Unit 3
Updated: Nov 24, 2022
English 2 Unit 3
Renaissance Arts & Artists
This is the 3rd unit from the book English 2 Unit 3 Renaissance arts and artists (click to open the book in a new tab)
A short introduction to the Renaissance
Watch the video "Renaissance-Overview-Goodbye-Art Academy", created by Artist Phil Hansen, to get an idea of the renaissance art .
The Renaissance in brief
The Renaissance was a period in European history that started about 1400 and lasted around 1600.
In French, the term "Renaissance" implies "rebirth" The period was called because people started to become interested in ancient history, especially ancient Greece and Rome. Those concepts underwent "rebirth" throughout the Renaissance. With the Renaissance, the "modern age" officially started.
Many famous artists, writers, and philosophers flourished throughout the Renaissance. Many people pursued studies in math and science. A "Renaissance man" is a man who is talented in a variety of fields. Leonardo da Vinci, a painter, scientist, musician, and philosopher, was the most well-known Renaissance Man.
The Renaissance began in Italy but quickly expanded across Europe. Time is split into three eras in Italy:
the Early Renaissance (1401-1490s)
the High Renaissance (1490s-1527)
the Late Renaissance which is also called the" Mannerist" period.
Following the Mannerism era came the Baroque period, which began about 1600 and expanded across Europe. Outside of Italy, it may be difficult to determine where the Renaissance era stops and the Baroque period starts.
Read more about Renaissance Art here
Key ideas about the Renaissance
Rebirth of Humanism -way of thought that focuses on human beings and their potential for achievement
Rebirth of Naturalism -capturing the human beings in the natural form
Perspective and Depth in Art -different views of pictures -they added and showed a front and back or showed distance
Create Non Religious Themes -as church faded in the Middle Ages and the Middle Ages declined and the non religious theme was brought when the church crashed right before the Renaissance
Privately Owned Art -art became more popular in society and became more expected in homes
Sculpture and Architecture -more respect for the new topics of the sculpture and architecture
-sculpture = statue, model etc.
-architecture = design of things, usually buildings
Artists Became Popular with their Art -artists rose in the social pyramid because of their artwork
-if people liked your artwork you would become famous
Check out the source and have a go at the quiz : quizlet
See the presentation for the unit Renaissance Arts and Artists
From the textbook:
Leonardo da Vinci
He was born in Vinci on 15 April 1452
His fields of work include painting, geology, anatomy, flight, gravity, optics, engineering (and
science in general)
His most famous works of art: Mona Lisa.
The impact of his work: he was highly influential as an artist and sculptor- he was a pioneering scientist, inventor and artist. The Last Supper has been described as one of the greatest spiritual paintings; the Mona Lisa is one of the world’s
most famous and intriguing pictures. The thousands of surviving pages of his notebooks reveal the most eclectic and brilliant minds. He invented the bicycle, the airplane, helicopter, and parachute years ahead of their time. His painting was scientific and his science was expressed through art.
Click to see Leonardo da Vinci's works
Michelangelo
Β. Michelangelo
He was born in Caprese near Florence, Italy, on 6 March 1475
His fields of work include painting, sculpture, poetry, architecture
His most famous works of art: Pieta, The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican
He died in Rome on 18 February 1564
The impact of his work: he became one of the world’s most famed artists remembered and adored by future generations/ he was greatly affected by Leonardo Da Vinci/ he contributed to many architectural projects such as the great church of St Peter’s.
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. ” - Michelangelo
The Pietà was a popular subject among northern European artists. It means “Pity” or “Compassion,” and represents Mary sorrowfully contemplating the dead body of her son Jesus
The Pietà is widely regarded as the Vatican's greatest artistic treasure
Sandro Botticelli
He was born in Florence around 1445
His field of work was painting, where he included Neo-Platonism bringing together Christianity and Paganism. Later in his life, his style underwent a remarkable change characterised by a very religious feel and symbolism in his painting.
His most famous works of art: The Primavera, Pallas, the Centaur, Venus and Mars, The Birth of Venus, Calumny of Apelles, the Crucifixion, the Last Communion of St. Jerome, and the Nativity. He also took part in the painting of the Sistine Chapel.
He died in Florence in 1510
The impact of his work: although his work lay forgotten for almost 400 years, he is now considered as one of the most esteemed artists of the Italian Renaissance. His contribution to the Italian Renaissance period was one of great distinction.
see more of Botticelli's works here
Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael)
He was born in Urbino on 28 March or 6 April 1483
His field of work was painting
His most famous works of art: In Florence, Raphael completed three large altarpieces, The Ansidei Madonna, The Baglioni altarpiece, 43 both commissioned for Perugian clients, and The Madonna del Baldacchino for a chapel in Santo Spirito, a Florentine church. One of his final paintings of the Florentine period is the magnificent Saint Catherine now in the National Gallery in London. The Stanza also known as the Raphael rooms, is located on the upper floor of the Vatican palace. The Stanza della Segnatura contains some of the artist’s best-known works including, The School of Athens, Parnassus, and The Disputation of the Sacrament. He produced a wealth of paintings including several Madonnas, portraits, and altarpieces, all in addition to his Vatican efforts. His only mythological work, Galateia was painted for the Tiber villa of Agostino Chigi.
He died in Rome on 6 April 1520
The impact of his work: He was a famous, wealthy, and popular renaissance personality and his funeral was very well attended attracting large crowds. He became, along with Michelangelo and Leonardo, one of the three masters of the Italian Renaissance, and his compositions were referred to extensively when training successive generations of artists.
The School of Athens, Raphael | Art Analysis
Andrea del Verrocchio
He was born in Florence in or around 1435
His fields of work include painting, sculpture and goldsmithing
His most famous works of art: Tobias and the angel, The Baptism of Christ, The Madonna
enthroned with John the Baptist and St Donato.
He died in Venice in 1488
The impact of his work: His greatest importance was as a sculptor and his last work, the equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice, is universally accepted as a masterpiece. A number of important painters were trained at his workshop. His pupils included Leonardo da Vinci, Pietro Perugino and Lorenzo di Credi. He set an example for other Renaissance sculptors.
more of Verrocchio's works here
Grammar: Passive Voice
Click on the links below to read about the passive voice form and use, then practice doing the exercises:
Now you can practise with the exercises:
Take the quiz !
visit here and test your talent in passive voice
Extra resources
More videos about the Renaissance art
Characteristics of Renaissance Art
How to recognize Italian Renaissance art
Useful links/ Sources
Renaissance Art history.com
Wikipedia
website for Leonardo da Vinci
the art story
Michelangelo websites here and here
website for Raphael
wikipedia wikipedia commons
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