Art of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages

2. How is the art of the Renaissance different from the art of the Middle Ages?

During the Middle Ages, art was influenced greatly by the Church.  Two types of art during this time were Romanesque and Gothic.  Romanesque art was bulky and had no windows because that time period was all about death and judgement day.  Romanesque art evolved into Gothic art, which differed greatly from the bulky structure.  Gothic art featured many windows and lots of light because that time period was based on hope and the light of God. Art during the Italian Renaissance started out from being based on linear perspective and then evolving to a trend of realism in the arts. A man named Filippo Brunelleschi changed the linear perspective to an artistic form.  Studying light, shadow, and human anatomy were common during the Renaissance.  Finding the underlying beauty of nature was an artist's main goal.  Like the Middle Ages, Renaissance architecture used many arches and columns, but this new architecture had semi-circular vaults; whereas, the Gothic art used rectangular vaults.  These two time periods demonstrated many different, yet alike characteristics.


"Gothic Architecture." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 4 May 2010.            <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture>.


"Renaissance Art." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 4 May 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance#Art>.


"Romanesque Architecture." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 4 May 2010.            <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesque_architecture>.